Letters to the Editor - February
2006
Lexicon or Ayre or…?
February 13, 2006
To Wes Marshall,
I read your review
of the Lexicon RT-20 universal player. It was a great review. You covered all topics
of interest. You even compared it to the Ayre DX-7 DVD
transport and concluded that you get more with the RT-20 because of the audio
features. And the video between the two were comparable.
I was wondering whether you can compare the RT-20 to the Ayre D-1x DVD
player ($11,500). The D-1X also has DVD-A and SACD and all the other good stuff that
the RT-20 has. If you were purchasing a universal disc player (multichannel), would it be
the RT-20 or the D-1x? I am a bit worried. I recently purchased the Ayre C-5xe universal
player (two channel and no video). I have a pair of Orion speakers and I wanted pure
stereo audio in my living room. Then I'd set up a home theater in my family room where I'd
also have a DVD and multichannel SACD and DVD-A player. Now I'm worried that if I purchase
high-quality stuff for the HT, I might not use my two-channel stereo with the Ayre C-5xe.
Did I just make a mistake purchasing the C-5xe? Should I have purchased the D-1X instead
and put everything in the family room? Both stereo audio and multichannel audio?
I'm a bit confused with all this stuff available. Your
review was great and it was on a topic I'm particularly interested in, so I figured I'd
write to you. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Paul K. Manhart
I don’t think you can make a mistake buying an Ayre
disc player. They are just superb pieces, always competitive with the very best, and with
excellent resale value.
You’ve already invested in a wonderful stereo system.
Enjoy it while you build up an equally good home theater. BTW, the D-1x (now
"e") does not play SACDs or DVD-As. So if you want the audio features, the
Lexicon is still the way to go.
Regarding your question about two-channel versus
multichannel, my answer could end up with 20 pages of flames just from our writers at SoundStage!
Suffice to say the world is filled with different views. Since you asked, mine is
that, if you put together a top-notch home theater, with as much obvious care as you have
given your stereo system, you will ultimately spend more time with multichannel sound.
There are other factors that I think have equal importance,
if not quite the same audiophile snob appeal. Which room will have the better acoustics?
Which place will have the more comfortable seating? Which room is more likely to have a
warm, inviting feel? Which area has the better remote controllability? All these things
add up to what ultimately drives us to one place or another. While sound is really
important, it’s not everything.
Good luck. And relax. No mistakes made….Wes Marshall
Axioms with sub
February 9, 2006
To Doug Schneider,
I just read your review of the
Axiom M2i speaker and have some questions.
Do you know (have any record of) what crossover frequency
you had set between the M2i and the Revel Performa B15 subwoofer you mention
using? Did you simply dial the subwoofer in until you liked the sound? Was there a
high-pass filter on the M2i or did it simply run full range? What was/is your
listening reference level in dB? Do you have any record of what level the M2i
starts to sound compressed or strained? Finally, in approximately what size of room did
you performed the listening test?
I am currently designing/building a modest dedicated
home-theater room and would like to choose the smallest speaker that will not sacrifice
sound quality. The chosen speakers will be used in conjunction with a Mirage LFX3
crossover and BPS-S210 subwoofer. Currently I have a pair of Monitor Audio GR-60s for
stereo listening, but I am sure the wife would love to see them go if at all possible. I
think I’d like to hang on to them for a while.
Bruce Haugh
I reviewed both the M2i and Performa B15 on SoundStage!,
and although I don’t have explicit notes from those reviews (other than what’s
written), I remember quite distinctly considering all that you talk about when I reviewed
them.
The M2i is a very neutral, revealing
low-priced small monitor that sounds quite similar to the company’s M22ti, M60ti, and
M80ti. There’s a big difference between it and the bigger speakers, however, in terms
of bass and output capability. The M2i doesn’t have very strong bass, so it
really needs to be mated with a sub.
Although you can run the M2i "full
range" with a sub, you’ll hit output-capability limits, mostly because the bass
range is so limited. It’s quite easy to make the M2i distort, chuff, and
make nasty sounds at high volume levels. Therefore, that wasn’t my preferred way to
listen to it with the B15; instead, I used the B15’s built-in crossover to shelve off
the bass to the M2i at about 100Hz. Relieved of much of the bass below that
level, the M2i was capable of greater output capability, and with the B15 filling
in the bass, the sound was quite extraordinary. That, to me, is the best way to go with
that small speaker….Doug Schneider
Which Mirage system?
February 6, 2006
Hi Doug,
I have very high regard for your reviews. Kindly give me
your opinion as to which sounds better, the new Omnisat V2 FS-based 5.1 system or an Omni 260-based 5.1 package.
I really appreciate your input on this.
Daniel Ronquillo
As far as I know, Mirage’s Omni series is
discontinued, or close to it. The Omnisat V2 speakers fill in the lower end up to
$1000/pair, the new OM Design series goes for top dollar, and at CES we saw new speaker
models that fit in between.
Not that it matters, really, because there are probably
plenty of Omni speakers around, new and used. As to which sounds better, I can’t
really say since I never reviewed an Omni-based system, only the Omnisat V2-based system
last year. The only thing I can tell you is which seems better, at least to me: the
Omnisat V2 models....Doug Schneider |
