Sulaco Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 OK, here is my setup; Harman Kardon AVR120 Sony DVP-NC655B (2) RB-5 II Monster Digital Coaxial Radio Shack 16ga. Bi-Wired When I hook everything back up, I will hopefully have a replacement AVR125 (my receiver is toast) and Monster 16ga. speaker wire (the cheap stuff). From this point, where should I start upgrading and/or improving? I want the best 2 channel sound quality I can get out of my RB-5's using an A/V receiver and without modifying anything. I am willing to replace my present receiver and my DVD player. I would not mind having a seperate CD and DVD player, but have been pondering the idea of a SACD and/or a DVD-A player. Ugh, lots of decisions. I don't have a lot to spend so I want to stay away from the high end stuff. Let me know if you need more info to help make some recommendations. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 Subwoofer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 How much money will you have. Since you only have one set of RB-5's -- why do you want a HT receiver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulaco Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 I also have a Velodyne CT100 and a RC-25 with two RS-25's. I didn't mention them because I am only interested in improving my 2 channel sound quality. My HT sound is fine, but I want to keep the ability to play multi channel encoded media. I don't really have a fixed budget perse'. I will spend what I have to, but I would rather not have to spend a small fortune, hence my present system. I just want to improve on what I have. I am happy with the sound quality of the RB-5's, but I feel like they are capable of more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 I would start by buying a HT receiver that has preamp outs so you can add a separate stereo amp for your mains down the road. Buy B&K if you can, if not, buy the Outlaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulaco Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 I think B&K is pretty much out of my league. The Outlaw is nice and the price is even nicer. However, I would rather go with a more well-known brand. Preferably something I can pick up locally for warranty purposes. Is Denon any good? I have heard that most A/V receivers don't do 2 channel very well. My H&K does 2 channel very well but isn't so great at SS. I would love to find an A/V receiver that will do both 2 channel and SS very well and still be affordable (sub $1000.00). Thanks again for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 I would buy the Outlaw. Really. Like I said in my response to your PM -- most everything else is too much alike to get stressed over picking the "right" one. At least Outlaw shows you what they do with your money, and don't try to drown out your brain waves with hype. I wouldn't worry about warranty issues -- Outlaw stands behind their products. Hell, you could buy a Denon from some retail outlet, have a problem with it -- and then not see it for 3 months while they dink around with you. Forget that crap. Now, the Outlaw is ugly, and that breaks one of my commandants of audio purchasing -- but it is damn good product. If you don't want the Outlaw, just decide on the wattage you want -- and then buy the one that weighs the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 wasn't "the Sulaco" the deep space mining ship in the original "Aliens"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 I have 2 firends that have the OUTLAW and it is a cool unit for the price. Unless they have added features; the one thing it does not have is "analog pass through"(APL). All signals will be run through the Outlaw DAC. If you have a really good CD player or standalone DAC, in the future, it will not be utilized to the fullest potential. APL and phono section are the only 2 channel shortcomings I would identify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthfreek Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 I did exactly that with my Outlaw 1050(used the pre-outs in conjunction with a Dynaco ST-70 amp with superb results) until I bought a dedicated tube preamp. I have to agree with everyone else on the 1050. Who cares if it's not a "big name" like Sony or Denon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 If you really want to upgrade your two-channel system, then get a separate two-channel system and keep the surround system the way it is. I know the budget is tight, but there are nice deals out there on older speakers that sound wonderful for two-channel listening. Efficient speakers like Klipsch can be run effectively with a small integrated amp. I'm in the process right now of trading a pair of mahogany RB-5II's that I paid $100 for (and some time cleaning off paint) and $100 for a pair of Cornwalls (missing the grills). I find good deals all the time on nice amps, preamps, or integrated amps. Try putting an ad in a local "swap and sell it" guide that you're buying vintage or high-end audio equipment and any Klipsch speakers. I tried for years to have both a surround system and a two-channel system combined and I was never happy with the two-channel sound quality. When I read your first post on this thread, I immediately thought of a speaker upgrade. Bigger speakers are important for an upgraded two-channel setup in order to capture the full range, wide soundstage, and dynamic impact. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 what's so ugly about the outlaw? I like it's simple look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 get a tube amp for your two channel sound!!! i got a dynaco sca-35 off of ebay last week......i'm just using the amplifier part of this integrated amp..... best improvement in my sound in a long time.... i replaced a carver tfm-25 (225 watts per channel - solid state) with this 17 watt per channel tube amp and i have a much improved sound!!! and the best part is that i got it for $150!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 greg928s4 said it best. I tried for over a year to get decent 2-channel sound out of my HT setup. Upgraded receivers (2), outboard amps and various other remedies didn't do the trick. It wasn't 'till I hooked up a set of Cornwall's to a teeny little $300 Deware Zen amp that I heard what was missing. Almost 3 years amd many 2-channel upgrades later, my family hardly ever uses the HT anymore. Listening to good music beats watching movies with booms and crashes surrounding you anyday. Besides, with music playing you can do things you're not able to while watching a movie. Like walk around, read, build something or heaven forbid, talk to each other. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulaco Posted July 30, 2003 Author Share Posted July 30, 2003 Lots of good advice here guys. I thought about seperating my HT and 2 channel, but I can't afford to do that right now. What I am mainly after is a way to have the best sound possible out of my RB-5's without having to build another system. I really can't afford 10 grand on a sweet 2 channel setup at present. I can, however, afford a nice(er) receiver and maybe a nice source CD player. I am going to give the guys at Outaw a call and see what they have to say about the 1050. What do you guys think about upgrading to a dedicated CD player? Will it sound any better than my chain store Sony DVD player? I plan to also upgrade my speaker wire and the rest of my interconnects to at least some decent Monster cable. I am not a big fan of "audiophile" cables, though. Thanks again for all of the advice, keep it coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 What do you guys think about upgrading to a dedicated CD player? Will it sound any better than my chain store Sony DVD player? How old is your Sony? If it's a couple of years old or older, then yes -- almost anything will sound better, unless it's an older ES model with the huge power supplies. I'm not a big advocate of this general deal that all CD players sound better than DVD players. My $1800 Anthem with a tubed output and Burr Brown 20 bit DACs was trounced by the $1200 Sony 9000ES. Of course, the 9000ES is a two channel only unit and weighs in at 30 pounds. If you are happy with the video quality of your DVD player, then maybe it does make more sense just to get a 2-channel CD player from the standpoint that you already have a DVD player, and at the pricepoint you are looking at -- all of your money goes towards parts supporting 2-channel reproduction. Don't go on the cheap here ($150 - $200) -- because if you do, you are not go to get any if much benefit (unless your DVD player is really old). I plan to also upgrade my speaker wire and the rest of my interconnects to at least some decent Monster cable. I am not a big fan of "audiophile" cables, though. Hey, Monster Cable is "audiophile" cable. Try the Monster 550i for interconnects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulaco Posted July 30, 2003 Author Share Posted July 30, 2003 Yes, the "Sulaco" was the mothership in the original Alien movie. You are the third person in over 5 years of me using it on forums to guess it (and say so, anyway). My Sony DVD player is not a year old yet. It is last year's model, replaced with a silver colored unit for this year. Everything else is the same. It has a 192 kHz 24 Bit Audio DAC. Here is a breakdown of the audio specs; Audio Frequency Response (DVD, 96 kHz PCM) - 2-44,000Hz, ±1.0dB Audio Frequency Response (DVD, 48 kHz PCM) - 2-44,000Hz, ±0.5dB Audio Signal-to-Noise Ratio - >115 dB Audio Dynamic Range - >103 dB (DVD); >99 dB (CD) Harmonic Distortion - <0.003% I don't know what any of this stuff means. How does it compare to a "higher end" CD player? I use a Monster digital coaxial cable for my audio connection to the receiver. Would an optical connection be better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 Not owning a HT system for my Cornwalls, I cannot recommend an AV receiver. However the Outlaw is highly regarded by owners here on this forum, so you should at least consider it. Monster Cable is "THE" original audiophile-grade cable, so you can't go wrong there. They aren't cheap, though, so other alternatives that you could consider are some of the new upstart cable companies out there (on the web). You can find very affordable high-end interconnects and speaker cables from such makers as Stout-Interconnects (http://stout-interconnects.com/), and from MagWire (http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?cablintr&1062146837). Two of my brothers just purchased interconnects and speaker cables from both manufacturers, and they're very pleased with them! They're worth checking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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