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When you look at the $99 amp and a $20 100ft RCA for each room, then a $40 distribution amp... what is going to cost more than I expect?
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Apr 6, 2015 20:54
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photomikey posted:When you look at the $99 amp and a $20 100ft RCA for each room, then a $40 distribution amp... what is going to cost more than I expect? When people say "whole home audio" they generally expect capabilities above what you're asking to do. I just wonder if you're going to be happy with what you're asking for, is all.
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Apr 6, 2015 21:05
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Don Lapre posted:Nothing to worry about with used on amazon. Safer than anywhere else. Thanks. Any input on the brand/model? Is there something better for the money I should consider?
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Apr 6, 2015 21:31
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KillHour posted:When people say "whole home audio" they generally expect capabilities above what you're asking to do. I just wonder if you're going to be happy with what you're asking for, is all.
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Apr 6, 2015 22:07
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Pooperscooper posted:I'm in the market for an audio setup for my TV hoping that I will experience a lot better sound than what it currently has built in on it so I can feel like I'm in the movie Robocop or any other classic arnold movie while also doing some console gaming. I don't have the room to do a whole surround sound set up but I should be able to make a front facing system work. Can someone recommend a good setup for someone completely new to this world? I would say get yourself a decent amp with some ok speakers and run a 2.0 set up for a while. Once you know you want to spend a bit more cash then you just need to add speakers. Use your first speakers as surrounds when you upgrade. Im not sure what is available in the US but your budget would look pretty slim to me for a full system.
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Apr 7, 2015 12:28
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Hi, I want to be able to listen to music in two rooms + bathroom and would like to have speakers installed in ceilings. Audio equipment is not an area I have a lot of experience with (I'm practically retarded here), so please forgive me if these questions are silly. Also, if they're too involved for a thread, I'll be happy to PayPal some money for someone's goon-expert advice/assistance: 1. Is running wires to the receiver and possibly drilling through studs, etc. my only option here? Are there wireless speakers I could use instead? 2. Do I need/want subwoofers in these rooms too? I'll only be listening to music there. 3. Do I need to worry about moisture in the bathroom? 4. Can I use either my iPhone of computer (iTunes) to choose what to play? The last audio system I owned had a rotating tray for five CDs... And a poo poo-ton of flashing lights. 5. Could you recommend brands/models of both ceiling speakers and receiver? This receiver will also need to handle a separate 5.1 surround sound setup (this time with regular, standing speakers) in one of the rooms. Thank you. Unexpected fucked around with this message at 14:36 on Apr 7, 2015 |
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Apr 7, 2015 14:21
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Hi nerds. I bought a Vizio e550i-b2 as an open box at bestbuy ($340) and then picked up a Philips sound bar. Both have optical ports but they don't seem to work together. If I use rca, everything is ok. The hdmi ports are filled with: roku3,Cisco cable,Mac mini and a bluray player. TV speakers are turned off (as mentioned, rca works fine). Am I doing something wrong?
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Apr 7, 2015 17:54
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pipebomb posted:Hi nerds. I bought a Vizio e550i-b2 as an open box at bestbuy ($340) and then picked up a Philips sound bar. Both have optical ports but they don't seem to work together. If I use rca, everything is ok. Is the cable bad?
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Apr 7, 2015 18:01
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Pooperscooper posted:I'm in the market for an audio setup for my TV hoping that I will experience a lot better sound than what it currently has built in on it so I can feel like I'm in the movie Robocop or any other classic arnold movie while also doing some console gaming. I don't have the room to do a whole surround sound set up but I should be able to make a front facing system work. Can someone recommend a good setup for someone completely new to this world? I've been really happy with the Primus Infinity 6.5" Bookshelf speakers. Especially at $60, if you can wait for a sale. There is also a 3-way floorstanding version that goes on sale for $99. I have Micca MB42X as surrounds, they are a decent super-budget choice. Make sure you get the 'X' version, it has a crossover. I started with them as my main speakers and they were pretty good but they would distort when I wanted to go LOUD. If I was starting over from scratch, I would skip the Miccas and go for something bigger right away, but it might be good to just dip your toe in the water. Also commonly recommended are the Andrew Jones designed budget speakers from Pioneer (SP-BS22-LR). You will need an amplifier to power the speakers. You should probably get a 5.1 or 7.1 capable AV-receiver so you can expand later without dropping $2-500 again. There is a range of options for a receiver -- What is your budget?
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Apr 7, 2015 18:10
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photomikey posted:Everything else is so complex and/or so expensive. I've looked at systems on Monoprice and HTD, but can't find them to be any better than this. I don't see any reason why your plan wouldn't work. Could you set it up to use digital audio on the coax runs to avoid quality loss? (I don't know if you need a different type of distribution amp for that) I don't think a coax SPDIF input adds a lot to the price of those amplifiers. It would probably be nice to have a receiver with a zone-2, and run the rest of the house on the 2nd zone. That way you can still run music to the whole house when someone is watching a movie/gaming.
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Apr 7, 2015 18:20
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taqueso posted:I've been really happy with the Primus Infinity 6.5" Bookshelf speakers. Especially at $60, if you can wait for a sale. There is also a 3-way floorstanding version that goes on sale for $99. I have the Micca MB42x fronts with matching center. They sound pretty good for what they cost. If I had a little more space than my small apartment living room, I would have definitely gone with something a little bigger and better.
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Apr 7, 2015 18:29
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BigFactory posted:Is the cable bad? Hmm. I see red when its connected. Ill test later straight from a device to the bar.
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Apr 7, 2015 18:53
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pipebomb posted:Hmm. I see red when its connected. Ill test later straight from a device to the bar. Seeing the red light doesn't necessarily mean the cable is working. Another possibility could be that maybe your TV is sending out Dolby Digital or something and your soundbar can't decode it? I think most TVs use PCM, though...
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Apr 7, 2015 20:01
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Unexpected posted:Hi, 1. Wireless speakers do exist, but they're obviously more expensive. You could likely get something working with Sonos. 2. I wouldn't worry about putting a subwoofer in the bathroom. Probably not your secondary listening room, either, but it's really up to you and the speakers you end up choosing. 3. Yes, it's something you should consider. Bathrooms are very humid. 4. A lot of receivers have AirPlay now, or you could spend an extra $69 to get an Apple TV and connect it via HDMI, which will give you a much better AirPlay experience than anything built in to a receiver. 5. I don't know anything about ceiling mounted speakers, but you should be looking for a receiver with a Zone 2 and Zone 3 output. If you want actual amplified Zone 3 then you're likely looking at quite a bit of money, or you might be able to set something up with only a Zone 2 if you don't want to listen to different music in the secondary room and the bathroom.
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Apr 7, 2015 20:10
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pipebomb posted:Hi nerds. I bought a Vizio e550i-b2 as an open box at bestbuy ($340) and then picked up a Philips sound bar. Both have optical ports but they don't seem to work together. If I use rca, everything is ok. Did you try going into sound settings on the TV and enabling the optical out or whatever. I think by default most TVs don't just spew audio out of the optical port without first enabling it, you may also have to choose the format. Check your TV's user's manual. http://cdn.vizio.com/documents/downloads/hdtv/E550iB2/UM_E550iB2.pdf
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Apr 7, 2015 22:16
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pipebomb posted:Hi nerds. I bought a Vizio e550i-b2 as an open box at bestbuy ($340) and then picked up a Philips sound bar. Both have optical ports but they don't seem to work together. If I use rca, everything is ok. Just echoing what the others have said, which is that these soundbars usually only accept PCM, so if your TV is configured for Dolby Digital (might be labeled as AC3 or passthrough), switch it over to PCM.
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Apr 7, 2015 22:38
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Bad cable. Hooked up an amazon basics and it's working like a charm. Thanks all.
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Apr 9, 2015 03:01
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A breakup with my longtime girlfriend has me shopping for an entire home theater replacement in the near future. Long story short, she is going to buy all of my stereo equipment off of me to keep in the house so she doesn't have to go buy new stuff. I had a 5.1 setup with Aperion 5T's and 5C, a Velodyne 10" sub, two rear ceiling speakers, and a Pioneer VSX-1020-k. I'm probably not going to go full 5.1 again soon but will probably want to go 3.1 If my budget is ~$2000-2500 what should I be looking at for Receiver & speakers? I'd love to step up a bit in quality and possibly look at brands like Paradigm, KEF, or PSB. Quality over quantity but I'd love to have some floorstanding rather than bookshelf. So if I budget $5-600 for receiver, $3-500 for sub, I could be looking for $5-700/each towers. Depending on how the towers perform I may just hold off on picking up a sub till further down the road as well. The one thing I loved about the Pioneer was the simplicity of dialing it in with MCACC, I used that each time I moved with the receiver and I'd love to have something similarly simplistic if I go with another brand. I didn't see another current audio discussion thread even though this isn't really my first setup so sorry if I posted this in the wrong place. Any recommendations?
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Apr 9, 2015 22:53
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You have a lot of options at that price point, it's where a lot of the high end companies position their "entry level" lines. If you have actual hifi stores around I'd suggest you go talk to them, even though they sell stuff we make fun of here they're also usually happy to do a demo for you. The brands you mentioned are all well-considered, maybe add Dali, NHT, B&W, Focal, Cambridge Audio, Wharfedale or Monitor Audio to your comparison list if you have local dealers that you can listen to. Most receivers have something like Audessy to do auto-setup but in my experience they still need a little tuning.
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Apr 9, 2015 23:53
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After looking for a receiver around $150 and reading that most of the ones with the features I'm looking for break down after a year or two, I decided to jump on the Yamaha RX-V377 5.1 Receiver for $180. Do any of you guys have it, and if so what's your opinion on it? It sounds really solid from the reviews. The only thing it's missing that I kind of wanted was upscaling of component and composite video, but I think I'll just skip the idea of upscaling old game systems entirely and use my old SD TV with this receiver. Edit: I'm pairing it with a Yamaha NS-ZC40X center ($11 at Goodwill) and the Pioneer SP-FS52-LRs as my fronts. I'm currently using JBL Pebbles as my main PC speakers, so I'm pretty pumped for this massive upgrade. Romulux fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Apr 13, 2015 |
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Apr 13, 2015 01:25
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Ok, I know literally nothing about home audio.... Can someone point me towards some equipment that would enable me to vibrate my balls hard to some revolting drum and bass / dubstep? I'm going to set this up in a barn on my parent's farm, so the nearest neighbours are gonna be like 1 mile away. Let's say my budget is about $700. Sorry if this sounds a bit 
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Apr 14, 2015 22:57
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Has anyone had a PSW505 burn out on them? I was getting a lot of static and a flickering light on the back the other day; the guy on the phone told me the plate amp burned out and they would send a new one. What might have caused this? The level was only turned up about 1/3rd of the way, and I've been really easy on it overall. Just seems like an odd random failure.
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Apr 14, 2015 23:05
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Mr. Gibbycrumbles posted:Ok, I know literally nothing about home audio.... Do you also want to hear the frequencies that don't vibrate your balls? What other equipment do you have? (like mp3 player or av receiver or anything like that) Is it permanent or for a temporary party setup? What size room? taqueso fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Apr 14, 2015 |
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Apr 14, 2015 23:07
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Mr. Gibbycrumbles posted:Ok, I know literally nothing about home audio.... If it's just for one party maybe look at renting a sound system. The bad news about bass is that the amount of ball vibration you'll receive is inversely proportional to the volume in which you'd like balls to vibrate. For a barn $700 is probably not sufficient to buy speakers. Look at PA stuff, you might be able to get a pair of 12 or 15" powered speakers for that much but you'll need subwoofers if you want real bass.
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Apr 14, 2015 23:13
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And big ones at that, with serious power behind them. Put another 0 on those $700, then we're talking.
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Apr 14, 2015 23:16
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taqueso posted:Do you also want to hear the frequencies that don't vibrate your balls? What other equipment do you have? (like mp3 player or av receiver or anything like that) Is it permanent or for a temporary party setup? What size room? qirex posted:If it's just for one party maybe look at renting a sound system. The bad news about bass is that the amount of ball vibration you'll receive is inversely proportional to the volume in which you'd like balls to vibrate. For a barn $700 is probably not sufficient to buy speakers. Look at PA stuff, you might be able to get a pair of 12 or 15" powered speakers for that much but you'll need subwoofers if you want real bass. These points refer to the first question, but also cover the second one i guess 1) Yes, but I'm not audiophile-fussy about the quality. 2) Ummm...just an ipod 3) Permanent 4) Hard to say. I'm not on-site at the moment - maybe 65ft x 25ft x 15ft(??) - could be quite a bit off on this. Mr. Gibbycrumbles fucked around with this message at 23:29 on Apr 14, 2015 |
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Apr 14, 2015 23:27
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Mr. Gibbycrumbles posted:These points refer to the first question, but also cover the second one i guess Haunt Craigslist like it's your job and look for PA systems coming out of a church or rec hall. That's a big room dude. It's bigger than a lot of clubs.
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Apr 15, 2015 02:34
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Maybe try building DIY speakers? Any speakers large/loud enough for that room are going to cost a fortune in shipping alone. Also, you may have to up your budget. This might be a good starting point: 2x: http://speakerplans.com/index.php?id=1850horn 2x: http://www.speakerplans.com/index.php?id=mt102 Power Amp: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/NU4-6000.aspx Crossover: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/CX2310.aspx Volume Control / Preamp: http://schiit.com/products/sys I'll leave the cables as an exercise to the reader.
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Apr 15, 2015 04:24
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The nicest (read: only) audio systems i have are: 1 early-90's JVC bookshelf system and 1 set of boston acoustics 2.1 powered speakers (on my computer, of course). i have wanted a nicer set-up for a while, but was pretty much paralyzed by indecision until i started reading this thread. So i got an Onkyo TX-NR535 on amazon yesterday for $250. i saw similar onkyo models discussed here and on the wire cutter reviews favorably, but not this particular model. camelcamelcamel usually shows this thing as $400 on amazon, so i decided to bite. i also got the monoprice 10565 5.1 speakers, 12ga wire, and banana plugs as well, <$300 shipped, as recommended here. this system will start out in my basement home theater and stay there if i decide to do something nicer/different in the family room upstairs (once i have some experience with it and decide to tweak or not). i'll hopefully have the thing all set-up some time this weekend. so, thanks for the thread & all the suggestions, and any commentary on the components so far is welcome (particularly the receiver, since either it hasn't been discussed here, or i've missed it and search has too).
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Apr 15, 2015 15:47
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nine16thsdago posted:The nicest (read: only) audio systems i have are: 1 early-90's JVC bookshelf system and 1 set of boston acoustics 2.1 powered speakers (on my computer, of course). i have wanted a nicer set-up for a while, but was pretty much paralyzed by indecision until i started reading this thread. 12ga wire is overkill and going to be a pain in the rear end to work with (Will it even fit in your banana plugs? Most are designed for 14-18ga). You'll probably get the itch to upgrade those speakers sooner rather than later, as well. Other than that, it's a good start and should be easy to upgrade.
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Apr 15, 2015 16:02
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Mr. Gibbycrumbles posted:Ok, I know literally nothing about home audio.... Keep your eye on poo poo like Gumtree for dickhead DJs selling off old PA gear cheap. I hand built my PA because it was a gently caress ton cheaper than buying it all from a shop and I still have about £6k in it. It'd do your joint nicely though, wanna buy it? 
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Apr 15, 2015 16:50
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KillHour posted:12ga wire is overkill and going to be a pain in the rear end to work with (Will it even fit in your banana plugs? Most are designed for 14-18ga). You'll probably get the itch to upgrade those speakers sooner rather than later, as well. Other than that, it's a good start and should be easy to upgrade. ah, thanks for the heads-up. i ordered a few sets of these: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=104&cp_id=10401&cs_id=1040115&p_id=9436&seq=1&format=2 which notes: "Can accept 12 to 18 AWG speaker wires." should i use something less expensive/easier to work with for right now, and save the 12ga for when i actually need it?
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Apr 15, 2015 18:59
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nine16thsdago posted:ah, thanks for the heads-up. i ordered a few sets of these: I used 14ga wire with those same plugs, and they were already a bit stiff/large. 12ga would probably fit, but just barely. If you already have the 12ga wire, you may as well use it. You'll never need it for anything else. Assuming 8 ohm speakers: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28AWG+%2312+current+capacity%29%5E2+*+8+ohms KillHour fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 19:04
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KillHour posted:I used 14ga wire with those same plugs, and they were already a bit stiff/large. 12ga would probably fit, but just barely. The real reason to use larger wire is not current carrying capacity (though you do want thick enough wire that it won't start on fire), it is because the wire has internal resistance that goes down as the wire gets larger. 1st answer here http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/13931/how-to-determine-appropriate-speaker-cable-gauge and http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/speaker-cable-gauge
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Apr 15, 2015 19:14
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taqueso posted:The real reason to use larger wire is not current carrying capacity (though you do want thick enough wire that it won't start on fire), it is because the wire has internal resistance that goes down as the wire gets larger. 1st answer here http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/13931/how-to-determine-appropriate-speaker-cable-gauge and http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/speaker-cable-gauge http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28AWG+%2314+unit+impedance%29+-+%28AWG+%2312+unit+impedance%29 Nope, not buying it. You're going to get a larger difference just going between your front and rears. KillHour fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 19:18
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KillHour posted:http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28AWG+%2314+unit+resistance%29+-+%28AWG+%2312+unit+resistance%29 Are you saying 1 Ω per foot increase from 12 to 14AWG is insignificant? I didn't think it would be that much.
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Apr 15, 2015 19:21
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taqueso posted:Are you saying 1 Ω per foot increase from 12 to 14AWG is insignificant? I didn't think it would be that much. milliohms. 1/1000th of an ohm.
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Apr 15, 2015 19:22
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KillHour posted:milliohms. 1/1000th of an ohm. whoops 
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Apr 15, 2015 19:23
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Besides, resistance on a wire is going to affect all frequencies equally, just like putting a resistor in-line. What really matters is inductance because that is going to act as a low-pass filter. The difference in inductance between 12 gauge and 14 gauge is... ~46.3 nanohenries per meter. That's 0.00000000463 henries. You're fine.
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Apr 15, 2015 19:36
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My mom's Pioneer receiver from '94 just blew its transistor, are there any well regarded 2.0 receivers on the market right now with built-in radios? (no need for Sirius or anything, just local stations)
Millions fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 21:46
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