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Hamelekim posted:I just discovered a flat wire tape that you can put on your wall to transfer the power to speakers without having exposed wires. You can even paint over it to hide it on your wall so you don't have wiring all over the ground. I used this when we were remodeling our living room. We went down to the subfloor, so after painting I ran homeruns from behind the receiver to where the speakers would be placed, cut a small hole in the wall, used the adapters to convert it to a normal wire, and then installed a jack in the wall to connect the speakers to. It worked fine. I don't actually have surrounds installed right now, but I tested everything after we put down flooring and it was fine.
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Jan 23, 2020 23:45
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Huh, they've doubled up copper tape for an induction hearing loop and made it paintable. Clever.
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Jan 24, 2020 01:13
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that stuff isn't cheap, but almost cheap enough to make me think "gently caress it why not ?"
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Jan 24, 2020 05:24
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My center channel came today. I ended up getting a Klipsch RP-440C (for some reason the cherry one was like $100 less than the other colors). There were some other options I might have preferred (I was also looking at stuff like the Emotiva C1 or the Elac Debut 2.0 center), but they were too tall to fit in my TV shelf and figured I at least couldn't go wrong with Klipsch even if it might be a little more expensive. It is fortunately very good and powerful. Most importantly, it is good enough that it doesn't sound mismatched with my awesome L/R speakers. Speech sounds very crisp and clear and it can put out some surprisingly strong bass. edit: Today I busted my rear end installing two of my four speaker wall mounts. It was a huge pain because my electric driller couldn't fully do the job, so I had to manually put the screws into the wall. They look really nice and the mounts are cool, though. It's neat how I can just freely tilt and move them. Tomorrow I'll try and wire the two speakers I have mounted and also install the other two mounts. I think these two are in the closest to an ideal position as is possible, but I'm a bit iffier on where to put the other two. Probably going to end up going with parallel to each other directly behind me, since my current two surrounds are sorta in the front two corners of the room and I need something making sound behind me. edit2: I finished getting two of my surround speakers hooked up, so I officially have a sort of 5.1 system now (soon to be a more proper 7.1 thing). This is so cool! Everything sounds so much "fuller." I'm playing Judgement on the PS4 and the city sounds from the game sound like they're coming from outside my room. I can't wait to get the rear ones hooked up as well. edit3 (since I don't want to double post): I'm trying to decide where to put my remaining 2 speakers, and in particularly trying to figure out whether 7.1 or 5.1.2 makes more sense. This picture roughly represents the current set-up and where I'm considering putting the remaining 2 speakers (subwoofer not shown):  The top angled ones are a couple feet above listening position and angled down, and the circle in the middle is roughly the listening position. For the rear ones I'm considering either having them parallel a little above listening height directly behind seating position (marked as "1"), or close to the ceiling and angled down nearer to the back corners (marked as "2"). Unfortunately the optimal "directly to the left and right of where I'm usually seated" positions are not feasible currently. In the future I might go crazy and put things on/near the ceiling in those positions, but for now it's not doable. Ytlaya fucked around with this message at 19:59 on Jan 27, 2020 |
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Jan 25, 2020 06:30
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I feel like this is a really dumb question but neither the product manuals nor Google are doing me any favors. So: We are looking at replacing our current receiver+bookshelf setup with a simple soundbar (current thought is a Yamaha YAS-109). Problem is our 2012-vintage TV has no ARC or optical output. I'd rather wait to upgrade the TV until we move later this year. If I plug an HDMI switch into the HDMI input on the soundbar and all of my AV devices into the switch, will the sound bar "intercept" the sound on the HDMI input or does it depend on ARC from the TV? Do I need to get an HDMI switch with an optical output? The manual makes it sound like the HDMI input is just passthrough but really doesn't address my use case directly. Second question: if I have to use an optical cable, will a switch that supports "up to 5.1 channel Dolby Digital and DTS Audio" on the SPDIF output work with features like DTS Virtual X?
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Jan 28, 2020 18:26
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Discussion Quorum posted:I feel like this is a really dumb question but neither the product manuals nor Google are doing me any favors. So: It will intercept sound on the input sides. It cannot get sound the TV generates itself like if you run Netflix from the TV itself.
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Jan 28, 2020 20:37
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Because I’m confused: will any receiver I buy this year be able to switch 4K/120hz HDMI?
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Jan 30, 2020 23:47
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Residency Evil posted:Because I’m confused: will any receiver I buy this year be able to switch 4K/120hz HDMI? Not if it doesn't say it on the spec sheet.
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Jan 31, 2020 01:03
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Residency Evil posted:Because I’m confused: will any receiver I buy this year be able to switch 4K/120hz HDMI? Maybe. No 2020 receivers have been announced officially, some Yamahas leaked at CES but they probably don’t have full 48gbps support and I’d guess they are betting on overbuilt hardware with later updates. I understand the final test suite was only published a few months ago.
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Jan 31, 2020 01:10
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H110Hawk posted:Not if it doesn't say it on the spec sheet. qirex posted:Maybe. Awesome. Follow up question: if I’m not a huge vidya gamer, will there be any 4K/120hz content in the next 5 years?
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Jan 31, 2020 15:25
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Some? Yes. More than a small amount? No.
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Feb 1, 2020 00:09
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120hz is meaningless for anything but sports and video games.
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Feb 1, 2020 00:12
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It's not really meaningless but the difference is certainly less than 30->60Hz.
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Feb 1, 2020 00:15
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On my PC I can only notice the difference between 120 and 60 in games if I quickly switch back and forth between the two modes on my monitor. I'm pretty confident the upcoming generation of game consoles will almost never hit 120fps. This gen was supposed to be the era of 1080p/60fps but devs chose ~30fps plus fancier effects almost every time.
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Feb 1, 2020 02:03
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Even in card games I can tell the effects and motion are smoother. e: I wouldn't spend any extra for a television at 120hz until some content starts coming out, cinema has had a hard enough time moving on from 30hz e2: and I think I slightly misread Hamelekim's post and am saying the same thing as them taqueso fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Feb 1, 2020 |
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Feb 1, 2020 06:44
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Starting a new home theater. I'm probably going to just do the front 3 channels. I don't care much about surround, and our seating is against a wall so I don't think it would work well anyway. Saw this at Costco the other night. Is this a good start?  Here's what the specs say about wattage. I have no idea what all this means. https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/av_receivers_amps/tsr-7850/specs.html#product-tabs *Rated Output Power (1kHz, 2ch driven) - 110 W (8 ohms, 0.9% THD) *Rated Output Power (20Hz-20kHz, 2ch driven) - 95 W (8 ohms, 0.06% THD) *Maximum Effective Output Power (1kHz, 1ch driven) (JEITA) - 160 W (8 ohms, 10% THD) *Dynamic Power / Ch (Front L/R, 8/6/4/2 ohms) - 130 / 170 / 195 / 240 W What should I look for in speakers?
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Feb 1, 2020 20:45
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Han Nehi posted:Starting a new home theater. I'm probably going to just do the front 3 channels. I don't care much about surround, and our seating is against a wall so I don't think it would work well anyway. What are your use cases and budget for speakers? That makes all the difference. I went with Klipsch center and towers for my front. Good for music and movies/games. I got the higher end ones with good low end without a subwoofer for the time being. But you could even do bookshelf speakers with a sub depending on your space.
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Feb 1, 2020 21:34
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That's a decent receiver. 95 WPC for the front speakers (the most used) is decent, and it has YPAO room correction. I'm very happy with my Monitor Audio Bronze 2s on a similarly-powered Denon receiver. There's a matching center channel, and you can go with the Bronze 6s if you want floorstanding speakers. Good solid all-round balanced sound with good bass extension. Alternatively, if JBL has the Studio 530s on sale, those are amazing value for money. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Feb 1, 2020 |
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Feb 1, 2020 21:41
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KozmoNaut posted:That's a decent receiver. 95 WPC for the front speakers (the most used) is decent, and it has YPAO room correction. He could also go 2.1 and get a 2.1 receiver and buy some nicer tower speakers that image well. I have some KEF LS50W speakers on my desktop and they have an amazing image. All the sound is centered on my monitor, which wasn't always the case depending on the speaker. Some image better than others. For a 2.1 setup you want good imaging, or be able to toe in the speakers to center the image. Or sit far enough back from them.
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Feb 1, 2020 21:57
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Hamelekim posted:He could also go 2.1 and get a 2.1 receiver and buy some nicer tower speakers that image well. He can do that with the Yamaha just fine. No reason to seek out a relatively rare 2.1 receiver when a 7.1 etc. one will do fine at a decent price. Monitor Audio make good speakers, you can't go wrong with them.
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Feb 1, 2020 22:40
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Hamelekim posted:What are your use cases and budget for speakers? That makes all the difference. 90% movies & TV, 10% games. Music, probably never. The room is a theater + exercise room. I budgeted $1200 for the sound system including receiver, but I can spend more if I need to. The Monitor Audios look nice but I really like the style of the JBL Studio 530s. I'd probably do the Monitor Audio if I go with floor-standing speakers. I think what I need is 3.1. I'm pretty sure I need the separate center channel. Having that helps with hearing voices clearly, doesn't it? For the subwoofer, is it best to buy the same brand as the other speakers? Also does having carpet vs hard floors make much of a difference? The room has hard floors right now. Last question - any thoughts on buying floor-standing speakers vs bookshelf speakers + stands? Is this just an aesthetic decision? I don't have any shelves or anything I could set them on. Our TV is 82" and it's about as wide as the electric fireplace console thing underneath it, so there's no space there. Sorry to hit you all with so many questions. It's been over 20 years since I bought real stereo equipment.
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Feb 2, 2020 03:57
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I have a TCL 55" tv. It's great but the sound is muddy and indistinct. I live in an apartment (so a subwoofer is not actually great) and don't want to spend a ton, but what would be a nice way to add better-sounding audio for music and games? Soundbar form factor would be ideal though I know they aren't great as speakers go.
Vivian Darkbloom fucked around with this message at 09:02 on Feb 2, 2020 |
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Feb 2, 2020 08:43
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Han Nehi posted:90% movies & TV, 10% games. Music, probably never. The room is a theater + exercise room. I budgeted $1200 for the sound system including receiver, but I can spend more if I need to. You will switch out your receiver when new tech comes out, 8k support, streaming and so on, but you can keep good speakers a long time. So spend accordingly in regards to budget. Hardwood will cause more reflections of sound waves, so that can be an issue. An area rug can help with that if it is an issue in your room. Floor standing speakers will have better low end than bookshelf, you could go without a subwoofer in some cases, where as you will need one for low end with bookshelf speakers.
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Feb 2, 2020 09:32
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Preface: I knew nothing about home audio setups until maybe a year ago, and still know just about nothing. From a coworker, I got a killer deal on a Bose SoundTouch 300 soundbar, Bose Base Module 700, and Bose Surround Speakers (wireless). The whole setup is MSRP >$1,000 but I got it for $600 all-in. I've had them for about a year, and been generally pretty happy with it, but I also don't know anything different. However, I've been working more on turning my media room into a "theater", including total window blackout curtains, painting all the walls a dark color, swapping from a couch to recliners, etc. And now, I'm wondering if I should be looking at upgrading to actual speakers and a receiver. I've never owned a receiver before. All of my stuff is just plugged into my LG TV, which then has ARC out to the soundbar. What would the cost be to build a system to beat this setup? Am I looking at $1,000 before I'd see a return, or lower/higher? I'm thinking I could probably get a few hundred dollars out of the Bose setup by selling it, and then kick in another few hundred, and see where that gets me. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm spending $1,000 just to get back to where I was, or if I could make some serious improvements. One of the reasons I like the Bose setup is that it's pretty minimal on footprint (soundbar beneath TV, sub in a corner, wireless surrounds on wall tables) if I ever want to move stuff around (bring a couch back in for a party or something). Most of my media viewing is for movies (maybe 50%), live sports (30%), and tv shows/streaming (20%). I usually don't listen to pure music/audio in this room. Thanks for any help or input!
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Feb 2, 2020 10:09
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Han Nehi posted:The Monitor Audios look nice but I really like the style of the JBL Studio 530s. I'd probably do the Monitor Audio if I go with floor-standing speakers. The JBLs also come as floorstanders, the 570 and 590 models. JBL change around their sales often, so you can sometimes get a screaming deal on those, too. quote:I think what I need is 3.1. I'm pretty sure I need the separate center channel. Having that helps with hearing voices clearly, doesn't it? For the subwoofer, is it best to buy the same brand as the other speakers? A center channel can help, on some content more than other. It depends on how the mix is. A center channel should match your front speakers in sound signature, so ideally use the same model speaker, or a center speaker from the same series. For subwoofers, don't worry about matching the brand, there's no tonality to match at those frequencies. If you want a sub, get something good like an SVS. quote:Also does having carpet vs hard floors make much of a difference? The room has hard floors right now. It does make a difference, but also depends on other factors like the ceiling height, materials and so on. Most speaker designs try to limit vertical dispersion anyway. As long as not every surface is hard, and you've got some furniture in there, it'll probably be fine. quote:Last question - any thoughts on buying floor-standing speakers vs bookshelf speakers + stands? Is this just an aesthetic decision? I don't have any shelves or anything I could set them on. Our TV is 82" and it's about as wide as the electric fireplace console thing underneath it, so there's no space there. In that case, you would have to put the bookshelf speakers on stands, and then you might as well buy some floorstanders instead. They'll have better low frequency response and take up the exact same amount of space.
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Feb 2, 2020 10:54
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:I have a TCL 55" tv. It's great but the sound is muddy and indistinct. I live in an apartment (so a subwoofer is not actually great) and don't want to spend a ton, but what would be a nice way to add better-sounding audio for music and games? Soundbar form factor would be ideal though I know they aren't great as speakers go. Soundbars are fine if you aren't looking for home theater type sound. I personally recommend the vizio soundbars with the wireless subs. The sub isn't powerful enough that you have to worry about it bothering the neighbors (unless you turn it way up or listen at crazy volumes) and it helps fill out the bottom end. The Vizio SB3821 in particular is one that I like for the price. Amazon frequently has it refurbished as well for a significant discount - they're hit or miss, but if they're miss, they'll be DOA in my experience, so you can easily exchange it.
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Feb 2, 2020 14:13
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madsushi posted:Preface: I knew nothing about home audio setups until maybe a year ago, and still know just about nothing. Hm, from what I can tell the main problem is that the subwoofer and surround speakers connect to the soundbar, so (if I'm understanding things correctly) you'll need to actually get a receiver to hook up normal speakers and can't just replace individual components of your set-up (so you are basically forced to replace everything). I think you could still significantly upgrade that for under $1k, though. You could get a receiver + a good pair of bookshelf (or tower) speakers + a center channel for less than $1000, and you could always put off replacing the subwoofer/surround speakers for later (though you could probably also fit them in the $1000 budget honestly). I haven't heard that specific soundbar, but in my experience a decent pair of "normal" speakers sounds dramatically better. Some good brands are mentioned earlier in this thread. The footprint situation you mention is probably the biggest problem. I guess it comes down to how much you care about sound quality versus the convenience of having a low footprint, since obviously a receiver + speakers + center are going to be taking up a lot more space than a soundbar (but you can get a LOT more bang for your buck with regular speakers). Han Nehi posted:Starting a new home theater. I'm probably going to just do the front 3 channels. I don't care much about surround, and our seating is against a wall so I don't think it would work well anyway. I have the TSR-7810 and like it a lot, though in my case the main specific use I get out of it is the full set of pre-outs, which I don't think come on the 7850 (though the 7850 I believe has a few more HDMI ports?). Hamelekim posted:120hz is meaningless for anything but sports and video games. People always talk about 4k not being noticeable in terms of resolution but 120hz being noticeable in terms of refresh rate, and I feel the complete opposite. 4k is extremely noticeable (if the context is actually in 4k), especially if you're sitting close-ish to the TV, but I can barely notice 60hz ->120hz. It's the sort of thing where I can tell there's some difference with an A/B test, but I'm not sure if I'd actually be able to correctly identify which one is 120hz if I didn't know. Ytlaya fucked around with this message at 20:08 on Feb 2, 2020 |
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Feb 2, 2020 19:43
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One thing I remember being absolutely annoying with my receiver is fiddling with the settings to get the 'right' sound output. Like I'd be 10 minutes into a game and realize "oh poo poo the surround isnt working" and then it's another 5 minutes of going through the different modes to find one that works. Like why didn't Direct/Through just take care of that. 
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Feb 2, 2020 20:07
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FilthyImp posted:One thing I remember being absolutely annoying with my receiver is fiddling with the settings to get the 'right' sound output. I usually have this issue when doing PC stuff, since I constantly need to switch depending on whether things are encoded in surround, plus having to deal with both my PC and receiver potentially messing with things. For stuff directly connected to the receiver (like the PS4 or 4k Bluray player) it's usually pretty straight-forward, though.
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Feb 2, 2020 20:10
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shortspecialbus posted:Soundbars are fine if you aren't looking for home theater type sound. I personally recommend the vizio soundbars with the wireless subs. The sub isn't powerful enough that you have to worry about it bothering the neighbors (unless you turn it way up or listen at crazy volumes) and it helps fill out the bottom end. I agree with this. It'll be way better than the TV's speakers and unless you're really into audio you'll be more than satisfied with one of those Vizios.
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Feb 2, 2020 20:27
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I got some Beolab 8000s a few months back (after a bit of discussion in here - thanks) and they are awesome. That was for a holiday home and I need to get something for my main place, I'd get some more 8000s but my girlfriend really wants smaller speakers there. Are Beolab 3s any good? I was going to get a small amp and little bookshelf speakers but the active speaker thing seems pretty great, and the 3s seem affordable. Use case is watching movies and electronic music, but not like really bassy or having parties or anything. Only thing is the room isn't that small so if they're at all tinny it will sound like rear end. Fake edit: here's a pic from a few weeks ago, the speakers will go either side of the TV on that media unit where the crappy mini system ones are at the moment. 
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Feb 14, 2020 11:10
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They're great little speakers but that's the issue, they're little. They sound lovely but run out of steam at a decent volume with regards to bass, they only have a little 4" or so bass driver with a couple of passive radiators, the cabinet itself is packed full of electronics so there's not much volume in there for the driver/radiators to work with. If that's literally the size of the room then they'll be great but I've seen people put them in larger rooms and they just get lost. In that room you can pop them on the rad little rubber rings and they look pretty sweet. Personally if I had the choice of another sets of 8000s and the 3s I'd pick the 8000s every time, particularly if they're the same sort of money. I'm not quite sure why your girl takes issue with them, they're 'big' speakers but they're probably the least intrusive looking ones on the market and in chrome with a sympathetic fret colour kinda just disappear into a room. I'd definitely try and listen to some 3s first if I were you, they're definitely not 8000s in terms of performance.
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Feb 14, 2020 17:07
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Olympic Mathlete posted:Personally if I had the choice of another sets of 8000s and the 3s I'd pick the 8000s every time, Hmm yeah maybe some 8000s with wooden frets would be less imposing. The room extends behind where I took the photo about the same amount. Backup option is something like B&W 707s and maybe a NAD Amp1 as there isn't much room for a full size amp. Or something else small with a couple of optical inputs.
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Feb 15, 2020 11:35
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There's hundreds of good small bookshelf speakers, some even look kind of nice.
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Feb 15, 2020 17:57
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There are also millions of new girlfriends.
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Feb 15, 2020 18:51
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Goddamn those Beolab 8000s look loving gorgeous.  She'll learn to love them. My plucky Vizio soundbar from 2016 started crapping out and I was able to get a replacement, but the store offered me the Vizio 5.1.2 setup instead. I kind of miss how simple the older, flat sub was but the satellites and new sub really are an upgrade. The Atmos effect also helps round out the sound in my living room. I was pretty hesitant since my house has sloping cielings but it was a worthwhile upgrade. I'm surprised!
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Feb 15, 2020 20:57
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Thanks for the advice everyone! I settled on these speakers to go with my 90w receiver. This is for 3-channel movies and very very rarely for music. (2 x $600) Monitor Audio Bronze Series 6 2 1/2Way Floorstanding Speaker ($300) Monitor Audio Bronze Center Speaker - Walnut So what speaker wire should I order? The $600 platinum-plated poo poo right? 
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Feb 23, 2020 19:51
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Buy some lamp cord and terminate it yourself
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Feb 23, 2020 20:26
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Dogen posted:Buy some lamp cord and terminate it yourself 
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Feb 23, 2020 20:35
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Han Nehi posted:Thanks for the advice everyone! I settled on these speakers to go with my 90w receiver. This is for 3-channel movies and very very rarely for music. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=4039 I like this stuff but probably just because I like things that are thick and fat. Don't biwire, just run the black/white and red/green together and it equals 11 gauge and terminate it using these things and know that your speaker wire situation is top shelf. https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-...ps%2C222&sr=8-6
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Feb 23, 2020 20:44
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