[Steven[_3_]]

On Dec 16, 4:26 pm, Steven Sullivan wrote:
Steven wrote:
On Dec 14, 5:52 pm, Steven Sullivan wrote:
Steven wrote:
Sometime next year I am going to dive into the world of home theater
and upgrade my 10 year old 32" Sony Trinitron.
I'm looking at all the HDTV's now and narrowing down my choices. My
question relates more to the audio component of my home theater. I
have just read an excellent book on putting together high end audio
systems, "Introductory Guide to High-Performance Audio Systems" by
Robert Harley. The book explains all the aspects of putting together
the best sounding system for any budget. I would highly recommend it.
As a matter of fact, I think I will be buying a copy soon (read my
copy from the library).

Is harley still writing about the directionality of copper crystals
affecting cable sound in home audio?

Back to my question. Since I am on a budget (which I suspect most of
us are), are their any resources online to find quality reviews of
pairings of 5.1 speaker systems and receivers? Most of the articles I
come across seem to be reviewing either the receiver or the speaker
system, almost never both. I don't have the time to listen to all the
different combinations of speakers and receivers and was wondering
where I could find this information. My budget will be about $1,200
for receiver and $2-3,000 for complete 5.1 speaker system.

Sound & Vision magazine now routinely reviews receiver + speaker setups.

$1200 will get you an excellent AV receiver, and you should have plenty of choices
for $3000 5.1 setups, though you shouldn't skimp on the subwoofer.

PS. For this money, I am looking for a system that will truly blow me
away. Clean, crisp sound, Dolby TrueHD compatible, mostly for watching
movies but also for listening to CD's. My current setup is an
inexpensive 10 year old Yamaha receiver with 2 B&W bookshelf speakers,
so I am not used to very high quality audio.

You shoudl also consider spending money on acoustic treatments for your room...
this will contribute as much, or more, than your gear choices, to the
'blow you away' experience.

___
-S
"As human beings, we understand the world through simile, analogy,
metaphor, narrative and, sometimes, claymation." - B. Mason
I subscribe to Sound and Vision magazine but I'm a little concerned
because it seems to be very advertising driven and I don't know how
objective they are in their reviews. Do you know of any good Internet
sources for acoustic treatments? Thanks.

www.realtraps.comhas lots of information and products.

Ethan Winer (the owner) posts often to AVSforum.com, audioholics.com and
other audio forums to answer questions about acoustic treatment. (Both of
those forums have subforums devoted to room acoustics and treatment) Terry
Montlick on AVSforum.com is another good source of information, and offers
room analysis services. http://www.softwaredesign.com/

RPG Acoustics (www.rpginc.com) and GIK Acoustics (www.gikacoustics.com)
are two other reputable acoustic treatment sources.

___
-S
"As human beings, we understand the world through simile, analogy,
metaphor, narrative and, sometimes, claymation." - B. Mason

Thanks for the link Steven.