Letters - February 2008
Mismatched centers
February 26, 2008
To Doug Schneider,
I have Paradigm Monitor 5 main speakers, and I want to add
a center-channel speaker. The local shop sells PSB, and one of the guys there says that a
PSB speaker will work well. Do you agree?
Paul Heath
No I don't. In fact, I encourage you to go to the shop
and tell whoever it is who said that that he is completely wrong and that he's misleading
people. Here's why. In order to have a good blend across the front, you need left, right
and center speakers that are timbrally matched. If you don't have this, you'll have a
mismatch in sound that will stick out like a sore thumb. Frankly, many companies do a
pretty poor job of doing that within their own lines. However, some do a great
job -- Paradigm and PSB being two of them.
But that doesn't mean that you should mix a PSB center
with Paradigm left and right speakers, or vice versa. Rather, within each line, the
company has usually done a pretty good job of making sure their centers match their own
main speakers -- that's within the line.
So, long story short, don't expect that the PSB speaker
will work well in your system. Instead, try to hunt down the appropriate Monitor-series
center-channel speaker from Paradigm that was actually designed to be used with your
speakers....Doug Schneider
APC question
February 5, 2008
To Randall Smith,
I have a question and I was wondering if you might be able
to answer it. When I plug my sub and receiver into high-current outlets of an APC H15
power conditioner, the sound is better with the sub in the Amplifier High Current outlet
and the receiver in the Subwoofer High Current outlet. Since both are high-current
outlets, does it matter which is which?
George
There shouldn’t be a difference in the two if both
are designated as “high current” outlets. Obviously that’s not the case.
Evidently what you are hearing is the subwoofer performing up to its full capability when
it is plugged into the outlet selected to feed an amplifier. On the flip side of the coin,
when the sub is powered through the outlet designated for the subwoofer, the subwoofer’s
amplifier may be current limited. Perhaps you should call APC and voice this concern with
their technical support. If the APC H15 is performing as specified, then you will have to
make a choice whether the sub or the amplifier gets plugged into the real “high
current” outlet. Either way, one of the products may not be able to perform
optimally. In that case, purchase a simple surge protector that does not limit current and
use it for your subwoofer. The electronics built inside of the Denon receiver will benefit
from the power conditioning of the H15 more than the subwoofer will….Randall Smith |
