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I recently bought a new TV and apparently there is no volume control/ processing on the line out. I've always just used a 30 dollar set of 2.1 Logitech speakers for my sound needs, but I now have to get up every commercial break because the only way to lower the volume is the little knob on the left speaker. I want to get some similar new speakers, but with IR so I can use a (included or universal) remote to change the volume. Is my only choice to go with a receiver and speakers?
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Jun 30, 2010 03:24
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I'm redoing a conference room in our office. It's not formal at all, couches lining the wall, TV along one wall. We have a 5.1 receiver. We need speakers. The room is used almost exclusively for listening to all types of rock music, singer songwriter stuff, etc. From The Hold Steady to Phoenix to Eels. Budget for speakers is 1-2k.
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Jul 1, 2010 01:37
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Butterflysmasher posted:I recently bought a new TV and apparently there is no volume control/ processing on the line out. I've always just used a 30 dollar set of 2.1 Logitech speakers for my sound needs, but I now have to get up every commercial break because the only way to lower the volume is the little knob on the left speaker. I downloaded the manual and damnit you're correct. How stupid! From the manual: quote:Speaker Select (External Speaker / Dang that changes my plans too
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Jul 1, 2010 08:31
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sellouts posted:I'm redoing a conference room in our office. It's not formal at all, couches lining the wall, TV along one wall. We have a 5.1 receiver. We need speakers. The room is used almost exclusively for listening to all types of rock music, singer songwriter stuff, etc. From The Hold Steady to Phoenix to Eels. So, did you have a question to ask or what? 
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Jul 1, 2010 14:54
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Butterflysmasher posted:I recently bought a new TV and apparently there is no volume control/ processing on the line out. I've always just used a 30 dollar set of 2.1 Logitech speakers for my sound needs, but I now have to get up every commercial break because the only way to lower the volume is the little knob on the left speaker. "line out" means exactly that. No amping, no volume control. Just the base audio signal. Otherwise it wouldn't be line out.
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Jul 1, 2010 17:03
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Hippie Hedgehog posted:So, did you have a question to ask or what? I didn't realize I had submitted that yet, oops! So a bit more information since that was very short. It's a long narrow room, sources for music will be CD mostly, with occasional MP3 and web streams for demos from PCs and iPods and other things. For a receiver we need to handle video sources as well so I was looking at the Pioneer VSX-1020-K. I believe that can also handle internet radio which is important to us as well but not a deal breaker. What speakers would be good to pair with this for that type of music from those sources given a 1-2k budget? For Amplifiers: Is the Pioneer a safe bet overall or should I look towards something like an Cambridge Audio Azur 650R at almost 3x the price or a Rotel RSX series amplifier/receiver? I don't think it makes sense to break the budget on something like those products when I do need to address video despite the emphasis being on CD audio.
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Jul 1, 2010 18:19
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If I were to purchase either the Onkyo TX-SR308, or the Onkyo HT-S3300, would it be possible for me to be able to listen to a record player (with a built in pre-amp,) and hear the sound effects from a PS3 game simultaneously? Would they go through the same speakers, and if so, could the PS3 play through all the speakers while the record player only uses the front mains; or would I have to setup a 2nd zone with separate stereo speakers for the record player? If this isn't possible, what would perhaps be the best way to go about this?
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Jul 2, 2010 02:50
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corpulent clown posted:If I were to purchase either the Onkyo TX-SR308, or the Onkyo HT-S3300, would it be possible for me to be able to listen to a record player (with a built in pre-amp,) and hear the sound effects from a PS3 game simultaneously? Would they go through the same speakers, and if so, could the PS3 play through all the speakers while the record player only uses the front mains; or would I have to setup a 2nd zone with separate stereo speakers for the record player? If this isn't possible, what would perhaps be the best way to go about this? In general, HT receivers cannot mix signals, for that you will need an audio mixer. I'm sure someone else can fill in with a suggestion for a cheap one (you'll only need 2 channels for this application so don't get anything too fancy). Something like this is what I'm talking about : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882086037&cm_re=mixer-_-82-086-037-_-Product I would, however, seriously question whether you really want to interrupt your gaming sessions every 25 minutes to stand up and change/flip the record. =) sellouts posted:For Amplifiers: Is the Pioneer a safe bet overall or should I look towards something like an Cambridge Audio Azur 650R at almost 3x the price or a Rotel RSX series amplifier/receiver? I don't think it makes sense to break the budget on something like those products when I do need to address video despite the emphasis being on CD audio. I think you're on the right track: Even a quite modest HT receiver should be able to drive any speakers in your budget range without being a "bottleneck" in audio quality, as long as the speakers are of an impedance that the receiver can handle. When in doubt, the money is always better spent on better speakers than on a better ampifier. Hippie Hedgehog fucked around with this message at 12:11 on Jul 2, 2010 |
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Jul 2, 2010 11:58
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quote:When in doubt, the money is always better spent on better speakers than on a better ampifier. What if you didn't know how crappy your speakers were?  I recently replaced my Samsung HT-TX75 with a Panasonic VSX-90 receiver. Thanks to a minor oversight I didn't notice the receiver needed speakers with a minimum impedance of 6 ohms before wiring it to the crummy 3 ohm ones that came with my HTIB. It works for now but something tells me I'm pressing my luck with this setup: Power intended for the speakers has to be dissipated somehow and I'd rather this didn't happen inside my new amp. Due to budget issues I can't replace the speakers just yet, but believe me once that becomes feasible I will. For now, my current options are: 1. Turn the volume down, play it very gently and hope the amp survives 2. Wire the two speakers on each side of the room in series instead of in parallel and hope it doesn't sound like poo poo 3. Stick a four ohm resistor on each speaker and hope nothing catches fire 4. Put on headphones and hope I find a deal on a set of speakers that isn't complete garbage sometime before Christmas. Option four is clearly the best one until someone else decides she wants to watch TV with me, which is pretty much guaranteed to happen. Any thoughts on the other three really bad ideas? Edit: Eff it. Just went out and bought new speakers. I like the taste of kraft dinner anyway. flakeloaf fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Jul 4, 2010 |
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Jul 4, 2010 04:27
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I recently bought a new TV and am now looking at bluray players and 5.1 speakers. Is there any reason to get them both in a home theatre package rather than buying a bluray player first and speakers at a later date? Does this depend entirely on what package/bluray player/speaker set I'm looking at? If a bluray player has: quote:Optical Digital Audio Outputs: Yes Will I have to plug it into a speaker system using the optical audio output if I want 5.1? In a situation like that, the speakers would need their own power supply, right?
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Jul 4, 2010 22:26
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I'm looking for recommendations on a good cassette player and recorder (yes, seriously). Soon (next month or so) I'm going to start working in a lab with tight security. Among the list of banned items are cell phones, digital media players, anything that can plug into a computer, anything which can transmit a wireless signal, and home-burned optical disks. Working in there is very boring, so most employees bring in CD players with store-bought CDs. Unfortunately, almost all of my music is digital (jamendo, amie street, magnatune, etc). As far as I can figure out, cassette tapes are allowed, so long as the players can't plug into a computer or broadcast RF. So I'm looking for three things: 1. A player. Who sells cassette players? Newegg doesn't have any, and amazon has what look like big gently caress-off boomboxes. Are there any which act like ipods, ie, they have no external speaker and require headphones? Good batteries and/or the ability to recharge from a wall outlet without a separate charger would be awesome. 2. A recorder. Ideally, I could just run a line from my computer's speaker port to a box, let it run, and end up with working tapes. The only recorders I see on newegg are very expensive -- hundreds of dollars -- and look like they're aimed at professional users. Are there any in the $20-$40 range which don't have all the extra features? 3. Cassettes. The last time I used cassettes was in grade school, and I don't know how they work. Are cassettes multi-use, like VHS? Are there different standards to worry about, like DVD+R/-R/-RAM? Where do I buy them?
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Jul 5, 2010 06:50
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Amused Frog posted:I recently bought a new TV and am now looking at bluray players and 5.1 speakers. An amplifier? If the 5.1 system was not an all-in-one "Home Theatre In a Box" kit, then yes, you will need to use the digital out into a receiver/amplifier in order to power the speakers. If you do get a HTIB where the player and the speakers all come in a kit/box, then the "player" part will also include the amplifier. Unless I misunderstood your question.. Sniep fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Jul 5, 2010 |
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Jul 5, 2010 07:00
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Sniep posted:An amplifier? If the 5.1 system was not an all-in-one "Home Theatre In a Box" kit, then yes, you will need to use the digital out into a receiver/amplifier in order to power the speakers. If you do get a HTIB where the player and the speakers all come in a kit/box, then the "player" part will also include the amplifier. Nope, that answers it. Thanks. Is it generally reccommended to get a "HTIB" or look for components seperately, or does it make no real difference?
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Jul 5, 2010 09:47
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Janin posted:1. A player. Who sells cassette players? Newegg doesn't have any, and amazon has what look like big gently caress-off boomboxes. Are there any which act like ipods, ie, they have no external speaker and require headphones? Good batteries and/or the ability to recharge from a wall outlet without a separate charger would be awesome. Buy the following stuff used, on Craigslist or a flea market. There should be plenty of both out there still. 1. The venerable Walkman. Might be slightly difficult to find one that's still working. Bring AA batteries and a tape if you go shopping for used ones, then you can test it on the spot. 2. A cassette deck As for 3, last I bought a tape was ... 5 years ago? They had them at my local record store. It's closed shop since, but I'm sure they are still available new online if you look long enough. You don't want to buy used if you can avoid it since they do degrade over time. Edit: ^^^Amused Frog, consider them two tiers when it comes to both price, sound quality and connectivity. A HTiB is good enough for a lot of people, while others (like me) aren't happy unless we can fit 23 different audio and video sources with five different types of digital and analog connectors in there. As for price, the HTiB will be considerably cheaper. As for sound quality, you need to go to a store and listen before you buy, regardless of whet you're getting. When it comes to connectivity, HTiB is fine if you're only planning to watch Bluray and/or DVD. If you have a cable box and a PS3, you've probably run out of input connectors on the HTiB already. Hippie Hedgehog fucked around with this message at 09:56 on Jul 5, 2010 |
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Jul 5, 2010 09:50
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Amused Frog posted:Nope, that answers it. Thanks. HTIB: Pros: - Simple (all parts included and work together) - Affordable ("bundle pricing" if you were, but see cons) Cons: - Quality is not always top notch (Especially if you go cheaper end, obviously) - No ability to mix and match parts (Often the speakers/amp are at a non-8ohm impedance, too) DIY: Pros: - Can select parts which suit your needs and mix and match - Wide availability of various parts Cons: - Need to know a smidgin of what you're doing to get the right stuff - Can easily run up a bigger tab, since selecting individual quality parts can add up quick - Need to also source/purchase interconnect cables much of the time, speaker wire. (Load up monoprice.com) That's a really basic look at it, but it just depends on what you want to do. There are some nice HTIBs out there. If you want a drop-in solution that will just get it done and aren't looking for top 90th percentile performance/power, it often makes a lot of sense.
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Jul 5, 2010 10:34
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Amused Frog posted:Is it generally reccommended to get a "HTIB" or look for components seperately, or does it make no real difference? Rule of thumb: listen to the differences for yourself. If you can't hear any, buy the cheaper system. If possible, bring your own movie and/or music with you to the store.
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Jul 5, 2010 11:16
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Sniep posted:HTIB: Hob_Gadling posted:Rule of thumb: listen to the differences for yourself. If you can't hear any, buy the cheaper system. If possible, bring your own movie and/or music with you to the store. Thanks very much. This looks like something I'll be doing some research into before I make a decision. I'm not in a rush to get anything, so I'll take the time to make sure I'm happy with the purchase. As for HTIB vs. the DIY option, I think I'll start looking at DIY more. Like I said, I've got the time to research and save up, and from earlier answers it seems like this would be the best option if I want to get a decent bluray player in the meantime and worry about speakers later. Thanks very much for your help, especially Sniep.
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Jul 5, 2010 11:51
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I just picked up a Pioneer VSX-1020 and now I am looking for a 5.1 speakers to go with it. I am thinking the way to go would be a set with a sub. I know the rule is to go find something in the store to listen to it but I was hoping for some advice as to which brands/setup I should be looking at. I am willing to spend money on something good but I would like spend $1000 or less for the speakers. I am also not sure if a 7.1 setup would be better for the room. The room has two big doorways so the TV is going to be placed in the corner of the room. The chair would probably be the prime sitting location. See the awesome not to scale image:  Click here for the full 710x600 image. I was thinking something tall and skinny for the fronts then something smaller in the back which I can put on some sort of speaker pole type thing. Nothing that I can't change. Which brands/sets should I be looking at? Any specific recommendations for systems/speakers? Would 7.1 be a better fit for the room?
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Jul 6, 2010 05:24
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Klipsch or Energy are solid if you're looking for a ready 5.1. I recommend the linked Klipsch system: the most negative thing I've heard was "this doesn't sound as good as (speakers worth several thousands more) when listening to music". Although I have to say that for $399 the Energy speaker set is a good deal and probably better value for money than Klipsch currently. Hob_Gadling fucked around with this message at 08:47 on Jul 6, 2010 |
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Jul 6, 2010 08:44
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I spent some time tweaking my sub this weekend, I'm really impressed so far. My receiver's auto-calibration was setting the crossover too high so I've had to do a lot of it myself. I know why expensive subs come with remotes now.
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Jul 6, 2010 18:32
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I don't know if this is where this is meant to go, but it seemed the most relevant place. I just had put on my desk a Canon Legria HFM300 camcorder. It has a 3.5mm microphone jack in it. I tried using my Olympus ME-15 tiepin microphone with it but there's essentially no sound with it at all, I'm assuming due to lack of a microphone preamp. So my question is; What should I get (located in Australia) to make this work? Do I need to buy a preamp, or do I need to buy a whole new microphone? Needs to be tiepin or lapel or similar.
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Jul 7, 2010 03:03
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Amused Frog posted:Thanks very much. This looks like something I'll be doing some research into before I make a decision. I'm not in a rush to get anything, so I'll take the time to make sure I'm happy with the purchase. Only other thing I would suggest on the HTIB front is to avoid ones that have a DVD player or the like built in. They generally tend to be of the lowest quality and the least expandable/connectible. A receiver/speaker style-HTIB will work fine for you though as long as the receiver is up to snuff, and you can always get better speakers later
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Jul 8, 2010 00:29
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Ok, I'm now looking at receivers. How standard is the ability to set a delay for audio? My TV has pretty high input lag, so this is kind of important. Is this something I should be looking for in the technical specifications of a product?
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Jul 8, 2010 14:40
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I just purchased a Samsung LN46C630 and now I'm looking at receivers. I have speakers from a Sony DAV-DX150 Home Theater System, however the problem is the receiver. It is stuck in Protect status, most likely from a blown fuse, and the estimated repair cost is $130 if I sent it to Sony. I know I could get it repaired cheaper if I looked, but the question is whether it is worth it. This receiver is fairly old, so wouldn't it be better just to sink that money into an upgrade? I'm going to have a PS3 hooked up to it for Blu-Ray. Other issue: I have no clue about anything audio related so I don't even know what I should be looking for. I don't want to overspend so somewhere in the $200-400 range. It's for an apartment.
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Jul 9, 2010 14:19
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Slowpoke! posted:It is stuck in Protect status, most likely from a blown fuse, and the estimated repair cost is $130 if I sent it to Sony. I know I could get it repaired cheaper if I looked, but the question is whether it is worth it. This receiver is fairly old, so wouldn't it be better just to sink that money into an upgrade? Do you own a screwdriver? Do you have a friend who owns a screwdriver? If yes, pop open the hood on that baby and find that broken fuse yourself. (It could be something completely different that's wrong, but at least fuses are easy to check visually. If you have or can borrow a multimeter, even better is to measure the resistance of each fuse, since it's not always visually apparent when it's blown.) It may well be a shorted op-amp or whatever, so you might not be able to repair it, but nevertheless poking around can be a learning experience and costs you nothing!
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Jul 9, 2010 15:28
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Slowpoke! posted:I know I could get it repaired cheaper if I looked, but the question is whether it is worth it. Find the cheapest amp you can with HDMI in and HDMI out. Compare the price of repair to that. For example, this Pioneer receiver from Newegg should suit you very well for a long time to come. Theoretically, if you were to get your current amp repaired, how would you wire your equipment? Because as far as I can see, that amp doesn't have anything you can attach your PS3 to. And while we're replacing stuff, how about you get a completely new system? This Yamaha receiver and Klipsch HD 300 speaker set is $399 for the whole shebang (you need to get cables separately, though). Hob_Gadling fucked around with this message at 18:45 on Jul 9, 2010 |
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Jul 9, 2010 18:10
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I recently picked up some polk monitor 60 (front speakers) on a bit of a whim. I need a receiver to pair them with. I've been reading everything I can find about receivers but I've yet to come across a thorough resource. I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a receiver or links to information that will help me out. I'm hoping to find a decent receiver for somewhere in the area of $300, give or take. Is this possible? Thanks
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Jul 11, 2010 02:07
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Yip Yips posted:I recently picked up some polk monitor 60 (front speakers) on a bit of a whim. I need a receiver to pair them with. I've been reading everything I can find about receivers but I've yet to come across a thorough resource. I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a receiver or links to information that will help me out. I am personally using a denon avr-591 off amazon for $335. It is 5.1, "3d ready", very easy to setup with audyssey to manage your sound automatically. The denon warranty is also great. But as for the speakers, im running two 70's in the front, two 60's in the rear and a CS2 center and I love them all. You will be very happy with those 60's, assuming you got them at the ongoing sale prices at newegg.
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Jul 12, 2010 23:49
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JayJay posted:I am personally using a denon avr-591 off amazon for $335. It is 5.1, "3d ready", very easy to setup with audyssey to manage your sound automatically. The denon warranty is also great. But as for the speakers, im running two 70's in the front, two 60's in the rear and a CS2 center and I love them all. You will be very happy with those 60's, assuming you got them at the ongoing sale prices at newegg. Seconding the Denon if you're looking in that particular price range. It's a very good bang for the buck. I've got the 1610 myself which is virtually the same thing (minus 3D readyness) and it's working like a charm. I do recommend reading "Batpig's Denon-to-English dictionary" at http://batpigworld.com/
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Jul 13, 2010 11:10
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Thirding Denon, I've got 1610 for my home theater and it works well. The manual is abysmal and curses are abundant when setting it up, but once you do it's very nice.
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Jul 13, 2010 12:25
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I have a 7 speaker setup using Polk Monitor 70's and a CS2, some crappy front height speakers, and an Onkyo 707. So now I need a sub. The trouble is, all of this is in the main room of our split-level house, which means the room itself is pretty large. I can put the sub in the corner of the room, which should help, but I'm not sure how much I need to spend to get a decent enough sub. I asked the folks over at AVS Forums who are all recommending subs in the range of $800. I really don't want to spend that much money on bass. Any ideas? Something in the $300 range would be perfect. All I have to go on right now are some of the top reviewed items on Amazon.
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Jul 16, 2010 14:29
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As long as you know what the basic limitations of cheap subwoofers are, this offer is pretty hard to beat. Considering your other setup, it should fit in nicely.
Hob_Gadling fucked around with this message at 17:49 on Jul 16, 2010 |
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Jul 16, 2010 17:40
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I just got an Elemental Designs and it kicks a lot. Maybe look into their cheaper models. You can get good deals on pretty big BIC models if you poke around too. Room volume is one of those things that is just physics though and you might just compromise on not having it kick as hard as you want or want to wait and save until you have a bigger budget. Also keep in mind that the average advice you'll get from AVS is somebody who's shooting for theater reference level volume in their HT which is way louder than most people would enjoy.
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Jul 16, 2010 18:14
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john ashpool fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Mar 19, 2016 |
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Jul 16, 2010 19:28
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Hob_Gadling posted:Find the cheapest amp you can with HDMI in and HDMI out. Compare the price of repair to that. I ended up lucking out and getting a 1 year old Onkyo TX-SR606 for $100. One of my co-workers was upgrading to a receiver with 6 HDMI ports and sold me this one for dirt cheap. The only problem is it does not have jacks on the back to hook up my subwoofer. It appears that I need to buy a powered subwoofer. I Googled it and someone on avsforums had the exact same question. Here is the picture of the back:  Am I right to assume that a powered subwoofer is needed?
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Jul 16, 2010 22:14
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Slowpoke! posted:Am I right to assume that a powered subwoofer is needed? Hah, yeah. Funny because I'm in the exact same situation. I had an Onkyo HTIB, bought the Onkyo 606, and was sad to find my old Onkyo sub wouldn't work with it. So now I'm looking for a powered one.
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Jul 17, 2010 01:52
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Strict 9 posted:Hah, yeah. Funny because I'm in the exact same situation. I had an Onkyo HTIB, bought the Onkyo 606, and was sad to find my old Onkyo sub wouldn't work with it. So now I'm looking for a powered one. You could always cut a hole in the side of your non-powered sub and screw something like this on. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-782 You know, if you're ambitious.
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Jul 17, 2010 06:15
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I searched this thread and someone suggested lopping off the end of an RCA cable and sticking the wire into the sub. I'll try that once my life insurance policy is out of the waiting period.
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Jul 17, 2010 14:09
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Slowpoke! posted:I searched this thread and someone suggested lopping off the end of an RCA cable and sticking the wire into the sub. I'll try that once my life insurance policy is out of the waiting period. Sounds extremely silly since there is now way you will get an amplified subwoofer signal out of that receiver. No, you need a powered sub one way or the other. Eddiewalker's suggestion looks like the most fun option, otherwise you can try and find a used one I guess.
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Jul 17, 2010 15:24
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Hey, I've got an Asus eeePC 1000HE netbook, and I'm planning on getting a stereo system for listening to music. I'd like to connect the speakers to my laptop and play music through iTunes, but something tells me that the onboard sound card will sound like poo poo. I'm looking for a recommendation on an external sound card, maybe something that plugs into an USB 2.0 port? I am hoping for some magic sound card especially suited for 2.1 speakers and will sound really great. While we're at it, I'm also taking suggestions on 2.1 speaker setups that are great values. If anybody can help me out on this stuff, I'd be really thankful. Edit: I figured I'd give the details on the 1000HE netbook (those that I am able to find anyway) so that my future savior doesn't have to hunt them down himself. The only ports it has are the three USB 2.0's, a VGA thing, and the standard headphone and microphone jacks. It's got Realtek HD Audio. I am unable to find out what sort of sound card it has, so I guess it has an integrated sound chip in the motherboard. I have little to no idea what I'm talking about, so there you go. If any more details are needed, I will be happy to follow up. Past Tense Ragu fucked around with this message at 06:26 on Jul 19, 2010 |
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Jul 19, 2010 06:19
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