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I'm looking for some basic bookshelves to use as computer speakers, so I'm looking for something cheap good for near-field listening, and was considering something like Paradigm Micro Monitors and a T-amp. However, my local hi-fi shop has some new Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 450 on clearance for $297 for a pair. I contacted them to make sure that was per pair and not per speaker, as I've never seen those on sale for under $500. Would a 15 watt per channel T-amp driving these be a complete joke? I don't need loud, just looking for better sound than I could get from active computer speakers in the same price range. I haven't been in to listen to them yet, and if they're not sealed I'll have to reconsider as I don't have room to put the speakers several feet from the wall as ported speakers need. I'm just curious if nice speakers plus a joke of a T-amp would be a horrible idea and if I should find a vintage amplifier for them. Amazon page for the speakers in question: http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Technology-StudioMonitor-Speakers-Black/dp/B000UW07MO http://www.definitivetech.com/products/products.aspx?productid=StudioMonitor%20450#More
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Jul 27, 2011 04:38
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Beatnik-Filmstar posted:Just to point it out, but the Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers mentioned in the recommended setup post that jonathan put together are currently all on sale at Amazon. (Or at least for less than is mentioned in that post - not sure how long this has been the case.) Is this an exceptional price? I'm moving in about 6 months, and will be getting a ~$1k 3.1 system for the new place. If this is saving $100+ I could be bothered with storing and moving these speakers, otherwise I'll just buy them after moving in.
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Apr 2, 2013 20:59
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Trillest Parrot posted:My dad is super hard of hearing. We just got him a new Samsung LED TV, but the speakers face towards the rear, and the TV is mounted in a corner, so the sound doesn't reflect off the wall and forward. He's asking about sound bar systems. He doesn't want a fancy surround system, so it sounds reasonable. Any suggestions for SIMPLE sound bar setups? Or would a little 3.1 be better? I want to be able to set it and forget it. He can't even figure out the giant red NETFLIX button on a remote. Also, it needs to project without being loud. (I imagine any speaker system that's set up properly will do this, but just sayin'.) Also, I'm going to be buying it for him, so I don't want to spend a lot of money The best bang for your buck by far will be a reasonable 3.1 or maybe even a 3.0 if there is room for floorstanding speakers. By far the best way to make dialogue more intelligible without having other stuff blasting is a decent center channel, in my experience. In your "set it and forget it" you could even make it a little louder than the other channels. What exactly is the budget? Is he willing to do floorstanding speakers, or is there not enough room? An entry level receiver and maybe some Polk Monitor 50 floorstanding speakers with whatever center channel is in the same series would do the trick for sure. If the budget is really low, then your best options are going to be either a really entry level, possibly stereo receiver and two floorstanding speakers, or the soundbar. Most entry level soundbars aren't great and are basically just stereos in a box. Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Apr 15, 2013 |
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Apr 15, 2013 15:52
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Anyone have any experience with the partial deaf? Is clarity more important than volume?
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jonathan posted:DIY speakers have come SO far in the last couple years that they deserve their own thread again. With the ease of assembly provided by flatpack kits, all you're giving up is a few evenings and a factory quality finish. How would you find a good center channel to match these flatpack speakers? I'm looking at doing a basic 3.0 or 3.1 soon, and can't decide between the Pioneer Andrew Jones floorstanders, building my own like this, or stretching the budget to Paradigm Atoms and getting a sub too.
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Apr 22, 2013 22:50
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tarepanda posted:If I were to buy speakera before a receiver, I ciuld still use them with my TV, right? Nope, unpowered speakers will need an amplifier before you can get sound from them. If you're buying bookshelf or really efficient speakers, you might be able to grab a tiny cheap amp for them temporarily like I did in college: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001P2VV50/ However, if you like to listen loud or have big speakers, too small an amp can damage the speakers.
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Jun 4, 2013 23:18
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I want to buy a receiver sometime within the next 6 months, and have the budget that the NR709 or NR717 is in my range, although I'm not sold on them above the 515 for half the cost. I'm eventually wanting a 3.1 for movies and music, but bigger speakers than my current ones will wait until I've moved in ~4 months. If I'm watching for deals over the next 6 month period am I likely to beat the $399 709 on accessories4less? Is the NR717 really worse than the NR709 and should be ignored? I'm really tempted to go ahead and order that 709 because I bought a decent turntable from Craigslist last night and I have no way to hook it up to my current amp. Rather than getting a $15 preamp I'd love to get a modern receiver with phono input.
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Jun 18, 2013 15:17
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Could someone sum up the differences between the NR515 and the NR709? I'm ready to get one of the two from accessories4less, but at a glance the only big difference is the phono input on the 709 which I would like. Neither one has wifi or can stream Spotify, right? I'm willing to lose that for the crazy low price on the 515, but if I'm spending $399 for the NR709 I feel like I should look at the NR626 or other more modern reciever as well.
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Jun 20, 2013 17:42
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skipdogg posted:If you don't care about the beefier amps, or the better Audyssey, you can save some cash and go with the 515. Thank you so much. I don't think the better Audyessy and more powerful amps are worth the $180 price difference to me, as I'm almost definitely doing the DIY speakers which are very high efficiency. I'm not going for live Motorhead levels.
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Jun 20, 2013 18:24
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skipdogg posted:No prob. I would wait for jonathan to post though, he's basically the authority on Onkyo stuff in this thread. I think I'm just going to punt and not buy a receiver for now, I don't actually need a HT receiver until I move in 4 or 5 months. I'll just get a phono preamp for my current stereo amp. The only reason that I would buy right now is if $219 on the 515 is an exceptionally good price or if the 709 won't be available for $399 in 4 months. I'm stuck trying to figure out if 2EQ is really that bad, and just am indecisive right now. It's a shame the that the 2012 Onkyos are worse and the 2013s significantly more expensive than the 515 and 709. I'm almost talking myself into buying something that will go mostly unused for 5 months, as my tiny bookshelf speakers that fit my apartment don't need more than the small stereo amp I have them on. I guess worst case I look at some Denon or Sony recievers as well. Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Jun 21, 2013 |
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Jun 21, 2013 01:15
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Healy posted:I was looking at the 709 and was wondering why it's better than the 717? I've been doing lots of reading on this. The 709 has MultiEQ XT and the 717 has 2EQ, which is a very primitive room correction that doesn't even adjust the subwoofer levels. There's no real reason for it, but it does make the 717 a terrible value not even worth looking at. If you're looking for a newer model for some reason maybe the 626 is worth a look? Onkyo intentionally crippled the 717 because the 709 cannibalized sales of higher models. 2EQ is only found on sub-$300 receivers in general at this point.
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Jun 23, 2013 03:03
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I have access to a discount that would let me get the Polk TSX330T for what the Andrew Jones floorstanders cost (~$120). Are the Pioneers still a better buy? I would get whatever center channel matches each, of course. Edit: This would be a 3.0 system, with a subwoofer to come much later. I'm hoping that floorstanders will let me get by, and music + a clear center channel to hear voices on TV are a higher priority than action movies for me.
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Jun 27, 2013 03:23
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Do I want open or closed screw type banana plugs? I can't figure out if there's something simple I'm missing that makes one better than the other. Speakers have 5-way binding posts.
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Jul 13, 2013 06:28
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What's the symptom of an Onkyo HDMI board going out? I had a PS3 video feed over HDMI to an Onkyo NR515 start flashing pure static occasionally, I'm starting a complete debug now but it's going to be tough to tell if its the PS3, receiver, or TV that's dying. All are within warranty, but still a pain to diagnose.
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Jul 21, 2013 03:41
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Where would I start for outdoor patio speakers? I'm looking for something simple, and wouldn't mind something like the solution I'm using for my computer right now of bookshelf speakers + tiny T-amp, but I'm worried about getting loud enough to be audible across a patio and decent sized backyard. Can anyone point me towards some very basic indoor / outdoor waterproof speakers and and a tiny simple amp, ideally with the ability to play mp3s from a usb drive? All that I found at a glance are these: Best Buy store brand outdoor speakers Monoprice waterproof speakers Goofy looking T-amp, I'd prefer something that looks more like the Pyle stuff
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Oct 20, 2013 02:31
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The Klipsch RW-12d is discontinued, where should I be looking if I'd like to lay down $200-500 for a midrange sub? Or is the answer "Get two PSW10"?
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Oct 21, 2013 15:02
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teagone posted:The Polk Audio PSW10 subwoofer is down to $69.99, no rebates or coupons, on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KVQBA/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I bought this, but now I'm second guessing myself. I've got the Pioneer Andrew Jones floorstanders and an Onkyo 515 and didn't realize that this sub doesn't have a LFE channel, and will be doing its own internal crossover. Will this cause a problem, or will this still be a decent sub with the system? Edit: My refurb Onkyo 515 has HDMI problems and might go back for a second round of warranty repair. Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Oct 24, 2013 |
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Oct 24, 2013 15:02
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Do we have a room treatment guide anywhere? The room that I would most like to have my stuff set up in is a giant great room with... a tiled floor. I can go at it with area rugs and wall hangings, but I'd really appreciate a starting point.
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Oct 29, 2013 19:48
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I'm trying to diagnose why sometimes my video cuts out and the TV can't find signal, but sound keeps working fine. Does this sound like a bad HDMI cable, or is this the first symptom of Onkyo HDMI boards dying? My refurb TX-515 is still in its 1 year warranty, but it looks like I'll have to pay for (very expensive) shipping to get it repaired.
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Dec 4, 2013 05:22
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KillHour posted:Since the Onkyo strips out the audio and sends just the video, it sounds like there is an issue with the connection between your receiver and your TV. Try replacing that cable if you have another one handy. If replacing the cable with a known good one doesn't work, it's likely that either your receiver is broken or your TV is. What happens if you plug your source directly into the TV, bypassing the receiver? When I plug any source directly into the TV, this problem never happens. I've tried 2 different HDMI cables in between receiver and TV. My receiver gets really, really hot even when its on standby, and my old TV would sometimes get some snow on the picture but I originally thought it was my PS3 dying, not the receiver. Receiver seems to be what is bad, so I'll try it with another TV tonight and see what happens.
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Dec 4, 2013 17:38
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Richard M Nixon posted:Does it happen on your receiver with different input sources on different ports? I've tried several different HDMI ports, but none of my sources are anything but HDMI. I will try and dig out component cables for the PS3 tonight to test. I really appreciate this debugging help, it's a pain in the rear end right now that I can't watch video without the picture cutting out once in a while mysteriously.
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Dec 4, 2013 21:53
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I cleaned up my wiring, tested with multiple cables and displays, and have confirmed that my Onkyo TX-NR515 HDMI output is hosed but the inputs are fine. I'm going to drop it off at a service center Monday morning, but I'm wondering what you guys do to cool receivers to prevent this in the future. It's not enclosed but I bet some active airflow would let the next HDMI board last more than 4 months.
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Dec 6, 2013 17:32
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I want to thank this thread's advice wholeheartedly, the Andrew Jones Pioneer floorstanding towers & center, refurbished Onkyo NR-515, and Polk PSW10 are the best under $500 3.1 setup I've ever heard! Together with a 65" Mitsubishi 65638 I got on Craigslist I've built a $700 total home theater that blows me away.
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Dec 27, 2013 21:46
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Ranma posted:How'd you manage it for under $500? The speakers alone are $430 on Amazon, plus the receiver.. Pioneer FS-52: under $50 each with close friend's best buy discount  PSW-10: $70 from Amazon Pioneer C-22: $60 from Amazon NR-515: It was $220 from accessories4less when I got it! Camelcamelcamel is the poo poo, use it for price-tracking stuff when you want something but don't need it right now. You get an email that something you want is the cheapest it's ever been, and just buy it. http://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B008NCD2EI
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Jan 2, 2014 15:34
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Glass of Milk posted:So how out of date is the info on the first post? My Onkyo receiver decided that it doesn't want to output sound to the speakers anymore, but is still switching video and outputting audio to the TV speakers without issue. Can I badger Onkyo into fixing it or do I need to go get a new receiver? What's a good basic 5.1 receiver these days? Do you mean only over HDMI, or over analog audio inputs too? If the issue is anything HDMI related, you can probably badger Onkyo for a fix. They fixed my TX-NR515 twice so far.
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Aug 23, 2016 16:33
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teagone posted:I feel like this is a dumb question. My brother has a Samsung HW-H551 2.1 soundbar (https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-HW-H...amsung+soundbar). Sub is wireless. Right now it's directly connected to his TV via HDMI-ARC. If he were to buy a receiver, what would be the best way to go about connecting the soundbar/subwoofer to it? Using receivers and soundbars together sounds like a bad idea. What would the receiver do that the current setup doesn't? Just HDMI switching? There's a simpler way to do that, an HDMI switch. Receivers exist to power speakers, adjust volume, do audio decoding, and other stuff that the soundbar does already.
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Sep 5, 2016 02:31
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Monoprice is making power amps now. This is pretty high end territory and I'm not sure what speakers out there want a sustained 200W per channel (300W at 4 ohms) to sound nice, but if that's up anyone here's alley I'd be interested about hearing what kind of setups these get used in. http://www.monoprice.com/pages/monolith I might personally bite on their $200 Planar headphones if reviews are good. I'd love electrostats, but am also not willing to blow that kind of cash on something so niche.
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Sep 27, 2016 22:40
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frest posted:It's big though, so be mindful of where you're going to put it. I'm having a problem getting my center speaker close enough to my TV that it doesn't sound like the audio and dialogue in particular is coming from far below the TV. I can't even figure out where to start with solving this issue, but it's bothering the crap out of me now.
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Nov 29, 2016 17:07
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Unexpected posted:It's "funny" that you mentioned B&O... With a budget like that and aesthetic needs, have you taken a look and listen at some electrostats?
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Dec 26, 2016 15:17
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big money big clit posted:I wouldn't worry about upconversion. Your TV will likely do as good or better a job than the receiver would for any sun 4k sources. This varies depending on the TV that you get. Vizio's 2016 upscaling is pretty horrible and a surprising weak point on what are otherwise awesome TVs. It's so bad that for 480p stuff I've gone back to using HTPC as a source and using fancy MadVR upscaling.
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Jan 23, 2017 16:05
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jonathan posted:You can do 1000 watts per channel RMS with an inuke 3000 amp for $225. No need to ever buy a t-amp. I like t-amps for small bookshelves, they're pretty good at moderate volume. I'm using 2 in my house, one for a turntable and one for a bedroom TV. Sometimes a $40 t-amp is very much good enough.
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Feb 27, 2017 17:42
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I'm now picturing somebody in a small office with 1000W power amps hooked up to each of his desktop bookshelves.
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Feb 27, 2017 21:22
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KozmoNaut posted:Well yeah, it's only rated for 2x10W at 8Ω, and that's with 10% THD, which is absolutely horrendous. Realistically, you can get maybe 2x6W of clean power out of it. Not all t-amps suck, my tiny $30 Lepai is rated at 2x20W at <.05% THD. Edit: I googled and that's a fake rating, real tests show it much more like 2x10W at .5% THD. China strikes again!
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Feb 27, 2017 23:30
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Aeka 2.0 posted:Most UHD players will have dual HDMI, one for audio only. Oh boy that's a dumb new problem I hadn't considered.
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Jul 12, 2017 21:01
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You can get an android phone for less than $50, and just use the Chromecast via that.
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Sep 13, 2017 21:07
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My standard "I want to be able to hear TV / Movies / Games better and only have $100 to spend" has been a pair of budget bookshelves and a t-amp. I've got 2 of those setups in my house, and they work pretty great.
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Nov 20, 2017 21:45
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What's the sanest place to find information about A/V receivers and reviews that aren't full of audiophile bullshit? I've got an Onkyo TX-NR515 that's coming up on a decade old that I picked based on recommendations here that I'm thinking of replacing. I am completely OK with an entry-level cheap receiver, I don't have any plans for an Atmos setup and only run 3.1. I do want something that can pass through 4K / HDR, which I guess means HDMI 2.1. I'd also really like HDMI-CEC that works, because right now I never have to use the receiver remote or a universal remote, I just control volume with the TV remote through HDMI-CEC, turn the receiver on when any connected device turns on, and the receiver chooses inputs based on which device was turned on. Where I am willing to splurge a bit is to get class-D amps in the receiver, but it's hard as hell to figure out which receivers actually have those! It seems like Pioneer used to put them in most of the Elite line, but have gone back to class A/B this year for mysterious reasons. I'm after class D amps for lower power usage / less heat, my TX-NR515 cooked its HDMI board once and was repaired under warranty, which was a pain.
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Jan 26, 2022 16:16
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SweetMercifulCrap! posted:I've been trying for a while to find a cheap, small, powered, wired subwoofer to complete my 3.1 setup in my bedroom. Think the kind that typically come packaged with soundbars and are usually around 6". I would just buy a new soundbar and not use the bar itself, but these days the bundled subwoofer is always wireless and proprietary for that soundbar. I just want something to fill out the sound, not rattle the place since this is a bedroom in an apartment. Aside from randomly finding one at a pawn shop, I'm not sure where else to look really. Any ideas? Maybe this one? It's slimmer and you could hide it wherever: https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-SUB-1000L-10-100-Watt-Low-Profile-Powered-Subw-300-639
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Jan 31, 2022 23:42
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SweetMercifulCrap! posted:Thanks for the help. Most of those are still bigger than what I want, but Have you considered just getting better bookshelf speakers? The tiny sub market barely exists because you can just get better primary speakers in the first place and fill the role that a 6" sub would with fewer parts, wires, and overall expense.
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Feb 1, 2022 19:13
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I got to spend some of Thanksgiving debugging why audio would cut out and then not come back until I power cycle the TV, and I think my receiver may be failing. I feed it via ARC from the TV, CEC turns on the whole system so I normally turn it on by turning on the TV or a console and it turns on the TV and receiver. I have an Onkyo TX-NR515 and it does absolutely everything I need it to. I got it more than a decade ago for $220. If I have to replace it because it is indeed what's dying, what's the shortlist of current recommendations? I have a basic 5.1 setup with the Andrew Jones Pioneer speakers all around, 6ohm towers. I don't have big upgrade desires and just want my poo poo to keep working as it has for years, but if anything the receiver options seem to have gotten more limited, expensive, and worse. What should I be looking at, or should I just grab something used?
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Nov 24, 2023 02:58
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CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK posted:Grab something used or refurbed if you can. Doesn't seem like you have a lot of specific requirements, so that should make it easier to find something. Does a refurb Denon S660H from Accessories4Less for $250 sound right, or is there something that should sell me on spending $370 for a new S760H from Costco? They're both 75W per channel and I only need 5 channels (plus the sub). https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrs660h/denon-avr-s660h-5.2-ch-x-75-watts-8k-a/v-receiver/1.html Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Nov 24, 2023 |
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Nov 24, 2023 05:51
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