Steve Conatser

Thanks Schu. PS: Please don't forget that the OP is questioning about compatible SACD formats ... for a 2-channel only ... Marantz SA-8001. If the system is 2-channel only, does this mean that hybrid multi-channel formatted SACDs would be a waste of money? Or ... can hybrid mult-channel formatted discs be played on 2-channel stereo systems .. as a left/right stereo? It just seems odd to me on how much the available mult-channel formatted discs far outweigh the single stereo & hybrid stereo formatted discs ... with the assumption that there are a lot of folks that are still using stereo systems that they've owned since before 5.1 became so popular.

Thank you for the tip, Crossman. I'll check out Amazon and music direct. PS: I've received more clarification about the Marantz SA-8001. Following is cut-n-paste from a website, that repeats other comments about this Marantz player being a 2-channel player only: "It can only play I found the CD performance of the player to be outstanding: all new life and clarity for my existing library of CD's, and still the ability to play SACD's (in 2-channel stereo only)." With the understanding that the SA-8001 is only a 2-channel player, does this rule out playing Hybrid Multi-Channel SACD format? Does this narrow the format-choices to hybrid stereo and to single-layer stereo, for the SA-8001?

Hello gang. The good news, is that my sound equipment I ordered has arrived. The bad news is I'll probably have to wait a couple of pay periods until I have the balance owed. Drat. Pending receipt are a pair of Heresy III speakers, and the following Marantz separates: ST-7001 tuner, PM-7001 integrated amp, and SA-8001 SACD player. Questions please, about recommended SACD formats to buy, for the SACD player, as I've never used an SACD player. The only source for SACD disks that I'm aware of, is "Acoustic Sounds" (AS). Here are some specs i saw, that AS offers for SACD formats: (1) Hybrid Stereo ... available on six pages of the AS-catalog. (2) Hybrid Multi-Channel ... available on twenty four pages of the AS-catalog. (3) Single-Layer Stereo ... available on four pages of the AS-catalog. Questions follow: 1. The AS-catalog only lists three types of SACD formats, so are there only three formats? 2. Will the Marantz SA-8001 SACD player play all three of the SACD formats offered in the AS-catalog? 3. The system I bought is only for stereo music (left & right speaker). It would appear from the description of the three SACD formats, that the Single-Layer Stereo format would be the best designed format for the SA-8001 SACD player. Is this correct? 4. Would the Hybrid Stereo format sound just as good as the Single-Layer format ... when played with the SA-8001 SACD player and two Heresy III stereo speakers? 5. The bigger slice of the pie appears to be the Hybrid Multi-Channel format. However, would it be a waste of money, to buy a Hybrid Multi-Channel format, if you just have a pair of speakers (for stereo)? 6. Other than the AS-catalog, what are other good sources for SACD recordings? Your friend, Steve

I'd probably go with any of several of the earlier Steve Miller songs, where there is music shifting back and forth from left to right speaker. If the stereo separation sounds good while your system is playing those Steve Miller songs, you're good to go.

Yep, I guess all the pine trees have been plucked from the earth, since I last bought furniture a couple of decades ago. A lot of the better-built furniture are coming out in a cherry tone. My two office windows are 25" off the floor, so the el-widgeto (Madrid) is flat enough to sit under them. Plus, I can stack my printers and my carcass on the top-shelf, so it would make a good bench under the windows. Good tips, gentlemen. PS: Yesterday, I ordered a pair of Heresy IIIs in a walnut finish, along with Marantz units: SA-8001 SACD, PM-7001 integrated amp, and ST-7001 AM/FM. Got a good package from Today's Audio in Burton, MI. Great advice on this forum.

Of course you know, the Spanish folks pronounce widget as "Madrid". How good is the Salamander Madrid model? Is this product worth its $1500 bumper sticker?

Okay, is this correct? (1) The chassis of Heritage speakers (Heresy, Cornwall) were originally made with real wood. (2) The chassis of Heritage speakers are now made of compressed wood. (3) You can order custom-made Heritage speakers, to be made of real wood. I'm sure that however the Heritage chassis is made today, it is very durable. But how can I get information about custom-made speakers? A comment was made by russ69 about custom-made rosewood Heresy speakers. I just checked the Klipsch website, and see no information about custom made Heresy III ... or any other Heritage speakers. So, how may I get information about custom-made speakers? It would be interesting to know (A) How to order custom H-3 speakers through a dealer. ( What kind of real wood chassis' are available. © How much custom H-3 speakers cost. (D) What is the delivery time for custom made H-3 speakers.

Plan B: I've taken everyone's advice, and have moved past the thought of having my desk located between my office's two windows. The reason I'm doing all this number-crunching, is because I have to buy new furniture for my empty office (10' x 14' bedroom), and I want to minimize cost by buying the minimum number of furniture pieces while maximizing office efficiency. Plus, I may have found a good alternative for the widget that will be storing the power train for the speakers: A big desk that has open desk shelves. If the desk doesn't work, I'll go to Plan C: A widget that is specifically designed for stacking power train separates. A recommendation was made by seti in an othe message to post pics after the setup is complete. First, please review the embedded schematic, which shows a larger desk and additional tables to accommodate working at a distance from the desk, with the use of wireless keyboard & mouse. Any thoughts about location of speakers, , the distances between the speakers and the dude (that's me), and how the speakers are pointed directly towards the office chair?

A good point was made by the forum ... about possibly compromising the bass-quality ... if elevating H-3 speakers above the floor level. Are there similar issues of losing sound quality from having H-3 speakers too close to the walls ... especially if sticking the speakers as close to the corners of the wall as possible? The rear of the speakers would be kind of facing the corner of the walls. Should there be a certain number of inches of space between the rear (and the sides) of the speaker ... and the adjacent walls ... or is this a moot point as long as the speakers do not make contact with the walls?

I'll be getting a pair of Heresy III speakers, which will be used in an office (guy-term for bedroom) on the second floor. There is carpet on the floor of the office, but it's not a very thick carpet. I'm wondering, if there will be much vibration from the H-3 speakers that could be heard ... or felt ... because they are in direct contact with the second-story floor of the house. Is it common to use speaker stands for floorstanding speakers located on the second-story of colonial houses ... and if so ... did the speaker stands make a difference? From a previous message, a company selling widget stands was recommended by Islander. This company also sells speaker stands. They mention speaker stands that are filled with stands. Would these stands be a really good idea to prevent sound travel from second-story office to the room below the office? Info here (courtesy of Islander): < http://www.skylanstands.com/racks.htm > Anyone ever had issues ... with vibrations from speakers located on the second story of their house ... traveling through the rest of the house? If so, how did you resolve the issue? A similar question: The H-3 speakers are designed to be floorstanding speakers. If I used speaker stands, would there be loss in sound quality, or do well- built speaker stands (i.e., sand-filled, etc.) compensate for speakers designed to be floorstanding?

With the assumption that I'll be getting a sound system in a week or two, I'll need a widget to stack everything. I'm a wood freak, and would much prefer a wooden widget to stack everything, as long as I can point'n'click the remote to all the units. To be stacked would be an SACB, an integrated amplifier, and an AM/FM tuner. Got any advice where I can search or Google for good widgets for stacking these components? Ideally, I would prefer pine, but I don't know if I can be that picky. And is there a better name for these widgets besides widgets?

Thanks for all the good tips everyone. Schu, you mention import sources, can you elaborate a little more about these import sources?

Thanks for turning me on to What Hi Fi. This is useful not only for audio reviews, but also for TV reviews. Hey, gotta replace my 1996 Sony 36" cathode ray television one of these decades.

... And here is another point that I could use clarification on ... but in the other direction than the one you mentioned ... Can I play my regular audio CDs on an SACD player?Here is a cut'n'paste from Crutchfield's description of the Yamaha RX-797 SACD: "stereo playback for SACDs, CDs, CD-Rs & CD-RWs, and MP3 & WMA CDs". I was just wanting earshot-verification ... of what my eyes are reading ... so my question is: Can I play my regular audio CDs on an SACD player, and would they actually sound better than on a normal CD player? PS: what does down-sampled mean?

Thank you for the offer, bhenry. I live at the border of Wayne County and Oakland County, in Livonia. This would be about 25 miles at the 10 O'Clock position from Detroit, near intersection of 8 Mile Road and Farmington Road. I'd give you my address, but then I'd have to shoot you for security reasons. [:#]

Would it be reasonable to guesstimate, whether SACD or DVD-A will win the Betamax - VCR war, based on which format is re-mastering larger numbers of previously recorded albums? If so, then, which format is cranking out the larger number of re-mastered disks? What would be other ways for guesstimating whether SACD or DVD-A will win the war? Another thought, does one format prefer certain styles (i.e., orchestral, blues, 1970's rock & roll, 1980's rock & roll, etc.)? What are easy ways of determining the styles of music that both SACD and DVD-A prefer? What are good websites for SACD music and what are good websites for DVD-A music, and do the websites have search features by artist? I suppose I'd give a gold star to whichever format has re-mastered Paul Rodgers (Bad Company; Free) albums. How can I find out if these albums have been re-mastered?

Thanks everyone. I went to Barnes & Noble this weekend, and there were about a half-dozen audio equipment magazines, but are geared more for professional audio folks and for consumers with reeeeeeally big wallets. Not much use for an audiophile wannabe such as myself. A navigation through the bookstore's computer found only one book that should be useful, at least to teach me how to talk the talk. It costs about twenty dollars, even though the paperback cover displayed a non-Klipsch (B&W 802) speaker, and it's better than no book at all: "High-Performance Audio Systems", by Robert Harley. Hopefully, in a couple of years when I consider acquisition of one of the bigger brothers to the Heresy III speakers for my living room, I'll know how to spell speeker, receever, and ampleflyer.

Thank you gentlemen, for the contrasting answers, both of which are useful to know. I may be wrong that SACD employs "multi-channel" recording. But if SACD does utilize a multi-channel recording, it would lead the consumer to believe that several speakers would need to be hooked up to the SACD player. However, what adds to this confusion, is the fact that Yamaha's RX-797 is configured to be SACD-ready, yet it's only a two-channel stereo receiver. Who's on First?

Okay, I'm confused. I get the understanding that a primary reason for SACD sound quality is the ability to embed music recordings within six channels (versus the normal 2 channels of regular CDs). My question: To get the most of SACD technology, do you require the same number of speakers as there are number of SACD-channels that have music embedded in it? Can a system that only uses two Heresy III speakers be able to make the most of a SACD disk and its six channels of music?

I see that Yamaha's Model RX-797 stereo receiver is "XM Radio Ready". I'm assuming this is a satellite radio service that generates a user fee if you agree to the terms of satellite radio. My question: Is XM Radio the same as Sirius? I'm currently getting over the pain of a $2,500 maintenance bill ... on my 2001 Grand Marquis upon hitting the 100,000 mile level this week. While getting my Grand Marquis repaired, I was given a loaner 2008 Mercury Milan that came with Sirius radio. The available music on the Sirius channels was really great. Siriusly. If XM Radio is the same as Sirius, how much is the user fee for having pay-for-radio on a home stereo receiver? If XM Radio is not the same as Sirius, how do they differ? Preferences of one over the other, choice of music that is available, monthly user fees? A good question, if XM Radio is not the same as Sirius: Why does Yamaha choose to configure their flagship stereo receiver with XM instead of Sirius?

Gallagher, the watermelon-comedian, mentioned that Hugh Hefner is coming out with a new magazine for married men: Every month, the centerfold is the same girl. SInce Playboy has been ruled out, I'm wondering on a subscription to a good audio magazine, that will help me to get a better understanding of audio technology, and to get more information about audio equipment for audio sound. Does the gang have a recommendation on good audio magazines ... centerfolds optional ... that I can check out?

Good answers everyone. It appears the forum has spoken, and Monster is taboo. Monster ... I spit on you ... Ptuiii: < >Thanks.

One speaker will need a wire that will be about 14 feet from the stereo receiver, and the other speaker will need a wire that is about 24 feet. As a rule, should the speakers be just long enough to reach each speaker, or should both wires be of equal length for uniformity of sound? What is the best speaker wire to use for quality of sound ... and where would they be available? I see that the Klipsch website mentions Monster wires. Is there good reason why Klipsch offers to sell the Monster wires? I can't really think of any other speaker accessory required, other than speaker wire. But I'll ask: Are there other speaker accessories to consider, besides speaker wire? Also, when you receive your Klipsch speakers, do they come with very intuitive instructions, as far as how to wire them and how to clean them?

I did a search for dealers that stock Klipsch dealers, and the closest (Dealer-A) was 10 miles away. So I go to the only dealer, in a 10 mile reference, that is listed as selling Heritage speakers. They did not stock any Heritage speakers, and not because of this reason but of other reasons, I felt that I would get limited dealer support in case anything were found wrong with new speakers I purchase. Strike One. They did, however, stock a couple of Reference models, with the RF-52 being the smallest that they stocked. This dealer was also listed as selling Yamaha RX stereo receivers ... and so I visited this dealer to kill two birds with one stone ... but the dealer did not stock these either. Apparently, the local Best Buy stores stock these and Best Buy is too competitive for the dealer to maintain a stock of Yamaha speakers. Strike Two. I also did a search of dealers, from the Klipsch website, and they only listed one (Dealer- in the State of Michigan ... 45 miles from my house. While it is comforting that the Klipsch dealer felt comfortable with listing this dealer on their website, it is still 45 miles away from my house. It would be a bummer to drive 90 miles round-trip to find a Strike Three. So, my question, how do people usually purchase Heresy III (H-3) speakers? Is it the norm to just purchase them directly from Klipsch via Klipsch website? And if you buy online, how is the customer protected if the speakers arrive defective or damaged? For that matter, how does the customer prove to the online seller that the product is defective or damaged ... except to pay return shipment of speakers that weigh 90 pounds? A last question, how rare is it to receive online-purchased H-3 speakers that are defective or damaged?

Thank you, again. This helps to broaden my understanding tremendously. I've wanted Heresy speakers since I was a teenager ... many moons ago ... and now have finally gotten around to getting some. Hey, I'm slow, what can I say. What are recommendations on getting more basic understanding about sound technology? For example, how to talk the talk. I don't even know what HT stands for. Is there a techno-sound for dummies for example?