picky

CECAA850: And, while you may very well be right (I've run my RSW-15 both ways and to no detriment), I now prefer to have the added protection of a line conditioner, knowing how much it would cost to replace my sub should something happen to the power line. Thanks! -Glenn

skonopa: As part of my Klipsch Reference Series 7.1 HT system, I have the RSW-15 sub, which I've LOVED ever since I un-crated it in 2004. But, the one thing with it that I have discovered over the years is that the sub is extremely sensitive to transients and power-losses, so much, in fact, that it tends to blow it's fuse, nearly every time I make an absent-minded mistake such as powering down my AC Line Conditioner BEFORE I switch off the power switch on the sub. Or, if I switch on the sub BEFORE I power up my AC Line Conditioner. Therefore, I too have a bag of fuses from Radio Shack for my sub. It's a good thing they sell them 5 to the bag! LOL BIG TIP FOR YOU TECHIES: And here's the thing that puzzles many people about these special, "Slo-Blo" fuses: Unlike the traditional glass buss fuses that contain only a tapered piece of metal foil inside, these fuses also have windings in them. And guess what? Taking a continuity reading on them with a VOM will NOT tell you if the fuse it bad, because it will many times still read that the circuit is intact! In order to see if the fuse is the problem, simply substitute the new fuse into the sub for the old one. If the sub works, throw the old fuse away! Not knowing this a couple of years ago had me chasing my own tail for a couple of hours one day! Still sitting here waiting from my DSP board to arrive at the lab from Japan! "Ho-hum".... -Glenn

It's not been quite one month yet since the lab got the rig, so we may be at about the half-way point to a new DSP board arriving from Japan. Fingers still crossed. It seems like forever! -Glenn

I wish we were there to see you and the show, Michael. Have a great time! - Glenn

WakeJunkie: Congratulations! You have done a spectacular job on your home theater, sir! So many impressive elements and you brought them together in harmony and style, in what I consider, record time! Hat's off to you! -Glenn

To the guy at Best Buy: "I LAUGH at you, sir, ...Hah-HAAAAAAAH!" -Glenn

Mighty Favog: Hey, thanks for the great tip. Hopefully I'll never have to use it, but if I do, now I know thanks to you! Yes, battery removal when not being used is a MUST because that remote has about a one-month idle power-drain on those 4 AA batteries and if left unattended after they've died, they will soon begin to leak into the battery compartment: Another great tip for others! -Glenn

I'm one of the lucky ones: My remote still works fine. I rarely use it as I have a URC remote that duplicates most of the controls for all of my theater equipment and lighting. -Glenn

Admin: Please delete this duplicate post. Thanks! -Glenn

sanchopanza: I didn't consider a used unit because I now know what is wrong with this one (unlike the unknown problems a used one might have, if any) and would prefer to simply fix the one we already own. That way I know what I am getting. However, thank you for your suggestion! -Glenn

Well, I got a call from the lab today: They've determined the problem with the receiver: It needs a new DSP board. Total cost is $530, labor included. The bad part: Pioneer said 60+ days delivery on the part. I had already decided before I took it in for repair that if the repair exceeded $1,000, that I would not repair it and simply replace it with a more modern receiver. However, $530 to regain status quo is fine by me. So I paid it and now we wait however long it takes. The guy said, in many cases, they receive parts faster than they are told. He thinks the factory simply issues their worst-case scenario when asked. Let's hope for the best. Fingers-crossed! -Glenn > PS: Billybob: On this receiver all channels are rated at 130 Watts RMS @ 8 ohms from 20-20k Hz with all channels driven. It's the same for two-channel mode.

This next shot shows the receiver sitting in the back of our crossover on Wednesday, with the remote and power cord (in the bag) on their way to the repair lab. "Sniff-sniff!" Don't worry, I strapped it down well before driving it over there. I still have the original box, but that would have made this 70-pound receiver much too difficult to manuver as easily. -Glenn

Thanks, Mongo 171! Here's a couple of photos: First one shows the back of the Pioneer Elite VSX-49TXi receiver while it's still sitting in the equipment rack and still hooked up. I used some stick-on, writable cable labels that I found at Rat Shack and labeled every single bundle of wire before I disconnected anything.

In the movie, the diner is called "Maggies". Well, things with my receiver have gotten more serious: Every time I shut it down, within 24 hours it completely freaks and no sound will come out unless I do a processor reset and recalibrate the system each time. In short: the pre-amp section fails to "talk" to the power-amp section, which is of course, unacceptable. I found a place called ABL Electronics in Madison Heights I think I'll take it to for repair. They are an authorized Pioneer Elite repair center. I'll have to get my buddy over here to help me lift this thing out of my theater rack as the receiver weighs about 70 pounds and it's about 5-1/2 feet off the ground in the top of the rack! Yikes! -Glenn

Mongo171: That's pretty cool about Madrid.I didn't realize they actually filmed it on location. I checked out Google StreetView and sure enough, I think I found the actual diner where the "big biker rumble" scene took place! -Glenn

billybob: There's lots of Harleys in the movie; even a springer! I haven't had a bike in years, but I'd love to own one again someday soon. I still carry the cycle endorsement on my driver's license. If my employment situation improves, hopefully I'll get the opportunity. -Glenn

We're going to run the rain-check on the Wild Hogs movie for the grand kids this evening as we have them both again for the weekend. I know the movie isn't Academy Award level, but it's a fun movie to watch with the kids.with lots of silly stuff and bloodless fisticuffs, etc. and I miss riding a Harley. The reciever remote still works flawlessly, but I rarely use it becasue I control our theater with a URC MX-980 RF/IR remote. Thanks for the good words on my troubleshooting. I do admit it was some fun doing so, but the initial discovery of the problem in front of my "audience" is NEVER fun! I'm just thankful it happened on a movie night with the kids and not with a theater-full of grown-ups, or even worse: During a hockey play-off game! LOL -Glenn

It was certainly was NO FUN, anyway! ...on Friday night we tried to play the movie, "Wild Hogs" for the grand kids downstairs in our Klipsch 7.1 Reference theater. We got the kids all situated on the floor with popcorn and blankets and when I came down to start the movie: NO SOUND! The receiver (Pioneer Elite VSX-49TXi Flagship) would respond and send the image to the projector but every audio source was dead including the acoustical calibration test tones! I had no luck after 15 minutes of fiddling, so we called it a wrap. Yesterday afternoon, since it was so hot here in Detroit, I stayed inside and finally got time to troubleshoot the audio problem with the huge owner's manual and fixed it in just under 3 hours without changing a single wire. It seems that when we left for vacation last month, when I shut down the power conditioner to the equipment rack, I'd left the receiver in stand-by instead of off when the power was cut. It erased all of my digital settings! It also blew the fuse in the subwoofer (Klipsch RSW-15) when I turned the power back on when we returned. I replaced the sub's fuse and did a processor reset on the receiver. I had to do a new room calibration among others tasks, including a reassignment of all digital inputs. Back to normal now. Lesson learned! What a relief! I thought our Pioneer Elite flagship receiver was fried! Phew! I've never had a problem like the since I finished building the theater in 2004. I'm sure some of you may have experienced this at one time or another, too. -Glenn

Boxx: We ate at Mariano's La Hacienda Ranch near Dallas. Mariano is the original inventor of the frozen margarita. -Glenn

Congratulations to the Black Hawks: I was rooting for Boston. [6] -Glenn

Yes, Happy Canada Day to all of my Canadian friends! -Glenn

Just part of the beautiful interior:

The road sign out front

For those going down to Hope this year, if you want the best Mexican food in town, be sure to try our favorite place: Amigo Juan's! It's at 1300 N. Hervey St: Take Exit 30 and go south on Hervey. It'll be on the right-hand side of the road in town. Verna and I ate there just last week and the food is still great and it's about the most beautiful Mexican restaurant inside that we've ever seen.

From left: Picky, Seadog and Annie