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I'm considering whether or not to buy a Harman Kardon AVR145 Receiver off craigslist. http://electronics.pricegrabber.com/home-audio-receivers/m/27284857/details/ I noticed that there are only 40W per channel. Now, I have two full-range speakers that deliver decent bass, but I don't know if 40W will suffice. Is that wattage common for a 5.1 surround receiver? Is Harman Kardon generally considered a good brand, or should I stick with Sony or Pioneer?
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Jul 30, 2007 11:38
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crm posted:Dumb question(s) - is there really any point to buying some big floor standing speakers over a pair of decently powered bookshelves? I've just got a 16x16 room I'm trying to set up the audio half of a home theater in. Both can be good, both can be bad. It's one factor of speaker design but not the only one. For a small room I would prefer bookshelfs. If you get good ones then you will have enough bass. The option of adding a subwoofer later is always there for both types.
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Jul 30, 2007 12:41
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Toothy posted:I'm considering whether or not to buy a Harman Kardon AVR145 Receiver off craigslist. Why are you looking at surround receivers if you only have two speakers? You could get a much better stereo one (used) for less money. Well, actually, how much is the craigslist listing for? When you say full range, are they floorstanding? How many drivers? 40W should be enough to drive even large speakers very very loud, but you'll be using a lot of the wattage and there won't be much overhead so you'll be driving the amp hard most of the time. edit: Boner Slam posted:Both can be good, both can be bad. Yeah. Also, for the same amount of money, you will generally get better quality sound from bookshelves than floorstanders (because floorstanders have more cost in extra drivers and more material for the enclosure). There's very few floorstansders in the $500 range that are any good but there are certainly some quality bookshelves in there. Pibborando San fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Jul 30, 2007 |
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Jul 30, 2007 19:45
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Pibborando San posted:Why are you looking at surround receivers if you only have two speakers? You could get a much better stereo one (used) for less money. Well, actually, how much is the craigslist listing for? When you say full range, are they floorstanding? How many drivers? The craigslist guy wants $200 and he'll throw in a Harmony (model?) remote. The two speakers I have were custom built by my brother. I don't know much about the parts but I'll email him for some specs. I plan to eventually buy more speakers in the future, assuming of course Harman receivers have a decent life expectancy. Or... A couple years ago I bought a Creative Inspire P5800 5.1 kit for my PC, but I really only use it for 2.1 audio. code:Toothy fucked around with this message at 20:52 on Jul 30, 2007 |
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Jul 30, 2007 20:50
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Toothy posted:All of the little speakers hook up to the sub through RCA ports, I think. Would it be stupid to try and hook the leftover center and surround speakers up to this Harman receiver? I'm not even sure how I would do it---strip the wires? Will they instantly blow out if I put 40w through them? Do not use those sad excuses for speakers with your big ones, ESPECIALLY not for the center channel. It is extremely important that the center channel match the left and right speakers. This is really the only case where you NEED matching speakers or else when people talk or sound pans from left to right (or vice versa) it will change in weird ways and totally ruin the immersion. The surrounds and sub can be whatever you want, but the front three should be from the same speaker line ideally. You said they were made, so finding a matching center might be impossible unless you had your brother build that for you too.
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Jul 30, 2007 21:38
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Is the center channel vital in a 5.1 setup? If it were absent, would dialogue instead emit from the front L&R or would it be all echoy and poo poo?
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Jul 30, 2007 23:02
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Toothy posted:Is the center channel vital in a 5.1 setup? If it were absent, would dialogue instead emit from the front L&R or would it be all echoy and poo poo? Well, I'm assuming your 5.1 amp has separate speaker terminals for L, R, C, LS, RS, and Sub. So with no center channel it would still route the center channel audio to the center channel speaker terminal. But since there'd be no speaker connected to it... I guess you'd be missing out on a lot. Are you running a 2-speaker set-up or some kind of weird 4.1 for some odd reason. Why not just use a stereo amp then? I do.
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Jul 31, 2007 08:17
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Thoughts on these please Looking for a 5.1 speaker setup only, got a 'nice' Pioneer receiver that I bought 2 years ago already..just need new speakers. Any suggestions too...I am looking to buy TODAY...~$200 nothing too special, cheaper is better always. I would be willing to spend some more if anyone can point out a good setup with some tower speakers (maybe buy all seperate)?
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Aug 1, 2007 19:27
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I was trying to set up my Comcast remote to turn off my RCA RT2830BK home theater system and can not find a remote code anywhere for it. I was wondering if anyone knew what it was or where i could find it? I tried using the remote to search for the code but it didn't find anything.
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Aug 2, 2007 02:20
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BFD Zio posted:Thoughts on these please The only setup with towers ANYWHERE near that price would be the Radiient Helios 5 channel system for $399 w/ shipping (was $499). Radiient is basically slightly higher end Insignia stuff, which is evident from the speakers' design. That means they'll probably sound pretty decent. At least MUCH better than any HTIB. Better than that would be the x-series speakers by Onix. If you want tower fronts, it would be $680 at the cheapest. These will probably sound significantly better than the Radiient stuff. Neither of these include subs but that should be the last thing on your list.
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Aug 2, 2007 02:50
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Quick question, I've got an Onkyo receiver, with these low end speakers http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_4/ASource/HTIB_Asource.html, mainly when I'm watching a movie through my 360 or even sometimes playing a game if the volume gets a little too loud the amp cuts off. Is something overloading something and it's protecting itself, do I have some wires crossed somewhere? What are some common issues that cause an amp to cut off at higher volumes?
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Aug 3, 2007 14:20
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I'm looking into getting a nice audio setup to go with my HDTV, HTPC, and 360 and am a little lost on speakers. I am very space limited, dorm room sucks, so I'm thinking about starting with 2 moderately priced fronts, bookshelves or small tower speakers, and upgrading to full fledged 5.1 next year when I have an apartment. For a reciever I am looking at the Onkyo TX-SR505, not that it really matters when looking at speakers. My price range is up to $400 for a 2 speaker set of hopefully somewhat decent sounding bookshelf speakers. I know I shouldn't expect massive low end kick from these but some bass presence would be nice. I was looking at the x-series from AV123.com but I can't possibly have those before I go back to school, and it is a pain in the rear end to ship things when I am at school so if I didn't like them a return would be nearly impossible. I have heard good things about the Axiom M2 series but again I don't know where to find decent unbiased reviews.
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Aug 3, 2007 15:45
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Cuw posted:My price range is up to $400 for a 2 speaker set of hopefully somewhat decent sounding bookshelf speakers. I know I shouldn't expect massive low end kick from these but some bass presence would be nice. I was looking at the x-series from AV123.com but I can't possibly have those before I go back to school, and it is a pain in the rear end to ship things when I am at school so if I didn't like them a return would be nearly impossible. I have heard good things about the Axiom M2 series but again I don't know where to find decent unbiased reviews. Here's some speakers that will kick major rear end: the Totem Mites, used on Audiogon for $400. They're nice little bookshelves that will sound GREAT, and will probably integrate well with a good sub down the road.
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Aug 3, 2007 21:16
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mattfl posted:What are some common issues that cause an amp to cut off at higher volumes? Heat, make sure there is room around the amp and especially that you have not blocked any of the ventilation grilles found at back/bottom/top of the amp. One way or another this kind of problems are usually related to overheating. A less likely cause that really does not fit the description of the problem would be that speaker cables are shorted, but then you should not hear anything on any volume. Check the speaker calbes at the terminals in your amp, the wires should not be touching anything but the terminal, not each other or amp body or anything like that. In the off chance the speakers have very low impedance, check if your amp has a switch to choose between 4ohm/8ohm speakers. If it has one, try with 4ohm setting. I very much doubt the impedance in those speakers would be that low.
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Aug 4, 2007 09:17
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Snafuel posted:In the off chance the speakers have very low impedance, check if your amp has a switch to choose between 4ohm/8ohm speakers. If it has one, try with 4ohm setting. I very much doubt the impedance in those speakers would be that low. Yeah, it sounds like the amp has an overcurrent protection circuit built into it. How powerful is the amp?
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Aug 4, 2007 16:46
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Pibborando San posted:Here's some speakers that will kick major rear end: the Totem Mites, used on Audiogon for $400. Those do look nice but by the time I ship them from California to Connecticut I am looking at $450-$500.
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Aug 4, 2007 16:50
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OK so I'm building something that isn't quite an HTPC, but more of a jukebox/mame/rom/hooked-up-to-a-tv computer. I don't have really nice poo poo, like speakers, or a TV with component input, but I'm working on the speakers. Anyway, this computer I'm making has composite out (YES COMPOSITE i know it sucks) and I'm trying to figure out how to make the sound come from the speakers that I will be getting soon. I'm just thinking about grabbing 2 tower/bookshelf speakers, but I figure they will take the red/white RCA cables instead of something from my computer. My TV has the s/pdif out (but no s/pdif in, its for the built in dvd player) thing along with RCA (red/white/yellow) out, and I wanted to have the sounds from everything on my TV come out through these speakers, but how do I get the computer to send sound to the TV in a way where there wont be any degradation of the sound? Will I need a special sound card in the computer, or will I need a converter, or what? And also will 2 tower speakers give me good bass~ I love bass~ Zand fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Aug 4, 2007 |
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Aug 4, 2007 18:51
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The easiest option is to buy a used stereo amplifier, preferably one with a same type of S/PDIF digital input as your TV has as an output.
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Aug 4, 2007 19:06
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Yes, the way to get the best sound quality to the speakers would be to use a digital audio out from the computer into a stereo receiver with digital in. What sound card is in the computer already? Or, is this a hypothetical computer? If so, get a Chaintech AV-710 soundcard. Around $20 and has good quality sound (MUCH better than on board at least, and you won't find better without spending over $150 probably). Option A: You get a receiver or integrated amp that has digital audio in. Run an optical cable from the Chaintech to the receiver. Option B: You can't afford a good new receiver so you get an older used one that doesn't have digital in (like me). Run a mini-to-RCA cable from the rear-surround out of the Chaintech (the black one next to the optical, it has the best sound quality) to some input on the receiver. As for speakers. Towers are the way to go if 1) you are willing to spend close to $1000 for something new and decent, or 2) are willing to spend close to or above $500 for something good and used. You will get a much better value going used in... well, all cases. I got a pair of Energy C-9s, which were $1,300 new, for $550 on eBay. They were in perfect working order and are great.
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Aug 4, 2007 21:53
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Thanks so much for your help guys! What are the brands of receivers to avoid? I'm probably going to get a cheap one and a pair of bookshelf speakers. Any brands of speakers to avoid?
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Aug 5, 2007 04:01
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Zand posted:Thanks so much for your help guys! What are the brands of receivers to avoid? I'm probably going to get a cheap one and a pair of bookshelf speakers. Any brands of speakers to avoid? Totally dependant on budget. Some brands may have really good cheaper stuff but over-priced high end stuff, or some may have really good valued higher end stuff and crap cheap stuff. Anyway, what would be your budget for the speaker and amp?
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Aug 5, 2007 04:34
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Pibborando San posted:Totally dependant on budget. Some brands may have really good cheaper stuff but over-priced high end stuff, or some may have really good valued higher end stuff and crap cheap stuff. Anyway, what would be your budget for the speaker and amp? probably around 200-250 for it all.. and I kind of want a sub too but as far as I can tell some of the bookshelf speakers already have really nice bass.. but I love bass a lot and it is important. Really just wanting 2 speakers + sub
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Aug 5, 2007 05:00
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Zand posted:probably around 200-250 for it all.. and I kind of want a sub too but as far as I can tell some of the bookshelf speakers already have really nice bass.. but I love bass a lot and it is important. Really just wanting 2 speakers + sub Oohh... sorry to break it to ya but $200-$250 is about what you would pay for low-end entry level sub, not to mention speakers and amp as well. You've got a couple options here: 1) Get a computer speaker set-up like the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1. For computer speakers they're good but in the grand scheme of speakers, pretty crap. 2) Get two bookshelves and a used integrated amp or receiver now. Save up for a good sub down the line. This will ultimately yield FAR superior sound quality than any computer speaker system and leave room for component upgrades down the line. Better value over all. Assuming you want to pursue option two, first look around your local craigslist or something for used speakers in your range. Ebay is another resource and so is audiogon. Oh look what I found! A pair of B&W DM 600 S3s for $200. If you can afford that right now, BUY THESE!!! They will blow you away. If you miss your opportunity there, consider the Athena AS-B1.2s for $100. They won't be as refined as those B&Ws, but they'll sound drat good non the less. I'll look around some for any good deals on stereo receivers.
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Aug 5, 2007 05:55
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OK, probably one of the last questions here, can anyone recommend a decent receiver now for around 100 bucks (or cheaper)? 5.1 support would be nice in case I wanted to upgrade  Really though it isn't necessary, should I just check places like goodwill/thrift stores and get an older receiver/integrated amp?
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Aug 5, 2007 20:03
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Zand posted:OK, probably one of the last questions here, can anyone recommend a decent receiver now for around 100 bucks (or cheaper)? 5.1 support would be nice in case I wanted to upgrade The cheapest good 5.1 receiver I'd recommend would be the Panasonic SA-XR55. But that's around $200. On eBay, here's a Denon DRA-295 receiver that would be great. Might end under your budget if you bid smart. Here's an Onkyo TX-8211 receiver, and an old school Onkyo A-7070 integrated amp around your budget.
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Aug 5, 2007 22:54
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Zand posted:OK, probably one of the last questions here, can anyone recommend a decent receiver now for around 100 bucks (or cheaper)? 5.1 support would be nice in case I wanted to upgrade Yeah, that's what I would do. Make sure it has the inputs you want and the power range you're looking for. If you want to know my secret, but a non-working amp from craigslist or something and put in new fuses. I got two that way. As people move to 5.1 or higher, you can find some decent deals at thrift stores or second hand. Personally, I don't think the benefit is worth hassling over more speakers and a new amp, so I'm sticking with my top of the line early 90s stereo receiver that cost 5$ and two 500mA fuses.
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Aug 6, 2007 05:28
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My Klipsch 5.1 Promedia's are dying on me so I am going to be in the market for some new speakers very soon. I just want a 2.1 setup, but I want to buy some decent tower speakers. My question to you is: What are some decent tower speakers, I don't want to spend more than $400-500 on the pair. I am going to be using these in my medium-sized room to listen to loud music. edit: Bookshelf's are fine as well.. I just don't want to lose any bass. munchies fucked around with this message at 06:08 on Aug 6, 2007 |
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Aug 6, 2007 05:50
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munchies posted:...decent tower speakers...don't want to spend more than $400-500 on the pair. Why do you have to make this so hard? Ok, kidding. $500 is right around the cutoff between crap and reasonable stuff. Talking new there. If you look around for used deals you may be able to score something pretty nice. Here's a good deal on audiogon for some Acoustic Energy Aegis Evo 3s, would be pretty good. Also some KEF Q 55.2s. Also good. They are these. Right at $500 new are the Energy C-300s. I've actually demo'd these and they're quite impressive for the price. Would not hesitate to suggest them to someone for their first towers.
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Aug 6, 2007 06:39
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Heh, I went to Best Buy to get GH2 for my Xbox360 and they had an open box Harmon Kardon AVR-146 for $200, which was cheaper than the Onkyo I was planning on getting and doesn't have the unnecessary extra 2 channels I would never use. On top of that the guy threw in some decent JBL monitors, open box, they sound alright but they are a big harsh in the high end. So now I've spent less than $300 and have stereo speakers and a receiver, I wasn't really planning on spending more than $700 on this entire project. Should I continue to save for good front speakers, such as full size towers, or should I half-rear end a surround sound setup, I would really only need a center channel since I have 2 small speakers I can use for rears?
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Aug 6, 2007 16:09
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I'm looking at getting a speaker system for my living room, and I really have no idea where to start. Can anyone recommend a decent set of either 2.1 or 5.1 speakers with a receiver for around $700? I'm not an audiophile so I don't need ultra-high-end stuff, but I would like good clear sound for music and some punch for movies. I'd also like surround sound, but I'd settle for 2.1 with plans to buy the back speakers later on if there aren't any good 5.1 options in that price range. I know home theaters in a box are generally considered to be total crap, but Circuit City has a 7.1 Onkyo system for $500 which seems pretty good to me and has good reviews on the CC website. The only downside I can find besides being all-in-one is that the HDMI just does video, not sound and video. Any opinions on that system?
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Aug 6, 2007 16:21
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Cuw posted:Should I continue to save for good front speakers, such as full size towers, or should I half-rear end a surround sound setup, I would really only need a center channel since I have 2 small speakers I can use for rears? Use the speakers you just got for now until you've got enough saved up (say $500 at the least) to get good mains. Actually, save up a bit more so you can get good fronts and a matching center channel. Remember it is CRUCIAL that the fronts match the center. Not so much for the surrounds and sub. geera posted:I know home theaters in a box are generally considered to be total crap, but Circuit City has a 7.1 Onkyo system for $500 which seems pretty good to me and has good reviews on the CC website. No it's crap. At least the speakers. Put less than $200 of your budget into a decent receiver like the Panasonic SA-XR55 or an Onkyo, or Yamaha or H&K, etc. Then spend the other $500 on the Energy C-300s I linked above. You will then have a great sounding stereo set-up which you can add to with speakers from the same line down the road.
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Aug 6, 2007 21:28
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Can anyone recommend a good stereo reciever. I'm strictly going to be using it for music. What I picked out was the Onkyo TX8522 I am going to be pairing them with the Acoustic Energy AEGIS Evo 3's that Pibborando San linked to. I've been reading reviews all day and I haven't read one bad review of them. So thanks for that Pibbs.
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Aug 6, 2007 21:57
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munchies posted:Can anyone recommend a good stereo reciever. I'm strictly going to be using it for music. What I picked out was the Onkyo TX8522 No prob! For music, I would actually go for this NAD C320BEE that just showed up on audiogon. Onkyo is good and for HT, perfectly acceptable, but NAD stuff is probably the best budget equipment you can get for music applications. The place where I demo'd the Energy C-300 were running them off that NAD unit. Sounded fantastic.
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Aug 6, 2007 22:37
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hmm.. I was trying to stay under 300 for the reciever
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Aug 6, 2007 22:47
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munchies posted:hmm.. I was trying to stay under 300 for the reciever Oh ok. Buy this now then. Here's some reviews.
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Aug 6, 2007 23:11
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I've got a problem outputting to my receiver with my Macbook (core duo with all software/firmware updates). Whenever the power to my laptop is plugged in, it creates a humming noise. As soon as I pull the plug and run on battery power, the hum goes away. Aside from running on battery power all the time, does anyone have any suggestions?
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Aug 8, 2007 01:29
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American Jello posted:I've got a problem outputting to my receiver with my Macbook (core duo with all software/firmware updates). Whenever the power to my laptop is plugged in, it creates a humming noise. As soon as I pull the plug and run on battery power, the hum goes away. Aside from running on battery power all the time, does anyone have any suggestions? How are you connected to the receiver? If it's with a mini-to-RCA cable, then you've got a ground loop problem with the power supply. Does your receiver have optical in? If so, run an optical cable from the laptop to the receiver. Should fix the ground loop problem and should also sound much better as there's a 99% chance the receiver has a much better DAC than in the macbook.
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Aug 8, 2007 02:43
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Pibborando San posted:How are you connected to the receiver? If it's with a mini-to-RCA cable, then you've got a ground loop problem with the power supply. Does your receiver have optical in? If so, run an optical cable from the laptop to the receiver. Should fix the ground loop problem and should also sound much better as there's a 99% chance the receiver has a much better DAC than in the macbook. I would be running optical except I have an analog Technics receiver. Would using the 2-prong adapter in the power cord work? I'm gonna go see if i can find it. edit: tested it, worked decently, but the computer still hums more than any other component (or open space) I have. I'm beginning to think the extension cable is the problem. How can I use my laptop without being tethered 3 feet from my system? PuTTY riot fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Aug 8, 2007 |
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Aug 8, 2007 05:08
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I would get a cheap external DAC and run an optical cable from your laptop into that. Then run stereo RCA cables from the DAC to the receiver. On board sound SUCKS so this will 1) fix the ground loop, and 2) sound much better. The Silverstone EB01-B at Newegg would be good enough. Connects via USB. Or the Entech Number Cruncher 205.2 which would have better sound quality. You'll need to get a wall-wart for that Entech though. This one would work. You'd run an optical out of your laptop to the Entech.
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Aug 8, 2007 05:39
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Pibborando San posted:I would get a cheap external DAC and run an optical cable from your laptop into that. Then run stereo RCA cables from the DAC to the receiver. On board sound SUCKS so this will 1) fix the ground loop, and 2) sound much better. I only paid $35 for the receiver, these solutions are a little out of my budget. How much would a PCI sound card with a good DAC be for an HTPC? I'm pretty sure I could piece one together from spare parts back home.
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Aug 8, 2007 06:03
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