Official A/V Thread

miisalo · Sep 27, 2014

Neo Ash said:
How are you liking your new Yamaha? I've got my eye on the Yamaha aventage CX-A5000 prepro.

I was thinking about CX-A5000 and MX-A5000 but the thing is why? I have quite small room, about 25m2 (about 270 square feet) and extremely sensitive speaker setup, front speakers 97dB/2,83V, + 3 active subwoofers with 1500W, so pre amp + amp seems to be bit overkill. Theoretically buying one good multichannel amp and then swapping the preamp when needed would be cheaper but actually aventage integrated top model seems to be always a lot cheaper than equivalent preamp+amp model and a30xx has enough power for me. Only problem now is that if atmos setup supports 4 ceiling speakers, I would need extra amp anyway. Damn, maybe I should have bought cx-a5000, there was one on sale lot cheaper than a3040.

But yeah, I'm really happy with new amp as I was with earlier Aventage model. I have had Denon, marantz, onkyo, H/K setups (and much expensive ones) and I have been most happy with yamaha. Its easy to use, YPAO is ok, and manual eq is really good. And for sound quality, I have never heard any differences between any amps costing more than 2000 dollars. But if you already have decent amp, I can recommend the cx-a5000 for preamp, I did play with it and its good. And I think it just got hdmi 2.0 firmware update or at least it is coming soon. Of course if you don't have 4K setup, you can wait anyway.

Master Tasuke · Sep 27, 2014

miisalo said:
Quite nice vintage stuff. Which speakers are those main speakers?

PIONEER CS-G503 4-ways, early-90's or so. surprisingly good performers. once one stuffs the cabinets.
found them for $40 at a Sally-Ann back around 2006 or '07.
they seem a very competent design, held back by mass production to a very competitive price point.

all the same, a little TLC and modding, and they really, really sing...

miisalo said:
You do know that those sansuis you have on you computer are actually pretty shitty? Loud yes, quality crap. They are 60's and 70's equivalent of "mega super bass boost 1000W system". Nothing near the claimed specs. Probably better than most of "computer speakers" but still...

perhaps they are not remotely close to the best one can get, but for $1.00 for the pair from a local rummage sale,
-and an hour of elbow grease with OLD ENGLISH wood polish to get them presentable after decades of neglect-
i tend to feel i made out quite alright with them, all else equal. they were thousand-dollar/pair models in their day, after all...

miisalo · Sep 27, 2014

Master Tasuke said:
perhaps they are not remotely close to the best one can get, but for $1.00 for the pair from a local rummage sale,
-and an hour of elbow grease with OLD ENGLISH wood polish to get them presentable after decades of neglect-

Well worth of money then. But not really a good speaker manufacturer, they did nice amps.

I have a suggestion about your main speakers. They are big ones, probably not very directional and you don't have so big room. You should use few absorber panels - you can also make them cheap - to take care of first/early reflections (google it if you are not familiar with the term). It could make huge difference in sound. Room itself is not the worst: Shelves etc act as diffusers and will diffuse some of the echos so easiest and most bang for buck thing is to absorb (or scatter) the first reflections. Also absorbers behind the speakers are not bad idea.

Only problem in fixing room acoustics is that then you begin to hear all the problems with the equipment. But try it, even old mattress could be used for testing. In many cases room acoustics make 90% of the sound quality.

Master Tasuke · Sep 27, 2014

miisalo said:
Well worth of money then. But not really a good speaker manufacturer, they did nice amps.

that's what i've generally heard. i've also heard that these, and other early SANSUI speaker models
were actually OEMed by CORAL corp. all the same, they serve their desired purpose plenty fine.

miisalo said:
I have a suggestion about your main speakers. They are big ones, probably not very directional and you don't have so big room. You should use few absorber panels - you can also make them cheap - to take care of first/early reflections (google it if you are not familiar with the term). It could make huge difference in sound. Room itself is not the worst: Shelves etc act as diffusers and will diffuse some of the echos so easiest and most bang for buck thing is to absorb (or scatter) the first reflections. Also absorbers behind the speakers are not bad idea.

Only problem in fixing room acoustics is that then you begin to hear all the problems with the equipment. But try it, even old mattress could be used for testing. In many cases room acoustics make 90% of the sound quality.

i have a large collection of Audiophile magazines, and am a member of several Audiophile forums, so i'm no stranger to Audiophile tweaks and techniques.

all the same, i try to avoid getting TOO obsessive and tweaky; i am, believe it or not, i am in fact largely completely satisfied
with the gear i've currently got, and how it sounds, and i honestly DO NOT want to rock the boat.

it is, after all, far, FAR better than what the vast majority of people in my financial station in life have to live with on a daily basis...

miisalo · Sep 27, 2014

If its not you cup of tea then it isn't. It is just that even the best speakers basically sound like wrong in room that has not been prepared. I'm not a audiophile, they tend to buy mumbo jumbo like high end cables and imaging differences in amplifier sounds (I'm referring to how they fail badly in ABX testing), I'm an engineer and believe in hard facts and data. Therefore my speakers were minor cost when building my theater/listening room from the scratch.

Master Tasuke · Sep 27, 2014

heavily modifying a room, or building one from scratch, will never be an option for me until i own my own home.
and even then, i'm part of a family of four living on a very tight collective income, so such a concept for me would be a long ways off, if ever...

miisalo · Sep 28, 2014

Master Tasuke said:
and even then, i'm part of a family of four living on a very tight collective income, so such a concept for me would be a long ways off, if ever...

But you have managed still to collect nice vintage equipment and that is bang for buck and is actually quite cool. Always look on the bright side of life.

Neo Ash said:
Vintage audio is awesome! Below are some pics of one of my vintage, and rare, McIntosh amps. Those blue meters are hypnotic.
View attachment 18107

Ok, THIS is the vintage. I think I'll have to fap on this :buttrock:

smokehouse · Sep 29, 2014

Master Tasuke said:
all the same, i try to avoid getting TOO obsessive and tweaky; i am, believe it or not, i am in fact largely completely satisfied
with the gear i've currently got, and how it sounds, and i honestly DO NOT want to rock the boat.

it is, after all, far, FAR better than what the vast majority of people in my financial station in life have to live with on a daily basis...

Back when my home theater was a home theater...I went WAY too deep down the rabbit hole.

It got to the point where I was tweaking more than I was enjoying. I would pick apart movies/music listening for flaws in my system or in my sound dampening. At it's peak, I have a VERY nice Mid-fi setup but I was never happy with it. I was always looking for the next piece of gear or mod.

The problem is that I cannot play in the world of hi-fi gear...$10K sound processors and $20K speakers are just too far outside of my budget. That meant I was never really happy with what gear I had.

Neo Ash · Sep 29, 2014

terry.330 said:
My Jolida Amp has taken a shit on the left speaker output again.

Dang dude. That sucks. I remember you having some problems with it in the past.

If you have not already done some troubleshooting, give these steps a try.

Swap your L & R speakers connections at the amp output. This will do two things. 1) Rule out a cable problem. 2) Rule out a speaker problem. If you still have the same problem with the same channel, you'll need to look to the amp.

Swap the R & L channel preamp tubes. This will help determine whether you have a bad tube in your preamp section. If so, you can source a replacement tube. Also check for blown fuses.

If none of this works, you'll most likely need to return it to the manufacturer. If the bad channel feels hot, it will probably be due to a drift in the bias setting on the power section of the amp; again it would need to be returned to the factory.

Feel free to PM me if you need any additional help.

miisalo said:
I was thinking about CX-A5000 and MX-A5000 but the thing is why? I have quite small room, about 25m2 (about 270 square feet) and extremely sensitive speaker setup, front speakers 97dB/2,83V, + 3 active subwoofers with 1500W, so pre amp + amp seems to be bit overkill.

Glad to hear that your new AVR is working out well for you.

Why? 1) I'm no stranger to overkill. :lolz:

2) I'll most likely be using Magnepan's in this setup.

Neo Ash · Sep 29, 2014

miisalo said:
Ok, THIS is the vintage. I think I'll have to fap on this

Just noticed your compliment. Thanks bro.

miisalo · Sep 29, 2014

Neo Ash said:
Glad to hear that your new AVR is working out well for you.

I'm very pleased with it. Now I just need 4K material to fully enjoy it :P Just hope that I won't regret going with integrated amp setup when adding the dolby atmos to the system.

Why? 1) I'm no stranger to overkill. 2) I'll most likely be using Magnepan's in this setup.

Magnepans are not the most sensitive speakers so you need some power there. I can blow my head of with that 3040 and current speakers, they need less than 1/10:n of the power than example magnepan 3.6 (86dB/2.83V vs. 97dB/2.83V)

One reason for integrated amp was also that I like to keep things tidy. Less equipment there is the better. Example all resonators, diffusers, absorbers and speakers are hidden behind fabric panel walls (or the whitescreen). Only subwoofers and amp + game consoles are visible.

Neo Ash · Sep 29, 2014

miisalo said:
Magnepans are not the most sensitive speakers so you need some power there. I can blow my head of with that 3040 and current speakers, they need less than 1/10:n of the power than example magnepan 3.6 (86dB/2.83V vs. 97dB/2.83V)

Oh yes, I very familiar with Magnepan’s. It is a slight misconception that you need a kilowatt of power to drive them. Granted they are much less efficient than a horn loaded speaker, such as a Klipsch. Depending on the room size, material, and volume preferences 50 watts could be totally satisfying for some. However, what they require is an amp that can deliver a good amount of current and the ability to handle a 4 ohm load all day without breaking a sweat. They do require a good amount of watts in home theater in order to reproduce actions movie scenes with gun fire and explosions. It is important to remember that a 3db increase in loudness requires a doubling in power.

I’ll most likely pair them up with Bryston amps. Not sure if I’ll do a single 5 channel or a combination of 2 and 3 channel amps. If I don’t go that route, I’m tempted to venture down the path that is pro-audio amps. But, I know for a fact that Magnepan and Bryston is a perfect match.

What I’m hung up on is the setup. Part of me wants to hide everything in a dedicated a/v rack inside a nearby closet. The other part of me would like to have all the gear sitting out and nicely displayed. What to do?

miisalo · Sep 30, 2014

Neo Ash said:
What I’m hung up on is the setup. Part of me wants to hide everything in a dedicated a/v rack inside a nearby closet. The other part of me would like to have all the gear sitting out and nicely displayed. What to do?

With that setup, I would display them. Actually I would have spotlight to light the equipment :keke:

terry.330 · Sep 30, 2014

Neo Ash said:
Dang dude. That sucks. I remember you having some problems with it in the past.

If you have not already done some troubleshooting, give these steps a try.

Swap your L & R speakers connections at the amp output. This will do two things. 1) Rule out a cable problem. 2) Rule out a speaker problem. If you still have the same problem with the same channel, you'll need to look to the amp.

Swap the R & L channel preamp tubes. This will help determine whether you have a bad tube in your preamp section. If so, you can source a replacement tube. Also check for blown fuses.

If none of this works, you'll most likely need to return it to the manufacturer. If the bad channel feels hot, it will probably be due to a drift in the bias setting on the power section of the amp; again it would need to be returned to the factory.

Feel free to PM me if you need any additional help

Oh believe me I did all that, as I've been through this before.

It's going back.

Neo Ash · Sep 30, 2014

terry.330 said:
Oh believe me I did all that, as I've been through this before.

It's going back.

Good luck! Do let us know how this turns out....repair/replacement...customer service...etc.

Master Tasuke · Sep 30, 2014

Master Tasuke said:
and even then, i'm part of a family of four living on a very tight collective income, so such a concept for me would be a long ways off, if ever...

miisalo said:
But you have managed still to collect nice vintage equipment and that is bang for buck and is actually quite cool. Always look on the bright side of life.

thanks. heaven knows i had to drool at the best photos i could find of said gear for plenty long enough
before i finally got to the point where i could begin obtaining examples of my own.

i could live quite contentedly with what i now have for as long as i can get them serviced and/or replaced with exact same,
which is far more than many enthusiasts can claim, i suppose...

wyo · Oct 11, 2014

Polk Audio Monitor 60 Series II Floorstanding Single Loudspeaker $90 w/ Visa Checkout + Free Shipping with promo code: VISACHECKOUT

These are great speakers for the price if you're in the market.

GohanX · Oct 11, 2014

Good Lord! That's a fantastic price.

wyo · Oct 11, 2014

GohanX said:
Good Lord! That's a fantastic price.

Most def! I run these on my main gaming setup

Neo Ash · Oct 18, 2014

The only thing cooler than 1 external amp for a 5 channel setup is....3 :cool:

OK, well maybe an amp per channel (don't think I didn't consider that). But I've already been asked several times by my wife if "all this extra stuff" is going to make it impossible for her to figure out how to watch Dr. Who. :keke:

For my sanity, I have decided to not go overboard on this setup, but still change some stuff up. I still have a ways to go, even with a more simple setup so as not to freak out the wife.

Fresh from the dealer. :down:

miisalo · Oct 18, 2014

Neo Ash said:
The only thing cooler than 1 external amp for a 5 channel setup is....3

That is cool. Which parasound models are those?

I got my projector calibrated last wednesday. Guy said that it was best result so far with that projector because of my room (sort distance and no reflections). I did loose just tiny bit of blackness but now colors and balance is basically perfect. Now I just need 4K material...

Neo Ash · Oct 18, 2014

miisalo said:
That is cool. Which parasound models are those?

I got my projector calibrated last wednesday. Guy said that it was best result so far with that projector because of my room (sort distance and no reflections). I did loose just tiny bit of blackness but now colors and balance is basically perfect. Now I just need 4K material...

A single 2125 and two 275's, one will be bridged for the center and other will be for the rear surrounds. The three amps were only $2K or so. They deliver a boat load of current and can handle 2 ohm loads...all day...err day...no problem.

I originally planned to have multiple Bryston 2B-LP's stacked and racked or a single 9B with a projector setup and a whole load of other stuff. But I've scaled it back...no dedicated A/V rack in a closet. We wouldn't want to waste closet space...right. :annoyed:

Rather than possibly hear complaints about more "electronic stuff" that's "taking over the house", I'll refocus on my dedicated 2-ch room after I've finished up this little project.

It sounds like you're liking that 4K content. Calibrations are important no matter what to get the most out of your display. Good work taking the time effort and expense to get it tweaked out.

miisalo · Oct 18, 2014

Neo Ash said:
Calibrations are important no matter what to get the most out of your display. Good work taking the time effort and expense to get it tweaked out.

Calibration was included in the price of the projector. I just had to use it first for a while because lamps tend to change bit colorwise in first 100-150 hours. The AV shop I use have certified guys for both audio and visual calibrations and state of art calibration equipment.

And I like 4K. I have 126" screen and about 3-3,5m distance so I can really see the difference between fullHD and 4K.

Edit: Waifus - worst enemies of HIFI

Master Tasuke · Oct 18, 2014

miisalo said:
Edit: Waifus - worst enemies of HIFI

i dunno... this one seems to like her Hi-Fi well enough;

- back to reality, however, indeed "WAF" seems the eternal bane of Component Stereo enthusiasts; then, now, and probably for all time...

joe8 · Oct 23, 2014

Does anyone here use electrostatic headphones?

Official A/V Thread

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