michaelstano

I use a Parasound 110 wpc stereo amp coupled to 7 sets of speakers, each with an impedance protection volume control. This set up has worked really well. My volume controls are in a panel with the rest of my gear--had it been possible, the better plan would have been to put the volume control by each set of speakers.

I am not a sound engineer, so this may be really naive: Assuming the cabinet is not totally against (or built into) the wall, why can't the port be extended to exit the cabinet? This would seem to more closely replicate what the original, unobstructed speaker was meant to do.

You are correct in writing that, without a divorce decree which specifies custody, etc., she has as much right to the kids as he does. That she hasn't contributed support is, at this stage, largely irrelvant, unless he uses the lack of support to try to terminate her parental rights. The first AND LAST answer is to hire a Florida attorney. He is helpless without a court order.

http://www.televisionlifts.com/pages/813387/index.htm Not exactly cheap, but perhaps you can get some ideas.

As noted below, I am using an Outlaw 950 with 3 Parasound 1000As. Your speakers are much newer and better than my 3.2s, but I really like the sound my system puts out, especially with HT. I don't listen to 2-channel much, but the occasional CD sounds good--I especially like the stereo 6 mode, which purists would surely disdain.

I, too, have read about Airport/express. If I understand it, it works like x10 home security or appliance control: a transmitter and a receiver communicating over normal household wiring. Here is a caution: one of my x10 modules wouldn't turn on the lamp plugged into it. As it turns out, the module and the controller were plugged into outlets that wheren't "in phase." An electrican had to solve the problem with some rewiring in the breaker panel. So, unless there is something really unusual about my house wiring, the Apple stuff may not always be as simple as "plug-'n-play."

This nomination, coupled with my earlier one, officially marks me as an Old Dude: Simply Red, Home--Live in Sicily. Watched it last night, and it blew me away. I don't comprehend why more people don't know his work.

I am beginning to learn about the computer - HT mating process. Does anyone have experience with the Gateway DVD player that will stream audio and video (at least pictures) from a computer? http://accessories.gateway.com/AccessoryStore/Consumer+Electronics_381930/Digital+TV_381941/DVD+Players_9000002/1532498_ProdDetail?tpcid=1000&productid=1532498 The price is right ($250, including a "g" speed router). I am most interested in streaming internet radio. TIA for any info.

As boomac said: Small claims is your best bet. You definitely don't need a lawyer. Small claims courts are meant for lay people, and the procedural and evidentiary rules are relaxed. If you win, you can also collect court costs (filing fee, service). Most all states require quick resolution, usually no more than 3 weeks. Some judges require the parties to go through mediation, but that may settle the issue with no time in court. If you must go to court, having an impartial "expert" with you to testify what caused the problem, and what it will cost to fix, will be helpful. If you plan to introduce pictures, you must have taken them or you'll need the person who took them with you (in either case, to testify that the pictures accurately represent what they are intended to depict). Good luck!

As for prosecutable: Title 21, Section 1021, Oklahoma Statutes A. Every person who willfully and knowingly . . . 3. Writes, composes, stereotypes, prints, photographs, designs, copies, draws, engraves, paints, molds, cuts, or otherwise prepares, publishes, sells, distributes, keeps for sale, knowingly downloads on a computer, or exhibits any obscene material or child pornography . . . shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a felony and shall be punished by the imposition of a fine of not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) nor more than Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00) or by imprisonment for not less than thirty (30) days nor more than ten (10) years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

There is much sickness in this world, and these postings disturb me greatly. I am close to signing off all fori for good. I can't risk opening something gross at work or around my family. Why have the threads been allowed to remain? I assume he will be removed from the user list. Can the administrators track this person so that he will be prevented from ever re-registering? If he can be tracked, I urge the administrators to report his offense to law enforcement to determine wheather a crime has been committed.

The first I bought, and the one that got me wanting more: Sade, "Lovers Live." Absolutely incredible in every way.

Based on advice like that above, I use 4 3.2s for front and back. Mainly due to space reasons, I went with a KV3 and a KV2 for center and surround, which seem to match well. You could probably complete your system with like speakers for less than $500.

Now, I'm sorry I started this! I have convinced myself that there is no current version of the whole concert that is 5.1 and/or DTS. Not even the group's web site (blueman.com) lists such a disk--there, the only DVDs are the 4.0 surround and the DVDA. Perhaps the 5.1 concert has been released and their site isn't updated.

OK, you guys convinced me to try it, and it was really entertaining. However, it is just dolby surround (my Outlaw 950 processed a Dolby EX signal, but there was no dedicated bass track), with the exception of side B where there are 3 5.1 mainly-audio tracks (I guess roughly comparable to DVDA). On the concert side, I miss the .1 channel, but I am a bass hog. There is a note on the case indicating a 5.1 version of the concert will be released in "early 2004," but I haven't seen anything so listed, which was part of my original confusion--every description I found that said the disk was 5.1 carried the same UPC as my non-5.1 disk. Anyway, the disk was worth what I paid. Thanks again for all the feedback. Gotta love this place!

Having heard much about the DVD concert here and elsewhere, I bought "Blue Man Group - The Complex Rock Tour Live" on eBay. The auction listing didn't mention sound format, and I was too stupid to ask in advance. On some web sites (dvdplanet.com, hastings.com), the DVD is listed as 5.1. However, the box says only "surround." I don't want the disk if it is not 5.1, and I don't want to break the seal to find out what the format is. I would appreciate someone who has the DVD letting me know if it is really 5.1 or 4.0. I have been burned this way before. TIA.

I upgraded from an SW 10 (which I still use for my around-the-house system) to an SVS PB2-ISD, and the difference was incredible. Especially on movies, the SW 10, which I think has a lower limit of 35hz, was constantly bottoming out. The SW 10 was OK for most music, but it was made before movie sound tracks required subs to dig down to 25, 20, or 16hz. You are missing all those frequencies with your SW 8. You don't say how large your room is, but even a small, modern sub that can keep up with movies would put a smile on your face. You won't regret the expenditure.

garymd: Right. But for widescreen, does "widescreen" go up or down in the tray? I mean, should I see the "widescreen" label face up in the tray if I want widescreen? Guess I need to go back to HT 101.

jt1stcav: Some DVD movies have 3:2 on one side and 16:9 on the other. Same idea as a DVD/CD? These movies are label-less, and I can never figure out which side should be up for 16:9.

The transparent under side or the label top side? I recall recently reading the label side is read, and I have begun to doubt my recallation. Does it make any sense trying to clean prints and dust from either side of rental disks? Are "scratches" the only thing that would cause problems? Probably will regret submitting this, given how stupid it makes me look!

The picture was even good enough to bring The Ear back out of his self-imposed hiatus!

Use an RCA cable from your LFE or "sub out" on the receiver / pre-amp (you'll need a "Y" splitter on the sub end), or RCA cables from your "B" speakers" out on the receiver, to the RCA inputs on the sub. Plug the sub in. Turn the sub on. Turn the receiver on. Play a CD or DVD. Put your head next to the sub. If you hear something (or can feel the "speaker" moving), the sub is working. If you hear/feel nothing, the sub is not working. The "speaker" in the back is merely a passive device--the real sub driver is in the front. The cross-over should be set where your main speakers bottom out, probably at 60Hz. Adjust the level to where it is not overpowering. Set the phase switch to the position you get the most volume (although you may not be able to tell any difference). More knowledgeable forum members will probably have better and more detailed advice.

Parasound HCA 1000A amp from pawn shop for $99. Repair cost added another $25, but still a great deal.

KV-3s are selling on eBay for $200 +/-.

Is there a way to test an amp without attaching speakers and a "source"? Can powering the amp on with nothing attached do damage? My first Parasound amp came from a pawn shop. They said it worked, but, at home, it didn't. PS was great about helping me, even though there was no warranty. Turned out to be blown fuses.