The SEPARATES vs. AVR Thread

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I may be a bit thick this morning but what about DirecTV requires more than HDMI 1.3?

I don't know. All I know is that when I hook up the Direct TV receiver to my AVP-A1HDCI and AVR-5308CI, I can't get picture, only sound. I had to convert the HDMI to Component first. When I hook the Direct TV to my Denon X3100, it works perfectly.

 

[lovinthehd]

I don't know. All I know is that when I hook up the Direct TV receiver to my AVP-A1HDCI and AVR-5308CI, I can't get picture, only sound. I had to convert the HDMI to Component first. When I hook the Direct TV to my Denon X3100, it works perfectly.

Probably more just hdmi handshake issues as a guess. Altho I use two 1.4a avrs for my D* connections, maybe I'll have to see if my older 1.3 unit does as well someday....

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Probably more just hdmi handshake issues as a guess. Altho I use two 1.4a avrs for my D* connections, maybe I'll have to see if my older 1.3 unit does as well someday....

HDMI updates and handshake issues is one way to promote people to buy new AVRs.

Bottom line for me: I'm not buying a new Pre-pro or AVR just because of this DTV-HDMI issue.

 

[M Code]

Common problem..
The Direct TV box is not HDMI certified...
All is well if connected directly to an HD display by HDMI, but multiple handshake issues when connected through an AVR with an HDMI repeater circuit..
Work around is HDMI to > HD display, optical > AVR...


Just my $0.02..

 

[<eargiant]

For most of us, we can balance things but those who can not can be made very sick or disturbed by their actions, like choosing audio over family interaction, which further isolates.

I agree, I love this hobby and listening to music. It's one of the joys in life that make me, well- ME (ask anyone that has known me all my life). Luckily I balance things out pretty well for the rest of what life has to offer but I must admit, sometimes it sounds soooo good in the listening chair that I forget to get up and eat...

 

[Mikado463]

I agree, I love this hobby and listening to music. It's one of the joys in life that make me, well- me. Luckily I balance things out pretty well for the rest of what life has to offer but I must admit, sometimes it sounds soooo good in the listening chair that I forget to get up and eat...

those bones look fragile, don't trip over the wires in the background when you finally get up to get something to eat. Thank God you don't have them on cable elevators...........

 

[<eargiant]

those bones look fragile, don't trip over the wires in the background when you finally get up to get something to eat. Thank God you don't have them on cable elevators...........

Good eye!!! Speaker wire all over the place is a badge of honor!!! That unsightly and dangerous mess is only seen during moments of deep, intensive, comparative audio listening. How else is this mere mortal going to know what the real audio truth is?

 

[Mikado463]

Good eye!!! Speaker wire all over the place is a badge of honor!!! That unsightly and dangerous mess is only seen during moments of deep, intensive, comparative audio listening. How else is this mere mortal going to know what the real audio truth is?

LOL ......Love it !!

 

[2channel lover]

Is ATL Atlanta? I lived there 43 years ago. In Buckhead there was Peachtree Record Shop and a Best Buy like store called Hi-Fi Buys. Around the corner was a high end shop. I remember they had the Vfet Sony 8500 Series, which sold for about $1000 a component. That was about a months salary for me back then. I settled for their 5500 Series 50 watt per channel power amp and preamp at about $500 each.

ATL...yes indeed Atlanta. City has changed a lot in 40+ yrs...this is my second stint living in the metro area, and it's changed a great deal in the 30 yr since I first lived here.

There is a hi end audio shop in the Buckhead area, (Revel dealer) that I visited to demo the F206/F208 speakers...he's really a custom installer not a retail shop per se. Hifi Buys is still there to my knowledge. Home Evolution closed their Duluth location to focus more on the intown (midtown) location.

Georgia Home Theater in the Vinings area is probably nicest place I've shop I've been to. There's another one more in the Alpharetta area that I've been meaning to get by.

 

[sterling shoote]

ATL...yes indeed Atlanta. City has changed a lot in 40+ yrs...this is my second stint living in the metro area, and it's changed a great deal in the 30 yr since I first lived here.

There is a hi end audio shop in the Buckhead area, (Revel dealer) that I visited to demo the F206/F208 speakers...he's really a custom installer not a retail shop per se. Hifi Buys is still there to my knowledge. Home Evolution closed their Duluth location to focus more on the intown (midtown) location.

Georgia Home Theater in the Vinings area is probably nicest place I've shop I've been to. There's another one more in the Alpharetta area that I've been meaning to get by.

Do any of the stores stock the Technics SL-1200GR Turntable?

 

[2channel lover]

Do any of the stores stock the Technics SL-1200GR Turntable?

Sorry, no clue.

 

[Mikado463]

Do any of the stores stock the Technics SL-1200GR Turntable?

I'm curious, have you heard that table yet ? at half the price of the 'G' I too was wondering about it ?

 

[sterling shoote]

No, but I'd like to hear it. I now have a 43 year old player which is quite satisfying yet with no means to level it, adjust tonearm height, or lock speed, I've become receptive to buying a new turntable for those features. I also like the removeable headshell and s--shaped tonearm which allows for quick and easy cartridge alignment without need for a protractor. I have found the turntable on-line at Guitar Center but I'd sure like to actually audition one before buying.

 

[M Code]

Do any of the stores stock the Technics SL-1200GR Turntable?

Today the Technics SL1200's are sold to DJs not audiophiles... They are bulletproof and excellent for scratching.. But it does have some weak areas, firstly is the tone arm and its weaker ability to handle the more esoteric cartridges including MCs for low & high compliance tracking. Secondly is its marginal isolation from acoustic feedback, its bottom feet and solid chassis build being more rigid make it more prone to feedback compared to designs that float the arm mounting and motor. Note that I own 3 pairs of the SL1200 as we use them in our DJ audio biz. For listening to audiophile vinyl disks we use a vintage Marantz quartz lock motor/platter in a custom base with a Jelco SD750 tone arm along with various cartridges including Denon, Supex and Ortofon. The typical value of the turntable, tone arm, MC cartridge is about $5K. I still enjoy playing back vinyl on my analog turntable for crucial music listening... But thats why I have a separate HT system for cinema watching vs. playing music...

Just my $0.02...

 

[Mikado463]

Today the Technics SL1200's are sold to DJs not audiophiles... They are bulletproof and excellent for scratching.. But it does have some weak areas, firstly is the tone arm and its weaker ability to handle the more esoteric cartridges including MCs for low & high compliance tracking. Secondly is its marginal isolation from acoustic feedback, its bottom feet and solid chassis build being more rigid make it more prone to feedback compared to designs that float the arm mounting and motor. Note that I own 3 pairs of the SL1200 as we use them in our DJ audio biz. For listening to audiophile vinyl disks we use a vintage Marantz quartz lock motor/platter in a custom base with a Jelco SD750 tone arm along with various cartridges including Denon, Supex and Ortofon. The typical value of the turntable, tone arm, MC cartridge is about $5K. I still enjoy playing back vinyl on my analog turntable for crucial music listening... But thats why I have a separate HT system for cinema watching vs. playing music...

Just my $0.02...

i would argue that the current 1200G is a capable 'audiophile' TT, given it's price point it competes well beyond with plenty of compatible cartridges. Granted, it's tonearm is it's weak point but speed and pitch stability are second to none.

 

[panteragstk]

I don't know. All I know is that when I hook up the Direct TV receiver to my AVP-A1HDCI and AVR-5308CI, I can't get picture, only sound. I had to convert the HDMI to Component first. When I hook the Direct TV to my Denon X3100, it works perfectly.

You could probably get an HDMI splitter that removes HDCP and that will fix it. I've used them in the past. Cheap and less cluttered than using component+optica/coax.

This is one example, but there are a bunch that should help you out.

 

[M Code]

i would argue that the current 1200G is a capable 'audiophile' TT, given it's price point it competes well beyond with plenty of compatible cartridges. Granted, it's tonearm is it's weak point but speed and pitch stability are second to none.

Think about a turntable as (2) parts, 1 is mechanical and 1 is electrical. Platter speed & pitch stability are more mechanical constants for any good quality turntable be it direct drive, quartz-lock or belt drive. The other part is electrical which is driven by the phono cartridge, the mentioned cartridges some sell for more $2K and if the tone arm has too much friction and/or lacks the proper matching compliance for the cartridge it will not track properly. Since the cartridge is a transducer similar to a loudspeaker, it tracks physically and converts to electrical output. If the cartridge is not matched with a well-designed/tracking tone arm, its sonic performance will be lacking. To counter this some tone arms like the Jelco SD-750 has adjustable oil-damping built into its bearing system.

Note that we do know a little about the 1200G as we know Ito-San quite well, who is the CTO for Technics products based in Osaka, Japan.

Just my $0.02...

 

[Mikado463]

Think about a turntable as (2) parts, 1 is mechanical and 1 is electrical. Platter speed & pitch stability are more mechanical constants for any good quality turntable be it direct drive, quartz-lock or belt drive. The other part is electrical which is driven by the phono cartridge, the mentioned cartridges some sell for more $2K and if the tone arm has too much friction and/or lacks the proper matching compliance for the cartridge it will not track properly. Since the cartridge is a transducer similar to a loudspeaker, it tracks physically and converts to electrical output. If the cartridge is not matched with a well-designed/tracking tone arm, its sonic performance will be lacking. To counter this some tone arms like the Jelco SD-750 has adjustable oil-damping built into its bearing system.

Note that we do know a little about the 1200G as we know Ito-San quite well, who is the CTO for Technics products based in Osaka, Japan.

Just my $0.02...

agreed and with that being said there are plenty of capable cartridges suitable for the 1200G that will make it sing beautifully (Hana Shibata for less than 1K). Myself, I've yet to read a 'bad' review of the 1200G and we all know the '1200' is the absolute cult table of all time. I ask you, has there ever been another table with more tweaks and mods performed ?

for the 'record' I own a VPI Aries 3, Super platter, SDS, Benz Micro Gullwing combination

 

[Verdinut]

No, but I'd like to hear it. I now have a 43 year old player which is quite satisfying yet with no means to level it, adjust tonearm height, or lock speed, I've become receptive to buying a new turntable for those features. I also like the removeable headshell and s--shaped tonearm which allows for quick and easy cartridge alignment without need for a protractor. I have found the turntable on-line at Guitar Center but I'd sure like to actually audition one before buying.

Today the Technics SL1200's are sold to DJs not audiophiles... They are bulletproof and excellent for scratching.. But it does have some weak areas, firstly is the tone arm and its weaker ability to handle the more esoteric cartridges including MCs for low & high compliance tracking. Secondly is its marginal isolation from acoustic feedback, its bottom feet and solid chassis build being more rigid make it more prone to feedback compared to designs that float the arm mounting and motor. Note that I own 3 pairs of the SL1200 as we use them in our DJ audio biz. For listening to audiophile vinyl disks we use a vintage Marantz quartz lock motor/platter in a custom base with a Jelco SD750 tone arm along with various cartridges including Denon, Supex and Ortofon. The typical value of the turntable, tone arm, MC cartridge is about $5K. I still enjoy playing back vinyl on my analog turntable for crucial music listening... But thats why I have a separate HT system for cinema watching vs. playing music...

Just my $0.02...

The SL1200 is very well rated but expensive with no model selling under $1700.

Are you familiar with the Denon VL12 which sells for $899?

I own an Audio-technica AT-LP1240 USB TT which is a lot cheaper than both the above mentioned ones. I like it. The arm is not an SME but it works well. I use it with a Shure M97xE cartridge and it suits my needs. It has a very sturdy motor and is solidly built. Some DJs consider it as good as the Technics SL1200. It received excellent reviews on the B & H Photo's website. That is where I ordered mine from several years ago.

If someone does not have a big vinyl collection and is not going to be playing them that regularly, I would suggest that he have a look at that A-T product, before spending a big sum for a TT that is only occasionally used.

 

[M Code]

The SL1200 is very well rated but expensive with no model selling under $1700.

Are you familiar with the Denon VL12 which sells for $899?

I own an Audio-technica AT-LP1240 USB TT which is a lot cheaper than both the above mentioned ones. I like it. The arm is not an SME but it works well. I use it with a Shure M97xE cartridge and it suits my needs. It has a very sturdy motor and is solidly built. Some DJs consider it as good as the Technics SL1200. It received excellent reviews on the B & H Photo's website. That is where I ordered mine from several years ago.

If someone does not have a big vinyl collection and is not going to be playing them that regularly, I would suggest that he have a look at that A-T product, before spending a big sum for a TT that is occasionally used.

The Audio Technica turntables are manufactured in Taiwan by the same OE factory that builds for Numark, Stanton, Reloop and Pioneer... Major difference compared to the Technics products is that many parts like the tone arm are plated plastic not metal. But the Taiwan built turntables are great values with strong features but for long-term reliability the Technics turntables are still the best. Technics invented the direct drive turntable and built their brand image on that category.... In fact Technics was so heavily committed to the turntable production back several years this delayed their entry into CD players.

Today the DJ market is rapidly changing and the turntable is being replaced by a laptop or iPod as a music source MP3 player. Nobody wants to carry around a heavy bin with vinyl.. If U tour the Namm show U will note fewer & fewer DJs that can actually scratch.. While on the consumer side vinyl has had some recent sale success but now that is starting to fade. Regarding Shure cartridges they just announced they are discontinuing manufacturing phono cartridges, so U better stock up before the supply is gone..

Just my $0.02...