ivanhurd
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Posts posted by ivanhurd
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I've had this AVR for a while, and never really said anything about it, so here goes:
My comparison is to an Onkyo-706, which worked nicely for me for quite some time. When I was shopping for a new AVR, I was dead set on the Onkyo-818 because I was satisfied with the brand and it had XT32, and was frankly a good price. I had read about the 4311 and really wasn't interested due to the simple fact that it was a couple years old. I even argued this on AVS. The thing that pushed me over the edge was the fact that you could get an AVR for that quality for the price I got it for and that it offered subEQ which the 818 did not. I was also convinced that the other options that the 818 had weren't really that important as far as future proofing as I had originally thought (which those ended up being included in the Oppo 103 that I got.
The 4311 has plenty of power and enough future proofiing for me. As soon as I hooked it up and ran the XT32 I noticed an immediate difference from my 706. The sound was fuller and more pronounced right off the bat. I think one of the biggest things I like about it is the free Airplay update. On my 706 I didn't listen to much music because I had to put more effort into hooking my laptop up to the AVR. Since I got Airplay I went from 90% movies/10% music to 60% movies/ 40% music. It really gave me a whole new appreciation for all of the music I have on my laptop (macbook pro).
I really like the fact that it has pre-outs. This was a really big future proof option for me as since I came to this site I've been thinking about picking up an amp (thanks guys...! =^P) The power that this AVR has made that idea to wait an easier one tho. Where I'm at now, it's plenty, but if I move my system into a bigger room it's good to know the option is there if I need it. The Denon GUI is easy enough to navigate, although it took me a little since I was used to the Onkyo. I do like the fact that it overlays the video as opposed to the menu taking over the TV. I know this is a bit late as the 4311s are pretty much ready to be done with, but if you are thinking of upgrading and don't want to spend $2K for a quality AVR, there are some still out there available for around $1200ish and should last you for long enough to make it worth the jump. The sound of extra power and XT32+SubEQ (which I will try out soon when I get a second sub) should make this a no brainer. At this point you are going to be hard pressed to get an AVR with this feature set and power for this price. It may be a bit outdated, but it's far from irrelevant.
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I've had the 103 for a few weeks now and ran it through a couple paces, so here is my review so far:
There has been a lot of hype surrounding this brand, and I wasn't sure if I should believe it, but after it being my birthday and wanting a new bluray player with SACD/DVD-Audio capabilities I did my research and actually thought of getting a Denon because I thought it had denonlink. After my wife got the denon for me for my birthday I did some more research and found that denonlink only comes in the upper end model and I got the Denon that ended up being the same price as the oppo with way less options. I would have been satisfied with the denon (not really), but I wasn't able to get it to connect to netflix. After calling Denon's help line and getting absolutely no help (not necessarily fault to Denon, the guy I spoke with had never heard of this problem before as far as being able to connect with every other network option, but not Netflix), I ended up sending it back and ordered an Oppo. I have too say I'm extremely happy I did it. There was a post in another thread that someone said that if after you buy something you are still looking at other options, then you really aren't happy with what you have. I felt this way about the Denon (I expected my wife to get me a second sub for my bday =^P) the second I got it because I had read about the 103 and saw that it's options far outweighed the 3313 that I had. I would have kept the 3313 and never known better, but it had the Netflix issue and I'm actually quite relieved because it gave me a reason to send it on it's way and try the Oppo out. Now with all this said, here is my review of the 103:
Ever since I hooked it up I have been extremely satisfied. When I put my first bluray in, I thought it looked sharper than I was used to (PS3) which I honestly didn't notice with the Denon. I said this to my wife, and she laughed at me a little. I didn't want to be the guy that just said it looked better because I just got this new piece of equipment and was being hopeful. After I said it, and after she laughed at me, she ended up taking a look and agreeing. Every time I put in a bluray, I still say the same thing. Without even touching the video settings, my TV looks sharper than it did before. One of these days I'm even going to dive into the settings more and make some adjustments and I'm sure it'll even be better. As far as audio goes, I can't really differentiate between the Oppo and the Denon, but I love the fact that I can put any disc in there and it'll play. I didn't have this option in the PS3. Also so far it has played all of the video files that I have on my hard drive connected to the network. I'm sure there are file types out there that it won't play, but there has not been once that I pushed play that it didn't load and play it back. Another cool thing about it is that it will automatically scale the video files up to fit your screen. In the past (PS3) I'd have to change the aspect on my TV for it to fit, the Oppo just does it. To make some more comparisons with the PS3, I'm 100% satisfied with the jump. It loads faster, and also shuts down faster which makes it way more convenient with my Logitech remote. The only thing it doesn't have which I wish it did was access to amazon prime (supposedly more streaming options coming out in the future, not sure what). It has Netflix and Vudu, which works out fine and dandy for me because I still have an Xbox hooked up for amazon. If you are on the fence of getting a dedicated bluray instead of a PS3, the simple fact of loading/shutting down quickly should put you over the edge. In this land of impatience, the Oppo satisfies me. Now, I'm sure there may be other options out there as far as 'upscale' blurays, but pound for pound, value for specs/options, there is nothing out there that can truly compete *right now*.
The machine itself is solid and nice enough to look at. It takes up the same, if not less space than the PS3 and has a shorter form factor than the Denon. The remote is seriously the nicest remote that I have ever held in my hand. In this day and age of giving you cheaper made products for more money, Oppo really comes in the game with quality from every aspect. The shipping packaging was even nice! Nothing about the Oppo screams cheap whatsoever. The remote is heavy in the hands, making it evident that no corners were cut. There are fanboys out there for different brands, but after getting my hands on this, at this point I don't see any reason to look anywhere else for a quality bluray player that will play anything you throw at it. If you are thinking about it, think no more. Buy one.
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http://www.klipsch.com/authorized-online-dealers
Go thru the dealers and see who has what you want, and then call them all to see who will give you the best deal. I think audioholics gave me the best deal when I bought mine (although I ended up going local cuz they ended up beating the price), but I've heard good about acoustic sound design. AVS gave me the best price on the speakers overall, but they don't do free shipping (at least they didn't when I was looking), but depending on where you live it still might work out in the end.
If you can work out doing 3 identical speakers across the front that is definitely the way to go. A horizontal speaker just happens to have a footprint that works out way better for most people. They still sound great, but 3 identical would be ideal, in fact identical all the way around would be ideal. I do love the WDST sound in my RS-62IIs tho.
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I'd say it's UPS. Some of those fools just don't care. Reminds of the beginning of Ace Ventura.
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Video games =^P
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Nice! Congrats to ya. I just got a 103 and I love it.
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Kewl, good to know. I think my next purchase will be a 60 or 65" TV depending on my next house. Maybe even a projector if I have the room for it. I am interested in trying out 3D as it seems to be getting better and more accesible. I suppose netflix will start offering 3D one of these days too.
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^^^What he said. When I found out the prices you can actually get them for from a dealer, I was able to upgrade and get a lot more for the same amount of money I was expecting to spend. I think I ended up actually even spending less.
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Here's a site to check out ---> http://beeradvocate.com/
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I like milk stouts. I had one a while ago that was a winter brew, but I don't remember the name of it. I suck at remembering beers, ha ha.
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You should be able to do that with any of the services. I tend to check google play if I find something I want to buy cuz they offer 320.I just check and I was able to download the Amazon music to a flash drive and use it in my car. This will be easier to put playlist toghether for traveling and not bother with cd's and have a better mix for parties at home.
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^^^I watched that on VUDU and definitely want to pick up the bluray. I'm curious if there is going to be a follow up to that one.
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^^^Get an oppo, you won't regret it.
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One of the best stouts I've tried was from a Portland, OR brewery that I DJd at, but I can't remember the name of it. Where I live is *very* limited in choices of anything. I can't wait to get back to a city.
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This is simply not true. You *can* pass on your tunes. You *might* need a password to do so(depending on how you have your accounts set up), but it is possible. If you really want to safeguard yourself, then you can always convert the acc to mp3 and burn it to a disc. The physical media thing is a bit of an argument in itself (and it's still possible as CDs are still available for purchase), but my entire point is that you can still transfer songs from one another if you want to. My wife and I's macbooks are networked in a way that anything I download goes to her compter and vise versa, so it's not impossible.Currently I'm using Spotify, the pay version that's like 10 bucks a month. Nearly everything I've wanted to listen to is available but as already pointed out it really depends on your personal listening habits. This brings up a very interesting point though. Currently there is NO LAW that will allow you to keep or pass down your digital music to future generations or loved ones, on the books. READ: Everything that you're paying for in "the cloud" or downloading digitally is not yours to own and pass on. I'll say it again for effect. Your $10 bucks a month/$120 a year or whatever you may be paying is quite literally thrown out the window at this point. Every CD youve purchasd thru itunes or others you do not "own". It "buys" you nothing tangible or physical that you can pass on. If, god forbid I passed tomorrow, my wife would "own" nothing that I've paid for. If your mind isn't blown at this point then it really should be. There is a huge artist (Billy Joel, I think) currently fighting for a law to be passed to change this but it is no where near being in place. At this point you may be saying, "Yeah, so what, it's in the cloud, I already know I don't own it" . It's not that simple. This also includes ANY MUSIC DIGITALLY PURCHASED THROUGH ITUNES OR LIKEWISE, YOU DON'T OWN IT. EVER. At this point you cannot "pass on" digital collections. Period. I would strongly recommend against purchasing anything digital at this point. "Rent" music though Spotify or the like or buy your music on CD. Anything else is throwing money into the wind and hoping it lands back in your own lap. Good luck. Do your research.
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Cloud service is utterly pointless if you are just using it from home. The point is to be able to access it everywhere you go! If you are just listening to music at home, then your normal hard drive would be perfect. I would say for the stuff you listen to, the sites you are already frequenting will be plenty enough for you.
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I haven't read the whole thread yet, but what is the best stout out there? I really dig Guiness, but have tried other stouts and that's pretty much all I drink.
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Oh yeah, google play as well. Free cloud services and if you have an android phone, yer set.
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iTunes actually has a cloud service where you pay $25 a year or something like that. Then you can upload all of the tunes that you have, and if you have some low bitrate stuff that itunes 'matches', then you can delete the original file off of your computer and download it in 256k acc, which is supposedly supposed to equal 320mp3 in sound quality. I used this and got a few thousand tracks upgraded. Definitely worth the money. As for the original question, what kind of music are you looking for? Different sites have different stuff.Quality is one of the things that is really important. I have a lot old download before it was outlawed and many are not great quality but, they were free, he he...
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What do you mean, 'in stereo'? Subs don't really play in stereo as all bass tones are mixed in the middle. Easiest thing would be just to use a splitter.
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^^^What he said. You have to call the service center.
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It's actually today, not Monday =^P
I always feel weird when people thank me for my service because of the job that I do. I'm hoping that my next job will be more 'involved'.
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I'm not familiar with KEF, but if you are going to be spending that much money, it'd be in your best interest to try and take a listen to both. I doubt you will be disappointed with either, but this being a Klipsch site, I'm guessing you will be be getting mostly thumbs up for Klipsch =^)
Need help & feedback on Klipsch SW-308 or REL T2 subwoofers
in Home Theater
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I'm going to go ahead and throw a nod up for the Klipsch SW-115 too. You can probably grab one up for $600-$700 if you shop around. I love mine. It sounds great and it's not overpowering.