decibel man

There are some differences between DTS soundtracks themselves. The original DTS soundtracks for DVD's could not fit on the same disk as their DD counterpart. Since DTS realized that they would not be able to push DD out of the way, they decided to use a 1/2 bit version of the original single bit version to allow for both of the soundtracks to be placed on the same disk. You can still find plenty of the "DTS Only" disks on the market. You won't be likely to run into them at you local Best Buy, you may have to dig a bit. If you want an idea of what we are missing, get both the "DTS Only" version and the DD version of Saving Private Ryan. You won't believe they have the same sound editor. The "DTS Only" version is much more dynamic and enveloping than its counterpart. On most "DTS Only" disks you won't get too many extras as there just isn't enough room. I find that it is sometimes a toss-up between the more popular 1/2 bit DTS and DD soundtracks with the more recent titles. I have several of the DTS Only disks and love them. You should too. An easier way to locate the DTS Only DVD's is to go to www.dvdpricesearch.com and just type in "DTS" for a title keyword search. Not all of the responses are DTS Only, but the majorities are. Likewise, not all of the DTS Only DVD's are in the response, but it is a good start. Good listening and always remember to sound the horns.

I would go with the Harmon Kardon AVR225 and Some SF-2's or even some RF-3II's. Even if you have to hold off on a sub for a while. The 225 has plenty of power for almost any Klipsch speaker and both the SF-2's and RF-3II's have decent bass until you can save up for a sub. My suggestions: Option 1: RF-3's RC-3 RS-3's AVR225 Option 2: SF-2's SC-1 SS-1's AVR225 Get a decent sub later. Klipsh is in the process of replacing a lot of the Reference line with new models, maybe there will be some sales. Don't think twice about the Harmon Kardon, I have both the AVR7000 and AVR125. I just got the AVR125 for a spare system from Reliable Audio Video ( www.reliableaudiovideo.com ) for a great price. They register the product, so any warrantee work is still covered. I also use an HK550i receiver in my workshop, this receiver is 16+ years old. Good luck!! JT

I like the power tower idea, but I would some how have incorporate my power conditioner. Unless I took a line conditioner apart and retro'd it in the the column. Just use a Monster HTS1500. I thought about the steel rack issue, but I don't think it will be an issue. The rack will probably get e-coated semi-gloss black. That should help to eliminate conductive surface from touching. Although, the RFI factor I am not sure about. Any suggestions on the feet? JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

Fini, I like your thinking. I could use the oval tubes at the corners and a round 5th tube in the rear center, but not touching the ground. Then I could use one leg for power and the other leg for speaker cable. The rear center tube could serve the interconnects. Do you guys think this is need or even benificial? Would the four leg solution be the same? Does anyone have any suggestions on the feet? Do I need leveling adjustments? Do I need spikes or rubber feet? Thanks for the info, JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

Jim I'm a doctor, not an addicted audio tweeker! Use your will, fight back, keep your wallet at bay! ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

That sounds very nice. I think I remember seeing the thread that had pictures, it looked great. I thought about doing a dado cut and trim the ends of some oak trim for the shelves. I kind of like the mixed steel and wood look. As far as the feet go, is there a need for leveling with most applications? I thinking adjustable spikes or rubber feet. I even thought about putting several outlets in the rear trunk, but that was looking a bit more compicated. Most of the professional racks I see are 5 and 6 self, some even less. The more I think about it the less I would want to make any of these for resale (maybe for a few fellow audio geeks). JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

Thanks for the input. My concern on the size is that my HK7000 is 20.5" deep. I may have to go 24" deep if I plan on using wire management. I am thinking I can stack the cable box on top of the VCR. So for now I would only need four shelves, but I am starting to think that 6 or 8 is a good idea. Down the road I see a SVS or two and maybe a bass management system. I am concerned about the feet. I was thinking of spot welding a large nut to a plate and use that as an end cap for the tubing. I could then make the feet adjustable. Do you think I need spikes? I know it helps a bunch with speakers and stands, but you don't have to worry about your component rack "walking" like you do speakers. I have a modest wood workshop in my garage, but I think I am going to go with the super steel. Not to mention, I probably won't have to do to much of the actual work. JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

Hi all. It been a month or so since I have been able to spend some quality time on the board. I have been working crazy hours for my in-laws. Which brings me to my point; I have been running a smaller plant that does metal stamping and some welding. I am thinking about building a very nice heavy steel audio component rack. My idea so far is to make the shelves 22" x 22" and use 1/8" (maybe .177") steel sheet for shelving material. I am thinking about using oblong or oval tubing for either a three leg or four leg set up. Three legs would enable some nice wire management with a single leg in the rear center of the rack. I can also have the rack professionally E-coated or wet sprayed. My questions are but definitely not limited to: How many shelves? Dementions of the shelves and height in between? Material? Bottom of the legs, points? If this works out I may even make a couple of dozen when things are slow and sell them cheap just to keep a couple of guys busy. It is better than laying laying off a father or husband. Gear going on the rack: Receiver (HK7000, very heavy and very deep), DVD player, CD Player, Cable receiver, and VCR. Also our bigger plant has a laser cutter, so any cut patter should be easy on the flat material. Depending on material, the empty rack should weigh in around 110 to 150 pounds. Any help would be great. JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

I would just get some 14ga. zip cord for a home improvement store. If you have runs that are longer than 50', you will have to go bigger. Also, whether or not you decide to bi-wire, you should replace the decrative gold jumpers. Those jumpers are not as good as a simple short piece of wire. The factory uses the jumpers because they look nice and they don't tarnish. If you do the zip cord (lamp cord) now you can always upgrade later for the big bucks. I have decent wire on my system, but I can't tell the difference between it and 14ga zip cord. I have 10ga bi-wires on all three fronts and 14 Monster runs for the rears, 25' Monster Interlink 250 sub cable, and Monster Interlink 400 MKII interconnects thoughout including component cables. Through a few $100 digital cables and Monster RG-6 cables and that about does the main system. I was fortunate to get as many cables as I could get my hands on when a regional TV and Appliance chain went out of business. I worked in three states that had stores so I was able to cherry pick the good stuff at 60 to 70 percent off. I still recomend 14ga zip cord to my friends though. Check out www.accessories4less.com for nicely priced interconnects. I feel interconnects are more important than speaker wire to a certain degree. Don't forget to buy a decent power conditioner / surge protector. I would at least get a Monster HTS1000. It just makes sense to protect your investment. Good luck and enjoy!! JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

What titles have you seen in the new 96/24 format? I would be anxious to test a few out myself. ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

Boa, the M&K's are actually part of their THX line. They are very nice, but they don't say Klipsch on them. The sad part is that the M&K's are more readily available than Klipsch in the Cleveland market. For that matter so is every other speaker brand. There are more Krell Lat-1 dealers than Klipsch here. That is a whole other issue in and of itself. Keith, thanks for the info. After being a BB member for a year and a half, I sometimes forget about the rest of the website. I have the forum bookmarked, so I don't come in the "main entrance" any more. Thanks agian. Once again the pillow is calling me. JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

I am stumped on this one boa. I thought I was starting to get a pretty good handle on the new technologies, but I think I was just kidding myself. It also seems as if we aren't alone on this one. Somebody help!! JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

Not to prolong this post any further than it needs to be, but a little help from our most wonderful moderators would be good. Like a court of law I would like to keep the scope of my questioning acute. My question is, why WDST over Di-pole? I think I already know the answer, and it might shed some extra light on the reasoning Klipsch developed WDST. I know I would be avoiding this string if I were a moderator. The great thing about this for Klipsch is that the two sides are debating whether to use direct radiating Klipsch speakers or WDST multi-pole Klipsch speakers. Either way its Klipsch all the way. Klipsch needs to make a switchable speaker like M&K or Energy. They have surround speakers that switch between mono and mult-pole. Just an idea. JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

That is exactly what I ment by "15 coarse" (sp?). The ceiling actually measures about 9'8". That gives me a ton of options. Now all I need is some cash. I got downsized and now need to find a job. Thank god my wife does okay. I hope to start HT construction in the next 18 to 24 months, depending on new career. I would love to have a couple of Khorns and 3 Belle's. For now I have the regular ref system up stairs, but the ceiling in the family room is 17'(rectangular room, all 90 degree angles) which doesn't help. My little LF-10 seems to get a little lost, and the echo is a bit annoying. Oh well, back to the resumes. JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

A one word answer would be: yes. Take a look at the distortion on the Pioneer in stereo mode, .20%. Wow that is high! They don't even list the distortion with 6 channels driven, probably much worse. The Onkyo is a respectful .08% with all 6 channels driven. There are other issues also. The Pioneer Elite receivers are very nice though, a bunch more money. The Onkyo and Outlaw are two quality components. The Outlaw is the better component, but the Onkyo has more features. Good luck, JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

decibel man? Hint, hint: I am not a big fan of the mute button. I just moved into our new house. The three best things about it: 1. 15 coarse full basement begging to be HT fitted 2. 4 season sun room so we can keep the dog's bed in there and not the family room. I would get yelled at for blasting the system because the dog would get pissed off and go to another room at our last home. 3. Finally, a deep three car garage. 2 cars and my workshop. The rest is just fluff. Jason Taft ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

I am going to take a stab at this. I believe that the compression in DVD-A is different than DD and DTS. Also, there isn't enough bandwidth to do anything past stereo in 192/24. I do believe that it is possible to do 192/24 to the mains and 96/24 to the rest of a 5.1 recording, but to date I don't think and title has been released with that mix. The labels don't want to use 192 because of the space that is required. I have yet to try the 6 analog out connection. You bring up a pretty interesting point. I am a little confused on the 48 limit with the digital out though. Is that par for the coarse with all manufacturers? I was under the impression that the 96/24 was the bit rate for the dac, which in most cases we are using the one in our pre-amp or receiver. We need to get some more info on this. A puzzled, JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

My family will light a candle for you. I wish you a healthy and speedy return. Rest well, listen to the doctors and keep us updated. L&R JT ps: We will be expecting a review of those 570's as soon as you are feeling up to it, LOL for you. ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

It looks, like JO4 just signed up to be a sh@$. He does seem to have a problem with proper English grammer though. Be careful Mr. Ears, you may have a Canadian brother stalking you. You may recognize some of his letters, probaly reading like: "You I hurt will." On the other hand, if he is American you are definitely safe. With that kind of wit, he will never make it past the border casinos, the bright pretty lights will distract him. Oh well, at least he didn't state a strong opinion about surround speaker type, LOL. Respectfully JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

Thanks Keith, I think it is just pretty cool that we can have these discussions / debates. It can do nothing but make people think a bit more about an intrest that so many of us are passionate about. Adding to my earlier post, there was a small article in S&V this year discussing the "pole" issue at hand. It was one of the more wishy washy articles that I have read in a while. It was simple and incomclusive. It just baffles me. To cloud things up a little bit more; take a good look at the RS-* series WDST lay out. It has the direct radiating mid/woofer and the bi/di polar tweeter display. Talk about indecisive. Once again, I can hear my pillow calling for my presence. JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

You should definitely try both. The difference in cash is quite a bit. You could spend the extra cash on something more meaningful if you don't notice a huge difference. Just try them both and decide what is best for you. In a perfect world the RF-7's make sense, but the world is not perfect. The RF-3's may very well surprise you, definitely an improvement over the RB-3's. Good luck, JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

Not that an audio publication can be taken as gospel, but the new S&V has some nice systems they put together using different parameters. The "no holds barred, any price, any size" system, of coarse, uses Klipsch ref 7 series speakers. For both the rear sides and the back channels they use the RS-7's, thats four of them. They could have went with 6 RF-7's. I don't see a whole lot of controversy on this subject outside of the passionate audio enthusists' community. I would think that the politics of the industry would promote direct radiating rear speaks. Fronts are usually more expensive then rears, hence the consumer will spend more. I don't see a down side to promoting direct radiating speakers for the industry. That is what puzzles me about this subject. I personally plan on moving my RF-3's to the rear and adding RF-7's and a RC-7. I will then sell the RS-3's and RC-3. My future home theater room won't have a back wall, so the RF-3's will work nicely. My basement project will be starting as soon as I can get a job. My division had to down size and I got a pretty decent exit package. If I had the cash, the room would be perfect for 3 Belle's and a couple of KHorns. Everybody needs to have their dream. JT Just for the record I don't have a strong opinion for either school of thought. This is one of those subjects where personal taste plays a huge part. ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

Chipp, I do not own any of the sunfire products, but listened to them at the local shop. I think they are first rate products. They may not be Krell or Mark Levinson, but first rate none the less. As far as the wattage goes, I believe that it is 400 watts at 8 ohms and 800 watts at 4 ohms. That shows that the unit has a ton of high current amperage to feed power hungry 4 ohm loads. From the listening test I did, I would guess their numbers are accurate. The amp had no problem running some huge Mirage Planar speaks. I wasn't in the market for anything at the time so I didn't get to play around with the pre/pro. I can't tell you much about it other than it looks nice. Good luck! JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

And the worms have been let out of the can.... My theory is this: Bad speaker wire is bad Good speaker wire is good Great speaker wire is good Super Great speaker wire is good etc.. Do you need 10ga? Probably not, but it won't hurt if you already have it. I would classify a decent zip cord as good wire. I use 14ga and 12ga for my longer runs and 10 for my mains. Does it sound better than zip cord? I can't tell. I got an incredible deal on a bunch of wire when Sun Television and Appliance went out of business. I spent hundreds on wire and cables. It was at least 60% off of regular retail price; therefore, I have some damn fine cables and wiring. Good luck, JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!

A couple of suggestions: RCA is discontinuing there 38" HDTV 16:9. You may find one at a reasonable price. My friend was just in the same situation. He ended up with a 42" Toshiba 16:9 HDTV, very nice for the buck. The model is 42H81, it should bring about $1900 delivered from your local TV store. The great thing about this set is that it is only 18" deep. That is a heck of a lot less than most rear projection sets and also less than large direct view TV's. It upconverts standard 480i to 540p also. I think it is a great TV at a reasonable price. Good luck, JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening!