Critique this receiver/speaker combo!

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lowtech1

Diamond Member
Mar 9, 2000
4,644
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Originally posted by: technogeeky
Originally posted by: glen
Pioneer is the OEM for a heck of a lot of other brands, they are reliable, fairly inexpensive, no one has been able to tell the difference between amplifiers in a cdouble blind setting, and everyone can tell the difference between speakers.
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Sorry for the pestering questions, but is there something particularly wrong with the receiver I chose? I would like the component/svid switching if at all possible.

We have a Denon receiver at my house and I like the sound. So if there is little difference between receivers, what is wrong with mine?


Also, what about the 110 watt versus 100 watt thing?
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There is no different if it is from the same manufacture if all of other specs are the same.

However, there are many other factures that come into play such as power head room (+/- 3dB, or +/- 6dB, +/- 8dB) etc... depending on the make). At +/- 6dB a system that is rated at 60 watts is effectively equivalent to the normal 100watts system.

Then there is such thing as harmonic distortion that affect how clean it would reproduce the sound, and you crank up the volume the distortion can be more prominence. Some of the cheaper design amps that have high wattage ratings and sacrifice harmonic distortion that you can?t crank the volume pass 35% rated power with out noticeable distortion.
 
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Thegonagle

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2000
9,773
0
71
Receiver for $256 with free shipping. Panasonic = Technics, but the Technics name is being retired for everything but turntables, AFAIK, leaving the Panasonic name on everything else.

And speakers for $260 + shipping or speakers for $200 + shipping.

I have the JBL-NSP1 set, and I really wish I had tried something from the Fluance line, because I don't care for my speakers that much. They're crisp and clear, but they don't sound right to me. The sound hollow, but not like plastic boom-box hollow. It's hard to explain, but in the end, I mostly feel like I wasted my money, because I want to replace them.

EDIT: You already bought them. Never mind.
 
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mchammer187

Diamond Member
Nov 26, 2000
9,114
0
76
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Pioneer is good if you need to "go cheap" but the JVC should be a nice receiver as well -- I've considered buying it myself since it has more s-video inputs than any other brand in that price range, and I was happy with a JVC I had a few years ago. I'm still trying to decide between it and going luxury to get a Denon 2803 ($800 from authorized resellers).

I'm using a Pioneer now and it's great except for the lack of inputs (0 s-video and only 1 digital input).

So if your budget can handle the JVC, go for it. If you need to save cash get the best Pioneer you can afford (etronics.com has good prices on Pioneer).
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if you are looking for a Denon 2803 I strongly suggest you consider this

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&threadid=1097789&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

awesome IMO
 
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TheeeChosenOne

Banned
Jan 25, 2001
743
0
0
I'm an audiophile and know how you can get pretty extreme value in this area.

For college, this all-in-one receiver has been professionally rated as sonically exceptional:
Sony ALL-IN-ONE

Not only is it a receiver with AM/FM, it ALSO has a built-in DVD/CD/SACD/mp3/CD-R/CD-RW PLAYER capability. I have one of these for the bedroom and they are quite the STEAL in the audio industry among people in the know.
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For speakers, it becomes a little more complicated as there are many options in this area.

The speakers your mentioned are not really that great. You can do MUCH, MUCH better. However, if you want 5.1 speakers, a $200 speaker budget won't give you much. It's better

Ascend Acoustics
(My favorite of the group. Exceptional ratings. Sonic performance that competes well into over the $1k category. Monitors come in 2 sizes)
Axiom Audio
(Also as highly reviewed and competitive as the Ascends. Has a titanium tweeter though--some prefer soft dome tweeters b/c they are less bright. Others like titanium tweets b/c they sound dynamic and live like a concert. I view them as very well balanced. I have a pair.)
Aperion Audio
(Also very good. They have a policy where if you don't like them, they'll PAY for the shipping back! Great customer service. People love their sound and are beautiful to look at)


The sonic performance between these speakers and those JBLs is NIGHT & DAY different! While a 5.1 system with these speakers may be out of your comfort budget, I HIGHLY recommend starting then slowly. Buy 2 fronts, then the center, then the 2 backs. The back speakers, btw, have very little sound coming through them. You will NOT be missing much. The front 3 (2 fronts, center) is where the real action is in HT. For music, it's the front 2 and sub. Regardless, with these speakers you WILL NOT TIRE of them. They are indeed that good!!

For reviews of what people think about them, go to:
Home Theater Forum
AVS Forum

---------------------------------------------
Another great source to buy used equipment is:
Audiogon.com

Used equipment sold by audiophiles on this site is exceptionally well taken care of. They treat their electronics with kid gloves. That is why you can buy a used 2 year old piece of equipment that looks and performs LIKE NEW. It's almost a no-brainer to buy at this site as you're saving literally hundreds/thousands of dollars on practically new equipment which depreciates quickly (like cars) after it leaves the showroom. I've literally saved thousands of dollars for new looking extreme performing equipment. You can find almost anything to fit your budget here.
----------------------------------------------

I hope my advice helps. You can build a system that will destroy ANY Circuit City system for thousands less!! ;)
 
E

Entity

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
10,090
0
0
Originally posted by: TheeeChosenOne
I'm an audiophile and know how you can get pretty extreme value in this area.

For college, this all-in-one receiver has been professionally rated as sonically exceptional:
Sony ALL-IN-ONE

Not only is it a receiver with AM/FM, it ALSO has a built-in DVD/CD/SACD/mp3/CD-R/CD-RW PLAYER capability. I have one of these for the bedroom and they are quite the STEAL in the audio industry among people in the know.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For speakers, it becomes a little more complicated as there are many options in this area.

The speakers your mentioned are not really that great. You can do MUCH, MUCH better. However, if you want 5.1 speakers, a $200 speaker budget won't give you much. It's better

Ascend Acoustics
(My favorite of the group. Exceptional ratings. Sonic performance that competes well into over the $1k category. Monitors come in 2 sizes)
Axiom Audio
(Also as highly reviewed and competitive as the Ascends. Has a titanium tweeter though--some prefer soft dome tweeters b/c they are less bright. Others like titanium tweets b/c they sound dynamic and live like a concert. I view them as very well balanced. I have a pair.)
Aperion Audio
(Also very good. They have a policy where if you don't like them, they'll PAY for the shipping back! Great customer service. People love their sound and are beautiful to look at)


The sonic performance between these speakers and those JBLs is NIGHT & DAY different! While a 5.1 system with these speakers may be out of your comfort budget, I HIGHLY recommend starting then slowly. Buy 2 fronts, then the center, then the 2 backs. The back speakers, btw, have very little sound coming through them. You will NOT be missing much. The front 3 (2 fronts, center) is where the real action is in HT. For music, it's the front 2 and sub. Regardless, with these speakers you WILL NOT TIRE of them. They are indeed that good!!

For reviews of what people think about them, go to:
Home Theater Forum
AVS Forum

---------------------------------------------
Another great source to buy used equipment is:
Audiogon.com

Used equipment sold by audiophiles on this site is exceptionally well taken care of. They treat their electronics with kid gloves. That is why you can buy a used 2 year old piece of equipment that looks and performs LIKE NEW. It's almost a no-brainer to buy at this site as you're saving literally hundreds/thousands of dollars on practically new equipment which depreciates quickly (like cars) after it leaves the showroom. I've literally saved thousands of dollars for new looking extreme performing equipment. You can find almost anything to fit your budget here.
----------------------------------------------

I hope my advice helps. You can build a system that will destroy ANY Circuit City system for thousands less!! ;)
Click to expand...
Question for ya: I'm debating between the Axioms and Dahlquist. I've heard great things about the Axiom speakers (especially the QS8's and M60's), but I'm concerned about the "brightness" and whether it will affect me significantly or not. The best speakers I've ever heard are my uncle's Vienna Acoustics, which sounded amazing in both HT and music -- a 6.1 setup IIRC. I emailed Marc at Audioshop, and he seems to be against the Axiom's now; I'm guessing this has to do with them raising their prices to make it unrealistic for dealers to stock/sell their gear, but I'm not sure. Regardless, any opinions?

Rob
 
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TheeeChosenOne

Banned
Jan 25, 2001
743
0
0
I'm very familiar with the entire Axiom line, up to and including the m80s.

The Axioms are VERY neutral sounding without a hint of brightness.

System matching (i.e. preamp, amp, dac, cd player, cabling) is very important. As is true to Axiom's exceptional sounding nature, if the sonic stream coming to the speaker is "corrupt", the Axioms will show it. It's NOT the fault of Axiom or any speaker of it's ilk, but rather the stream if a person says they are bright.

I have the m22's and they are very nice indeed. To that end, I recommend the Axioms with my highest recommendation.
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.....................Are there better speakers our there? Certainly, but you're going to have to pay a whole lot more for them.

One brand that I think offers extreme value and EXTREME sound EVEN OVER the Axioms at any price-point to price-point level is: Odyssey Audio I don't know if you've ever heard of Odyssey, but their audio electronics reputation is LEGENDARY among cost-no-object audiophiles. The line is a rebadged Symphonic line from Germany. Symphonic costs tens of thousands of dollars in Europe. It is the Rolls Royce of audio. Klaus at Odyssey offers some of these products, rebadged at SUBSTANTIAL savings.

Klaus' new speaker line is EXCEPTIONAL. So much so, that I'm selling my Axiom m-22 for the Epiphony monitors. These monitors simply are another level higher than Ascend and Axiom. If you know what people say about these 2 brands, then hopefully this should give you some understanding of how GOOD the Odyssey brand of speakers are!! I own the Nightingales. I will be adding the monitors and Center channel soon!

Since this speaker line is new, professional reviews are coming out in the coming months. One review from TNT-audio.com put the monitors as the "best monitor under $1k he's heard". VERY TRUE! The whole line trounces so many more elite speakers that I've heard that it's not even funny. The whole line was some of the very best sound I heard at the SF HT/Audio convention a few weeks ago. For the price performance, they are a steal.

I suggest anyone who is looking and is ambitious or enthusiastic about sound to give them a try. There's a money back guarantee, and I've never had any problems dealing with Klaus-a true class act.

I hope this helps. Mark my words, these speakers are going to explode on the scene once the reviews come in. Already early users like myself are giving them extreme raves they deserve..........
 
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Entity

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
10,090
0
0
Lots of info. Much appreciated. :D

Most of what I listen to is CDs through my Denon CD player (forget the model #) and DVDs through my Pansonic RV32 DVD player. I also occasionally listen to CDs through the DVD player (the DAC is higher and they just seem to sound better; could be the digital connection, I'm not sure). It's also used quite a bit for TV through a ReplayTV (5040) and an optical connection there, as well.

All of the speaker cable is 12g Sound King from Parts Express; the interconnects between the components are gold-plated RCA (for the CD player) and generic optical cable for the connections from the DVD and ReplayTV. We also occasionally watch TV without the Replay (when something is recording, etc.) and in situations like that audio is coming through the TV.

Any idea how components like that might affect the sound through the Axioms? ;)

Rob
 
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