MikeGinIllinois

Thanks, everyone. I'll talk this over with my electrician. It's not too bad having to turn the lights off when we use the stereo in that room. It's just an annoyance. I appreciate your help. Mike

I have a couple of JBL floorstanding speakers hooked up to my Harman Kardon 7300. The setup is fine but when I turn on my kitchen lights which are can lights mounted in the ceiling I get nasty speaker buzz. The lights are dimmable FEIT (the manufacturer of the lights) CFL's which I really like. So, what I have to do is turn off the kitchen lights when I use this setup. I think the buzz is generated by something in the ballast of these lights and it is spewing interference out through the wiring. Does anyone know of a device that you can plug into a wall outlet which could remove this buzz when the lights are on? I would plug my stereo into that outlet with the device. Thanks much. Mike Gallery Illinois

Hi, everyone. My setup is a Harmon Kardon AVR-7200, two Klipsch Cornwalls for fronts, two Klipsch Synergys for surrounds, and two Klipsch ceiling mount speakers for my rears. I recently got a real good deal on a brand new Audio-Technica AT-LP120 USB turntable. The link shows the model I bought. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Turntable/362635382762?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 At first I used the turntable's built-in preamp and ran the signal into my HK's DVD port. Ugh. The sound was flat and thin and caused ear fatigue. This is consistent with comments I've read that the turntable's preamp is substandard. So, I bought a Technolink TC750LC preamp for $48.00 to see if a different preamp might make a difference. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Technolink-TC-750LC-Audiophile-M-M-Phono-Preamp-with-Output-Level-Control-Black/283278915026?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Well, this $48.00 preamp really helped a lot! I'm at the point now where I'm thinking an investment of two or three hundred in a nicer preamp might really be worth it. I'm not so enamored of vinyl that I want to spend hundreds or thousands on a turntable but I do like my old vinyl from time to time. Right now I'm listening to an old copy of James Taylor's "Walking Man" and it sounds pretty darn good with the Technolink. I'm writing to ask for some suggestions for a moderately priced preamp (under $300.00?) that would give me another quality boost. Thanks! Mike Gallery

Ok. Thank you. I moved this to the 2 channel forum.

I have moved this post to the 2 Channel Home Audio Forum. Thanks. ************************ Hi, everyone. My setup is a Harmon Kardon AVR-7200, two Klipsch Cornwalls for fronts, two Klipsch Synergys for surrounds, and two Klipsch ceiling mount speakers for my rears. I recently got a real good deal on a brand new Audio-Technica AT-LP120 USB turntable. The link shows the model I bought. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Turntable/362635382762?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 At first I used the turntable's built-in preamp and ran the signal into my HK's DVD port. Ugh. The sound was flat and thin and caused ear fatigue. This is consistent with comments I've read that the turntable's preamp is substandard. So, I bought a Technolink TC750LC preamp for $48.00 to see if a different preamp might make a difference. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Technolink-TC-750LC-Audiophile-M-M-Phono-Preamp-with-Output-Level-Control-Black/283278915026?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Well, this $48.00 preamp really helped a lot! I'm at the point now where I'm thinking an investment of two or three hundred in a nicer preamp might really be worth it. I'm not so enamored of vinyl that I want to spend hundreds or thousands on a turntable but I do like my old vinyl from time to time. Right now I'm listening to an old copy of James Taylor's "Walking Man" and it sounds pretty darn good with the Technolink. I'm writing to ask for some suggestions for a moderately priced preamp (under $300.00?) that would give me another quality boost. Thanks! Mike Gallery Bull Valley, Illinois

I have an Oppo-205. I also have an old Panasonic quadrophonic turntable. The turntable only has RCA outputs. I'd like to run the signal from my turntable into the USB Input on my Oppo. Does anyone know what kind of adapter I would need to do this? (There are no RCA inputs on the Oppo). Thank you! Mike Gallery

Everyone, I have a pair of Cornwall I's. I power them with a Harman Kardon AVR 7200. Everything seems fine. I was reading on Bob Crites' website that crossovers as old as mine should be replaced. Could I ask if anyone has replaced their crossovers here? What did you think of the sound difference? There are no returns on these crossovers so the best I could do is sell them on Ebay if I'm not happy. Thanks much. Mike Gallery

Hi, everyone. I'm a little confused. I have a 1999 DTS 5.1 demo DVD that plays great on my system - HK AVR 7200, two Cornwalls, two Synergies, and two Klipsch rears ( Klipsch CDT-2800-C II Ceiling Speakers). I really like the way the DVD splits out the sound through the fronts and surrounds (it's a 5.1 DVD so the rears don't do anything). I'd like to find more music like this demo CD supplies but I'm not having much luck. Can I buy commercial albums engineered for DTS 5.1 or 7.1 channel sound? I don't think I want SACD CD's, do I? It seems like bluray music is a little available with 7.1 channel sound. I'd welcome any comments on this. I'm not understanding the apparent scarcity of music in these formats. Thanks. Mike Gallery

I bought a pair of Klipsch CDT-2800-C II Ceiling speakers for my rears. The first picture shows a picture of one out of the box. Right away I recognized I could not handle the installation myself. My ceiling tiles had enough room for the speakers but the removal of the tiles was difficult due to the closeness of the tiles to the ceiling joists. This is a high ceiling. So, I called in my great handyman for help. Picture 2 shows how he took one square tile, cut half of it out, and put in white drywall to mount the speaker. The rear on the right required that the speaker be a bit under crown molding by the back cabinet. Hardly any of the speaker is blocked. It's fine. The tweeters and woofers are both movable. I think that helps direct sound in the right direction. The final picture show the rear of the room with the hard to see rear speakers. I have the white magnetic covers on them. They are really quite discrete. Adding these rears and reprogramming my HK AVR-7200 to send sound out through the rears as well as fronts and surrounds really made a difference in the sound. The stereo imaging in front suddenly became 3 dimensional. The whole home theater surround sound effect is much more pronounced. And because these Klipsch's are so efficient they really make an important contribution to the sound makeup of the system. Thanks, as always, for the help I got out here. MIke Gallery Bull Valley, Illinois

I'm going to wait until the Klipsch 2800's come down in price then I'll buy a pair. http://www.klipsch.com/products/reference-in-ceiling-speakers#cdt-2800-c-ii I live in Bull Valley, IL. I'm about 56 miles west of Chicago by Woodstock and Crystal Lake. Thanks for your help! - Mike

Hi, Derrick. One of the models of ceiling speaker I'm looking at is a Klipsch that allows the rotation and pointing of the tweeter on the speaker itself to give more direction to the sound. Do you have that feature? Do you think it might be valuable for rears? Thanks! Mike Gallery

Hi. I posted some pictures in another thread here but I'm reposting them because now I'm looking at rear speakers. My setup is shown. My fronts are Cornwall II's and my surrounds (not pictured) are Synergies. My amp is an HK AVR7200. As you can see I don't have any place to put rears except the ceiling. So, I called Crutchfield and they suggested either the Klipsch-R-2650-C or the Polk RC80i. Both have adjustable tweeters so you can redirect the sound. Has anyone used either of these as rears in a drop ceiling or otherwise? What did you think? https://www.crutchfield.com/p_714R2650C2/Klipsch-R-2650-C-II.html?search=714r2650c2&skipvs=T https://www.crutchfield.com/p_107RC80I/Polk-Audio-RC80i.html?search=107rc80i&skipvs=T Thank you! Mike Gallery Bull Valley, IL

Hi, Dave. I took your advice and bought the speaker mount you suggested. In the pictures you can see how nicely the speaker has mounted to the support column. I got 14" brown zip ties from an Ebay source in Florida. I had to attach two of them together to make them big enough to go around the speaker mounting bracket and column. We might have used a couple too many for cosmetic purposes but I'm finding this is a stable setup. If I manually push down on the speaker I could cause it to drop, I think, but just letting it set there holds it up quite nicely. I believe my Synergy speakers weigh under 10 pounds. Now I'm checking into rears that would mount into a drop ceiling tile. I can get flat ones but I think I want ones that protrude out from the tile a little at an angle. Thanks for your help! Mike Gallery Bull Valley, IL

I think those would work quite nicely! Mike

Hi, Dave. The Amazon link you provided looks promising! The wood facade covering the column came off of a roll of material. With enough work I could "peel" it off the column. So I'll have to take whatever speaker mount I get and strap it to the column. I'm thinking a few tie wraps might hold something like the Amazon product securely. For sure I don't think I can drill holes and mount screws in the column. It has to be steel, I would think. Yes, I would prefer not to use a speaker stand. I'll be moving about in that area and one day, for sure, I'll bump into any stand I have going and knock the speaker right down. Later I'll have a couch there and I don't want to konk anyone's noggin. P. S. A friend suggested these for hanging the rears. http://www.daleproaudio.com/p-551-allen-products-sas-100-cm-loudspeaker-suspension-aiming-mount.aspx?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=ShoppingFeed&utm_term=ProductListingAds&utm_content=AllProducts&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=CjwKEAiA_9nFBRCsurz7y_Px8xoSJAAUqvKCB-__ptXCtmZjoAq7hh0ee11UFqCtpdeGfzZ_dBEMeBoCgCXw_wcB Mike

Hi! I can live with 5.1. I had 7.1 at the old place and I like the fullness the extra two speakers gave me but I can live without them. I can also adjust the height of the surrounds. What is the Monoprice item you included? That vertical column is probably a steel cylinder which is encased in decorative wood. I can't screw directly into it so I'll need something that maybe straps onto the column to hold the surround. Maybe I could strap that shelf mount to the column with tie wraps if it will hold a speaker. Thank you. <-: Mike Gallery

I'm putting together my home theater area at our new place. Photo 1 shows my Cornwalls and HK AVR7200. I'm at the very beginning of doing this, thus the wire on the floor for testing purposes. Photo 2 shows one of my Klipsch Synergy surrounds tucked in a shelf. Photo 3 is my other Klipsch Synergy surround sitting on a camera tripod. Right behind it is a circular vertical ceiling support that has been encased in a wooden sheath. Photo 4 shows the rear of the room. I'd like to mount one of my surrounds on that vertical support rather than having it sit on a camera tripod. Does anyone know of a product or have a suggestion that might work? A Synergy probably weighs about 5 pounds. In the rear of the room it would be nice to have my Sony desktop rear speakers but I can't think of a way to mount them. This is a drop ceiling and maybe I could hang them from a couple of the supports. I'm not crazy about having speakers just hanging down from the ceiling. Maybe having rears in this environment is an impossible dream. Thanks for any comments or suggestions that anyone cares to offer! Mike Gallery - Bull Valley, IL

Thanks for these comments. There's a pair of new III's that are on Ebay at a current bid of $1,525.00. Based on these comments it sounds like I need to stick with getting a used pair of II's as I will need another pair soon for another room. Everyone here is always very helpful. Thanks again. Mike Gallery http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-Cornwall-III-Floor-Standing-Speakers-a-pair-/322320431847?hash=item4b0bcb7ae7:g:AkIAAOSwMgdXzqSQ

HI. I have a pair of Cornwall II's that I power with my Harman Kardon AVR 7200. I'm real happy with that mix. What would anyone say about the Cornwall III's? My buddy says there's a rumor that they are not as good as the II's. Is there any truth to that? Do you have III's and like them as well as II's? Thanks much. Mike Gallery Crystal Lake, IL

My buddy was saying that but I didn't get what he was telling me. I'd go into the OSD and change the settings to ?? 5.1 somewhere in there and then press the "Stereo" button on my remote until I picked something ?? Is it as simple as that? Thank you for your help. <-: Mike

Hi, everyone. I've got a Harman Kardon AVR-7200 that I use in my office. I run a Radio Shack subwoofer and a pair of Sony desktop speakers off of it. I would like to add a couple more Sony desktop speakers to the mix. I might want them on the left side of my office or maybe behind me. In any case the HK does not have "A" and "B" speakers as we know so how might I add two speakers which would, I think, always be on. There's no way to do "A" and "B" speakers that I can turn off and on at will, is there? Thanks! Mike Gallery Crystal Lake, IL

Thanks, guys. You spent some time trying to help me out! I *think* the "DTS Bomb" problem may well describe what I am experiencing. I'm going to try recabling my setup. I did call Samsung support. Some gal in the Philippines had no idea what I was talking about. I'm also going to run an optical cable from the Samsung to the HK. As I understand it that will automatically change the decoding from DTS 7.1 to DTS 5.1. Finally, just because I want to use my HK 7200 and 7300 amps (I have 4 in the house!) I will buy an Oppo. Has anyone had any experience with Oppo Bluray players? The 103's and 105's they make all come standard with 7.1 audio analog outputs. Mike

I did try using headphones just now and the clipping occurs with them, too. This only happens when I've selected the DTS 7.1 codec. It must have something to do with a high end CODEC, I'm thinking. Thanks. Mike

I've got a puzzling problem going on. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 1. Harman Kardon AVR 7200 running in 8 channel direct mode connected to a 2. Samsung BluRay BD-F7500 http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/BD-F7500/ZA 3. with two Klipsch Cornwalls as fronts, two Klipsch Synergies as Surrounds, and a couple of Sony's as rears. This problem ONLY happens with BluRays. I played "The Martian" in DTS 7.1. When I encounter heavy bassy areas, like a hatch closing or heavy winds my fronts, left and right, "clip." Imagine someone is in the speaker with a static charge sending a "jolt" into the speaker causing it to snap or crackle. The crackling only happens in my fronts. If I change the codec to Spanish 5.1 or English 5.1 with narration the clipping goes away. For this movie you can't have English 5.1 all by itself. I have swapped out the amp, the Samsung Bluray and my audio cables. I also swapped out the Bluray DVD. In the setup of the Samsung I have fiddled with the audio settings. I have changed the "Digital Output" of the Samsung from PCM to "Bitstream - Reencloded DTS". I have changed the Downmixing Mode from Normal Stereo to Surround Compatible. I don't really know what I am doing in this section of the Samsung. The idea here was that by running 8 channel audio direct from the Samsung to the HK I could let the Samsung do the decoding and send the decoded elements directly to the amp which doesn't support DTS 7.1 or newer high end codecs. It seems like I only get the clipping (and only during bassy "explosion" types of sounds) when I run high ended codecs like DTS 7.1. Otherwise all is fine. Does anyone have a suggestion or observation they can offer? I'm pretty puzzled by this. Thank you! Mike Gallery Crystal Lake, Illinois

Thanks everyone for your helpful and insightful replies. Mike Gallery