Letters - July 2007
Building a home theater
July 26, 2007
To Randall Smith,
I am in the market for a home-theater system. I recently
went to a store in San Diego called the Sound Company. They showed me a set of Paradigm
Reference Studio 20s and Studio 60s. They ran the Studio 20s with a 12" subwoofer and
the sound quality was great. However, they wanted me to buy the Studio 60s along with same
12" subwoofer. Keep in mind, there is a $900 difference between the Studio 20s and
the Studio 60s. Of course I asked to hear the Studio 60s with the 12" subwoofer if I
was going to justify spending an additional $900. It was like pulling teeth with the owner
to get him to hook up the 60s. Why would I pay more for a set of speakers if I'm not
permitted to hear the difference between the two models? As I suspected, when I finally
heard the more expensive speakers (Studio 60s) I was not as impressed with the sharpness
of the sound!
Anyway, I have plenty of research to do before I fork out
my hard-earned cash to buy a system for my home. I found your
review on the JL Audio fathom f113. I thought your review was very detailed, which let
me know that you are truly an expert in your field. If you have any rules of thumb to
share or any advice on how to go about choosing my home-theater system, I would appreciate
any help you can give me.
Ali Campbell
If you are considering a Paradigm system, you are
making a great first step. Last November I had the pleasure of visiting their large
facility in Toronto to learn more about their company. My visit was quite an eye-opening
experience and one that will stick with me for a long time. Witnessing a speaker being
built in person and talking to the person responsible for designing it was very
educational. It furthered my understanding of speaker design and also gave me a greater
appreciation of the level of product quality Paradigm extends to their customers. Paradigm
has also carefully built a great dealer network, although it sounds as if you have run
into a bad apple. Just remember, it is your money. I know that it can be tough to visit an
audio dealer and have to insist that they switch speakers in and out for you to listen to,
but that is their job. You shouldn’t have to spend a certain amount of money to gain
their interest, and just because they have more knowledge of the product doesn’t mean
that their advice is always correct. There are good salespeople and bad salespeople.
My advice is this: First, do your homework. Use speaker
and equipment reviews to help narrow down the list of brands that you would like to
audition. Second, form a budget. If you can develop a budget, this may also narrow down
your list of contenders. Finally, go and listen. Start this process by collecting a few
DVDs or CDs that you are very familiar with. By using the same demo material over and over
again, it will be easier to distinguish the merits of each individual product you
audition. Finally, find an audio dealer you can trust. If you can find a good, honest
audio dealer, one that understands where you are coming from and is interested in helping
you reach your system goals, stick with them and grow with them. A good relationship such
as that can help you learn more about this hobby and also pay off when you decide to
upgrade.
In the end, the goal is to enjoy your system and the
twists and turns of building your home-theater system from scratch. Learn from the
mistakes you make along the way and use that knowledge to help others who are just
starting their quest. And lastly, take your time and enjoy the ride….Randall Smith
"Is this true?"
July 24, 2007
I am going to buy Mirage Omnisat home-theater speakers and
an Onkyo receiver. I already have a DVD player. The dealer wants to sell me expensive
cables and a power conditioner, though. They cost more than half as much as the speakers
and the receiver! He said that I need them to get the most out of the system. Is this
true?
Ralph Facco
Retailers can be prone to exaggeration because that’s
how they make more money -- by making you think that you really need something. The truth
of the matter is, though, that while things like cables and power conditioning can make a
difference, more expensive cables are not necessarily better ones, and some power
conditioners don’t make components work any better than just plugging them into the
wall. In fact, some make it worse. Therefore, my suggestion would be to get good-quality
but relatively inexpensive cabling (there’s lots out there), and use wall power for
now. When (or if) it comes time to upgrade, then check out some pricier accessories….Doug
Schneider
Nanosat imaging
July 17, 2007
To Doug Schneider,
I found your
review of the Mirage Nanosat speakers very informative. The question about pinpoint
imaging is one that is hardly mentioned in some reviews of the Nanosats.
I've just had an opportunity to try them out,
and I think I have stumbled upon what you were talking about when you mentioned the
Nanosats lacking in hyper-precise imaging -- sounds that are distinctly placed in the
soundfield. I have even noticed this using a single Nanosat as center-channel speaker with
tweeter at ear level versus a standard center-channel at ear level with monaural sounds.
The two are different animals in that the Nanosat used as a center-channel made it
difficult to perceive any sound placed directly in front of or closer to the screen.
Dialogue with older films seems to sound just weird. When using a standard center-channel,
dialogue is perfectly placed and defined -- you can definitely understand dialogue very
well with older films.
I guess where the Mirage Nanosats fall down is
how they display on-screen images. If you hear a blast onscreen, the direct-firing
speakers can help you localize its direction, but the Nanosats don't -- you hear blast all
around you.
Have you noticed this kind of dispersed sound
that you can't exactly localize it with Nanosats but you can with directional speakers?
Scott Snyder
Because Mirage’s Nanosats employ
technology that make them more like a 360-degree radiator versus a direct-firing
loudspeaker, they lack the hyper-precise soundstage that direct-firing speakers usually
have. Everything is extraordinarily spacious with Mirage speakers, but a touch vague. They’re
not, as I mentioned, hyper-precise that way.
However, what you’re experiencing may be
related more to a setup problem than any problems with the Nanosats. I never found
dialogue tough to understand with them at all. What I suspect, then, is that when you
heard them demonstrated, they might have been placed too far away from a front wall. In
fact, I’ve seen stores place them way out on the showroom floor. You can’t set
up Nanosats like this – they’re a direct-reflecting loudspeaker and, therefore,
need wall boundaries to do their thing….Doug Schneider
"Is now a good time?"
July 9, 2007
To Doug Schneider,
I read some of your reviews, and I want to ask you a
question. I have been thinking about investing in a home-theater system for my family. I
will buy everything -- speakers, receiver, and even a new television/display. Is now a
good time? Should I wait? Is there anything new coming that I should know about?
Mark Trippett
Buying a home-theater system is kind of like buying a
computer: In the future, the products will likely get better and cheaper. In fact, this is
what I’m debating right now as I look for a new projector and flat-panel display for
my house. I know that six months down the road something new and better will be out. But,
even if I waited, then six months down the road I’d be in the same boat. As with
computers, they haven’t stopped changing and improving in the 25 years that I’ve
been involved with them, and home-theater systems won’t likely either. For me, in the
future there will likely be a better projector or flat-panel display on the market, and
for you, you might see a home-theater setup you like better. However, you eventually have
to just pick a point in time, pull out the wallet, and dive in. You can’t wait
forever….Doug Schneider
Oppo and “You are the man!!”
July 5, 2007
To Wes Marshall,
I recently read your review
of the new Oppo Digital DV-981HD DVD player, and I must say, "Great
article!" In this day and age of marketing and product placement you seem to honestly
want to inform the lost souls out there who want a little sincere knowledge about how to
improve their systems. I'm joining the Wes Marshall team and look forward to more of your
articles.
I actually have no idea what kind of signal my TV puts out
(it's a modest 55" Sony three-LCD rear-projection HDTV). I have looked all over the
Internet for this but can't find it. As you can see, I'm trying to get better about
research prior to purchase -- and not just purchasing on a whim! With that said, could you
advise me as the average twice-a-month home-movie guy whether I should get the Oppo
DV-981HD or the DV-970HD? I'm having difficulty in figuring out what my real advantages
will be with the most recent model to its predecessor. Thanks again for your thoughts and
future articles. You are the man! All the best!
Mehdi Rais
Thanks for the kind words. Without knowing the model
number, I can’t make a definitive statement. But Sony three-LCD TVs have very good
processing, so, even if it lacks HDMI, I would still go with the '981. If you have HDMI,
so much the better. I prefer the '981 for all TVs except the few I outlined in the article….Wes
Marshall |
