Letters - October 2007
Goertz, APC, and mixing and matching
October 30, 2007
To Randall Smith,
Aloha from Hawaii. One quick question: Did you think of or
try plugging the APC H15 into the Goertz Audio BP1000 to power your
entire system?
Just wondering if the BP1000 was less than effective when
using it with the power strip.
Gregg G.
Aloha right back at ya. I did use the Goertz Audio
BP1000 in the configuration you mentioned above with good results. However, my experience
using the BP1000 to power the JL Audio fathom f113 subwoofer was not as good. As I
mentioned in the review, I found the BP1000 to sometimes limit the power to the f113 at
peak moments. This experience leads me to believe that the BP1000 would be fine for a
group of source components but not if the same power strip also powered an amplifier,
powered subs, or receivers….Randall Smith
DirecTV vs. Dish
October 17, 2007
To Wes Marshall,
Thanks for one
of the few (if only!) reports comparing these services. I've been searching online for
a while and most reports are ancient and don't account for the switch to MPEG-4. They also
tend to extol any satellite service vs. OTA or cable or just compare the amount of
channels carried.
Can you give any info on availability and quality of HD
channels? I know that Dish acquired the now-defunct VOOM HD channels. Do the current Dish
boxes include an OTA tuner? (I'd rather install an antenna in the attic and pull in the
locals -- I can pick up both the Orlando and Tampa markets and then I'm sure that the
satellite company is not adding any additional compression.) What about pricing comparison
(especially vs. Time Warner cable in your area)? We have Brighthouse here (formerly TW,
acquired by Newhouse) and their HD offerings are OK, but they seem to use minimal
compression only on the HDNet channels. I'm afraid they will be left behind once more and
more "networks" start offering HD broadcasts (e.g., I saw an ad last
night for BBC America providing an HD channel starting next year.)
I enjoyed your well-written prose and your coverage of
service, both concerning the satellite companies and installers. Since we're very
prone to rain-fade here in central Florida, do you know how much, if any, it would be for
Dish to install a high-gain parabola? I know they exist, but it seems that most
installations get "the basics." I've been spending quite a bit of time at a
friend's and she has DirecTV with one of the newer (non-HD) DVR boxes. She has a
medium-size ovular parabola with three feedhorns, but the signal drops out frequently
during rainstorms. I also detect a lot more artifacting than when I was watching cable
from home (the first clean source of analog channels I've had from this cable company in
over 17 years as a customer!).
Finn Petersen
Well, first off, Dish did buy all the Voom channels and
it is a rich offering. The Ultra channel (for fashionistas) is my wife’s single
favorite channel on TV, and I watch Rave (live rock’n’roll) daily. As for cost,
my monthly bill is $88.97 with all taxes. That includes upcharges for 41 of its 42 HD
stations (including HBO and Showtime) and a DVR fee. Dish just implemented the ability to
use the USB port to add a hard drive for a one-time fee of $50. I snapped that up like Roy
Williams on a wide receiver. The 750-gigabyte drive triples the time available. In terms
of compression, some things look better than others. The Voom channels all look stunning.
HBO occasionally looks like the compressors are pumping too hard.
Rain problems here in Austin aren’t too common.
Two or three times a year I have a problem. Using a high-gain antenna would be a mistake.
It would overdrive the inputs and give you a distorted and compressed signal.
The Dish DVR allows you to watch the (hopefully)
uncompressed signal from your local stations by including an HD tuner. Of course, some
form of antenna is then necessary. The side benefit is that rain doesn’t affect the
local stations.
After years and years of dreary, unimaginative, poorly
produced TV, I think American television is back on track with a bunch of excellent shows
available on the major and “cable” networks. TV is worth watching again, and
good-quality transmission is vital to the enjoyment. I’m not changing from Dish
unless Time Warner can offer something dramatically better. I should say that I use TW
Road Runner and phone service, so it would be much easier on me to use TW cable. Instead,
I’m sticking with Dish….Wes Marshall
System advice for a space-constrained videophile
October 3, 2007
To Randall Smith,
I am looking to upgrade my A/V receiver and speakers and
was hoping for some advice. My major issue is space. I live in New York and don’t
have a large living room -- in fact, it’s about 200-250 square feet.
I like my current setup, but I think after three years that
I should upgrade.
- A/V receiver: currently a Marantz 5001. I am considering the
following (due to cabinet-size constraints) with preference to the Denon: Denon AVR-4308
(networking, Internet radio), Arcam DiVA 350, NAD T775, Anthem AVM 50.
- Speakers: currently Polk Audio Monitor 60. Again space is an
issue so Monitor Audio RS8 comes to mind, because I can’t have more than 8”
width.
- DVD player: currently Denon 2900; looking to replace with an
upcoming player: Denon or Marantz Blu-rays, Samsung HD DVD/BD player.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Bojan Miljkovic
Sounds like you are on the right track. Many people
have to make compromises in their systems. Whether the compromise is due to a budget issue
or perhaps due to room limitations, the trick is to maximize your system in the right
areas. I would highly recommend the Anthem processor, but if space is an issue, separates
may not be doable. If that is the case, the Denon would be my choice. I haven’t owned
any of the other brands you mentioned, but my experience with the Denon was very good.
Also make sure that the receiver has HDMI capabilities.
For speakers, there are many bookshelf speakers that
you can choose from that will meet your size requirements: PSB, Paradigm, Energy, Monitor
Audio, and Axiom come to mind.
Finally, instead of buying one of those Blu-ray players
that you mentioned, I would suggest you buy a Sony PS3 and an HD DVD player. The cost of
both players combined will probably equal the cost of one of the two BD players you
listed. Just a suggestion, but this is the path I have taken. Because I have a player for
each HD format, I can watch each new release in HD regardless of which format the film
studios supports. I also suggest joining Netflix if you are not a member already. Both
formats are available from Netflix, so you would have access to all titles. Good luck and
have fun…Randall Smith |
