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vnzbd

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Everything posted by vnzbd

  1. Thanks for the replies guys. The 5.5 have been opted for because of the form factor of the speaker as well as the front porting. The speakers will be place almost directly against the wall so I have steered him away from anything rear ported. He. Most likely will not be adding a sub so the 2-10s are desired. I had a pair and they sounded very close to my KLF-10s.
  2. I am trying to track down a pair of KG 5.5s for a friend. South FL location a big plus! Must be mechanically sound, no finish preference. Thanks, Mike
  3. I run a Marantz as a pre/pro, XPA-5, and KLF 10s as mains. Very happy with the results. I did have the XPA-2 on hand for a while and where it was nice I honestly liked the XPA-5 in two channel better. When it is run in only two ch power wise it is almost the equal of the 2. In the long run it was more economical for me to go with the 5 ch and it provided me with multiple configurations as well. Either way they should match up fine.
  4. From my experience I would find something that keeps it out of a "cubby hole". Try to find something that is a open as possible. Crazy difference in sound, much more open and detailed.
  5. The law of diminishing returns! I really first found out about this when shopping for a diamond for my ex-wife. To my eye and hers thankfully there was a point that unless it was right next to a better diamond you could not tell the difference. It was easy not to spend the extra money on it. I feel that I have come to that with audio also although for me since it is a hobby it is harder to find that line. I have gone thrrough probably 10 sets of speakers after reading the reviews and basically living on craigslist. I am now back with my original set of speakers and have no intentions of changing. For now anyway!
  6. There is always the option of saving the money until you.... no, go ahead and spend it! I agree with Bill on the Parasound Z amp. I have one in my bedroom for the small form factor and it does perform nicely but I would not put it in the main system. If I went Emotiva I would look long and hard at the XPA-5. It way out performs it published specs when run in 2 channel and later you are ready for 5.X. The sub idea is valid, especially with the 50% movies. You may be fine with the bass for music but it will really add another dimension for HT. The to make it more complicated, a center channel would be sweet also. If you watch for deals, maybe a sub and a center?
  7. I have some Zu Audio cables that have worn out their welcome... actually just collecting dust. They are from Zu's "Mission" series and were reviewed in "Positive Feedback" issue #55. I had some Zu Omen Defs for a while and picked them up then. 2 - 4 meter speaker cables terminated with spades on one end and locking banana plugs on the other. 1 - 2 meter speaker cable terminated as above. 2 - 1 meter RCA patch cords. Zu retails these at over $1k for the above and no I did not pay that! I would love to get $100 for the bunch + actual shipping Trouble posting pics because of file size, work in progress... Thanks
  8. A few assorted items on the selling block: Rolls SX 2-way stereo crossover - $50 - view at Parts Express ART EQ-341, 2/3 oct, 15 band - $50 - view at Parts Express Niles HPS-6 speaker selector box - $50 Original dbx 120 sub harmonic synthesizer - $50 - it needs the some tlc on a sticky switch All plus actual shipping. Thanks I tried to upload pics but they are too large... I will work on it.
  9. In ceilings certainly can work but you need to be pretty confident on location before cutting into the ceiling or be great at the patching! Mine have the pivoting tweeter that I have aimed at the side walls. The op had talked about being in a condo and at least in So FL the ceilings are poured concrete for the floor above. In walls(or on walls) could be done in that situation if the room configurations allows...
  10. I have run 3.1 with great success although my preference is the 5.1. I have heard quite a few 5.1's with the surrounds set up as a secondary thought trying to hide the speakers, etc. and they have been more of a distraction than it is worth. If it is a compromise on installation I would say stick with the best 3.1 and be happy. Enjoy!
  11. Well time for an update on my search for a small form factor Pre/Pro. I took a long hard look at the Parasound but just could not write that check and it did not give me the simplicity that I like. I looked hard at Bills suggestion on the Cambridge unit but passed on it vs. the Marantz. I would have gone Cambridge is I were going to use the internal amps as it seems that it is the high point of the unit. Next came the Marantz NR 1605, a ton of bells and whistles. More than I really needed. I ended up with the Marantz 1603 which has ALMOST everything I wanted. It lacks the 12v remote turn on and a center channel pre out. The difference in price from Accessories4less was only $70 dollars but I decided to put that into some Blue Jean speaker cables, 10awg, welded locking Bananas. I do have turn on and off the amp each time but not a big deal. To over come the lack of a center pre out I used a "laying around" device from Carver, the Z5. It knocks a speaker level out put down to line level. I am using 3 ch of the Emotiva XPA-5. I am running Zone 2 and the surrounds from the Marantz amp. Since my last AVR was a refurbished unit from A4L and I got a solid ten years out of it I had no issue using them again. The addition of the HDMI was great! My living room is much cleaner looking less like a production studio and I will say after a couple of movies I think it actually sounds better as well. I am guessing that is do to a much newer processing chip. Also by not going with the Cambridge I can maintain the use of one factory remote for playback of CD's Thanks for all the input towards the decision.
  12. Thanks Bill, certainly worth asking.
  13. Well I do have some experience with Zu as I went away from Klipsch for a while and ran their Omen Def series. I am back to Klipsch but it was an interesting journey. I was wowed by their web site, inspiring writing and personal touch you received when calling the company. I purchased, enjoyed,up graded grew bored and sold. I was a adventure getting them set up right as the ports are on the bottom of the speaker and are unconventional to say the least. The full range driver is amazing for mids, but the lows were never quite there. Build quality was top shelf. One day I plugged back in a set on my KLF-10s and found out they were just more fun to listen to. As I still keep up with them and their American as apple pie feeling, I feel a little different about them. Check out their cabling section, read about the "Nano" drivers, etc... I do believe they are offering some Kool-Aid with that apple pie... Still in love with the idea of simple quality audio though...
  14. Having had Chorus IIs in the past I know it takes a lot to get those woofers moving. I ran my XPA -5 in 2 channel @ approx. 250 wpc an the C II's never flinched. It is typically accepted that you will blow a speaker with to little wattage running into distortion than too much. With my past experience I would say go for it. One other forum member used to push his with a Crown K2 pro amp. Google those specs! This is your mission should you choice to accept it. This post will self destruct in 5 seconds.
  15. Accessories4less has a 30 day return policy with a re-stocking fee of 15%, ouch...
  16. Thanks for the feedback on that Bill. I can tell you that it may not be my cup of tea... maybe yes... I will check with Acc4lss and see what their return policy is. It does look like a great unit and I would like to try it...
  17. I was looking at the UMC200 as well and read a couple of good reviews on the unit. I was on their forum and read a lot about them locking up. It seems that Emo will send out new user changable power supplies and that is the fix. I am sure with the warrenty you will be fine.
  18. Bill, it might be a shorter list to tell me what you haven't owned!!! Is there a brand you could compare it to? I am not familair with NAD but I have owned Pioneer, Sony ES, Onkyo and Marantz. For my ear the Marantz was the smoothest and warm, the Pioneer harsh, the Onkyo more dry and clinical with the Sony being just there with no notible signiture. Wow with my discriptions maybe time to go do some A/V reviews...
  19. I saw him around 2 years ago at a music festival. He played in the middle of the day, no where close to the headliners. I thought he was fantastic and had a future. A year later he wins a Grammy. Not too shabby!
  20. Does anyone have experience out there with Cambridge Audio? Does the UK equipment have a certain sound?(I have heard their speakers sound more flat, less dynamic) Willland(Bill) has suggested a Cambridge Audio unit, the 551R avr for a solution for a small form factor unit that does 2 ch better than most avr's and HT as well. The write ups appear to be good and I am interested but am just not that familiar with the brand. The write ups state low on bells and whistles but it has what I would be currently using. It appears that it's competition for me is the marantz nr1605. Thank you!
  21. Thanks for the suggestion Bill, it looks like an interesting unit. Certainly the size I am looking for! I actually have never heard a CA product in person but have read a favorable review or two in the past. If I were dead set on two channel it would be straight pre for sure but I just can't give up the HT as not only I but my son enjoys movie nights as well. It is hard to give up the HT experience once you have right. Some more thought and reflection! I hope you and the family are doing great! Thanks to all for the suggestions.
  22. A little thinking out aloud here. I recently tried running my Oppo directly into my amp and was less than thrilled with the audible results. In addition I frequently listen to the DTV box for music so I am thinking of going with a preamp to handle the particulars. I have been running an older Marantz AVR as a pre/pro and it is huge and antiquated, while still sounding good. I would like a smaller form factor for the eye as well. I am weighing my options and have is narrowed down to these two: Parasound P5 preamp - pluses as I see them over the current set up are smaller form factor, front panel bass, treble and sub adjustments, analog and digital in's with an internal Burr Brown DAC, analog crossovers for mains and subs(only 12dB), and XLR ins and outs for possible future use. The minuses are expensive($1200ish), the need to run the Oppo analog center and surrounds directly to the amp and use the Oppo for volume control on HT Marantz NR1605 - pluses as I see them are Smaller form factor, all of the new decoding formats for HT, front panel USB, room correction software. Other bells and whistles are wireless, blue tooth, video switching(currently done of TV),HDMI for HT audio, zone 2 amp and pre outs. Much cheaper as it can be had in the $400 range. Pre outs for front and sub only. It doesn't feel like it is a real step up over the current set up but it I don't use the bells and whistles... Opinions welcomed: In two ch, how much superior would the Parasound be? How much of a pain would it be for HT running the Oppo to the amp and through the Parasound simultaneously ? Thanks!
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