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Currently I am using the speakers in my plasma Panny set, and they are very clear but they are wimpy and have nothing remotely bottom end. My hearing is not great, being deaf in one ear eliminates stereo effect and comprimises comprehension, particularly speech with background noise.
So I am looking for some reciever, or any solutions, that meets the following:
I'm intersted in being able to boosting center channel to get clearer audio, even if the sound is ultimately downmixed to full range left/right speaker. Most recivers have a Dialog Enhancer, is that center channel boost or frequency range boost? Does that get included in downmixed to a 2-channel output?
I'm not really a bass freak, I don't need the world to move for me when something blows up. I do have a spare passive 3-Ohm sub lying about that I could use, but driving that is not nessecary.
The blu-ray player Sony's S370 plays SACDs and I want to use the DTS out capablity of the player for decoding that glorious musical stream.
And, of course, there's a WAF budget.
I've looked at the most of the entry level 5.1 Sony, Pioneer Yamaha and can't abrely see any difference among them, bar warranty. So at this point I'm preapred to jump... I guess I just need some direction!
Follow Ups:
try a center channel speaker at the seating place lamp table ect.
mch dvd-a mch sacd & blu-ray concerts rule.
How's that for out of the box thinking! Brilliant suggestion.
Earlier this year I dismantled my 5.1 setup in order to get a living room back, but wanted better speakers than I've got in my Panasonic plasma. One suggestion I saw was to use computer speakers and I ended up buying a pair of B&W MM-1 computer speakers and hooking them up to the analog audio outs from the Panasonic. They work very well, much better than I expected a small speaker to work, and they're capable of filling my room quite well with sound.
They have a reasonable bottom end down to 50 Hz or so. You won't get the sort of bass you get with a sub, something I occasionally miss but not as often as I thought I might.
Using the Panasonic's analog out passes the sound from my PVR and BD player, both of which are connected to the Panasonic by HDMI, and the sound from off air TV to the speakers so they work with everything I view. I don't use cable but my guess is that the sound from all inputs gets passed to the analog out connections. The analog out connection, however, is basically intended for videotaping and the sound options provided by the Panasonic, which include a dialog enhancement option, don't work with them so you won't be able to get dialog enhancement from the TV but you may be able to get it from some of your sources if you need it. I find the sound from the B&Ws cleaner and clearer than the sound from the Panasonic's internal speakers and haven't felt a need for dialog enhancement with them.
Losing the Panasonic's sound enhancement features also means you lose the 2 channel virtual surround option but, once again, you may be able to get that from some of your sources. If I wish, I can get it from my Panasonic BD player when I'm using it and it does a good job of creating a more spacious sound but I tend to prefer not to use it and dialog can be clearer without it.
So, if you want a budget option which is 2 channel only and doesn't take up much in the way of space, consider a pair of good quality powered computer speakers. They can do a surprisingly good job if subwoofer bass and surround sound aren't essential to you. The sound isn't as good as you could get from a good AVR and speakers but with the right speaker choice I think you can do better than you can do with a budget AVR and speakers.
Warnings: you need powered speakers with their own volume control. The Panasonic's volume control doesn't work on the analog out terminals. You could use the headphone out socket but I didn't get as good sound quality from there as I did from the analog audio out terminals and the volume control on my Panasonic doesn't control the headphone out terminal, you have to dig into the Panasonic's menu settings to do that. While some of the small, active speakers used in the pro audio field might be great for this kind of use, they don't have their own volume control so you need to look at the high end of the computer audio speaker range. The other thing is to remember to mute or turn the volume down on the Panasonic's speakers. I turn mine down to zero because when I use mute I get on onscreen icon which I'd rather not have.
David Aiken
Thanks for the long, thought out, response.
I had thought about a PC speaker setup to take the 2-channel out. I found the Logitech Z5500, the only set I could find that has an infrared remote for the volume.
I'd suggest vintage 2 channel gear... you can pick up speakers and receivers for a song. Troll some yard sales and thrift stores, or shop Craigslist. I picked up two Energy minimonitors and an Energy center channel for a total of $11, and I've rescued a couple of working stereo receivers from junk piles. Just beware of rotten foam surrounds on woofers.
The B&W MM-1 also has an infrared remote. That was a must for me too.
David Aiken
...and I find lots of movie dialog difficult to understand. I have a 6-channel system that I'm otherwise quite happy with, but last week I had the CC speaker out of it and was listening in 4.1. Multichannel music sounded GREAT, but I really missed the ability to adjust the CC dialog independently. I had previously used an Eminent Technology LFT-12 speaker...
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...that I had adapted to a couple different open-baffle systems...
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...so I resurected that without the baffles.
Since the '12 is open-baffle and small, it has little bass output below 100Hz, and it sounded EXCELLENT on dialog. I've adapted it to a makeshift stand...
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I think you need a real 5.1 A/V receiver and a CC speaker that emphasizes articulation of voices rather than broad frequency range, and this LFT-12 is one of them.
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Tin-eared audiofool and terrible competitive-pistol shootist.
http://jeffreybehr.zenfolio.com/p610729623
Jeffrey, Love that rig, it must sound awesome. I'll keep in mind and check the specs for the range of the center speakers. Most manufacturers just say full range, which mean two drivers (if your lucky) and a cheap crossover.
Thanks for the heads up on the center range.
First, if you choose to use only two (L/R) speakers, you cannot set the center channel level effectively. In order to do that, you need a real center channel speaker, not a phantom.
Second, modern AVRs have line-level (RCA) outputs for the sub and will not drive an unamplified subwoofer such as your "spare passive 3-Ohm sub."
Third, the Sony will not output anything from SACDs over digital coax/optical outputs and certainly not as dts. You need to use the HDMI or the analog outputs.
So, it seems what you need to get is a 3.1 system with HDMI input, so you can enjoy SACD and be able to boost/tweak the center channel output to your needs. I do not know how that fits into your (unstated) budget.
Kal
Kal,
I appreciate your help.
Duh, yeah DSD not DTS. Must have my morning coffee before posting. I've been a phono/RCA/2-channel guy for 30 years now. In comparison, shopping for the digital multi-channel stuff is bewildering.
As for budget, the less the better, always! With receivers starting $200... is a $300-400 unreasonable? $500? I can ferret out the bargains on Audiogon/e-Bay to keep the cost down I will.
When you say 3.1 is needed for effectively getting clear center channel, is my proposition not available (just wishful thinking) or the reality of downmixing, even with a modified volume to a center channel, going to reduce the fidelity significantly?
No AVR that I know of will let you adjust the center channel level when you down-mix to a speaker format without a real center speaker.
Kal
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