NICKG

thanks for the advice. I have found that out the hard way. None of these sets of speakers I have has the same tonal range. I started buying the Synergy series but now I don't think it's what I want. Just sounds "small". I think I just should have gone right to the reference series. Of course, I haven't found a store in Orlando that has any for me to listen to! From what I read they are top-o-the-line. I see this guy on Ebay has a "store" and has RF series for what appears to be good prices. Pair of RF-5 for $1017. But he makes a bif deal out of the fact that he's NOT an authorized dealer. No Warranty, but garaunteed to be new in box. Makes me wonder where he got them... What I need is really good front speakers. I just bought a KSw-12 sub. I was using the B2 (synergy) as front speakers, but they just don't have enough guts to keep up. I also have the SS-1 surrounds. Same problem. To my ears they just don't have any "punch". Of course, I need a good center channel. I don't want to make the mistake of getting "not enough". And I don't think I want to stay with the small synergy series. Even the largest of the Floor models (FS-3) don't sound really that good to me. Any place I can get a good comparison between the heritage, reference, etc? What I have is a rather large room that is "L" shaped with cathedral ceilings. That's bad to start with. I'm trying to create a good sound field just in one section of the "L". I can center the whole thing around one chair in front of my TV monitor if I have to, but I want realistic sound. I want pianos to sond like pianos and Led Zep to sound like they're in my living room, and I want it to sound good at low volume as well as moderate. Is that too much to ask? I have a nice Yahama amp with 7.1.

I have a friend that really likes them. He lives in an apartment that has noise problems from upstairs neighbors, and he said they totally cut out all that racket. I also read a review of all noise cancelling headphones online somewhere, I forgot where, but they also tested them against earbud types (I think someone else posted something about that here) and the consensus among the "audiophiles" was that the high end earbuds costing around the same as the Bose noise cancelling headphones did a much better job of eliminating outside noise than any of the headphones tested. In addition, there was no loss of sound quality, and in fact they rated the high end earbuds as having much better sound quality accross all frequencies. I have a pair of Aiwa noise cancelling headphones that I think were about $60 and they do eliminate outside noise quite well, but when switching them on they seem to "boost" the signal somewhat, and there is a feeling of pressure in the ears. My friend says that "pressure" feeling is also there with the Bose headphones (he tries on my Aiwas too). Noise cancelling is just reporducing an out-ot phase signal to moise picked up by the headphone mic, so that pressure may be due to the activation of the headphone speaker even with no input signal. I can tell you that the Aiwa phones start feeling a little heavy after a while, and after listening to them for an extended period, I start to get a sense or irritability. I have read reports that "bad" sound can have that effect on one mentally. I tried Bose headphones in a local store, and I personally didn't like the way they sounded. Seemed to lack good bass response, but that may have been the listening source. All in all, it may just be a matter of personal preference at the bottom line. Doesn't Bose offer a 30 day trial period in their ad? I seem to remember seeing that.

I think I put this post in the wrong forum originally...I have a pair of Solar Audio "ultralinear reference series 93-A" speakers that were given to me. Anyone ever heared of these? I can't find anything on the net about them, but the estate they were part of had all kinds of high end audio equipment. I also "inherited" a Fisher model 800-B Stereo Tube amp. It seems to work fine, although it was in a rack and has no cabinet. Is this a good amp for a "vintage stereo system"? Came with an Elac Miracord Studio turntable also. The reason I'm asking is I have a home theater setup with a Klipsch 12 sub, a pair of Synergy S-1's and B-2's I plan to use for side surround and "back" surround. I also have a rather large pair of '70's Technics speakers that still sound very good (10" woofers-3 way system), and the "Solar Audio" (also 10"woofer, 3 way system) Am I better off just matching everything up with Klipsch speakers? If so I'll still need front and "presence" speakers to complete the 9.1 system. Is there anything wrong with mixing up all these brands of speakers? they are all 8 ohm. If I would get a better overall sound from Klipsch speakers, Are the B-2 essentially the same as the floor standing F1? Is there any advantage to the floor standing models vs the bookshelf models in sound? There is a big difference in price. My room has cathedral ceilings, and is large (15x22) but I can put speakers anywhere I want, so the 9.1 setup can totally fill the space. I do seem to notice quite a difference in the overall "tone" of the sound of older speakers vs the new.

IMHO I really don't think it's overkill. I do have a high end Yamaha amp with the extra channels. The additional speakers are a "presence" pair that are situated ideally forward of the front and to the side, like "forward side surround" and a "Rear Surround" pair. With the right effect going, depending on the source, you truly get a sort of smooth circular transition between all the speakers, and there are different sounds from each of the "channels". Or at least it appears to be that way. I'm not sure what it involves, it may just be some fancy phase/frequency shifting going on, but you should hear "that sound" from Law and Order cycling through all the speakers! As far as the expense, well that's gonna depend on what speakers you get. The reason I bought the Yahama is it came with that nice little microphone you place where your head is gonna be and hit set up and it automatically adjusts all the speakers for optimum convergence based on size and distance.

I have a pair of Solar Audio "ultralinear reference series 93-A" speakers that were given to me. Anyone ever heared of these? I can't find anything on the net about them, but the estate they were part of had all kinds of high end audio equipment. I also "inherited" a Fisher model 800-B Stereo Tube amp. It seems to work fine, although it was in a rack and has no cabinet. Is this a good amp for a "vintage stereo system"? Came with an Elac Miracord Studio turntable also. The reason I'm asking is I have a home theater setup with a Klipsch 12 sub, a pair of Synergy S-1's and B-2's I plan to use for side surround and "back" surround. I also have a rather large pair of '70's Technics speakers that still sound very good (10" woofers-3 way system), and the "Solar Audio" (also 10"woofer, 3 way system) Am I better off just matching everything up with Klipsch speakers? If so I'll still need front and "presence" speakers to complete the 9.1 system. Is there anything wrong with mixing up all these brands of speakers? they are all 8 ohm. If I would get a better overall sound from Klipsch speakers, Are the B-2 essentially the same as the floor standing F1? Is there any advantage to the floor standing models vs the bookshelf models in sound? There is a big difference in price. My room has cathedral ceilings, and is large (15x22) but I can put speakers anywhere I want, so the 9.1 setup can totally fill the space. I do seem to notice quite a difference in the overall "tone" of the sound of older speakers vs the new.