BlueMonk

I have the dreaded Monster 2600 and I cannot say that I noticed a difference in sound quality. But it greatly improved the picture on my TV.

I am about to move my 7's into a dedicated 2 channel room for music only. After listening to them for a couple years, I have no plans to include a sub. I have a Denon 3802 that is nice in the direct mode, but dream of having a tube Mc. With your budget, you should end up with a very nice system.

Any ideas on the prices yet?

Right now, mine is on top of my projection TV. However, I will be buying a DLP Samsung early next year when my home is finished. I was hoping to find a stand that will allow me to put the RC-7 under the TV firing upward. It does not look like Samsung's stand will work. But I really haven't done much research yet. Do you have a Samsung?

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/index.php?s= Check out the web site above. Many experts there. I have a series 2 and it has USB/remote scheduling/*** capability. I am pretty sure series 1 does not have these features.

Dax-- I had discovered Atto's posts when we designed the house. There is a bedroom being built as my music room based on his size recommendations. Unfortunately, it will be empty for a while. Can't afford Khorns and tube amps any time soon. But unlike my current home, at least I will have a place for the speakers I have been dreaming about since I was a teenager.

DrWho -- Thanks for your info. It occurs to me after reading your reply that I may have different requirements throughout the house. There could be rooms like the kitchen where I just want coverage. And there will also be my study where I would be listening a lot more intently. I probably was too cautious when I worded my original inquiry since I did not want anyone under the mistaken impression that I expected the speakers to sound like my RF-7's. Would you recommend the in wall speakers in my study (12x12) for better sound?

I am building a home and will install a distributed audio system. Absolutely, this will not be my primary listening system. I just like to have music going at all times. Anyway, can anyone compare and contrast their experiences with the Klipsch in wall and in ceiling speakers. The specs don't tell me much and I don't know which route to go. Does one sound better than the other? Thanks in advance.

I have been very pleased with my Denon 3803 bought last fall. Of course, I wish I would have waited for the 3805 but mainly for the remote.

I am working on building a house and want to have a room for my future 2 channel system. I had a lot of questions since I know little about acoustics. But going through Artto's posts was extremely educational. Essentially got all the info I need. Plus, I can't wait to sit down with the architect, casually drop the 'Golden Mean' and actually be able to explain it! Thanks Artto!

Skid -- Good luck with the shelf. I am sure you are loving that TV. A couple of friends have them and I planned to purchase the 56" in a couple months with my bonus. But the center channel placement may be a deal breaker. Could I remove the shelf and get the RC7 in there? I have no way to put in a shelf or mount anything since the wall behind my TV is about 5 ft tall. Thanks!

Skid-- Do you have the Samsumg stand for your DLP? I am planning to buy one and had hoped to use the shelf? Any way to remove it? I may have to get a thicker piece of glass made.

I have had XM radio for about a year and consider the sound quality better than FM. The variety and lack of commecials is addictive. It doesn't sound as good as a CD on my system and certain channels are more compressed than others. Lots of info on this at xmfan.com For the Dish Network, I think they will be dropping the Music Choice soon and picking up Sirius.

After having my combo player for about six months I agree with some of the other posters. I find variation between titles in each format makes it impossible for me to have a favorite for audio quality. But I despise the menus on DVD-A's. IMO, Steely Dan's 'Everthing Must Go' is one of the most awkward. I hate turning on the TV when I am listening to music anyway.

Article in the Dallas Morning News today on this guy... http://www.dallasnews.com/texasliving/stories/012004dnlivtubeguy.4dfae.html Great exposure on the front page of the Living section with a big photo. The amps do look awesome but I know nothing more about the guy.

I set mine to large and have no complaints.

I could never figure out which was better since the the source material seems to make the most difference to me. So I went with the cheap($179) Pioneer until the dust settles. No, it probably isn't as good as the Denon or others but I sure haven't had any remorse over the purchase. It was a inexpensive way for me to enjoy my system even more.

I have a MonsterPower that I bought on the web for about $225. Not sure how much it helps the sound but it sure cleaned up the picture I get on my TV. I run a Directv Tivo and even the recordings are cleaner.

Dean -- Well thought out post. As an audio newbie, I can't explain how much of a benefit it is to read many of the advanced members' posts. Amazing how far I have come in a short time -- all due to the this board(and I guess the internet.) However, it is especially interesting when someone like you steps back and questions the framework of our hobby. Thanks, Neal

One SD recording that some of you may want to check out is the DVD 'Two Against Nature'. It is in DTS and has quite a few classic songs. The recording quality is very good but you have to endure brief little interviews/skits between songs. Keep the remote handy. GaryMD -- Kid Charlemagne is my favorite SD song. In addition to leading off 'Royal Scam', you can find this on 'Decade of Steely Dan' which is a good one disc greatest hits. Also, Kid is on the DVD I mention above.

I sure don't have the equipment or experience you guys do but I would like to disagree on a point in this thread. First off, I am a huge SD fan from way back and I have not heard the new CD so I cannot comment on its recording. Secondly, Two Against Nature was not my favorite musically and I have not auditioned it since I got the 7's & Denon. But where I disagree is with the old catalog including the fantastic album Aja. I love all these CD's and have most in digitally remastered forms. If you could wear out a CD, I would have come close on some of these. However, I would not call the recordings excellent or reference quality. To me, the instrument separation and the overall detail level is just ok. SD has no equals but I would consider Dave Matthews Band similiar in the way they highlight individual instruments. And I think the recording quality of something like the cd Crash blows away any old SD. I recognize that SD has always had the reputation for great recording quality. But as I have taken the journey up to more serious audio equipment, I been disappointed that SD never seems like the 'best' recordings I own. Maybe I am the only one....

Ok, I guess I better own up to it. I figured this out on Sunday. The problem with Zone 2 was due to my stupidity. I must have checked the connections and setup ten times. But what I overlooked was that there was a separate volume setting for Zone 2. I actually stumbled upon it by accident and realized that it was set to -60....which you can't hear as per my other question. So I fixed the 'problem' by turning up the volume! Sorry for the puzzle, my old 'Best Buy' Yamaha did not have separate volumes for A and B. Very nice feature though.

Thanks to all. I feel better about the volume. I was afraid I had a wimpy 3803. Still haven't solved the Zone 2 problem. The receiver seems to want my outside speakers to be 'B' surround speakers. Of course, I did not activate a second set of surrounds when I did the receiver setup. The manual is not much help since the author seems to delight in spreading info about a topic throughout the pages instead of one section. But tonight I won't let that bug me. The Denon gets to really crank up the Sevens and the Heinekens will be icy!

Ok, I admit up front that these may be stupid questions but I am really stumped. My only background in audio is reading this forum for the last few months after I rediscoved Klipsch speakers. I hooked up my new Denon 3803 a week ago and have the following two concerns: 1. Zone 2 -- My old Yamaha had a 'B' speaker option. It would power the B speakers independently or with the main A speakers. I used this option to power my outdoor speakers. Any way to get Zone 2 to control these speakers the same way without hooking up another amp? I do not need to have multiple inputs, just want to play the same thing in both areas. 2. Volume -- I haven't really been able to stretch the new receivers legs yet with any real loud volume. (That will change tonight with the wife gone.) But I find it weird that the lowest volume setting is about -65 yet I cannot hear anything at all until I get the volume down to under -40. With my 'efficent' RF-7's that seems odd to me. Just want to make sure I am not losing any power somehow. Final note for anyone going through the motions of a receiver purchase. I looked at most of the receivers discussed on this forum for a couple months. After multiple listenings, I came to the opinion that the HK and Denon sounded superior to anything else in my price range(that I could fine at stores). But I honestly couldn't tell any difference between the two in store environments. So I went with the Denon because of the PureDirect and the Video conversions. I have been very pleased with my choice. The remote is amazing and the receiver sounds great. Thanks for any help on my questions.

Take it from a recent purchaser of the 7's, they are worth it. I only wish I had realized this fact 12 months ago before I bought the 3II's. Would have saved some cash.