Vladi

I saw it too last night, really good movie.

Sony ES series still have two multi-channel direct inputs. As a matter of fact my STR-DA5ES has two, and one is 7.1 input, the other 5.1 input, as well as a 7.1 pre-out. The quality of the whole thing is another story though, but I like it for HT. I will be getting something else for 2 channel music.

I am not really clear on how the .1 (LFE) channel interracts with the small/large speaker setting, so please help me understand the following: 1) What is the upper frequency limit of the .1 LFE channel? 120, 200, 250Hz? 2) Is the .1 LFE channel sent only to the subwoofer, or: a) If I set my L/R and C to large, portion of the .1 is directed to them If I set all my speakers to large, portion of the .1 is directed to them Thanks, Vladi

If you are going the 6.1 way, you can get RB-XX for mains, RC-XX for center, and since you are in the $1000 bracket, you can get 3 Quintet satelites from me for cheap that I have for sale :). Kinda mixing different series, but atleast your front stage will be good, and later on, surrounds can be upgraded easily.

10dB increase in SPL is perceived as twice as loud.

---------------- On 5/21/2003 1:58:03 PM artto wrote: "SACDs can't be read by computers, so to get a version of the DSD data that could be read by Cool Edit Pro, I digitized the analog outputs" (from the article) LMFAO. yeah right. That'll give you a DSD signal to make a true comparison. LOL. Those idiots really just don't get it. Another fine example that John Atkinson & the rest of the schmucks at Stereophile & TAS don't know a damn thing about what they are talking about. ---------------- What is LMFAO?

You want Reference, you have to start thinking big...

Hi Pogue, and welcome. Where are you from?

For connecting the speakers to the receiver you do not need any connectors. Bare wire will do excellent job. But you can also use spades http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F005%5F003%5F004%5F000&product%5Fid=278%2D311 on the speakers, or use banana plugs http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F005%5F003%5F003%5F000&product%5Fid=278%2D321 on both ends. I will tell you my story now. On my speaker wires I have banana plugs at the receiver side and bare wire on the speaker side. I use banana plugs because I bi-wired and this way it is easier to connect at the receiver posts. Recently, believe it or not, I had a bad experience with the spades mentioned above. One day I woke up and decided to terminate the speaker wire ends with the Radio Shack spades. I was not expecting to hear any improvement in sound after installing these spades. But what happened is quite the opposite. The sound worsened, it became noticeably harsh and the highs became very annoying. I removed the spades the following day. I cannot explain (technically) why the sound worsened, but it most likely is because the spades' low quality (8 pcs for $4.99) that has something to do with resistance of the material.

I strongly recommend to get the matching center channel, even if you have to buy it from the internet.

Here are a few links. http://www.oade.com/Home_theater/sony/sony_es/strda5es.html http://www.epinions.com/content_91038846596

I also have the RF-3 and the RC-3. My RC-3 is set to +4dB so that the channels measure the same SPL during AVIA test. So what you are seeing is normal. Regarding the timber match, my sound pretty close.

I have the Sony STR-DA5ES, and I have compared it to STR-DA4ES. All in all, the 5 is better, although the 4ES is a newer model. Can you find a used 5ES? It will be much cheaper as well.

Anyone who needs test CDs can download from my web server here http://12.213.128.107/TestCDs/ I will be looking for parametric EQ, any brands recommendation up to $200? Cutting the mains lower does not help, in fact any freq below 125 and I start getting the resonance.

Well placement is an option, but not that far away from the wall. The speakers will be seating 4 feet in the room, and the room is only 14 wide. I will draw a diagram (something I wanted to do for a long time . I will post it later on tonite, and am very open to suggestions on placement. I got the test CD for a friend, I can place the files on my web site so anyone can download them and burn them on CD. When I do that later on tonite, I will post back. I am not sure what is graphic and what is parametric EQ. Which one should I be looking for? I have tested without subwoofer: 1) Mains set to small, crossover at 125Hz, the resonance at 80Hz is unnoticable. 2) Mains set to large, the resonance at 80Hz is killing me. From my original post, do you also see the peak at 40Hz?

I have posted a while ago on my bass problem, but I am still not very clear on how to solve it. My problem is with 80Hz resonance of my room. Here is how I found out. I have noticed that with bass heavy music, some bass notes sound louder, while others much quiter. This gave me a very disturbing feeleing and unpleasant listening. One example would be Sade - Lovers Rock. I got the bass test CD so that I can test the SPL at different frequencies. I set the volume of pink noise so it measures 80dB, here is what I took as readings. 1KHz 80dB 200Hz 80dB 165Hz 78dB 125Hz 78dB 100Hz 76dB 80Hz >90dB 63Hz 82dB 50Hz 78dB 45Hz 76dB 40Hz 82dB 30Hz 70dB At 80Hz, the whole room starts sounding like "wooooooooooooo", and in corners it is even louder. My main speakers are currently cut at 125Hz because of this, but the 80Hz coming from the suboofer also causes the same effect. First thing I tried is speaker position. My main speakers and subwoffer are 17" away from the back wall. The "wooooo" goes away if I place them 36" away from the back wall, but that is not an option, since the whole width of the room is ~14', and I will have only 9' left for the table and the sofa. What else can I do to fight this? Bass trap? Sub EQ like Art 351 Equalizer? Please share any opinions and advise.

Please reconsider and get the RS-3s for your surrounds. I recently upgraded and I am very happy with them. The difference was night and day.

I am almost never scared of scary movies, after all it's only a movie. But recently I watched the Ring on my HT, and was scared. I am sure it is because of the sound, it was so scary, piercing, and dreadful.

How and where can I audition a tube amp? I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, anyone with tube gear in this vicinity? I know Decware have 30 day guarantee, but they also have 6.5% restocking fee, plus shipping both ways, and it adds up to approximately $150, which I am not willing to spend just to audition. Any advise is appreciated. Thanks in advance, Vladi

Yeah, why do these two topics stay on top?

No no, don't tighten the nut, that is not the way to do it. There are two little wholes (about 1/16") on the Quintets very close to the base. Look inside them and you will know how to tighten them.

I am putting up for sale 3 Quintet Satelites for sale. I was using them form surrounds and rear surround channels until I got RC-3s recently. The speakers are in mint condition. Asking price is $90 + shipping.

---------------- On 4/24/2003 10:49:13 AM Johnny dB wrote: Bill H. What's up? I was just contacted by the seller of the 299B, and they say your not buying it and offered it to me for my max bid amount. Not that I need another, but... ---------------- Johhny, what was your maximum bid? May be I can buy it from you?

---------------- On 4/24/2003 6:39:35 PM MBM135 wrote: Vladi, Can't speak for the Jolida 102B. But I have a Jolida 202B now and a Scott 299A NOSValves Rebuild due in here Saturday. So, I will eventually compare the two and post my thoughts. The 299A uses different output tubes etc but I am very interested to see what happens. I like Rock, Jazz and alternative. Rock is the ultimate test in my book. I am concerned the Scott will not have the headroom of the 40WPC Jolida. Will see. Mike ---------------- I will be very interesting to find out how do they compare. Will you try to describe the Jolida 202B that you have now?

Thanks to all for the patience and explanations. My purchase of tube amp is planned towards the end of July when I will have the money. I gather the boards favorite is Scott 299 A/B. How about Jolida model JD 102B? It is listed for $580, how does it compare to the Scott? Also I have the following questions on tube amps: 1) THD: I see that it is usually much higher than SS amplifiers, what is the significance of this? 2) S/N: for the above model of Jolida it is 70dB below rated output. Isn't 70dB quite low? What does "below rated output" signify? 3) Circuit Type: what is Ultra Linear? What other circuit types are there? 4) Cost of ownership: if I listened 2-3 hours per day, how much will this cost me in tubes replacement per year? What is your opinion on hybrid amp? Are they worth it to consider?