Falcon

Should I be checking on ebay or is there somewhere else where audophiles sell their wares? Thanks. Aaron G Philadelphia, PA

Hi all, I'm getting the reference 35 bookshelf system, and I need a decent starter receiver. Since I'm pretty much blowing my budget on the speakers, I'm going to have to wait to upgrade to a great receiver. Looking around on crutchfield I came across the JVC RX-D302B. It has a nice little wireless connector that will let me stream from my computer to my HT, which I would use all the time, but I have no idea on how good (or bad) a JVC product is. Basically, I need something cheap to get me by for a year or so that has at least 5.1. TIA Aaron G Philadelphia, PA

After YEARS of begging I finally got permission to get the RB35 5.1 system! Needless to say I'm psyched! However, in all my pleadings I've always left out the fact that I'll have to buy a receiver to power these things. SO, to that end, I'm looking for a relatively "cheaper" receiver (a few hundred?) that can handle 6.1 (I'll get the center-rear later) as well as Dolby and DTS. I'm assuming everything they make these days has an optical input as well. Any thoughts? Also, what are your thoughts on the stands that come for the bookshelves? Nice? Crappy? TIA Aaron G Philadelphia, PA

sputnik, I was actually going to suggest the "candeling" because I know my mom does it, but I wasn't sure what it was called, so I did a quick google. This article suggests it's not good for you. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candling.html Then again, they say qtips aren't good for you either, but I use em every day. Just FYI.

I had to go do the ear doc a few years back. He took what looked like a turkey baster, filled it with warm water, then blasted it into my ear. Not very comfortable, but the large piece of quartz that was lodged between my eardrum and my ear canal came out! I have no idea how it got there. Gnomes? Congrats on the crazy post, and good luck on the ear upgrade.

The Abyss There's a fantastic scene (if you don't know the movie) where a diver in a dry suit with a helmet on is alone in a sunken submarine room. The shot shows him in the room alone where you get some nice sounds, but then it switches to inside his hemet to first person view as he starts to hyperventilate. In this shot all the speakers light up with his panic breathing. It's some good stuff. For showing off visuals I usually go to Discovery HDTV.

kde, Congrats on the home purchase... especially one with a media room! Is the concrete coated with anything? I'm no concrete expert, but a quick google of some people who are tells you that you should cover that concrete up! http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/finished_basements/media_room.htm Does it look like something was there before, or that they had to remove the drywall for some reason (ie installing a new french drain)?

I nearly forgot... Before you go out and buy a bunch of expensive cables, see what comes with the equipment you have first. The DVD player comes with the DVI cable, which saves you about $100 if you were going to go with Monster. The people at BestBuy will try and tell you the Monster is a better cable and will make a difference in your viewing experience, but I personally can't see it. You said you were going with DirectTV, so I don't know what they give you, but I know Comcast gives you an optical cable as well as composite connections. Throw away (read: store for when you're in a crunch) your s-video and lesser connectors. They're an insult to your TV, and your TV will hate you if you feed it such an inferior signal. One more thing... get yourself a UPS (uninteruptible power supply) and one that "cleans" the power. Protect your toys! Good luck again!

Like everything involving any cost - it's subjective. However, if your looking for support to buy some expensive equipment, you're in the right place! One note about the DVDs... since they're not HD (yet) you won't have the quality you might think you should. However, you would do WONDERS to go out and get yourself and "upsampling" DVD player. It makes a TREMENDOUS difference. I really like the one I have in my signature. Watching TV in HD is fantastic as well. Watching sports is one of the best experiences, and I'm not that into watching sports on TV either! Prime time TV shows really pop. Good luck!

Yendor, Thanks very much for the info. That's just the kind of deal I need to find. I will do my best to get over there. I'm actually leaving this Sunday for 2 weeks, and the inlaws are coming tomorrow. Maybe I can get my wife to go over with me today??? Hey, I heard of a great buying technique from a friend's parents that I think I may apply to Klipsch (or any) speaker setups. They wanted to get a new car, so instead of going to a dealer to negotiate, they found out all the options they wanted online, printed it out, and faxed it every dealer in the tri state area. They said basically "this is what we want, fax us back your best offer. We'll take the lowest." No phone calls, no haggling, and they saved thousands from the highest to the lowest cost. I hate going into these high end speaker stores. It probably doesn't help much that I start drooling in the parking lot. They see me coming... Later

Since I'm speakerless so far, I just show off the video... Gladiator - Battle of Carthage Matrix (original) - Opening scene with Trinity Whatever is playing on Discovery HD

Yendor, Thanks for the heads up. I'll check it out. I'm actually in West Chester (I use Philly for the benefit of everyone who doesn't live in the area). There's a tweeter right over the line in DE that I plan on stopping by as soon as I can. Thanks again.

I've decided to go with the R-35s and the 12" sub. I think I'll go to the local tweeter down in DE (tax free, woo hoo!) to check out the amps. Maybe they can work me a good deal. After I told my wife how much it was going to cost (why does she always have to ask?) I had to agree not to get the new grill I had been eyeing up for this summer in addition to being on kitty litter box duty. I can live with that.

Thank's everyone for all your input. It sounds like everyone agrees with the build-piece-by-piece-quality strategy. That's going to be my plan. I had to agree not to beg my wife for more electronic equipment for 6 months after I got the tv (for the superbowl). She made a new bargain this past weekend that if I paint every room in the house she'll happily let me spend $1500. Maybe if I clean out the kitty litter box from now on she'll let me bump it up to $2000! I'll let you all know. Thanks again!

I have nothing but the tv and dvd player now. I'm like a caveman forced to watch HD in 2 channel stereo. I was planning on getting a 6.1 setup, but I wonder if it's worth the extra $100 to move up to the 7.1 for a little future-proofing. Or by the time I'm ready to move to 7.1 will I be ready for a new receiver anyway? In the grand cost, it's only $100, but then again, hey - $100!