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Just wanted to add my $0.02 to the discussion here, as for a while I was really obsessed with finding good audio. I eventually settled on Orb Audio. I got the Mod2 system w/preamp since I use it for movies as well as music, and my god - what good sound. If you want a really sexy looking speaker with great audio, I don't think you could do better. The imaging of the speakers is really stellar - I have never needed a center channel for movies. For music, they are crystal clear. For the basic system, $300 is an amazing price considering you get an amp - if you have a small room, the Mod1 is probably fine for music and movies, though I notice a *bit* more detail/range and punch in the sound with the Mod2's (and you definitely want their sub if you are watching movies). The speakers are modular and the orbs hook up in series - so when I get a receiver some day I can turn my two Mod2's into 4 Mod1's in about two minutes, and all of a sudden I have a set of surrounds. The best thing about the company, I think, is that they only sell direct... so there is no middle-man price jacking. They are also a small company, so when you email for support they are not only prompt, but you could be speaking directly to the president or the engineer that designed the speakers - they all take turns fielding phone calls/email. Everything is made by hand in the USA, too, which really shows... I have the polished steel ones with polished steel stands, and it has all the nice imperfections that only a human hand can leave (like where the sharp edges have been eased by a grinder). I really don't want to sound like a salesman, but the speakers are really great and I have nothing but good things to say about dealing with the company. Not to mention the fact that the speakers really changed the way I listen to music - even now, nearly a year after first buying them, I sit down with a CD and just *listen*... and I'm still hearing nuance and detail that I didn't know was there. If anyone in Toronto is thinking about getting them, shoot me a PM if you want to have a listen.
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Jun 29, 2011 04:11
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Corbet posted:How big of a jump in quality/clarity do you get when you decide to get Floorstanding speakers over Bookshelf Speakers? Are higher end Bookshelf speakers (Aperion Audio Intimus 5B for $225 each) better than lower end Floorstanding speakers (in the $200-$250 each range)? As a very general rule of thumb, think of it this way: the larger the speaker cone and cabinet, the more dynamic range you will get. So tower vs. bookshelf depends on the design and what cone size they are using, not to mention the quality of the components/magnets. Your tower speaker might just be a cheaper set of bookshelf components in a floor-standing box, but you will still notice a bit more range/bass because of the size of the box. All that being said, in most cases you need a sub to compliment bookshelf speakers but towers can sometimes be good enough on their own (as for ones in the $500 range, I can't say for certain). So if you only have $500, and you want 2.0 instead of 2.1, see if you can listen to a set of tower speakers in-store somewhere, in your price range... if they sound fine to you, go for it. Listen to bookshelf speakers as well, but I doubt you will find anything in your range that is good without a sub. FWIW: while I have a set of really nice speakers in my room where I spend most of my time, when I just want to watch a downloaded TV show, I have a set of $100 altec lansing 2.1 computer speakers hooked up to my plasma TV. There's no comparison with the Orb speakers (which i cart to the living room when needed), but unless I have a blu-ray that I want to really enjoy, they do a great job for really cheap 
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Jun 29, 2011 04:49
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28_days posted:Are RCA inputs and outputs the same? I have a TC-P42G15. I have an RCA Audio-Out which I have used (works great), but since I don't have RCA video cords I can't check what you're asking. But here's the issue I see: even if it were to work, the input/output of an RCA jack is component-specific. So if you're watching TV and you plugged your speakers into Component-In #2, you're only going to get sound from whatever Component-In 2 is supplying. And if you have your output plugged into it, where's the input coming from to give you the sound information? I think your guy is confused - yes, the hookup itself is identical just like a 1/8" in/out is identical, and an RCA cord isn't directional, but the IC behind it is doing different things which determines how you can/can't use it. Ask him to prove it, if he's so insistent. EDIT: and maybe try one of these? but read the "caution" reviews to make sure it will work for you Guitarchitect fucked around with this message at 16:19 on Sep 20, 2011 |
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Sep 20, 2011 16:12
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jonathan posted:Well, for a dedicated home theatre room it doesn't really matter. Basically it will be a room with no windows, some theatre seating on risers, some pot lights that dim. Speakers at the perimeter of the room, big retractable screen at the front, and some movie related posters and acoustic treatments. for my own home theater i want to get movie posters screen-printed onto acoustic fabric!
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Sep 22, 2011 21:08
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Has anyone tried out the Marantz NR1403? It looks like a sexy little beast. I live in an apartment with a fairly small living room (and neighbors above/below), so I'm not really setting up for a proper home theater. I have Orb Audio Mod2 speakers which I really love, and I'm considering upgrading to the Oppo BDP103 since I can get a $225 credit (and 13% sales tax waived) if I bring in my BDP83 to the store. Might as well pick up a receiver while I'm at it - I'm noticing that I would benefit from a center channel on my 2.1 setup because the dialogue almost always seems hard to hear... I currently have a T-Amp with the sub in passive mode, and it always gets lost in the mix. Will that work or is it just a function of the way audio gets compressed in AVI or MKV files and I'm destined to constantly ride the volume up and down?
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Nov 10, 2012 22:58
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Listerine posted:By the way, how do you like the picture from this? I've been using PS3 for blu-ray since at the time it was the best player- do you think I'd see a difference in video quality with one? FWIW, I have a BDP-83 and I have noticed a big difference in picture quality over other means of viewing things - not just DVD, but also AVI files! It upconverts everything really well - most regular MP4 files are visually excellent, not even a hint of distinguishable pixels... when I maximize the same file on my PC to 1920x1080, it looks like garbage. I haven't done a back/forth test of a laptop with it though, which is something I will have to do before investing in a HTPC. I just wish it could upconvert the sound, too  In other news, I picked up a Marantz NR1403 today after they went on sale. It's AMAZING. All the flatness of the sound has gone away - I was just using my speakers (2 Orb Mod2's) with a sub on crossover, which meant loud stuff was crazy loud and dialogue was hard to hear. Now everything is adjusted dynamically and the details in the background pop, loud sounds aren't crazy-loud, and I never have to crank the volume to hear what people are saying. I wish I had done it sooner...
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Jul 14, 2013 03:08
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I should have checked here before pulling the trigger (thank god for return policies...) Whole-home audio. Basically, what started off as "I need a new alarm clock" became "What alarm clock has the best sound" which became "I might as well get good speakers for the bedroom" which then became "I'd like music in the kitchen too..." So now I'm down the rabbit hole. Today I bought a Sonos Bridge and Play 1 - and so far, wow! The controller software does a heck of a lot and it was quick and simple to set up... and it sounds great. The problem: It's its own proprietary wireless network - if I want to play music through my A/V receiver (Marantz 1403), I need a Sonos Connect ($350) - might as well finally build that HTPC I've wanted for a while now. If I want music out of my computer to be the same as what's on the other speakers (um, yes), I need to upgrade to the $400 Play3 that has a Line In (the Play 1 doesn't). I was able to create a ShoutCAST station via winamp and get it synced up, but after 45 mins it was off and it's tough to keep it in sync. So - not an option So all of this has led to to think - is a better solution some AirPlay speakers (or an airport express with regular speakers...), as well as upgrading to an AirPlay-capable receiver? And with that option, would I need to do everything via my computer or could it be controlled by Apps? Does anyone have experience with this kinda thing? I don't even know where to start - the Sonos sounds great, but for the $300 it cost it feels a bit limited.
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Apr 19, 2014 23:56
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In case anyone cares: I ended up getting two Pioneer A4's while they were on sale (they're being discontinued - $150 CAD at Future Shop, on sale). With iTunes, AirPlay, and Retune, I get perfectly synced whole-house audio with my Samsung Galaxy Nexus for a remote. So much easier/better/cheaper than Sonos, and the sound on the A4's is amazing - the only thing they're missing is the ability to stereo-pair two of them in a single room. Oh well!
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Apr 24, 2014 03:06
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MeKeV posted:I'm really interested, particularly with the A1 being super cheap, and the A3 having a battery & being splash proof. Seems like a system I could be tempted by. Assuming you're a PC user like me, I think you're probably better off using Airfoil or Tuneblade to use Airplay for syncing. The whole Airplay protocol has a 2s latency built into it to more or less guarantee perfect sync between rooms - DLNA is more of a DIY affair from what I found, and it didn't work. At All. But my only experience was trying to sync in Jriver Media Center (which is crazy-powerful, like giving every zone its own separate playlist) - you could dial in the sync with enough frustration, but when the track changes it won't necessarily stay. It's only an issue for me because my zones overlap, so I do want perfect sync. The nice thing about Airfoil or Tuneblade is that it'll send any or all audio over Airplay - including your web browser or video player. The only problem is the 2s latency... not sure if there's a PC solution for that. All of that being said, if the A1 or A3 comes with a remote, it's actually really handy to use iTunes - the remote can control track skipping and play/pause, for those times your phone isn't around. And with Retune for Android, you get instantaneous control of your whole iTunes library from your device (including full volume and on/off control for your Airplay devices). It's identical to the function of the Sonos system, in the end. I was hoping I could do away with iTunes, but after seeing how well it all works I'm (gasp!) happy to keep it since the speakers are designed to work with it. Never thought I'd say I'm happy to stick with iTunes... I will probably even upgrade my receiver to something Airplay compatible. EDIT: I missed the question about individual music per speaker... On my android phone I just used AirAudio to Airplay a second stream (from "Play Music" app) to one of the speakers. It works fine but when I started the second stream, it disconnected the other AirPlay speaker. After I re-connected it in iTunes the two A4's were playing different music, both controllable from my phone. Guitarchitect fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Apr 25, 2014 |
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Apr 25, 2014 00:23
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Laserface posted:I have the marantz 1504 posted above and it's pretty fantastic. I bought it due to size and haven't had any regrets. out of curiosity - can you hook a PC up to the HDMI at the back and have everything work fine? I have the 1403 and the sync speed is wrong for the ports at the back, for a PC - so you have to go through the front HDMI unless you don't mind your video + audio being off. This is a bit of an ugly nuisance. I'm looking to upgrade to an AirPlay receiver but Marantz never got back to me when I asked them the question
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May 4, 2014 13:14
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Laserface posted:I may have a 1402, I'm not sure and I'm not near it to check. I wouldn't expect that the 1402 would be an upgrade from the 1403... did you buy it this year? The 1402 would be 2-3 years old
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May 5, 2014 03:23
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