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e/n update post about my Onkyo Ordeal recap: TX-NR676. Stopped outputting video, suspected HDMI board issue. Tried different HDMI cables and all inputs on the TV. Nothing. Sound was fine. Brought to Best Buy as I still have a few months warranty. They fumbled it but eventually assured me all was fine and it would be shipped out for repair within a week. Call a month later. They didn't know what the status was but would call me back. Call back, the thing hasn't left the store yet. BB is like 3 hours a way, but we're going to the city the following week so I pay a visit. Its shipped they tell me, but cant give any kind of tracking or status beyond that. I politely indicate how ridiculous this all is and they eventually call and offer me a compromise. Take a Denon 750H at cost, if my Onkyo cant be fixed, money back and goes towards the Denon. If it can, just bring back the Denon so I'm not stuck with nothing in the interim anyway. Take the offer Take the Denon home and set it up. Wont come out of protect mode, even with nothing connected but power. Call Denon support. Based on troubleshooting steps taken including factory reset and isolating all inputs, yeah its a dud. Going back to the city tomorrow and ofc returning the Denon and hoping to get an update on my 676. But they preemptively call me today. "Your receiver came back. They didn't find any issue with it". I had suspected when the Denon was DOA that they had given it to me as some cruel joke, now thats confirmed as they seem to have taken it a step further. Going to make sure they let me test that thing before I leave with it.
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Jul 22, 2021 19:12
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codo27 posted:e/n update post about my Onkyo Ordeal do you live in the Yukon? Even when I lived in rural Maine I don’t think I was ever more than 25 minutes from a Best Buy
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Jul 22, 2021 19:48
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Eastern Canada. We have one for the entire island.
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Jul 22, 2021 22:24
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Frank Dillinger posted:That’s a good idea, I’ll try that first. We mostly just use an Apple TV right now, not a lot of switching happening. If it does work, that’ll give me time to wait for sales/new receivers with proper HDMI 2.1 support. codo27 posted:Eastern Canada. We have one for the entire island.
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Jul 23, 2021 11:32
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My dad just gave me his collection of 100+ records. Anyone have a recommendation for a good record player? It would be great if it was <$200 I bought the $120 one from Best Buy and the motor made a loud whirling noise. I just need a quality player that will plug into my stereo system. e: unless spending more gets you a noticeable improvement? Fozzy The Bear fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Jul 26, 2021 |
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Jul 26, 2021 21:40
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You can get an AT60 but I’d recommend spending a little more and getting an AT120 Unless something has popped up to take over for those being the best cheap tables
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Jul 26, 2021 21:43
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Dogen posted:You can get an AT60 but I’d recommend spending a little more and getting an AT120 AT60 is the one I bought from BestBuy that was bad, that's making me scared of that brand. e: AT-LP60X-GM
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Jul 26, 2021 21:47
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there's an Oppo thing at the thrift store for $99 that I might get but - are there any general recommendations for CD players w/ all the fancy audiophile formats (eg DVD-A/SACD/etc) supported? I think the Oppo has everything except BD-audio (which I think is super rare anyway).
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Jul 27, 2021 20:37
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Feels Villeneuve posted:there's an Oppo thing at the thrift store for $99 that I might get but - I usually look for DVD/SACD-combo players. People think of these as DVD players first and price them accordingly, while dedicated SACD players usually get audiophile pricing. You should get the Oppo since those were luxury audiophile players and have the build quality and audio quality to match. It will do any audio disc playing duty you need for the rest of your life really well. If you're on a budget, look for any Sony, Pioneer or Denon DVD/SACD-player.
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Jul 28, 2021 07:47
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Feels Villeneuve posted:there's an Oppo thing at the thrift store for $99 that I might get but - The Oppo blu ray players go for stupid money used, I picked up a BDP-103 for $200 at a pawn shop, they regularly sell for $500+ used. They're just a very solid player so they're well regarded for people that want to listen to CDs and the odd SACD. codo27 posted:Eastern Canada. We have one for the entire island. Hello fellow islander.
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Jul 28, 2021 13:40
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DoesNotCompute posted:The Oppo blu ray players go for stupid money used, I picked up a BDP-103 for $200 at a pawn shop, they regularly sell for $500+ used. They're just a very solid player so they're well regarded for people that want to listen to CDs and the odd SACD. The 103 and 105 can also be used to rip SACDs.
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Jul 28, 2021 14:25
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I got a TCL Alto 7 with the tiny sub a few months ago for $80 total from slickdeals and honestly despite the good price and generally favorable reviews, it's pretty bad compared to my girlfriend's tiny Bose soundbar. What's generally recommended as the budget special these days for soundbars?
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Jul 29, 2021 15:12
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Bose may not be the be all end all but a bit unfair to compare TCL to it, no? Klipsch just released some kinda new powerhouse soundbar but it wont be cheap
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Jul 29, 2021 16:13
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What's your budget? Because you're probably just hearing what $80 sounds like and if you stay in that range things aren't going to get much better. Off the top of my head a refurb Sonos Beam [$319] is a decent choice. e: AC4L just got a bunch of new stuff. qirex fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Jul 29, 2021 |
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Jul 29, 2021 16:48
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I've had Vizio and Samsung and Sony sound bars and have been happy with them. I think it's largely a get what you pay for type situation up to a certain price point (The high end i.e. ~$1500 sound bars are definitely not worth it IME). I'd be wary of getting the cheapest model of whatever you get, lest you have a similar experience. Like you bought a ~120 dollar sound bar for $80 so is buying a $150 Vizio or a $180 Samsung really going to be that much better? Maybe, but maybe not. Pay attention to subwoofer weight. Don't buy a sound bar with a 7 pound subwoofer.
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Jul 29, 2021 16:53
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bird with big dick posted:Don't buy a sound bar with a 7 pound subwoofer. I wish someone would make a soundbar with fewer, bigger drivers because the sound compromise on them isn't the deep bass [which is challenging even for full size systems] but the lower end of midrange where male voices and a lot of music lives. This is, unfortunately, in direct conflict with making it as slim as possible. I know there's passive soundbars and powered bases but those seem like the market has rejected them and they're pretty niche.
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Jul 29, 2021 17:19
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64bit_Dophins posted:I got a TCL Alto 7 with the tiny sub a few months ago for $80 total from slickdeals and honestly despite the good price and generally favorable reviews, it's pretty bad compared to my girlfriend's tiny Bose soundbar. I picked up a Klipsch Bar 48 for my folks because it was VERY cheap as a factory refurb ($170 CAD). For that money it's entirely decent and the wireless sub is nice and everything is aesthetically pleasing. It can't hold a candle to even a budget 2 channel actual speaker setup but it's head and shoulders above the built in speakers. For the ~$600+ CAD that they retail for? Absolute stupidity and utter disappointment. If you're in Canada AudioConnexion has very good factory refurb deals on Klipsch and Yamaha stuff.
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Jul 29, 2021 17:50
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I'll chime in on the soundbar topic since I just got the Vizio M51a-H6 this week for $300. I just wanted something with super clear dialog that could handle all the stupid sound formats out there, with an extra HDMI input for my Xbox Series X (which I use for all my streaming and local playback). I'm not an audiophile but it sounds much better than my old Monoprice 2.0 soundbar and the powered 2.1 PC speakers that replaced it. I can hear every detail in every type of scene without cranking the volume or adjusting levels. That's pretty much all I wanted. This is also my first surround setup and it's surprisingly effective. I was playing the original Dead Rising and faintly heard someone talking behind me, then realized it was a couple of survivors huddled in a nearby room. Being able to pinpoint them by sound alone was really cool. My initial budget was $200, but I'm glad I spent a little more to get a decent setup that could do everything I wanted.
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Jul 29, 2021 18:42
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qirex posted:Seriously, this. The smallest Rythmik you can buy weighs 50 pounds. Passive radiators integrated into the soundbar are the current approach to handling this issue.
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Jul 29, 2021 19:38
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Wasabi the J posted:Passive radiators integrated into the soundbar are the current approach to handling this issue. Yeah, some sound bars sound better than they should given the size. I’m going to guess most under $300 didn’t have a lot of effort put into their design. Also unlike box speakers you can’t adjust position much so you have to live with what it does in your room.
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Jul 29, 2021 23:13
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Got a question about receivers. I want to add audio to my current setup: - Ceiling-mounted projector. It's got HDMI 2.0 input (+ USB if I got the media streamer route) and RCA audio output. No ARC/eARC HDMI z - Desktop PC which streams both gaming and tv/film. It's connected directly via HDMI to to the projector and it's going to stay that way for the purpose of minimizing lag, but it doesn't have any special audio hardware. It does have a S/PDIF output though. Also, I would like to be able to use the audio for Bluetooth music streaming from my phone when the PC / projector are not on, as well. My phone happens to support AptX HD for better BT audio quality, too. So my ideal device to put between the PC and the speakers would be a combo receiver/DAC/amp with S/PDIF input (so I don't need to send the HDMI signal through it and potentially introduce input lag - is this a valid concern?) and Bluetooth AptX HD audio support. And finally, I'm interested in Dolby Atmos for gaming purposes, although it's not a dealbreaker because I probably won't have the budget to get all the speakers right now. Does such a device exist? I've noticed that the hi-fi world evolves slooooooooooowly compared to many other tech ecosystems, e.g. CD players are still a thing somehow. There are dedicated BT5.0 AptX HD receivers, however I would then need the main receiver to have two S/PDIF inputs (one for the PC and one for BT) otherwise I'd be performing the digital-to-analog conversion on whatever cheap DAC the BT receiver comes with. (My understanding is that if I'm shelling out the cash for a home theater system, even a 'basic' sub-$1000 one, I absolutely don't want to have the digital-to-analog conversion be performed either by my motherboard's onboard sound or by whatever DAC is onboard the projector, instead I want to take the digital audio straight to the audio system's own DAC). EDIT: Aaaand after further googling it turns out S/PDIF doesn't usually support 5.1, so that one's out for movie audio as well. So if I don't want to introduce input lag, I guess I'm going to have to use one of my PC's extra HDMI ports to carry audio to the receiver. This might actually simplify things - if I can find a receiver with both HDMI and S/PDIF input, I can connect the PC to the former and the Bluetooth receiver to the latter. NihilCredo fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Jul 30, 2021 |
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Jul 30, 2021 14:59
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NihilCredo posted:Got a question about receivers. you mean like pretty much every receiver on the market? how many channels you want?
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Jul 30, 2021 15:29
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Ok Comboomer posted:you mean like pretty much every receiver on the market? how many channels you want? Dolby Atmos would be nice for first-person gaming, so I'm guessing 7.1? The room is fairly small though so it might be a waste.
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Jul 30, 2021 15:50
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NihilCredo posted:Dolby Atmos would be nice for first-person gaming, so I'm guessing 7.1? The room is fairly small though so it might be a waste. Get one of the new Yamahas that everybody likes. You can even get one through Costco (ppl who know more than I do pls chime in). AVENTAGE might be overkill for you, maybe not.
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Jul 30, 2021 16:17
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SPDIF absolutely supports 5.1, not sure where you got the idea that it didn't. It's not Dolby™ Master™ Quality™ or Atmos but it's been capable of Dolby Digital since the 90s. Also if your receiver isn't scaling it won't introduce lag. What speakers/sub do you have? p.s. Atmos isn't labeled 7.1, it's 5.1.2. 7.2.4, etc. A lot of receivers have 7 channels of amplification and you can choose to do rear surrounds or front height. Ok Comboomer posted:Get one of the new Yamahas that everybody likes. You can even get one through Costco (ppl who know more than I do pls chime in). AVENTAGE might be overkill for you, maybe not. Nobody's seen the implementation of VRR, ALLM and other gaming features from them, it's been "coming soon" for 6 months. That Costco receiver looks like a hell of a value, though. qirex fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Jul 30, 2021 |
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Jul 30, 2021 17:22
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qirex posted:SPDIF absolutely supports 5.1, not sure where you got the idea that it didn't. It's not Dolby™ Master™ Quality™ or Atmos but it's been capable of Dolby Digital since the 90s. Also if your receiver isn't scaling it won't introduce lag. What speakers/sub do you have? It doesn't support 5.1 pcm which is largely what games put out which means you end up getting stereo over spdif. bird with big dick fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Jul 31, 2021 |
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Jul 31, 2021 02:16
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So I've been looking for soundbar options for my LG CX TV, and I saw the Samsung Soundbar HW-Q900T/XE for 58% off (which would make it about $600). Worth it or are there better options for the price? Edit: I am using the latest Apple TV 4k as well. Edit 2: I bought it. I'll report back after I've tried it! MrOnBicycle fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Aug 3, 2021 |
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Aug 1, 2021 11:42
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Does anyone in here happen to have a recommendation for a fairly basic but reliable/decent sounding CD player that could go on a bookshelf? A family member on a fixed income has one of those boombox things from Wal-Mart that's probably 20 years old which is in the process of kicking the bucket so I wanted to send over a replacement. They mostly use it for listening to classical music on NPR but do also have a huge CD collection so my first thought, one of those bluetooth speakers, wouldn't work. The audio quality doesn't need to be fantastic or anything given their age. It looks like there's something called a micro Hi Fi system from Sony/Toshiba/Philips on Amazon that would fit the bill but there are lots of audio quality complaints. I'm thinking the $100-$200 range would make sense. Any ideas would be appreciated.
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Aug 3, 2021 17:08
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Are you looking for something new, or are you opened to used? Those "executive"/mini hifi systems can be found used for cheap as no one really wants them anymore. An old Bose wave radio might fit the bill as well and can be found used on FB marketplace for a reasonable price.
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Aug 3, 2021 17:21
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For some reason those micro systems can be stupidly expensive. AC4L has a couple around $200 that look promising: https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yammcrb020bl-rb/yamaha-mcr-b020-micro-component-cd-player-system-black/1.html https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/dendt1blk/denon-d-t1-cd/fm-micro-desktop-stereo-system-w/bluetooth/1.html
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Aug 3, 2021 17:22
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skipdogg posted:Are you looking for something new, or are you opened to used? I was thinking new but the idea of getting a deal on an older higher quality unit is a really good one. Are the mini hifi systems just considered garbage or is it that everyone has moved on to bluetooth/Airplay speakers like the Sonos ones? qirex posted:For some reason those micro systems can be stupidly expensive. AC4L has a couple around $200 that look promising: Thanks! I'll check these out.
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Aug 3, 2021 18:50
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You know how I was saying I wish someone would make a soundbar with actual drivers in it? JBL did it. There are, of course downsides in that it's XBox huge [8.5” H x 31.1” W x 11.3” D, 35 pounds], $1500 and only comes in 1970s walnut but at least it exists.
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Aug 3, 2021 22:13
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7of7 posted:I was thinking new but the idea of getting a deal on an older higher quality unit is a really good one. If you have any local thrift stores, check there. You might be able to find a decent one for not a lot of money.
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Aug 4, 2021 03:32
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qirex posted:You know how I was saying I wish someone would make a soundbar with actual drivers in it? JBL did it. Is that a center channel for the LS100? 
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Aug 4, 2021 03:39
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Love that chocolate bar grill and woodgrain....
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Aug 4, 2021 03:50
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Wasabi the J posted:Love that chocolate bar grill and woodgrain.... the orange and blue grills are better
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Aug 4, 2021 04:12
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OMG that thing.. I want it. <3 jbl
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Aug 5, 2021 19:42
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JBL is on a tear lately, they also have this thing Which has 120W @ 8 ohms, Chromecast, Airplay and Roon support plus Dirac Live room correction. For three grand the lack of HDMI ARC stands out since similarly priced all in one stuff [NAD M10, Cambridge Evo 300, Naim uniti Atom] has it.
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Aug 7, 2021 02:00
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qirex posted:JBL is on a tear lately, they also have this thing Looks nice, do you have a model number or URL for that thing?
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Aug 7, 2021 11:43
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Model number in the photo, looks like it's $3k https://www.jblsynthesis.com/products/loudspeakers/series/classic-series/SA750.html
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Aug 7, 2021 12:11
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