Any Home AudioPhiles Out There???

[Marinersfan]

OK, so this is waaaay OT but any of you guys know anything about setting up a home audio system. I'm not into putting tons of $$$ into it. That just takes away from "fun tickets" I could be putting into one of our 2 bimmers.....

So here's whuts up. I want to know what I need to get to hook up a home stereo (110w per channel RMS), a Time Warner Cable box, a DVD/CD player and a VCR. Right know I only have 2 speaks but my stereo receiver will accomodate 6 of which only 4 can be accessed at a time.....

Some Makes and Models so I can search Fleabay would be good......

Thanks guys!

[rexmo]

Audiophile and low buck don't really go together. Your phrasing seems well designed to elicit few responses.

I'm partial to Luxman, think Harmon Kardon, Yamaha, Onkyo are generally ok as well. You might want to look at local pawn shops for a deal. For brands to avoid, look in a department store.

[bob knox]

NAD is THE best audio equipment for the $. It's on the low side of high end, and the sound is truly otherworldly. Right now there is a T743 receiver on e-bay for $499 which is an amazing price. Match that with the T532 or T533 DVD player and you will be blown away by the sound and picture. Make sure what ever DVD player you buy has Progressive Scan. I thought I needed new speakers until I bought NAD equipment. It's that impressive. You can also get a decent 5 speaker and sub setup from Cambridge Soundworks (www.hifi.com) for reasonable $. If you have a good audio shop (better than Best Buy or Circuit City) go there and listen to every speaker you can. That way you can figure out what you want audio wise.

Audio equipment is a sickness just like e28's. Once you start buying, you can't stop.

[Marinersfan]

KO, fellas thanks for the reply. I see I was remiss in the description of my question. I have the Pioneer SX-1010 receiver. She's an oldie from the mid-70's and I just had her serviced and it's hands down one of the very best Pioneer ever made. system. I have a 4-head Pioneer stereo vcr, I have a Pioneer DVD player. I also have Pioneer S910 speakers and an Onkyo 14-band equalizer. My question is this: What single piece of equipment do I need to buy to tie it all together? Are we talking a Home Theatre receiver such as Bob mentioned with the T743 or some other piece of equipment. My ???'s may appear to be somewhat ignorant but they more rather come from a total lack of knowledge on the subject. I mean I can hook the whole system up just fine as is. I just thought maybe there was a simpler method of tieing it all together.....

Thanks!

[Rich in WI]

In general there is a separation between the home theater and stereo systems. For true excellence at either one, the system requires sacrificing the other. A great stereo will not be the best home theater. The best home theater will not be a great stereo.

But there are a lot of truly excellent hybrid systems. I'm not sure how you'd hook up your Pioneer receiver with a home theater receiver, but I suppose its possible. I think that the speaker requirements for making either excellent really don't allow for a sharing of speaker components. A really good 5.1 home theater system used in stereo mode will short change the music. The two speakers you would use for the stereo aren't designed around that use.

All that said, I'm really happy with my Onkyo home theater receiver. But this is largely due to my luck at having found some mid-80s Acoustic Research speakers that kick butt for the stereo settings and do plenty good in my small den for movies. I haven't bothered to hook up 5.1 sound, because I'm not that big of a home theater buff.

You've really got to pick your priorities and figure out what you are willing to let go. No compromise means lots of $$$.

Good luck,
Rich

[adrian in florida]

I just bought an Onkyo home theater /reciever. I have always liked Onkyo. I got hit by lightning so I had to get a new one. When I told the circuit city guy i just wanted a reciever he looked at me like I was from Mars. ended up with a two zone system(TV in the living area and music outside) 90 watts per channel. I have been using Bose acoustimass for years and they seem to work well. Clean sound and can be hidden.
true audiophiles only listen to records

[LexingTom 535is]

[QUOTE="adrian in florida"]true audiophiles only listen to records[/QUOTE]

What he really meant, sports fans, was that TRUE audiophiles only listen to reel to reel.

Records?!?

I would take this problem to Ovation and see what kind of crack they sell you. I love that place, but only go in there if I have either zero dollars or lots of dollars! I'm sure there's an equivilant around you somewhere.

Best wishes.

Records? We don't need no steenking records!

[Bryan in SB]

And here I thought I might get some feedback on some B&W speakers I've been looking at....(@)

[Marinersfan]

B&W??? I don't know where you buy your speakers but where mine come from they come in color!!

[Bryan in SB]

[QUOTE="Marinersfan"]B&W??? I don't know where you buy your speakers but where mine come from they come in color!! [/QUOTE]

Nice one!
http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fus ... lobal.main

[robeyff]

I have the Pioneer SX-1010 receiver.

I've got a Pioneer VSX -350 Reciever/Home Theater; 1997 I believe - I love it; TV, DVD,VCR, CD all connect easily, superior sound, even have the outdoor speakers connected. Even if you love the Pioneer you have, I'll bet you could trade for one like mine or similar and solve the wire noodle salad. For the Audiophiles, I have an Akai UC-U4 amplifier and UC-54 reciever connected to a Pioneer PL-990 manually adjustable speed turntable for my Vinyls. Love CDs but Vinyl is just a richer reproduction.

[SW]

I have 3 sets of b&w's and love them each. The greatest listening experience of my life was with B&Ws. That being said, audio is subjective- just like suspension mods -- so you need to find out if they are right for you.
For deals, I personally think the quad 303 amplifier on ebay is one of the best under $200.00 anyone is going to find. I'd put my 4 up against anything under $2500.00. Ding dang do tilly.


[Edit by SW on [TIME]1131902530[/TIME]]

[Rick_R]

[QUOTE="SW"]I have 3 sets of b&w's and love them each. The greatest listening experience of my life was with B&Ws. That being said, audio is subjective - so you need to find out if they are right for you.<---This is important
[/QUOTE]

I have a set of Nautilus 805's as my rear pair in my main surround system. The front end I have is probably more than you want to entertain, but if you can find a Sunfire Surround Receiver, it will give the best of both worlds, stereo, and home theater. That being said, the speakers you choose will give you far better satisfaction than any electronics. Pick your speakers as well (meaning budget wise) as you can, and then get the electronics to drive them.

I have a Yamaha surround system attached to my computer sytstems for games and mp3's in the computer room, with B&W 602's as my mains. Wonderful bookshelf speakers.

[Velocewest]

[QUOTE="Marinersfan"]KO, fellas thanks for the reply. I see I was remiss in the description of my question. I have the Pioneer SX-1010 receiver. She's an oldie from the mid-70's and I just had her serviced and it's hands down one of the very best Pioneer ever made. system. [/QUOTE]

Ooooh! Silver generation goodness! Dude, just throw away the TV, and watch CraigsList or eBay for some DCM Timewindows and a nice Dual or Thorens. Video entertainment is highly overrated.

[robeyff]

Ooooh! Silver generation goodness!

As soon as I find my walker I'm comin' over there, whippersnapper - and stay off my lawn - somebody turn down that victrola. :p

[scottiesharpe]

http://scottiesharpe.com/stereo/

[SW]

I have 4 DCM timewindows (I think that is the model). Hate them and want them gone. They are in RI. Anyone interested. They are tall and skinny. My dad loved them. Like I said, sound is subjective.

[RPMS]

[QUOTE="Rick_R"]I have a set of Nautilus 805's as my rear pair in my main surround system. The front end I have is probably more than you want to entertain, but if you can find a Sunfire Surround Receiver, it will give the best of both worlds, stereo, and home theater. [/QUOTE]

Adopt me? Please??

[RPMS]

[QUOTE="Marinersfan"]KO, fellas thanks for the reply. I see I was remiss in the description of my question. I have the Pioneer SX-1010 receiver. She's an oldie from the mid-70's and I just had her serviced and it's hands down one of the very best Pioneer ever made. system...I just thought maybe there was a simpler method of tieing it all together.....[/QUOTE]

You're right - you do have one of the better receivers out there. It's possible to work it into a home theater setup, but you'll have to buy an outboard processor and a second pair of amplifiers to make it work right. And yes, you can do it on a budget! Here's what you need:

A processor like this to split up the sound into the right channels: http://cgi.ebay.com/YAMAHA-DIGITAL-SOUN ... dZViewItem,

an amplifier like this for the surround speakers: http://cgi.ebay.com/YAMAHA-MX-35-2-4-CH ... dZViewItem

and one like this for the subwoofer and front speaker (you probably do need a subwoofer if you're going to do it right.) http://cgi.ebay.com/SANSUI-AU-G99X-VINT ... dZViewItem. Dig the HUGE toroidal power transformer. I've got one of these, and it's amazing. I bought mine for sixty bucks in a pawn shop a few years back, and I've been very pleased.

Or you could do what the audiophiles on this board would probably recommend. Buy one of these, http://cgi.ebay.com/Harmon-Kardon-AVR40 ... dZViewItem to use for home theater, and put your stereo into your den along with a good pair of bookshelf speakers where it can make beautiful music for many more years.

[Adam W in MN]

I kind of got out of the high end hobby since I'd rather spend money on cars. But
sometime in the future, I would like to have a high-dollar, two-channel rig somewhere
like in the basement where I can retreat and zone out. My old two-channel rig was an
NAD 304 integrated amp, Marantz CD63SE CD player, Energy Speakers, and XLO wire
throughout. It was a real nice sounding setup. Now we just have a Denon receiver with
some Energy satellite speakers and a sub hooked up to the new toy, a 50" Fujitsu plasma tv. ~0

My "in" comes from the a/v store I worked at back in highschool and summers through
college back in Delaware. Overture (http://www.overtureav.com/) which is one of the
best known high-end dealers in the US, if not the world. Working there was fun most of
the time and I was able to experience equipment that I'll never own in my lifetime.
Spectral, MIT wire, Wilson Audio, Avalon Acoustics, Martin Logan, Magnaplanar, etc, etc.



[Edit by Adam Wilson in Chicago on [TIME]1132065670[/TIME]]

[BMWCCA2]

[QUOTE="Velocewest"]Ooooh! Silver generation goodness! Dude, just throw away the TV, and watch CraigsList or eBay for some DCM Timewindows and a nice Dual or Thorens. Video entertainment is highly overrated.[/QUOTE]
Now you're talking! Anyone who drives an E28 should feel comfortable with a good two-channel system. Mine? Hah! My speakers are older than I am: JBL Signature 030 system with added LE175DLH mids. They've been in my family (the first mono 030) since my Dad bought a Hi-Fi system for my Mom for their second anniversary (Miracord/Pilot). I inherited the mono big box when they went stereo in about 1964. They've been driven over the years by a Thorens TD-125 (with the beautiful Thorens alu-grid cartridge head) into a (new) 1970 Kenwood receiver that blew out a voice coil on an 075 Ring Radiator (high-frequency oscillation according to JBL, but still a "no-charge" repair) so I replaced it with a Fisher SA1000 tube power amp (if you don't know, you should find out) and a McIntosh C-20 tube pre-amp, and Sherwood analog tuner. Still have the Mac and the Sherwood, traded the Fisher on an early Crown D-150 (sans face-plate model) which I still have hooked to the C-20 powering a pair of JBL L112s in the bedroom. The living room still uses the big-box JBLs (15" D130/LE175DLH/075never re-coned) hooked to a Crown D-150 Series-II or DC300 Series-II (depending on mood or who I've loaned the D-150-II to), Soundcraftsmen DX4200 (I've got two plus a PE2217), Soundcraftsmen Pro-Tuner Four, Nakamichi Dragon, B&O 4000 turntable, and Sony DVD/CD changerfor space-savings!

-Phil
Old cars and bikes, and old stereo. Just plain old.

[Edit by BMWCCA2 on [TIME]1132077202[/TIME]]

[Velocewest]

I understood every word, and am now mopping up some of the drool from my keyboard. fqwnlxim8mq0359byp498tva. There.

I've been watching for a deal on a tube amp or reciever for a while -- there are plenty out there, I just don't want to pay top dollar when I intend to dump $400-$500 into one to mod it. I missed a couple of good Dynaco deals on the local Craigslist. I am thinking about building a pair of Bottlehead monoblocks and one of their phono line amps, but I want to drive my AR-3a's with tubes and I don't know if the modest output of the Bottleheads will be enough for those relatively inefficient 4 ohm speakers. Right now I drive those with a Pioneer SA-9500 integrated, with its mate the TX-9500 tuner, an RT-707 reel to reel, and a real gem -- a Dual CS731q TT that cost $750 in 1970's dollars (still sporting a pristine Shure V15-IV). I've also got a very early solid state Nikko tuner and integrated hooked to a set of JBL L77's with a mid-grade Pioneer TT, and an older Realistic receiver with some Boston A70's and a Technics CD player for the garage.

The guy I bought the RT-707 from lives just around the corner, and he has a set of Klipsch Cornwalls that his wife has refused to let in the house for about 15 years. They're stored away in his shed in the original boxes, and I renew my first right of refusal every time I see him.



[Edit by Velocewest on [TIME]1132075446[/TIME]]