Do you own a home theater system?

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by chevman

Yes, Monster Wire is a marketing scam. You could use plain old copper wire from the hardware store and everything would sound exactly the same.

Based on your last two posts you know nothing about home theatre.

I have
Pioneer Receiver (7 x 110W)
http://www.pioneerelectronics.ca/pna...723897,00.html
JBL Speakers
http://www.jbl.com/home/products/pro...SCS&sCatId=HCS
I do need to add two more satellite speakers to enjoy the 6th and 7th channels, but I had to settle for 5.1 for the moment thanks to money issues.

[justink]

Originally Posted by dmbman32

Thanks a bunch. The system is at my place at school, about an hour from where I am now. So, I'll get back up there and hopefully get it right early this week. Thanks again.

oh, you got it man, anytime.

[chevman]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Based on your last two posts you know nothing about home theatre.

You ever read hydrogenaudio?

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...pic=14082&st=0

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...howtopic=33951

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...monster+cables

I consider myself an informed audiophile. Bose, Sony, JBL, Pioneer, etc are all fine if you are into turning your movies up and listening to stuff loud for the sake of being loud. Don't get me wrong, that can be quite fun and enjoyable. But don't confuse that with true audio quality please.

[EatSleepJeep]

Originally Posted by chevman

Yes, Monster Wire is a marketing scam. You could use plain old copper wire from the hardware store and everything would sound exactly the same.

Maybe to your ears. Thank God I don't have your ears. I'm using Z1 Monster on my computer speakers. Granted, my computer speakers are towers that each have dual 12"s and are powered by a Denon receiver, but hey; not everybody's an audiophile like me. I even have over $400 of Monster Cable in my Jeep.

For the rest of the house:
http://www.antsmarching.org/forum/sh...27#post2885927

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by chevman

You ever read hydrogenaudio?

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...pic=14082&st=0

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...howtopic=33951

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...monster+cables

I consider myself an informed audiophile. Bose, Sony, JBL, Pioneer, etc are all fine if you are into turning your movies up and listening to stuff loud for the sake of being loud. Don't get me wrong, that can be quite fun and enjoyable. But don't confuse that with true audio quality please.

Like I said, you know nothing. One website's forums?
I have to agree with Matt here. Wiring is very important. If you used copper wire from Home Depot for these bad boys you'd start a fire in your home.
http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatur.../billhero1.jpg
Those are the Infinity Series V Reference speakers for those who are wondering.

[EatSleepJeep]

Your unsubstantiated forum post is being being proven by another unsubstatiated forum post?

That has to be a fallacy of some sort...has to be.

[chevman]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Like I said, you know nothing. One website's forums?

Poke around if you're interested, hydrogenaudio is based strictly on empirical evidence, and countless ABX tests:

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...owtopic=16295&

And here's their FAQ:

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...=ST&f=5&t=7516

Trust me, I thought speaker wire made a difference in perceived sound quality too. Turns out there are hundreds, if not thousands, of folks out there who have performed double blind tests, and time and time again, no one can tell any difference. I have performed my own tests, as well as friends of mine, under controlled ABX settings and are unable to tell the difference either.

You may *think* you hear a difference, no doubt. But you may also unconsciously be trying to justify the cost of those $500 cables

[smudge1]

Originally Posted by chevman

Yes, Monster Wire is a marketing scam. You could use plain old copper wire from the hardware store and everything would sound exactly the same.

no...the braiding of the cables provide shielding...along with integrity of the signal...plus the added insulation. Run a plain copper wire...behind your TV and tell me what your picture is like in a week or two.

[EatSleepJeep]

Originally Posted by chevman

Poke around if you're interested, hydrogenaudio is based strictly on empirical evidence, and countless ABX tests:

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...owtopic=16295&

And here's their FAQ:

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...=ST&f=5&t=7516

Trust me, I thought speaker wire made a difference in perceived sound quality too. Turns out there are hundreds, if not thousands, of folks out there who have performed double blind tests, and time and time again, no one can tell any difference. I have performed my own tests, as well as friends of mine, under controlled ABX settings and are unable to tell the difference either.

You may *think* you hear a difference, no doubt. But you may also unconsciously be trying to justify the cost of those $500 cables

They can't even decide if skin effect is real or not.

If I want to listen to a bunch of closet geeks debate theory to no end, I certainly have that option.
OR
I can listen to a real system set up with two different quality cablings and I'll blindly pick the superior one every time.

[Mickey Carson]

Originally Posted by chevman

I consider myself an informed audiophile. Bose, Sony, JBL, Pioneer, etc are all fine if you are into turning your movies up and listening to stuff loud for the sake of being loud. Don't get me wrong, that can be quite fun and enjoyable. But don't confuse that with true audio quality please.

Yet you still argued that the audio quality of listening to a 6-channel source (DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1) would be better when condensed into a 2-channel medium (headphones)?

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by chevman

I have performed my own tests, as well as friends of mine, under controlled ABX settings and are unable to tell the difference either.

You may *think* you hear a difference, no doubt. But you may also unconsciously be trying to justify the cost of those $500 cables

50ft of Monster cable from Best Buy around the corner from me is less than $50 Canadian.

Here's a good article from Scott Wilkinson of Ultimate AV. I'm just posting the conclusion.
For me, with all the electrical components that I have in my home theatre area, I need good speaker cable. The only speaker I'm not worried about is my subwoofer, but it's active. Subwoofer cable is there for people who's preamp or receiver is powering their subwoofer directly.

It appears that the debate over the effect of cable on the audio signal won't die down any time soon. Those with "golden ears" will continue to insist that the subtle effects are real and significant, while their opponents contend that it's all just hype.

Many manufacturers have tried to measure the subtle effects in an effort to improve their own products. For example, Whirlwind bought several different "exotic" cables and sent them to Belden for analysis. According to Laiacona, "They couldn't discern much difference in them. So they took the cables to an independent testing lab. Belden felt if there was a better product to be made, they wanted to make it. But the independent lab came up with nothing as well."

Nevertheless, there are some pretty famous engineers who are convinced that these cables sound better than "ordinary" cables. Joe Harley is the producer for AudioQuest Music, a record label associated with the cable manufacturer. "Last year, we recorded a string octet with two Neumann M50 tube microphones. As usual, we ran AudioQuest Diamond balanced mic cables (with solid silver strands in a Hyperlitz configuration) back to the mic preamps in the control room.

"Then, just as an experiment, we changed the mic cable to something more standard, something considered perfectly fine by many professionals, and had the group play the same piece again. The engineers thought something must be wrong, the connection must be dirty; it couldn't possibly be just the cable they were hearing. There wasn't a lot of hum or extraneous noise; it just sounded grungier, not as clean. There was a graininess and harshness that hadn't been there before, in addition to sounding closed down." As a result, Harley was able to convince Bernie Grundman to rewire every link in his mastering facility with AudioQuest cables.

In the end, such exotic cables probably do make a difference in the sound. Low makes a good point about the effect of all audio components, including cable. "The only way to get good sound is by not damaging whatever you started with. Every piece of equipment puts out a signal that's distorted compared to the input. Better equipment causes less damage to the signal. The process is like a descending staircase. Every piece of equipment, including the cable, is like a step, taking its toll on the sound. If you replace any step with one that doesn't descend as far, the entire staircase doesn't descend as far, and you have a better sound."

Ultimately, you must answer two questions for yourself. Can you hear a difference between various cables? If so, how much can you afford to spend on them? Try to arrange a listening test with a dealer who specializes in cable; you might even be able to perform some experiments in your own setup. As with the rest of your equipment, get the cable that sounds best to you (within your budget). That way, your sound will be as good as it can be. Who could ask for anything more?

[Joyful Girl]

The sound is great, but personally we hardly ever used ours. In fact, we just disconnected it the other day because we never did use it.

[dobyblue]

Is that because you never watch movies? I could never go back to watching movies through the television's sound. In fact I'll specifically look to see if there's a DTS version of a movie out.
Universal - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Dolby 2.0
Criterion - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - DTS 5.1/Dolby 5.1
Easy choice - for $20 more I'll pick the Criterion edition and enjoy the movie in glorious DTS 5.1 sound.
It pisses me off when companies release the same title. Backbeat is a fave movie of mine and I think it's Universal. Well they released it in Dolby 2.0 and then 1 year later re-released it with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track on it. What did I do? Rented it from Blockbuster and returned my 2.0 copy inside the case.

[saygdbye4134]

I love my surround sound. use it every day. it just makes TV and movies better IMO. it also makes sports more enjoyable too, especiallyl football. when the QB gets his bell rung, you can feel him take the hit. i love it. i hop eyou enjoy your system.

[Joyful Girl]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Is that because you never watch movies?

Well, here's the thing - my fiance' wanted the speakers behind the sofa and I wouldn't let him string the wire across the living room floor and I didn't want him ripping up the carpet to run the wire across the living room floor, so I guess since he wasn't getting the "sound effects" he wanted from the system and I really could care less whether we used it or not, he forfeited I know what you're thinking - "damn women"

[dobyblue]

No I'm thinking it's a shame you couldn't figure out another way to run the wire - like along the roof somewhere using wall moulding the same colour as your walls.
It makes all the difference when you watch a movie. My girlfriend now knows the difference and whether it's The Notebook or The Village she appreciates the 5.1 sound.
I would hold onto the system and if you move then you can get it set up properly.

[Joyful Girl]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

No I'm thinking it's a shame you couldn't figure out another way to run the wire - like along the roof somewhere using wall moulding the same colour as your walls.
It makes all the difference when you watch a movie. My girlfriend now knows the difference and whether it's The Notebook or The Village she appreciates the 5.1 sound.
I would hold onto the system and if you move then you can get it set up properly.

We're not getting rid of it - we're moving into a new home (hopefully soon) and maybe then we can find a way to wire it attractively

[hunter4268]

My system consists of:

Sony DTS Reciever
Polk Audio Towers in the front
Infinity Center
Bose Acousitimas Rears
and
A Cerwin Vega 15' Powered Sub.

I do not think a set of headphones would match this.

ME YOU.

[chevman]

For headphones check out:

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2

You can get a good 'starter' setup (cans+dedicated amp), for about $200-$400. I like home theater setups don't get me wrong, but it is *very* difficult to match the performance you will get from a good set of cans, end of story.

[dobyblue]

When there's a big crash in a movie headphones just don't cut it - a nice 12" 500W Infinity sub with a CMMD driver - now that let's me FEEL the crash as well and that makes it more realistic, which is what I want with my home theatre system.
Any one of these would suit me fine.
http://www.svsubwoofers.com/subs_pb12_plus.htm
http://www.velodyne.com/velodyne/pro...4&sid=455g931f
http://www.infinitysystems.com/homea...px?prod=SW12BK
http://www.paradigm.com/Website/Site...ervoSpecs.html
There's more to listening than just hearing - I do like Dolby's new headphone technology though. There's a pretty cool demo on www.dolby.com

[smudge1]

Originally Posted by chevman

For headphones check out:

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2

You can get a good 'starter' setup (cans+dedicated amp), for about $200-$400. I like home theater setups don't get me wrong, but it is *very* difficult to match the performance you will get from a good set of cans, end of story.

ok kids...put on your headphones, lets watch a movie.

[dmbman32]

Just thought I'd give an update on my speakers:

Finally got them properly installed for DVD/CD play. Still working on T.V./VCR surround sound.

But, man oh man. These things are unreal. Worth every penny. I've also realized why people make such a big deal about DTS sound over Dolby Digital. DTS shakes everything, and is much better. Yeah, these things are unreal.

I guess to get my T.V. surround sound, I bought some cord that goes into my T.V.s headphone jack, and the other 2 audio cords go into the receiver. Anyone know about this sort of thing? Also, anyone know how to get surround sound for the V.C.R./PS2?

[burkett375]

sorry to top an old thread, but its time for

Build me a system! (please)

i have around $300 (FIRM) to spend on the main stuff, and then on top of it, accessories that are reasonably priced (speaker wire, s-video, compoenent, mounts, etc). i know its not a lot, but i've been doing some research and get conflicting info such as whether or not to get the prepackaged stuff or do it peice by peice.

its for a smaller apartment living room, so take that into consideration. if you need any other info, go ahead and ask!

thanks.

[pkpro1]

with $300, you're probably looking at about a 400 watt quality system. i think your best bet is an out-of-the-box yamaha

[dancergirl40ky]

You mean a VCR? Yes I have one

[haildmb]

Denon receiver, dvd player, and 7:1 speakers. Samsung LCD

[2SteppingAnt41]

we have a bose system for the family room.
i don't remember what the projector has, but it's nifty.

[burkett375]

Originally Posted by haildmb

Denon receiver, dvd player, and 7:1 speakers. Samsung LCD

i think you're confused...$300, not $3000

[haildmb]

Originally Posted by burkett375

i think you're confused...$300, not $3000

hey the question is do you own one, I just got more descriptive about mine

[jmudmbphan]

big screen, bose speakers