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

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.