Hi-tech-tv.com: Television technology news & answers

Question: How do I turn songs on my computer into ringtones for my blackberry?

Answer 1: It’s actually very easy. Once you create the small files for ringtones – you simply use the BB desktop software to move them to the ringtone folder.

Answer 2: My brother in law pointed me to tuneusin.com – Go there, click ringtones, not ringtone settings, just ringtones. browse through them. They are great funny excellent, and of course crappy at turns. play one, click save and save as a ring tone. Once you have it click it again in your ringtone list and select at ringtone for the phone.

Answer 3: Download audacity – a free sound editing program. Open a song file you might have. You can use audacity to select a loop and crop it. About 10 seconds long. Save that as an MP3.

Connect your blackberry to your computer, open Blackberry desktop software and open the media manager. You can use that to copy the new MP3 ringtone you created to your blackberry’s ‘ringtones’ folder. Now you should be able to use it on blackberry as a ringtone.

Question: I was at a Bose store last weekend and the systems look awesome, but my gut tells me they’re way overpriced at $2K-plus. My in-laws got one from Sam’s Club for about $550 with front and rear speakers (although not true surround sound), a DVD/CD player and a separate receiver that lets you hear what’s being played in another room or outside. I forget what brand it is.

I’m not a Sam’s Club member but I’m looking for something more along the lines of what my in-laws have. Don’t need top of the line, but something that is good for the money and has a receiver for at least one other room in the house.

Any recommendations welcomed – thanks.

Answer 1: AVS Forum.com is the place for all such questions. The forum topic Home Theater in a Box is a great source for information on inexpensive Home Theater sets, such as the Bose system (and yes, they are generally considered overpriced).

In particular, check out the thread on HTIB Alternatives. If you can spend up to $1000 you can put together a simple system (receiver, 5 speakers) from separate components that will far surpass what you will get from a HTIB.

Answer 2: I am very happy with my system that is closer to your in-laws. Bose is way over-priced in general. I have an Onkyo home theater in a box system that I spend about $500 on several years ago. It is great for my needs. You can spend a helluva lot more on higher quality components and speakers, but I’m not exactly an audiophile. I think that the sound and experience from my system is pretty amazing.

Answer 3: I would suggest picking up an Onkyo system. You won’t be disappointed. I got a 7.1 system made by Onkyo that I’m really happy with. It has a lot of bang for the buck. HDMI switching and everything. It has a channel for another room as well. Well under a thousand shipped from amazon.

Answer 4: You can do much better than the Home Theater in a Box or HTIB with a little research on the web and a visit to an Audio Store. The Good Lord gave us all two precision intruments to help us recognize good audio….they’re called Ears.

Get an idea of what you want and what price range you are comfortable with. Then visit an Audio Shop with a Listening Room (not Best Buy/Circuit City). They should be able to punch up any receiver in stock with a variety of speakers. You might want to bring in a CD of your favorite type of music. There’s no law that says you have to buy it there, just listen and say thank you very much.

I have a Denon receiver. It has a feature called 5-channel stereo that can matrix a stereo signal (like FM radio) into a nice 5 channel surround.

Find something that suits your listening tastes and search the web for the best price. Your friendly Audio Store may match the price.

And then don’t look back, because new improved gear is being released every month.

Answer 5: A quick shopping spree to Onecall.com came up with: Onkyo SR606B reciever $379.89 free shipping @ http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=91169

Infinity Primus front/rear/center speakers $398.99 +$34.95 shipping @ http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=34007

Infinity PS10 Subwoofer $169.95 +$44.70 shipping @ http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=20820

Total $1028.48

If you have a higher budget, I suggest some Definitive Technology speakers instead of the Infinity speakers.

Answer 6: Bose Sucks! I have an Onkyo 5.1 reciever for about 6 years now, love it. I have Klipch speakers, with a Velodyne 120 (450 watt) sub. This system still rocks, that sub can shake my entire house! Add the Klipch speakers, which are a very bright speaker, and its a really nice combo. Shop for the Klipch speakers online, or you will pay a high price at the local Best Buy or Circuit City stores. If you want all tyhe information you could ever possibly need or want, go to the Home Theatre Spot.com – This is a true fanatics dream.

Answer 7: I have an Onkyo 705 and 7 Polk speakers. It sounds great in the media room. Bose is terrible. You can do a lot better. Pick a receiver that sounds good to you (they all sound a little different). Some names are Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, and Pioneer Elite. Then the same with speakers (again all speakers sound different). THere are many, many brands. For example some people love the Klipsch, but to me they sounded to bright and grated on me. A reciever will give you all the latest features (HDMI, etc), but if you value sound over features then go for separates (a separate amp and preprocessor). A receiver will say its 120W, but in reality it will be a lot less per channel in normal use. A separate amp will be 120W. The sound from separates will be better, but I really needed the additional features so I went with the received, and to me it sounds good enough.

Question: I’m lost when it comes to my sound system. I do know the sad fact today is most people do not know what good recorded music really sounds like. Back in the sixties and seventies most college students had a decent sound system. I still remember those days and once you listen to a good system it is hard to go back and one is always looking at the upgrade path. For example I really enjoy Radiohead albums because of the depth of musical information that is included in those songs. When I listen to a Radiohead song on the radio, it’s just a song. When the same song is played on a decent stereo system, I find there is so much more detail to the recording – just amazing. Same goes for some classical recordings.

So anyway, I need advice on a decent sound system. I have to get me a decent turntable because I still have a bunch of old albums in storage, but its been sometime since I have been able to listen to them. And I’ll need headphones too. Any suggestions?

Answer #1: I loved the B & W 802s and 800. I almost purchased the 802 speakers with McIntosh amp, preamp, and CD player. I actually decided, however, on the Bang and Olufsen Beolab 5 speakers and Beosound 9000 CD player. The sound was as good as the B and Ws, albeit more expensive, but the system integrates beautifully into my house (which made the wife happy as well). Can’t go wrong with B & W, though.

Answer #2: For the TV I have a Paradigm system. For my music I have a 70’s SONY amp that wont give up. It cranks. And I will have it rebuilt when it craps out on me (tubes). Its a work horse and still sounds amazing. I have JBL Studio speakers and my headphones are old school SONY as well.I have been looking for new headphones and cant find anything to replace the ones I have.They are still perfect. Most of the time I listen to music in headphones.

Answer #3: I always put an emphasis on speakers, thus neglecting headphones. There is a German company (Sennheiser) that apparently makes great headphones but I cannot give you a recommendation.

Answer #4: Grado is also a big name in headphones. Check out the forums on audiogon and also the classifieds as you can get a high end used set for a bit cheaper then if it was new.

Answer #5: I can recommend a German brand “Thorens” which makes great turntables. But I’m sure there are still tons of specialized manufacturers out there.

This continues the earlier stereo equipment post: I just listened to some Martin Logan’s that were about 6 foot tall relationship killers. What sound system can I buy and still keep my wife?

Answer 1: The Martin Logans Aries that I have are considered the entry level. I’m betting you probably listened to the big brother models. The Aries have a typical footprint and stand about 4′ tall. I hear the Aries II which replaced the Aries awhile ago are very popular in used equipment. I bought mine new, but the next pair I buy will likely be a used pair of the Aries II.

Answer #2: Try to select a good combination of equipment. Not many people in the U.S. now go for top-quality sound equipment any longer. Most people are using mini sound equipment that in no way reproduces “real” music. My system: Cary (tube) V12 (sweet, sweet, triode sound) amplifier. Audible Illusions Modulus 3A (Tube) preamp. Esoteric CD player (high res), Infinity Prelude speakers (nice), but I am just about to purchase the new Quad Electrostatics.

Answer #3: The Brits, French, Italians and Germans make some really nice stereo equipment. With the Euro against the Dollar makes the above more expensive for us now. I like Dynaudio Contours. Most of the best equipment you can buy, no one in the U.S. has heard of.

Answer #4: I had to buy a receiver/amp when my Yamaha finally started having problems (after many years of abuse.) The Yamaha was great while it lasted, but the Denon was an upgrade. I think mid-level audio equipment is currently well beyond a lot of the high end stuff from 25 years ago.
Speaking of high-end amps, my buddy is part of the two-man team who are making the Moscode amps. While more than a little pricey for me, they’re truly great amps.

When I went to check out a replacement, they had several different speaker sets so you could hear the amp through something similar to your own. When I heard the Jamo speakers, I had to have them-great sound for a few hundred bucks. My next acquisition may be a high end player-the one I have is fine, but it’s fairly obsolete.

Answer #5: B&W & Rotel because you just can’t go wrong with either brand. The new Diamond Series is the best series of loudspeakers ever made. Classe (sister company to B&W) is some of the finest electronics available. I am an audiophile that happens to work in the AV industry (for B&W if you couldn’t tell).

Answer #6: I have a Yamaha that works fine but I’m thinking of upgrading for HDMI switching. Not sure yet. I have NHT speakers.

Hifi thread: What’s your stereo equipment? I’d love to have a Linn amp but financially that’s out of the question. So I bought an NAD C352 amp and an NAD C542 CD player. Both very solid, a big upgrade over the Sony equipment I used to have. For speakers, I tested several B&W models, also Dynaudio Contour models but finally settled on a pair of BC Acoustiques… great speakers, equipped with a mighty fine horn tweeter. Nothing beats good stereo equipment!

Answer #1: Agreed. B&W Nautilus 803, Rotel Preamp/Processor (RSP-1098), Rotel amplifier (RMB-1095)

Answer #2: I know a lot of people who have a Rotel and B&W combination. Seems to work well together. I love the electro static panel speakers myself. I have Rotel amp and preamp tuner with Martin Logan Aries speakers. Love the speakers, would never go back.

Answer #3: my system is a Sony 34 inch wide screen HD tv directv HD Samsung receiver Sony dts receiver sony 200 disc cd/dvd changer Cerwin Vega tower speakers and surround system. The Cerwins sound just as good to me as more expensive models. I cant tell a difference and the prices for all these were great at the Rex tv/appliance store I buy from.

Answer #4: Jamo speakers with Denon amp. I went from Klipsch to Paradigm to Jamo speakers over the last 20 years.

Answer #5: I have Rotel integrated amp with B&W and it sounds sweet, although not as good as some of the stereophile equipment being mentioned here.

Answer #6: I was able to listen to some used Martin Logans at my local hifi store… awesome sound. But the speakers were just too damn big for our living room.

Answer #6: I thought about Rotel but eventually I liked the sound of the NAD amp a little better. The B&W I tested didn’t sound that great with the NAD eqipment so I started looking for a different maufacturer. The BC Acoustiqes (Act A2) are from a relatively unkown French company. Extremely well built (about 85 lbs per speaker) with a very defined, harmonic sound. They worked extremely well with the NADs.

Answer #7: Main system is Arcam Alpha 8 amp, Arcam Alpha MCD changer, Cambridge Audio T500 tuner, Paradigm Reference Studio 20 speakers.

Second system: Cambridge Audio A300 Amp, Cambridge Audio D500 CD player, Axiom Millenia M50 Ti speakers.

Third: Arcam Alpha 1 amp, Rotel RCC-945 changer, Yamaha T-1020 tuner, Paradigm Atom speakers.

My living room has an open, cathedral ceiling so running wires down the wall isn’t a possibility. I’m going to be laying down a new Pergo floor, and thought about running wires under the underlayment to each wall and up, but I’m not sure if that’s such a hot idea. My wife is adamant about not seeing wires and doesn’t like speaker stands. I looked into wireless speakers (for the rear channels), but the reviews on those are mixed. Any ideas?

Answer #1: Run the wires through the walls dude. Don’t put the wires under the pergo. If you can’t run them through the wall, go with wireless, I guess.

Answer #2: Easy – There will be a 1/4 gap between the pergo and the drywall, plus the drywall should stop 1/4 inch or so above the sub floor. This is for expansion/contraction of the wood and to keep the drywall dry. It will be covered up by quarter rounds or some other small moulding. Have the Pergo installed, then run your wires through this convenient channel.
Then have the floor people install the quarter rounds which covers up the gaps at the wall, and you speaker wires. Good Luck!!

Answer #3: Don’t know what your transitions are like but if you go from pergo to another floor, there will be a transition strip you can run the wires under. If the Pergo goes to another room and you want to cross the threshold, the you might have to go into the wall. However, if there is a door, remove the door molding (which you will have to do because the molding has to run down to precisely meet the top of the pergo), and run the wires behind the molding (outside the door jam) up and around the door to the other side. If there is just a drywall opening, you’d have to fish the wires through the wall up (easy) and over top (hard) of the opening. That is not so easy.

If that is the case, I would go down into the basement, across the door area, then back up again. I have my entire house wired in this way. Of course it is best if you run them through the walls before the drywall is in, but with the drywall in, a professional is going to cost you serious money.

Answer #4: I also have a exterior doorway (slider to patio) and yes, run it right under. Just make sure to weatherproof it with RTV (silicone) or something equivalent. Make sure your wires are heavy enough to handle the long runs, too.