I plan on purchasing an audio system for my home after xmas, and
wondered if you folks could make some suggestions. I want a system
that will receive from DVD and CD. The room is 22 X32 with 9-ft
ceilings,lots of windows and a fireplace. Given the condition of my
ears, I will sacrifice quality for quantity.

Additionally, I would like to install outdoor speakers wired to the
same system to adequately cover about 75-ft of beach, located 25-ft
off the back of my house. I would like a router switch or something
similar to be able to select indoor, outdoor, or both. Ideally,
independent volume control would be nice. My price range is around
$5,000, though I will go higher if I get some breakthrough in quality.
Two more things: What I have now will be given away, so I need
everything; and, I very much want to pull this off with one or two
phone calls. I don't want to puzzle together something myself.

Thanks in advance.

The only way to pull this off with 1 or 2 phone calls is to get a
local dealer (or 2) to quote on the whole thing. Otherwise, you have
to put in more effort, if you care.

Kal

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 16:00:49 GMT, (Dogma4e) wrote:

I plan on purchasing an audio system for my home after xmas, and
wondered if you folks could make some suggestions. I want a system
that will receive from DVD and CD. The room is 22 X32 with 9-ft
ceilings,lots of windows and a fireplace. Given the condition of my
ears, I will sacrifice quality for quantity.

Additionally, I would like to install outdoor speakers wired to the
same system to adequately cover about 75-ft of beach, located 25-ft
off the back of my house. I would like a router switch or something
similar to be able to select indoor, outdoor, or both. Ideally,
independent volume control would be nice. My price range is around
$5,000, though I will go higher if I get some breakthrough in quality.
Two more things: What I have now will be given away, so I need
everything; and, I very much want to pull this off with one or two
phone calls. I don't want to puzzle together something myself.

Thanks in advance.

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 11:47:41 -0500, Kalman Rubinson
wrote:

The only way to pull this off with 1 or 2 phone calls is to get a
local dealer (or 2) to quote on the whole thing. Otherwise, you have
to put in more effort, if you care.

Kal

Fair enough. What I'm hoping is that someone suggests the major
components of a system that will meet my loose specifications, and
that armed with this info, I can call the right dealer. I will leave
up to him or her to identify the minor components.

What I really want to avoid is getting sold the product with the
highest commission, or finding out later I could have been in a better
class of system for the same money.

Other than that, you are quite correct that I honestly don't care that
much about it, and don't want to turn this into a crusade.

So, Mr. Rubinson, you probably spend more time thinking about this
type of issue every day than I will in a lifetime. What do you
recommend? I trust your judgement, and if you give me a short list of
components, I will find the dealer and consider it a done deal.

I have no knowledge of nor interest in multiroom or multizone wiring
or components. Nor do I have any knowledge of or interest in outdoor
speakers. I suspect those two items will count for a significant but
not majority portion of your expenses.

You say you want DVD and CD but do not say whether video or
multichannel is included in the spec.

Kal



On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 16:58:22 GMT, (Dogma4e) wrote:

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 11:47:41 -0500, Kalman Rubinson
wrote:

The only way to pull this off with 1 or 2 phone calls is to get a
local dealer (or 2) to quote on the whole thing. Otherwise, you have
to put in more effort, if you care.

Kal

Fair enough. What I'm hoping is that someone suggests the major
components of a system that will meet my loose specifications, and
that armed with this info, I can call the right dealer. I will leave
up to him or her to identify the minor components.

What I really want to avoid is getting sold the product with the
highest commission, or finding out later I could have been in a better
class of system for the same money.

Other than that, you are quite correct that I honestly don't care that
much about it, and don't want to turn this into a crusade.

So, Mr. Rubinson, you probably spend more time thinking about this
type of issue every day than I will in a lifetime. What do you
recommend? I trust your judgement, and if you give me a short list of
components, I will find the dealer and consider it a done deal.

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 12:36:58 -0500, Kalman Rubinson
wrote:

I have no knowledge of nor interest in multiroom or multizone wiring
or components. Nor do I have any knowledge of or interest in outdoor
speakers. I suspect those two items will count for a significant but
not majority portion of your expenses.

You say you want DVD and CD but do not say whether video or
multichannel is included in the spec.

Kal


Thanks for the reply. I very much want video and multichannel sound
as part of the system. I've got what was touted as top-of-the-line
DVD player as of 2.5-years ago, but would happily replace it if
necessary, and wouldn't consider this expense as part of my audio
budget. I would consider a new CD player as part of the audio system,
though. Also, I've got a ton of cassette tapes, some of which cannot
be replaced with CDs. I would like to be able to access these as
well.

I've got a feeling that the outdoor part of this system will be driven
off a seperate amp, taking a signal from the main system. I concur
that this will eat up a significant chunk of my budget, but lets stick
with a target of $5k for the main system.

I really appreciate your help with this.

The video display makes this tough since it can eat the entire budget.
For a $5K mch audio system, I suggest a universal player($1K), a
high-end receiver(1.5K) and a matched set of speakers($2.5K),
including 4 full-range (floorstanding or standmounted), dedicated
center-channel and powered subwoofer. Since your space is so large,
the speakers should be substantial and not an array of minis with a
keg-like sub. The budget does not really permit separate pre/pro plus
power amps.

Players: Denon 2900, Marantz 8400, Integra DPS-8.3, Philips DVD963SA,
Onkyo DV-SP800, etc.

Receivers: No help here but the Stereophile Buyer's Guide or the
Sound+Vision Directory have plenty of listings, including models from
some of the manufacturers listed above. Check the various H/T
websites (e.g., http://www.guidetohometheater.com/) for comments and
recommendations.

Speakers: Paradigm, NHT, PSB, B&W, Athena, Canton, Celestion,
Dynaudio, Infinity, JMLabs, KEF, and Polk. These are just off the top
of my head and they, and too many others to mention, offer quality
speakers in the price range. Speakers should be auditioned more
carefully than other components.

Kal


On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 17:53:11 GMT, (Dogma4e) wrote:

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 12:36:58 -0500, Kalman Rubinson
wrote:

I have no knowledge of nor interest in multiroom or multizone wiring
or components. Nor do I have any knowledge of or interest in outdoor
speakers. I suspect those two items will count for a significant but
not majority portion of your expenses.

You say you want DVD and CD but do not say whether video or
multichannel is included in the spec.

Kal


Thanks for the reply. I very much want video and multichannel sound
as part of the system. I've got what was touted as top-of-the-line
DVD player as of 2.5-years ago, but would happily replace it if
necessary, and wouldn't consider this expense as part of my audio
budget. I would consider a new CD player as part of the audio system,
though. Also, I've got a ton of cassette tapes, some of which cannot
be replaced with CDs. I would like to be able to access these as
well.

I've got a feeling that the outdoor part of this system will be driven
off a seperate amp, taking a signal from the main system. I concur
that this will eat up a significant chunk of my budget, but lets stick
with a target of $5k for the main system.

I really appreciate your help with this.

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 14:26:52 -0500, Kalman Rubinson
wrote:

The video display makes this tough since it can eat the entire budget.
For a $5K mch audio system, I suggest a universal player($1K), a
high-end receiver(1.5K) and a matched set of speakers($2.5K),
including 4 full-range (floorstanding or standmounted), dedicated
center-channel and powered subwoofer. Since your space is so large,
the speakers should be substantial and not an array of minis with a
keg-like sub. The budget does not really permit separate pre/pro plus
power amps.

Players: Denon 2900, Marantz 8400, Integra DPS-8.3, Philips DVD963SA,
Onkyo DV-SP800, etc.

Receivers: No help here but the Stereophile Buyer's Guide or the
Sound+Vision Directory have plenty of listings, including models from
some of the manufacturers listed above. Check the various H/T
websites (e.g., http://www.guidetohometheater.com/) for comments and
recommendations.

Speakers: Paradigm, NHT, PSB, B&W, Athena, Canton, Celestion,
Dynaudio, Infinity, JMLabs, KEF, and Polk. These are just off the top
of my head and they, and too many others to mention, offer quality
speakers in the price range. Speakers should be auditioned more
carefully than other components.

Kal


Mr. Rubinson:

Exactly what I needed. I quite lterally intend to find a nearby
dealer that reps most of these manufacturers, give him a copy of your
post, and give him a deposit and a install-by date. I'll give him
your number, in case he has any questions (kidding, of course...)

As a note, I found some commercial outdoor speakers with 8-inch
woofers and titanium dome tweeters that are rated for 250-watts.
Supposedly used by Disney Studios. The owner tells me four of them
will definitely summon the police!

http://stereostonearizona.com/html/speakers.html

I'm assuming I'll need a seperate amp to drive these speakers, and
I'll rely on the dealer to recommend one that mates well with the
other components.

Thanks for the help. You know, of course, that I will be telling
people forevermore that my sound system was built around the personal
recommendations of the editor of Stereophile! :-)

One last note: I didn't intend for the video display to be included
in the budget. I think I'll wait a year or so on that, until the
technology stabilizes and prices drop even further.

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 20:22:49 GMT, (Dogma4e) wrote:

Exactly what I needed. I quite lterally intend to find a nearby
dealer that reps most of these manufacturers, give him a copy of your
post, and give him a deposit and a install-by date.

As you can tell, there are many options and, if you are going to rely
on the dealer, choose him by his reputation and experience.

I'll give him
your number, in case he has any questions (kidding, of course...)

Good. Then we can negotiate my commission. ;-)

Good luck.

Kal

(Dogma4e) wrote in message ...
I plan on purchasing an audio system for my home after xmas, and
wondered if you folks could make some suggestions. I want a system
that will receive from DVD and CD. The room is 22 X32 with 9-ft
ceilings,lots of windows and a fireplace. Given the condition of my
ears, I will sacrifice quality for quantity.

Additionally, I would like to install outdoor speakers wired to the
same system to adequately cover about 75-ft of beach, located 25-ft
off the back of my house. I would like a router switch or something
similar to be able to select indoor, outdoor, or both. Ideally,
independent volume control would be nice. My price range is around
$5,000, though I will go higher if I get some breakthrough in quality.
Two more things: What I have now will be given away, so I need
everything; and, I very much want to pull this off with one or two
phone calls. I don't want to puzzle together something myself.

Thanks in advance.

Let me get these constraints right. You want advice. You don't want
to make more than 1 or two phone calls. You don't want to puzzle
together yourself.

I sense a dichotomy here.

To comply with your request I offer the following advice.
1) Drop your request for advice. It will take you awhile to puzzle out
the good from the bad.
2) Call a dealer who does installs, give 'em your objectives and price
target and request a proposal. If it sounds good, go for it.
3) If it doesn't sound good, give up. You're out of phone calls.

ScottW

On 11 Dec 2003 14:02:22 -0800, (ScottW) wrote:

Let me get these constraints right. You want advice. You don't want
to make more than 1 or two phone calls. You don't want to puzzle
together yourself.

I sense a dichotomy here.

To comply with your request I offer the following advice.
1) Drop your request for advice. It will take you awhile to puzzle out
the good from the bad.
2) Call a dealer who does installs, give 'em your objectives and price
target and request a proposal. If it sounds good, go for it.
3) If it doesn't sound good, give up. You're out of phone calls.

ScottW


Yes. I want some one whom I trust to tell me, "I think you should buy
X, Y and Z. These will do, and I've found them to be of good value".
Fortunately for me, Mr. Rubinson responded to my request before any of
the usual RAO retards and assholes could chip in with quasi-witty but
otherwise worthless advise.

Dogma4e wrote:

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 12:36:58 -0500, Kalman Rubinson
wrote:


I have no knowledge of nor interest in multiroom or multizone wiring
or components. Nor do I have any knowledge of or interest in outdoor
speakers. I suspect those two items will count for a significant but
not majority portion of your expenses.

You say you want DVD and CD but do not say whether video or
multichannel is included in the spec.

Kal



Thanks for the reply. I very much want video and multichannel sound
as part of the system. I've got what was touted as top-of-the-line
DVD player as of 2.5-years ago, but would happily replace it if
necessary, and wouldn't consider this expense as part of my audio
budget. I would consider a new CD player as part of the audio system,
though. Also, I've got a ton of cassette tapes, some of which cannot
be replaced with CDs. I would like to be able to access these as
well.

The DVD player is fine. As for the amplifier, something good like a
Rotel would leave you roughly $3.5K for the speakers. Figure a good
sub and you're looking at $3000. Let's say $2500 after the outdoor
speakers and so on for 5 or 6 speakers.

At the top of my list would be Tannoy. Their Saturn series is very
good. With the subwoofer, I'd go for the S6 towers and surrounds.
The midrange and high-end will be identical to the S8s, but the visual
impact will be far less noticeable.

Finding a pair to listen to will be hard. Just listen to the S8s
instead and subtract 10% on the bass(moot with a sub)

(note - MSRP - dealers have about 20% wiggle-room on a full set.
S6 tower: $1200
S6 surrounds/bookshelfs: $900
S6 center: $450
$2550 MSRP, but most places could do a package deal for about $2000-2200.



Mirage makes the best sounding outdoor speaker that I know of that's
reasonably priced.

"Dogma4e" wrote in message
...
On 11 Dec 2003 14:02:22 -0800, (ScottW) wrote:

Let me get these constraints right. You want advice. You don't want
to make more than 1 or two phone calls. You don't want to puzzle
together yourself.

I sense a dichotomy here.

To comply with your request I offer the following advice.
1) Drop your request for advice. It will take you awhile to puzzle out
the good from the bad.
2) Call a dealer who does installs, give 'em your objectives and price
target and request a proposal. If it sounds good, go for it.
3) If it doesn't sound good, give up. You're out of phone calls.

ScottW


Yes. I want some one whom I trust to tell me, "I think you should buy
X, Y and Z. These will do, and I've found them to be of good value".
Fortunately for me, Mr. Rubinson responded to my request before any of
the usual RAO retards and assholes could chip in with quasi-witty but
otherwise worthless advise.

Looks like he offered the same response to your inaccurate request.
Unfortunately, reading RAO via google prevented me from seeing
his response. I'm glad he was able to help you out.
Good luck.

ScottW

Dogma4e said:

Don't let it be said that I'm ungrateful for good advice. I just
ordered a two year subscription to Stereophile magazine.

For what it's worth, Gregipus hates Stereophile.

"Dogma4e" wrote in message
...
I plan on purchasing an audio system for my home after xmas, and
wondered if you folks could make some suggestions. I want a system
that will receive from DVD and CD.

You obviously receive a lot from your bong.

The room is 22 X32 with 9-ft
ceilings,lots of windows and a fireplace. Given the condition of my
ears, I will sacrifice quality for quantity.

Additionally, I would like to install outdoor speakers wired to the
same system to adequately cover about 75-ft of beach, located 25-ft
off the back of my house. I would like a router switch or something
similar to be able to select indoor, outdoor, or both. Ideally,
independent volume control would be nice. My price range is around
$5,000, though I will go higher if I get some breakthrough in quality.
Two more things: What I have now will be given away, so I need
everything; and, I very much want to pull this off with one or two
phone calls. I don't want to puzzle together something myself.


You really are a blithering idiot.

Thanks in advance.

No problem.

RR

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 15:55:33 -0500, Kalman Rubinson
wrote:

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 20:22:49 GMT, (Dogma4e) wrote:

Exactly what I needed. I quite lterally intend to find a nearby
dealer that reps most of these manufacturers, give him a copy of your
post, and give him a deposit and a install-by date.

As you can tell, there are many options and, if you are going to rely
on the dealer, choose him by his reputation and experience.

I'll give him
your number, in case he has any questions (kidding, of course...)

Good. Then we can negotiate my commission. ;-)

Good luck.

Kal


Don't let it be said that I'm ungrateful for good advice. I just
ordered a two year subscription to Stereophile magazine. And you
shouldn't sneeze at this endorsement, Kal. How many other readers of
Stereophile do you think there are that rely on a Miracle Ear? You've
accomplished the marketing equivelent of selling sun tan lotion to an
Eskimo.

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 00:40:41 GMT, Joseph Oberlander
wrote:

Dogma4e wrote:

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 12:36:58 -0500, Kalman Rubinson
wrote:


I have no knowledge of nor interest in multiroom or multizone wiring
or components. Nor do I have any knowledge of or interest in outdoor
speakers. I suspect those two items will count for a significant but
not majority portion of your expenses.

You say you want DVD and CD but do not say whether video or
multichannel is included in the spec.

Kal



Thanks for the reply. I very much want video and multichannel sound
as part of the system. I've got what was touted as top-of-the-line
DVD player as of 2.5-years ago, but would happily replace it if
necessary, and wouldn't consider this expense as part of my audio
budget. I would consider a new CD player as part of the audio system,
though. Also, I've got a ton of cassette tapes, some of which cannot
be replaced with CDs. I would like to be able to access these as
well.

The DVD player is fine. As for the amplifier, something good like a
Rotel would leave you roughly $3.5K for the speakers. Figure a good
sub and you're looking at $3000. Let's say $2500 after the outdoor
speakers and so on for 5 or 6 speakers.

At the top of my list would be Tannoy. Their Saturn series is very
good. With the subwoofer, I'd go for the S6 towers and surrounds.
The midrange and high-end will be identical to the S8s, but the visual
impact will be far less noticeable.

Finding a pair to listen to will be hard. Just listen to the S8s
instead and subtract 10% on the bass(moot with a sub)

(note - MSRP - dealers have about 20% wiggle-room on a full set.
S6 tower: $1200
S6 surrounds/bookshelfs: $900
S6 center: $450
$2550 MSRP, but most places could do a package deal for about $2000-2200.



Mirage makes the best sounding outdoor speaker that I know of that's
reasonably priced.


Thank you for the response! Would you mind taking a look at the
Gibralter model at this website, and telling me what you think?

http://stereostonearizona.com/html/speakers.html

Looks like he offered the same response to your inaccurate request.
Unfortunately, reading RAO via google prevented me from seeing
his response. I'm glad he was able to help you out.
Good luck.

ScottW



Thanks for wishing me luck. I'm probably going to need it!

Dogma4e wrote:


Thank you for the response! Would you mind taking a look at the
Gibralter model at this website, and telling me what you think?

http://stereostonearizona.com/html/speakers.html

I've actually heard these in person. They sound odd. Not due to
their speakers, but because of their dispersion of the sound and
being so close to the ground. Not as good as the Mirage, which
beat out all of the other indoor/outdoor $300 and under speakers
when I was looking for a pair a couple years ago.