Receivers

[Vatican3]

no prob about the e-mail, do it in your own convenient time

you can always take care of those 230 voltages by buying a step up transformer. I have one here in my house to power up my vcd player and so far after 1 year its working fine.

already finished my calculus a month ago. SH!t was it ever hard. taking comp sci at U of T scar by the way.

[thejson]

I've got a step up transformer as well, but those things get hot. Don't know if I'd be willing to rely on one for my reciever, but then again I suppose it depends on the quality of the transformer.

exoticar: I can't believe that they regulate that now. Admittedly, I haven't been since 1997 (was there during the changeover). I'd like to go back; good place to visit--software or no software .

This message has been edited by thejson on 12-06-2001 at 11:22 PM

[Diggs]

Wow, you guys are getting shafted! My last final is on the 14th, and the next semester doesn't start til January 22. 5 weeks!

[Exoticar]

LOL, Diggs, both Vatican and I are in Canada...dunno if that makes a difference though.

Hong Kong is definitely a nice place to visit. Gotta check out that new airport. Its sooooo HUUUUUGE! My dad tells me they turned the old airport into a go-kart circuit...I think I'm gonna check it out when I'm there.

Dunno if I want to get a step up transformer. Aren't they expensive? The cost of the thing could outweigh any potential savings. I heard they're chunky (large, heavy) as well. I don't have a lot of floor space to work with.

Anyway, Vatican, is it MAT137 you're taking? I'm in 135. So far, its all been OAC calc review heh.

[Vatican3]

i go to the scarborough campus and am taking the mata26 there. I think the equivalent course there downtown is the 157 course.

------------------

Education is an admirable thing. But it is well

to remember from time to time that nothing that

is worth knowing can be taught.

OW

[Underhanded Penguin]

On the subject of Hong Kong, I worked at an architectural firm there 3 summers ago when I was in 2nd year univeristy at Ryerson. It's a great place for shopping and electronics. Too bad it's so damn hot. I'd like to go back some time but not for more than a month. Vatican, the home theatre store in Pacific called Vega or Wega Audio Video? They won't try to pull a fast one on you. They are an authorized dealer. If you know what you want, then that's a good place to get it because they dont carry a lot of stuff in store so you wont be able to demo it. They can even get Klipsch, but it takes them longer to get it than Kromer. I bought all my Klipsch stuff from Kromer. So far I have:

Denon 1802 $750 (no tax) from Pacific Mall

Toshiba hfx71 32" hdtv

Klipsch RB-3 mains $950+tax for the pair at Kromer

Klipsch RC-3 Center $525+tax from Kromer

Klipsch KSW-15 subwoofer $815+tax from Kromer

xbox with optical and component video connections

gamecube (just bought today with pikmin)< surprisingly good game...

I also have Klipsch 4.2's that I bought from Kromer that were 300 a set. Although the second set I got with no gst and only 4% pst.

I'm looking to get the rs-3 surrounds early next year. Then I won't get the itch to upgrade for a while. Although another sub would be nice... someone please kick me. Anyways, I hope those prices will help. If you are looking to get the new Klipsch reference series, dont expect to get good deals on them in Toronto. They're too new, and most places will sell them for the converted price from US dollars plus a mark up. They wont go on sale anytime soon cuz they just came out. However, if you get last years reference series (before the internal monster cable upgrade)you can find some good deals in different places. Good luck guys.

-UP

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I love you Aki Ross!

[Exoticar]

Hey UP,

I went to pacific mall today. That store you were talking about didn't have a sign on it so I had to check out all the little stickers on the door to see if it was a Denon authorized retailer. Pretty busy in there. Anyway, she quoted me $660 for the Denon 1602 and $780 for the 1802...Damn, thats a little more than I was expecting b/c I see ppl in the states say they got it for $300 US (approx $500 CDN). I fergot to ask about Onkyo though. Ah well, I'll just throw it at my dad and see what he says.

Anybody have any opinions on Polk Audio speakers? That store can get Polk but they can't get Paradigm. Kromer can get Paradigm but they can't get Denon, only Onkyo...I checked out the audioreview.com website and the Polk R-10 got a higher rating than the Paradigm Atoms but the Atoms had a ton of reviews while the Polk only had like 10. I think i'm gonna go for Paradigm regardless though...Too bad the grilles aren't removable.

Current System Plans:

Denon AVR-1602 $660

Paradigm PDR-8 Sub $299

Paradigm Atom (1 Pair) $???

Vatican, do you know any other places aside from Kromer that sell Paradigm speakers?

[Vatican3]

paradigm dealers that i know of:

hifi 2000

Kromer

Audio-one

Whitby Audio

East Hamilton Radio

Musonic

some guy in the HTF forum said this at my thread:

"I deal with East Hamilton Radio when I got my Mini Monitors. I paid $330CDN/pr for the Mini's, and $326CDN for the CC350. The Denon should run you $750-$800. You'll get a better deal if you buy all your stuff at one place. "

Kevin

That's pretty good considering that most of the places i called quoted prices higher than $400 for mini monitors. Atoms are around the 220-240 range.

Lately my plans for the pdr-10 sub have been brought to question by a new sub, SVS 25-31pc. It's quite the monster (check it out at www.svsubwoofers.com and based on the reviews and feedback that i've read, it seems to be THE subwoofer. Outclasses anything within the $2000 price range. You can only get it in the internet and if you're going to get it delivered here in canada, it should cost around $1050 + 15%tax + $150 brokerage fee = close to $1400.

Obviously i was moved with the feedback that i got from people in forums and reviews to even consider such an expense for just a sub. BUt right now i'm really torn apart on whether i should agonizingly hold out on the sub and just get the mini-monitors + receiver without a sub. At least until summertime hits and i can save some money from my job.

------------------

Education is an admirable thing. But it is well

to remember from time to time that nothing that

is worth knowing can be taught.

OW

This message has been edited by Vatican3 on 12-08-2001 at 08:06 PM

[thejson]

good deal. I'm going for the svs as well. I've already gotten a plate sub amp from www.partsexpress.com so I don't have to get the expensive samson amp. Only difference being that I want the 20-39CS.

[Vatican3]

thejson, do you reside in Canada as well?? and what setup are you getting for your home theater?>

------------------

Education is an admirable thing. But it is well

to remember from time to time that nothing that

is worth knowing can be taught.

OW

[thejson]

vatican:

No, actually i'm going to school in Texas. Right now i'm running on TV speakers . By the end of the week, i should have my Marantz sr-5200 & Klipsch RF-3II's in. Later I plan to add the rest of the Reference 3 line & the SVS 20-39CS when i get $$$$.

[jperrewe]

Find yourself a used Yamaha RXV 870. Solid receiver with good power. A & B front speaker hooh ups. Great for two rooms or running four speakers. Has dolby suround, if not needed don't use it. Pre digital everything. Has plenty of component inputs. Blue book around $250.00. May have to pay more, I know I won't sell mine. I use the Yamy for outdoor entertainment and would never sell it. Great sound, made in the old days you know, heavy duty.

Good luck

[mike stehr]

I just bought a pair of SVS 16/46's.(16hz,46" tall.)

for my Chorus II's.

Trust me, I'm not strapping with cash here either.

I had Rockford Fosgate 8ohm pro-sound in a home-brew

ported box for years, with a NAD 2100 power envelope

bridged.(boomy boom boom.)

I couldn't afford a amp with the subs so I stuck

with the NAD to power the 16/46's.

These subs are 350w continous with 600w peaks.

I knew the NAD wasn't this much power, and was

concerned.

But they work fine with the amp, bridged and series

wired.

These puppies get deep, and they do extend the

bottom end in a musical way, no boom, I was impressed.

Only listened to 'em for a few hours, before I

shut it down though.(In the middle of a X-over

upgrade for the mains.)

I would like to get a amp to get up in the hair/eye

moving levels, but considering the size of my place,

and the fact that I wouldn't listen too long at those

levels anyway, during long listening sessions.

So it's no biggee.

With a little hunting, you can find deals

at thrift stores, hock shops, Ebay, but Caveat Emptor.

THANX!

[Exoticar]

Vatican,

I'm starting leaning towards your idea of getting a receiver + mini monitors(instead of atoms) and leaving the sub till later. There's no way I could fit an svs sub in my room...those suckers are huge! There's no way I could possibly afford an svs sub either...at least not until I graduate and get a job. I'll probably just stick with a PDR-8 or 10. Not sure about the PDR-8 anymore though because people on audioreview say that there's audible transformer hum...thats no good.

Updated system plans:

Denon AVR-1602 (or Onkyo or Marantz equivalent)

Paradigm Mini Monitor 1 pair

Paradigm PDR-10 sub (summertime?)

thejson,

have you received your marantz receiver yet?

jperrewe,

Thanks for the info but I already have a stereo system. It consists of a Marantz model 3600 pre-amp, Marantz model 250M power-amp, Marantz tuner, Teac cassette deck, Technics turntable, and Sony CD player all hooked up to a pair of Teledyne Acoustic Research AR11's...the "expensive" ones(apparently there was a cheap AR11 and an expensive AR11 heh). Anyway, I'm happy with that system so thats why I'm looking for an HT receiver now.

[thejson]

Exoticar:

sorry, still waiting on delivery. But i'll let you know my impressions as soon as I get it.

[Vatican3]

thejson, when you get your 5200 check for those pops and clicks that people have been reporting. Also check the s-video noise problem. Be aware than marantz has OFFICIALY confirmed the problem and they say they are talking to their engineers in japan about it. Here's the snippet from HTF:

Dear Chris,

We are sorry to hear the inconvenience you are having with your Marantz SR-5200 receiver. Please allow me to address this.

We have verified this complaint. We have contacted our Engineers in Japan. We are currently investigating a resolution. We hope to have an answer within two weeks.

If you do not hear from us, please feel free to contact us again, and we will let you know how to proceed.

We thank you for your support & Happy holidays.

Jim Smerz

__________________________________________________

hmmm, hopefully they handle this issue better than klipsch is handling the promedia issues.

------------------

Education is an admirable thing. But it is well

to remember from time to time that nothing that

is worth knowing can be taught.

OW

This message has been edited by Vatican3 on 12-10-2001 at 10:52 AM

[thejson]

vatican,

Thanks for the heads up. I've read about this on htf and it worried me, but on the bright side, i'm getting it from a local authorized dealer so I can always take it back for something else. I hope it doesn't have any problems though.

[Exoticar]

Can anyone comment on the Klipsch Synergy SB-1's and how they compare to the Paradigm Mini Monitors? They're in the same price range (I think) but nobody on audioreview has posted anything yet.

All I can figure out is that the Mini Mons response is about 52 Hz - 20 kHz +/-2 compared to the SB-1's 60 Hz - 24 kHz +/-3 and the Mini's are heavy suckers at about 30 lbs for the pair compared to 18 lbs for a pair of SB-1's. Mini mon's have a 6.5" mid/woofer while the SB-1's have a 5.25" mid/woofer. and the list goes on an on but those are just stats...I have no idea how either of them sound.

Thanks

This message has been edited by Exoticar on 12-10-2001 at 08:50 PM

[Vatican3]

well for me i'm DONE with Klipsch. i'm not going to be buying any klipsch products in the near future. they handled my promedia issue very well and customer support is top notch. problem is, my subwoofer shouldn't have overheated four times in a span of 5 months.

No more klipsch for Vatican3

------------------

Education is an admirable thing. But it is well

to remember from time to time that nothing that

is worth knowing can be taught.

OW

[Underhanded Penguin]

EC the MM's are better than the sb-1's. This is my opinion only though. SB-1's are a bit brighter if you like that sound, but the MM's are more articulate and will go lower (although not noticeably) My friend swears by paradigm. He had the Atoms for over 10 years and he'd get another pair if he didnt know about the mm's or studio 20's. Studios are quite a bit more than mm's. It's paradigm's reference series so they're directly competing with the rb-3's. All the same driver sizes too, except the rb-3 tweeter is horn loaded. Keep in mind that going from atom' to mm's and mm's to studio-20's you are not paying for more power or deeper bass. This wasn't clear to me at first when I bought the RB-3's. A higher qulaity and more expensive 6.5" will not go much lower than a cheaper 6.5". There are certain engineering limits to speakers. That is why the freq response for the mm, rb3, studio 20, and atoms are so similar. With the upgrade in price you are getting a more natural and uncolored sound with less distortion. Which means that you are getting a closer representation of what the source material was mastered to reproduce. These intricacies in mid to higher end speakers are not that noticeable at first, but then after a while, you begin to appreciate them. Acoustical memory is very short. But your ears can be "trained "if you listen to something long enough. I can now hear a world of difference between my rb3's and some shoddy 3 way sony towers my parents have downstairs. And I will never go back. My recommendation is to go with the mm's over sb-1's. They are in a higher class.

-UP

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I love you Aki Ross!