July 7, 2001
I have an LP collection numbering several
hundred albums and haven't listened to them in years. I am willing to buy a turntable in
the $150-$200 range and don't know where to start. Can you make any recommendations?
Willard
Check out the Pro-ject 1.2. Another great
turntable buy is the Music Hall MMF-2.1. Both are around $299 including tonearm and
cartridge. That's a bit more than your budget, but if you can stretch at all, these would
be super products in either case. When I was still in retail, we occasionally ordered
Denon professional models for young DJs. I don't remember prices, but they were very
affordable.
July 6, 2001
The next upgrade to my system will be
amplification, and I am evaluating the question of purchasing an integrated amplifier vs.
separates. I understand that a preamp-and-amp combination should yield better results than
an integrated, amp but the separates route would cost more too. In the realm of GoodSound!,
do you believe that this holds true and is the added cost of preamp-amp combination worth
it? Are the results the same for both tube and solid-state amplification? Thanks in
advance for your thoughts on this subject.
Yves
Excellent question! Here's why integrated
amplifiers are a great idea. (1) The designer can optimize the interface between preamp
and power amp and doesn't have to design for the widest variety of possible mates by all
manufacturers. (2) You eliminate one pair of interconnects and the possible signal
degradation this can entail. (3) You save money on a second chassis.
Having an audio retail background, I can
tell you why retailers prefer to sell separates: You sell more boxes and cables, and you
differentiate yourself from the mass-market merchants who specialize in receivers. In
fairness, there are valid arguments for separates -- more flexibility if you want to
upgrade later and the physical separation of the power amp's transformer from low-level
circuits. However (and especially in the GoodSound! context) integrateds can be
the best bang-for-the-buck solution. And that holds true for tubes and solid state.
July 5, 2001
I understand that speaker placement is quite
important when trying to get the best sound. I am hoping in future speaker reviews you
will try several different placements to get a feeling for how sensitive a speaker is to
placement. Some people might actually want to put a bookshelf speaker on a, uh, bookshelf,
and it might be good to know what sort of change in the sound will occur.
Also, are speakers with front-firing bass
ports less sensitive to how close the rear of the speaker is to a wall or enclosure? Oh
yeah, will you ever review some tube equipment like the JoLida AV-8 monoblock amp, one of
the company's integrated amps or the AE-3 preamp?
Marlon Clark
In general, front-ported speakers are less
sensitive to close-wall proximity. However, the Polk RT35i we recently reviewed (and the
Paradigm Atoms currently here) are both rear-ported designs with provisions for
wall-mounting. In Polk's case, the PowerPort arrangement redirects air flow, while in
Paradigm's case, the port sits inside a vertical channel in the rear baffle that would
serve the same purpose when mounted to a wall.
We have plans to review tube equipment on GoodSound!
this year. With regard to bookshelf placement of speakers, you'll see observations on that
starting with the review on the Paradigm Atoms which, because of their size, are logical
candidates for such positioning.
July 4, 2001
I recently purchased B&W CDM9NT speakers
plus their center-channel speaker, the CDM CNT. These are replacing existing Bose
Acoustimass front, left and center (I will continue to use their bass module and cubes for
the rear surrounds for now). However, I am utilizing an existing Denon A/V AVR-3300
receiver as the preamp, and it is not good enough to drive these B&Ws, so I need a
power amp.
I am thinking that the Denon could continue to
drive the new B&W center as well as the bass module and rears, so my amp would only
drive the front and left B&Ws. I am thinking of either B&K (my dealers sells it)
or something else. Can you recommend something with which I will hear the fullest
potential from the B&Ws? I don't know anything about amplifiers or what I should look
for in specs really. Thanks very much,
Barbara Pentony
First off, great speaker upgrade! It's
also very smart to relegate the Bose speakers to the rear. You'll get continued use from
them in a less critical position. Your B&W CDM9NTs are 8-ohm speakers with an
impedance drop to 3 ohms. Their sensitivity is 89dB and power handling 50-200 watts. This
means you're looking for a two-channel amp of 100 watts into 8 ohms that also features a
4-ohm ratings (preferably double of the 8-ohm ratings, so 175-200 watts). Both B&K and
Rotel amplifiers would be fine choices. Outside the specs I listed, you don't need to
concern yourself about anything other than liking the sound of the amp/speaker
combination.
July 3, 2001
I continue to enjoy your site and wonderful,
sensible approach to home audio and home theater. I have some older equipment: Rotel
840Bx3, Philips CD-60, and Vandersteen 1B speakers, Sony MiniDisc with a new Sound
Organization table. I am using supplied cables, a homegrown audio IC, old Monster Cable
and a new Monster surge/power strip. The Vandersteens were recently refurbished at the
factory within the last six months. I also have a Sony DAV300 DVD home-theater system
along with a JVC Super VHS VCR.
I listen to audio vs. home theater probably
3-1. My Philips CD player has started to skip, and I bought the Cambridge 500SE CD player.
It seems like a great player! My room is too big for the DAV300 so I am considering
getting rid of it or simply placing it in a smaller room (second TV). In that case, I need
a DVD player and think the Rotel is showing its age (at least 10 years old).
I am considering the Outlaw 1050 for and
perhaps returning the Cambridge for a DVD/DAC system and adding appropriate cable. I would
add more Vandersteen speakers (1B/1C pair, center and probably Hsu sub). What do you
think? I hate to repeat systems. Do you see better pricing, performance, and future
upgrade choices that I can make today?
Please advise regarding my thinking and cable
issues. I have a GoodSound! budget and feel a bit paralyzed by the choices, sales
reps, and product reviews. I can even buy system in stages up to $2500.
I need some of your GoodSound!
advice!
John
A Vandersteen/Outlaw home-theater/music
system in your main room is a great goal to strive for. If you can return the Cambridge
500SE, I'd get a Pioneer DVD player and (either now or later, depending on budget) add an
MSB Link DAC III outboard D/A converter for music applications. For cables, getting rid of
component-supplied zip cord is very important. Look into TARA Labs or Audio Magic cables.
Both companies make very good and affordable cables that create a massive improvement over
zip cord, but they won't break the bank.
July 2, 2001
Your review of the Hsu VTF subwoofer could not
have come at a better time. I'm currently looking for a musical sub to augment my system.
I'm considering the VTF as well as the ACI Titan II.
My question concerns using two subs in stereo
instead of one. Do you see any benefit from using two? I plan on crossing over at about
50-60Hz. I understand if you cross over below 80Hz, you lose all stereo bass but some have
said they found two subs produce a smoother response as well as better integration with
their main speakers.
PS: Is the VTF really that good? I'm sure some
of the price difference with the Titan can be attributed to the furniture quality of the
Titan's cabinet.
Thanks for you time,
Emil
You're right -- the lower you cross a
subwoofer into your system, the more omnidirectional its response and the harder it is to
localize. However, this has nothing to do with "stereo bass." To get stereo bass
requires two subwoofers, period -- it doesn't matter how low or high you set their low
pass filters. The main advantage of two subwoofers is not so much "stereo bass"
as more even room-loading. You can position the subs such that room-induced
"comb-filtering" effects (suck-outs and peaks) from one are offset by the other.
In general, I don't recommend going that route unless money is truly not an issue.
I haven't compared the Hsu with the ACI
subwoofer yet, so I can't tell you which one is better. What I can say is that the VTF is
truly phenomenal and (until something comes along that is demonstrably better, not just
different, at its price) my unequivocal recommendation for a $500 powered subwoofer.
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