[obobskivich]

Agreed. Many A/V receivers have gotten worse over the years as more and more of the cost has gone to video processing and codec licensing at the expense of the parts that actually produce sound. IMO the under $1K receivers available today basically sound like garbage.

I used to have a fairly high-end home theater with a SSP and a powerful multi-channel amp, and I got bored with it. I think HT is boring. Other than brain dead action movies, most move soundtracks send some 60% of the sound to the center channel, so you're basically listening to a glorified sound bar most of the time, with the rest going to waste. Ironically, stereo is actually an improvement over that as you avoid the combing issues and dynamic limitations of the center channel. One of the idiotic things about home theater is that center speakers are designed to look good, not to sound good. M-T-M is a terrible arrangement for a horizontal speaker and the engineers know it, but they have to build them that way because it's what the market demands.

The other reason I got tired of home theater is that there's far too much dynamic range in most film soundtracks. While modern music has been squashed flat, modern films are the exact opposite. You have a choice of inaudible dialogue or 120dB explosions. 

There's a reason lots of top-end theaters don't use horizontal toy speakers or omit the center channel entirely. That said, I entirely agree with everything you just said. :eek:

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

The other reason I got tired of home theater is that there's far too much dynamic range in most film soundtracks. While modern music has been squashed flat, modern films are the exact opposite. You have a choice of inaudible dialogue or 120dB explosions. 

 
YES, YES, YES !!
 
I thought I was the only person on the planet who felt this way. Everyone seems to have their HT cranked way up just so they can hear the dialog when the car chase finally finishes. I've had 5.1, but next time I will just get a soundbar and be done with it - when you see what FTA TV looks like in Oz, even that might seem like 'over-capitalisation'. No way would I buy a Velodyne sub simply to hear the ferals on Jersey Shore shouting at one another. 

 

[Clarkmc2]

Quote:

I've never been a fun of Dick Olsher as a reviewer. He tends to be biased.
Olsher, first and last, is a tube guy.

Funny, he likes Nelson's work of late, all solid state. He is also a fan of Hammer Dynamics Super 12s, for all the right reasons as far as I can tell. As for up to date info, even 6moons' dyed in the wool tube guy leader has gone from tubes to FirstWatt. As have I, and I hardly ever do what that dude does, usually the opposite.
 
Home Theater, I dumped surround for two channel a long time ago. X.1 will add nothing to a great film, and can't improve a turkey like Pearl Harbor. Useless. My big JBLs have better bass than a sub, too. So do my Stax Omegas.
 
As for the tripe that is now TV, I have traded my Comcast combo service for a Business Class internet only hookup. I haven't even put up an antenna. If something great comes along, there is Hulu, and Netflix high def. It all sounds great on two channel and looks glorious on the plasma.

 

[Steve Eddy]

Quote:

It's not that simple

Read this:
http://www.cd-konzert.de/details/roomreflections.shtml
The practice validates it.

 
Doesn't change anything I've said. While it may indeed sound pleasant, it imposes much more of the listening room's acoustics on the venue's acoustics.
 
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[estreeter]

While I have a captive audience, any opinions on Naim electronics ? They've gone network streamer-crazy of late, but the Nait amps seem to get very good reviews with the proviso that buyers 'need to like the Naim sound'.  Given the overblown hoopla around the sound signature of various Grado and A-T phones ('energetic treble' yada yada), I'm not particularly deterred when I see electronics described as being 'forthright' etc. We cant all sit around in smoking jackets listening to Mantovani on vintage McIntosh gear.  

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

While I have a captive audience, any opinions on Naim electronics ? They've gone network streamer-crazy of late, but the Nait amps seem to get very good reviews with the proviso that buyers 'need to like the Naim sound'.  Given the overblown hoopla around the sound signature of various Grado and A-T phones ('energetic treble' yada yada), I'm not particularly deterred when I see electronics described as being 'forthright' etc. We cant all sit around in smoking jackets listening to Mantovani on vintage McIntosh gear.  

 
What I know about older Naim gear is that if you opted for the RCA connections instead of the Naim proprietary DIN sockets with other Naim equipment, the performance drop was significant making the components essentially not worth it. I don't know if they are still like that or if you can integrate them more easily now. I'm not sure if Naim uses a CAST type system, but if they do, that would make sense.

 

[estreeter]

Excellent point Dave - FWIR, Naim still have proprietary speaker connections on their amps, but I dont know if they have maintained that with their electronics. Meridian are even more aggressive in the way they lock their customers into one of their 'integrated solutions', but I guess thats going to line up with the lifestyle market anyway. I havent seen anything from Naim that looks like it belongs on a yacht - YMMV.

 

[Steve Eddy]

Naim doesn't use a CAST type system and their use of DIN plugs isn't particularly proprietary but a throwback. DIN plugs were commonly used on European audio gear back in the day before they were supplanted by RCA's and some still use them. DNM for example also uses them.
 
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[estreeter]

Naim FAQ entries - tried before but they have some HTML trickery to stop mugs like me copying and pasting these - 
 
 
Q. Why does Naim not agree with bi-wiring and tri-wiring passive loudspeakers?
 
It's true that we are not great fans of multi-wiring passive loudspeakers in accordance with current vogue. Our belief is that if the crossover has been correctly designed, a single run of cable between amplifier and loudspeaker offers the best sound, as well as making it easier for the amplifier to drive safely. Obviously, if the speaker crossover has been deliberately designed to sound better when bi- or   tri-wired, then it quite possibly will; but that's not to say that it wouldn't sound better overall if it were designed for single wiring in the first place, as our speakers are.
 
Q. Naim always used to promote the need for rigid fixing of loudspeakers. Why then are Naim speakers designed in such a way that a certain amount of flexing of some components is possible?
 
One of the principles behind the design of all our loudspeakers involves shifting unwanted system resonances outside of the audio bandwidth, thus reducing their effect upon the music signal. This is achieved by allowing key components to move at controlled rates and so isolate them from external vibration sources. Rigid fixing of loudspeakers can couple them to the energy stored within floor or wall surfaces, which is then reflected back into the system. Our approach combines a careful balance of rigidity and flexibility, so key components move predictably.
 
Q. NACA5 loudspeaker cable is not user-friendly
 
Well, we wouldn't claim that it's easy to use, but in many ways it is neater when installed - and more importantly sounds better - than other cables.When formed around corners and placed hard against skirting boards, it stays in place and doesn't tangle or twist like more flexible cables.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Naim doesn't use a CAST type system and their use of DIN plugs isn't particularly proprietary but a throwback. DIN plugs were commonly used on European audio gear back in the day before they were supplanted by RCA's and some still use them. DNM for example also uses them.
 
se

 
They could have avoided both. If Adam and others can build balanced XLR into their active monitors, why does it cost so much to buy sources and conventional amps with support for same ?
 

 

[Steve Eddy]

Quote:

 
They could have avoided both. If Adam and others can build balanced XLR into their active monitors, why does it cost so much to buy sources and conventional amps with support for same ?
 

 
Well, Naim is a "soup to nuts" manufacturer. They don't want people to buy Naim components as much as complete Naim SYSTEMS.
 
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[DaveBSC]

Quote:

 
They could have avoided both. If Adam and others can build balanced XLR into their active monitors, why does it cost so much to buy sources and conventional amps with support for same ?

 
There's a big difference between an XLR input or output and actual balanced circuitry.

 

[estreeter]

Thanks guys - I'll take both of those comments onboard. 

 

[preproman]

Reserved. 

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Reserved. 

 
Excellent - I KNEW someone would take on for the team and pre-order the Mola-Mola ! Bravo, sir - we salute you.