steelie

I've only had a limited opportunity to check out movies so far... gotta pay for that sub after all. I put on Finding Nemo and went straight to the Darla scene. I was the rattled fish in that tank. My oh my. The sub's reputation for movies is one of the reasons I actually tried it out with music first. I had high expectations that it would blow me away with movies but would it for music? Well, from Morphine to Bach, I haven't heard the low end on my system sound that good in a while. Balanced correctly, the sub just disappears. I'm afraid my complaint about the bass from my fronts has everything to do with my receiver's poor output. (When I crank the volume to enjoy the deep bass the RF7s can push out, I can hear the strain on the upper end and it has been grating on me) Still, up to now, I've always hated using the sub for 2-channel music and I've resorted to listening at lower volumes. Now, as much as this is a radical shift in thinking for me, crossing over the low frequencies on the fronts and using the sub just sounds better. The cross over seems to be relaxing the high end so I can push the amp harder before I begin hearing the strain. The sub isn't my long-term solution to 2-channel music but it is a compromise that will do fine until I can scrounge the bucks for a separate amp. Movies ... Lots to choose from but Blade is first on the list. Yeah, it's old. It's also the first movie I heard that bottomed out my KSW 12. I've lived with that disappointment for years. Now, it's time to redeem everything.

ha aggg A day ago I wasn't mooving THAT fast, though.

Got the PB2+ delivered on Tuesday. I can't heap any more praise on this monster than other proud owners already have in the past. All I can say is that I don't have to try very hard to make myself feel good about this purchase. I'm all smiles. Just about the only thing I'm not too sure of is its size. I measure before buying, twice, and I still wasn't prepared for how big it truly is. I never thought I'd look at my RF7s and think they looked anything but huge. Now, everything is in proportion. First surprise? I closed my eyes, put on Bach's Toccatas and Fugues, and the elephant in the corner did something I never imagined. It melted away. All I heard was a pipe organ. WOW.

I've been experimenting with different settings while I wait for my new sub. I don't want to cut the lows on 7s for music (I don't want the sub to turn on at all during 2-channel playback) but I want the sub to handle all the low frequencies for movies.

When you change the settings from large to small do you have to recalibrate the volume levels? That's the only real issue I have with changing back and forth. Big amps are next on my list but I had to go for the sub first though.(You put your finger on a sore spot) The 2802 is a holdover from my last system, like the KSW 12 was. It was a tough call on which to upgrade first but I figured the big amps would make me crave a separate processor and then ... well, the sub would have been pushed too far down the line. For now, I'll enjoy the SVS. It really never ends.

Thanks for the tip. Does that mean that I'll be getting a full-range signal to my mains or am I simply turning off the sub and any bass below the crossover? I'm sure I'll hear the difference. Just wondering. I'm itching for the PB2+. Should be at the house either Monday or Tuesday, I hope. The KSW-12 has served me well for a long time and it's lived through a couple of upgrades. Unfortunately, it can't keep up with the 7s in my large room. Up to now I've always had the mains set to large so I never use it for music but movies are definitely lacking. I guess it will retire soon and eventually I'll use it with secondary bookshelf system in a smaller room.

Which volume?

Hi all, Does anyone know if there's a way to get a Denon 2802 to send a full range signal to the fronts when in 2-channel listening mode, then switch to the small setting for Dolby Digital/DTS? I've tried setting all speakers to small with an 80 hz crossover, then using the Direct setting instead of Stereo when listening to music. I thought that would do the trick but the sub still turns on automatically, regardless of the setting. (Is the sub doubling up on the low frequencies and does it need to be turned off manually?) Thanks for the help. I'm waiting a PB2+ that should be getting to the house soon and I've been playing with different settings in the meantime.

Got it, at least in general terms. The quirk is still the Denon DVD player, which had internal test tones that were able to identify the reduction in SPLs when run through the analog, external inputs. I'd forgotten to consider a difference between white or pink noise, so that probably explains it. Whatever the DVD player has, it definitely produced specific frequencies in the high end, which, when missing, showed up as a reduction in SPL on the left rear speaker. Thanks for the input

That's what I was thinking, too. But if that's the case, it seems to make the test tones on the receiver totally irrelevant. I can hear a problem and diagnose a several decibel drop with my DVD player running on the external inputs. But if I still can't measure a problem with the receiver's internal test tones, then what's the point of calibrating using the receiver at all? In my case, the balance wasn't even in the ball park. Just seems too odd. Thanks for the reply.

Hey all, The other day I started having problems hearing my left surround speaker, an RB35. The volume and the high frequencies both appeared way too low to my ears. I ran an SPL check using the internal test tones in my Denon 2802 and my Radio Shack meter told me all was okay, even though I could hear there was a problem. I put on my Video Essentials DVD, ran the DVD using my digital connection, and again my SPL meter told me all was okay all channels balanced even though I could hear a problem. Here's the interesting part, at least to me. I then checked the speaker balance using the internal test tones in my Denon 2200, running the tones through the analog, external inputs. My SPL meter showed my left surround was several decibels lower than the rest of my system. (I had to jack the volume control up by 4 - I think that translates to several decibels) The sound was horrid. At first I thought there was an issue with the external inputs, which have to be balanced separately from the rest of the system anyway. But it seemed odd to me that there was a fairly large balance problem where there hadn't been one in the past. The solution was simple. I checked in the back and realized the jumpers weren't making their connections properly. Once I reconnected them, the volume, clarity and quality of the speaker came back to normal. The horn went back to work and all is well. The quirky thing is why didn't the receiver's internal test tones and the digital connection didn't pick up on that. Even after I reconnected the jumper, the SPLs didn't change at all when I checked the balance through the Denon receiver or the test disc. Are the 2200's internal mechanisms and analog connections that far advanced compared to the other two options? Does the white noise provided by the receiver not include ANY of the higher frequencies? If they don't, they certainly seem like they should. We're not talking about a small difference in volume here. Any ideas? Thanks to all, steelie

Why not make the skip down south? 15 percent off is good but so is 10 percent without sales tax. The cost of the trip might tip the balance, unless you have another reason to come down here.

How extensive is the bass management feture on the Rotel? I could find the specs on Rotel's Web site.

Is the volume on the TV turned off or muted? I get the same echo through my satellite if the TV volume is on at the same time as the speakers. I have the sateIlite connected to both the TV and my receiver for decoding ProLogic II. Don't really know why the sound gets to the two different outputs at different times - maybe it has something to do with the speed at which the signal travels through the different cables but the length is so short that it seems unrealistic to me. Anyway, I just mute the TV or turn the sound off completely in the menu, same as when I watch a DVD.

Jerry, I probably should start a new thread for this but figured I'd ask you here. I've considered Rotel either the 200 W or 130? W models for 2 channel but have become wary due to all the posts I've seen about poor customer relations. While most posts I've read seem to be complimentary of the equipment, I've read that when something goes wrong Rotel is hard to deal with. What do you thinK? Any problems with equipment or dealing with the company? Thanks for the input and sorry for diverting the thread.

I'm running a Deon 2802, which puts out 90 W X 6 channels and I'm looking for a seperate amp to connect my RF7s. I'll eventually use the 2802 as a processor before upgrading that as well. My experience is similar to Jerry's. I have a large room to fill and the 2802 puts out enough volume to satisfy. The sound is beautiful and I enjoy the Denon. Still, I never realized the background noise that comes out of the 2802 until I upgraded to the RF7s. They pick up everything. As a side note, others on here will have more experience with this but I understand that running the Denon as a processor connected to a great amp still won't eliminate all the background noise because the RF7s still will pick up whatever noise is coming from the processor.

no, not working on any commercial tapes here, just some old video tapes I ran into recently that I hadn't seen in years. Thanks for all the help. I found a device that wil allow me to connect the VCR to the Mac but cost is somewhat prohibitive for this sort of project $200 - $300 just for a few tapes doesn't seem worth it. I'm sure I can manage borrowing a camera from someone to try your approaches. Thanks again

are you saying to use the video camera as a middle man, just to send the signal to the computer? that would be interesting idea I hadn't considered. The VCR is sending a composite signal to the television right now. It's a Samsung, one of the few semi-affordable models I found that converted the PAL signal before sending it to the television.

totally off topic post but i'm trying to get some help in transferring some cherished videos from my vcr tapes, onto my mac, and transferred onto dvd. one twist, the videos are in pal. we have a vcr that allows us to view these tapes on our tv but i'm getting worried that the tapes might not last. so... how do i go about the process? what hardware and software will i need? is there a better place to post this question? Thanks in advance for any help

how big's your room?

congrats and enjoy. i think $50 is worth the peace of mind you're getting. As far as break in ... well, have you turned 'em off yet? I'm sure you won't have any trouble with that phase.

the smile they bring to my face

no doubt it's night and day for me I went from SF2s to RF7s, duh, but I have to say I loved those SF2s right to the very end, when I sold them to get the money for my new speakers

nice :-) that was pretty cute

wow, same thing right down to the size and weight thanks for the post