drick

---------------- On 10/12/2004 12:16:17 PM D-MAN wrote: I am not one who thinks that wire is just wire, BUT: I think that high quality INTERCONNECTS are more important and provide more bang-for-the-buck performance than high quality speaker CABLES do to the overall system sound. DM ---------------- interesting you should bring that up. i was referred to these cables on another forum as being THE cable to use for optical interconnects. http://stores.ebay.com/24-7-MINIDISCS_W0QQsspagenameZl2QQtZkm anyone used these cables, or have any thoughts on them?

looking for any feedback / reviews of someone who has this receiver. i have one on order, and will be receiving it in the next 2 weeks, and am curious if anyone else has one?

---------------- On 10/12/2004 7:44:27 AM marksdad wrote: i am with ear all the way, bells and whistles are just that. bells and whistles. i prefer sound quality to gizmos. i did head to head with my b&k next to i think the 5803 (newest model 1 year ago) and it sounded anemic in dynamic sequences, the top just fell out of it, my b&k outdid the denon in ht and 2-5-6-7.1 channels, of course they were both pushing b&w 700 series speakers, so they did have an equal chance. the denons seem like a mass produced toy, they do sound good, but by comparison? no.it was listening to the denon that convinced me to but b&k. and the denon did have more bells and whistles than my b&k as well ---------------- my only concern with the B&K (which i did look at / listen to) was that in order to get a comparable (please don't flame me on this, i am NOT a high end audiophile like most of you, this purchase is my initial foray into this world) i had to get the b&k as a "separates" system with b&w speakers. when i got the pricing for this, it was not in line with what i ended up with, and i had NO leverage with the only dealer in town to get a good deal. with the components i bought, i beat the h3ll out of the sales guys, and got a SMOKING deal. by all accounts, for those not heavily biased on B&K or Denon, it would appear that the new Sony (while having lots of bells and whistles) will work just fine for the less "educated" listener. Would you guys agree with that?

---------------- On 10/12/2004 12:54:04 AM scriven wrote: Hi Drick, Welcome to the forum! You have attempted, I assume unwittingly, to rekindle the great speaker wire debate! There are some here that insist that speaker wire that has some form of "magic dust" sprinkled on it sounds better that the lowly clumps of copper that others use to connect there speakers. (You may be able to discern my position on this debate from the prior statement.) Personally, I think that the overriding factor in speaker cable is the resistance that it adds to the circuit. To that end, I use the very nice, and relatively cheep, Home Depot 12 gage speaker wire. ---------------- hey scriven, definitely unwittngly on that , hence the n00bie in my subject title. i think i fall into both camps (i.e. sucker for $$ cables, and 12 gage speaker wire being ok). at any rate, i'm sure that this will work either way right? i am not a audiophile YET, so at least this gets me in the door. Thnx

---------------- On 10/12/2004 12:49:21 AM tkot wrote: nad t 163 and a big pile of nad amps jay ---------------- huh?

---------------- On 10/11/2004 1:00:23 PM picky wrote: drick: Hi. I have pretty much an identical setup as you do except that I chose to use Tributaries cable. But, I think any 12-gauge copper cable will do just fine. I do not personnally hold much regard for the brand-name-game in wire. My setup sounds awesome to me and that's what matters. Best of luck and welcome to the forum. We're glad to have you here. ---------------- picky. i took your advice, well mostly.. i used the bi wire for the fronts, center, and sub, but then used all 12 gauge flat cable for the surrounds and rears. This saved me a lot of money, and getting divorced, when my wife saw the immense THX speaker cables. haha

---------------- On 9/25/2004 2:41:43 PM drick wrote: We are moving into a new house, and I am in the market for a new AV system. Several friends of mine have suggested Klipsch speakers, so i wanted to run my proposed setup past some people and see what you all think. My proposed system: Video Sony XBR Grand Wega KDF-60XBR950 Samsung HD Direct TV (connected via component or DVI & optical audio) PS2 (connected via component and optical audio) Speakers Klipsch RF-7 Fronts Klipsch RC-7 Center Klipsch RB-75 Bookshelf Rears Klipsch RS-7 Surround* SVS PB2-ISD Subwoofer* Receiver Yamaha RX-V2400 Receiver* or Pioneer VSX-56TXi Receiver* Misc Monster HTS 3500 MK III PowerCenter cabled with all Monster THX1000 Cables * Looking for alternate suggestions for these What do you all think, anything jump out that i'm doing wrong, or any bad combinations? Thnx in advance for your help ---------------- Well, after a lot of research and waffling, i finally pulled the trigger on my system tonight. Here is what i ended up with: Sony XBR Grand Wega KDF-60XBR950 DirecTV HD DVR / Satellite receiver Sony DVP-NS975V Speakers Klipsch RF-7 Fronts Klipsch RC-7 Center Klipsch RB-75 Bookshelf Rears Klipsch RS-7 Surrounds Klipsch RSW-15 Receiver Sony STR-DA9000ES Misc Monster HTS 3600 MK III PowerCenter All Monster cables I can't wait to get it all delivered / installed in my new house. Thanks to everyone for your advice and suggestions.

---------------- On 10/11/2004 11:40:54 AM drick wrote: looking for some advice from people about buying a new DVD player with my new home system. I currently have a mid line Sony DVP-NS715P DVD player (progressive scan, optical out, component, etc. ), and am considering buying a new one (either the DVP-NS775V or DVP-NS975V) with my new home theatre system. The concern i have is that if i buy one now, i will have to replace next year again when the new format comes out. I'm tempted just to wait until the new format is out, and prices come down. What's everyone else doing? ---------------- i bit the bullet tonight and got the DVP-NS975V, can't wait to hear how it looks & sounds with my new system!!

so you would advocate waiting for the $6000 Denon, or canning both of them, and going to a good receiver with separates?

true, but it does have 3 dvi ports, which aside from the yet to be released Denon, is a first.

there are several different specs (hd-dvd & blu ray)right now, but the gist of it is to get hd quality in dvd's which is lacking now.

hey picky, thanks for the info. this forum is VERY cool, and has been an excellent resource for me to narrow my search for my dream home theatre system.

so the original cables i had would work fine? i was wondering if i had specified the wrong cables or something? I assume from your post that the bi wires are more expensive?

Looking for some suggestions on what other people are using for satellite speaker stands? I am going to have 2 RS-7 surronds, and 2 RB75 rears, and haven't found any speaker stands i like! As it stands right now, i am probably just going to put the RB-75's on a table behind my sofa, so that would just leave the left & right surrounds. What's everyone else using? p.s. i can't wall or ceiling mount due to the layout of my house, so that option is out.

looking for some advice from people about buying a new DVD player with my new home system. I currently have a mid line Sony DVP-NS715P DVD player (progressive scan, optical out, component, etc. ), and am considering buying a new one (either the DVP-NS775V or DVP-NS975V) with my new home theatre system. The concern i have is that if i buy one now, i will have to replace next year again when the new format comes out. I'm tempted just to wait until the new format is out, and prices come down. What's everyone else doing?

Hi, I need some assistance on speaker wire connections for my speakers (RF-7's, RC-7, RB-75's, RS-7's, and RSW-15). I had selected the Monster Cable THX 1000 series for all of speakers, but the sales guy said that i should change to "bi wire" for the fronts and center? Looking for some input on this. I pulled down all of the owners manuals for my speakers, and they aren't very helpful. Here is what i had originally (AV receiver, DirecTV Satellite receiver, TV, PS2, DVD): Monster THX 1000 Component - ULT V1000 CV-16 x2 Monster THX 1000 Optical - ULT I1000FO-8 x3 Monster THX 1000 Speaker - ULT S1000MT-10/10 x3 Monster THX 1000 Speaker - ULT S1000MT-20/20 x4 Monster THX 1000 Sub - ULT SUB1000-25 x1

check out the Sony STR-DA9000ES, it does all that, is availible now, and is $1500 cheaper!

Does anyone have any reviews / suggestions on receivers between the Yamaha RX-Z9 vs. the Sony STR-DA9000ES? The Sony has more power, a DVI port for my HD TV, and would match nicely with my TV, but the sales people seem split on it's performance vs. the Yamaha. This will be to go with my Klipsch 7.1 speaker system (RF-7's, RC-7, RB-75's, RS-7's, and RSW-15), and the Sony XBR950 TV.

Ok, based on all of your feedback, and talking to several other people, i've changed my potential system. I've upped my power significantly on the receiver, and dropped the speakers down one notch, which should accomplish what most of you have been advocating. I cannot afford to go to separates at this time financially, so i'll save that for my next step. here is the new proposed system: Video Sony XBR Grand Wega KDF-60XBR950 Speakers Klipsch RF-35 Fronts Klipsch RC-35 Center Klipsch RS-35 Surrounds (x4 for a 7.1 system) Klipsch RSW-15 Sub Receiver Yamaha RX-V9 AV Receiver Misc Monster HTS 3500 MK III PowerCenter (used for power surge protection/insurance only, any "line cleaning" is an added benefit) Monster THX1000 Cables (all components connected with these) Thank you for all of your input and suggestions, they have been very helpful.

---------------- On 9/25/2004 8:19:45 PM dougdrake wrote: Drick - Don't be misled by the THX logo on the receiver. There actually is no such thing as a THX format/decoder. It simply means that the receiver is certified to meet certain specifications which THX put together. Many receivers meet those specs but didn't bother spending (wasting?) the money to get the rights to use the logo. ---------------- Doug, Sorry, i misspoke earlier. I meant specification, not decoder, my mistake. I'd think that if i was looking at 2 different receivers, the price was the same, and one had THX and the other didn't, it wouldn't be a bad thing to have would it?

---------------- On 9/25/2004 5:56:09 PM nicholtl wrote: Drick, what would you say your budget falls between? In the "more affordable" arena of seperates, you could have a look at Outlaw, Rotel, Sherbourne, or ATI. But you did mention the Pioneer Elite 59txi, and the Yamaha RX-Z1, which might suggest you could swing $4000+ components? If that's the case, B&K, Parasound Halo, Anthem, Adcom, Aragon, Bryston, Proceed, and some Krell and Lexicon components could be worth checking out too. ---------------- Well, originally i was shooting for $1000 for the receiver, but i can't get one that does what i want it to for that. Having said that, the ones that do what i want are indeed $4000, which is why i would prefer to get a single unit, versus a $4000 receiver, and then x amount of amps / pre amps that i have no idea what they cost. I went to a local Good Guys tonight and listened to the RX-Z9 with the speakers that i want, and it sounded pretty good. I think i may have to start with a single unit based on cost, and break out into separates later.

since the responses of this seems to imply that i should be doing separates vs. all in one, i have several questions along those lines. if i need to go to separates, how much power do i need to push the speakers? i know more is better, but i do have a budget i have to stay under. also, can some of you make recommendations as to what i should be looking for in a separates type system? i have NO idea where to begin with that. if i was to move up to the denon avr-5803 or yamaha rx-z9 or pioneer vsx-59txi do they have enough juice (170w/channel vs 110 or 120 from the others) to push this setup? i'm guessing no, but i figured i'll ask anyways.

---------------- On 9/25/2004 4:00:17 PM meuge wrote: I'll agree with the other posters. If you're not dead-set on having just a receiver, going for separates is the way to go. Using a pair of RF-3IIs and going to separates from a receiver has improved my sound immensely, and the impact would probably be experienced to an even greater extent with RF-7s ---------------- I am by no means dead set on a receiver only system. This is a starting point, and i have plenty of time to make any modifications prior to purchase. What kind of separates did you use, and what type of receiver would you suggest.

---------------- On 9/25/2004 3:52:12 PM nicholtl wrote: Love the TV. Love the speaker selection. If space permits, you might want to look at a PB2+ or PB2 Ultra. If budget permits, an outboard amplifier or full-on seperates would do your 7 series speaks more justice than a receiver alone. Of the 2 you mentioned, my personal preference (after having owned both a Yammie and an Elite) is for the Elite. The HTS3600 is a good product, although I wouldn't expect it to significantly improve your audio or video quality, unless you have horrible power to begin with. Just a solid surge protector is what it is. I can agree that Monster Cable may be a tad overpriced, but it certainly DOES NOT underperform. I've used everything from their entry-level XP cable to their THX interconnects up to Z-Series wiring. No, it will not dissapoint. ---------------- Space should not be an issue, so i'll look at the PB2 +, the PB2 Ultra is too expensive, so i'll rule that one out. Hmm, it seems as though separates are the common theme to all the posts, maybe i need to factor that in up front. Any suggestions? I am looking at the HTS3600 purely for 2 reasons. 1 surge protector, 2 insurance policy against 1. The last thing i want is to get my dream system built, then have a power surge fry something. I currently use Monster Cables for my 34" Sony HD, PS2, and Direct TV Satellite receiver, i like them. The only question i had on them is their "normal" cables, vs. their "THX" cables?

---------------- On 9/25/2004 3:50:02 PM dkp wrote: I cannot comment on the furman or monster cables either, as I purchased Home Depot 12 ga. wire at the recommendation of several forum members. Your speaker setup looks fine, although I'm not sure how the RS-7s would fit with the RB-75 rears-it may be fine. It seems like Moon (from this forum) has a setup similar to that, although he is (or was) using a couple of RC-7s for rears. Have you considered a front projector rather than the RPTV? Separates may be a good way to go as well, although from what I've read, B&K receivers tend to resemble separates more than other receivers. Welcome to the forum, by the way. It looks like you're going to have one sweet setup when you get done. Please post a picture in the thread about "your home theater" when you get everything up and running. By the way, right now is a very good time to purchase Klipsch speakers. David ---------------- Hey David, I am not set on those, but looking at this site, that is how they (Klipsch) seemed to pair them, if someone has a better idea based on experience, i am open to it! I looked at several different TV's (Sony, JVC, Panasonic, and Mistubishi), it sure seems like that Sony has the best picture on a 60", at least to me. What did you have in mind? I will definitely take some pictures when i get done (End of October). Thanks for the info