PS3 - less than impressed?

[ParadigmDawg]

I have the go ahead for a bedroom set-up for her but right now she wants in-ceilings in there. We already have the 42'' LCD and DVD player. I was going to add the SVS 5.1 package but she said no.

 

[avaserfi]

Well you do need a receiver for that bedroom set up...so you could always give it your Panny and get a new one for the main HT area .

For inwalls that aren't too expensive JCPanny just reviewed some that he seemed pretty happy with for the price:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34083

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Sometimes I just want my HTIB and rear projection TV back...life was so much easier then.

 

[darien87]

I bought my 661 for the lossless audio. In my experience, it's kind of hit and miss. Some PCM tracks are a noticeable difference, some aren't. It can be pretty dramatic, as with Blackhawk Down. But with some movies, (Casino Royale, Underworld Evolution), I didn't really notice a difference between PCM and DD. If your receiver is only 4 months old, I don't know if it's really worth it.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I think I agree with you!

I bought my 661 for the lossless audio. In my experience, it's kind of hit and miss. Some PCM tracks are a noticeable difference, some aren't. It can be pretty dramatic, as with Blackhawk Down. But with some movies, (Casino Royale, Underworld Evolution), I didn't really notice a difference between PCM and DD. If your receiver is only 4 months old, I don't know if it's really worth it.

 

[j_garcia]

It depends on the mix and the master. I watched Purple Rain the other day and while the video was pretty darn good looking, the Dolby True HD track sounded no different from the DD. That is due to the original master likely being so old for one and the original mix may not have been that great.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I think I should save my money and keep the 659 at this point.

It depends on the mix and the master. I watched Purple Rain the other day and while the video was pretty darn good looking, the Dolby True HD track sounded no different from the DD. That is due to the original master likely being so old for one and the original mix may not have been that great.

 

[avaserfi]

I think I should save my money and keep the 659 at this point.

Probably the best choice. There are things that your system could use more than a new receiver to improve SQ like those treatments .

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I know; as I was watching the movies last night I was wondering to myself "how could this possibly sound any better?” I mean; it sounds that good right now.

 

[adk highlander]

I know it is dependent on the recording but I ended up feeling that the advanced sound quality of TrueHD was as good a jump as was the video quality going from a good DVD upscaler to HD-DVD. I found an amazing difference on V for Vendetta and Perfect Storm.

If I were you I would still wait until you can get a receiver that can do all the lossless formats that are coming out right now. I'm coveting the new Integra 9.8 but I want to see a few reviews and find a dealer to demo it.

 

[j_garcia]

I expect to be moving to a HDMI receiver later this year also for the new audio formats.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

What's a few more hundred dollars...my wife will kill me...

I expect to be moving to a HDMI receiver later this year also for the new audio formats.

 

[j_garcia]

Won't be a few hundred more for me most likely...

 

[ParadigmDawg]

What are you looking at?

Let me remind you; you still need a TV or PJ.

Won't be a few hundred more for me most likely...

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I wasn't all that impressed with Blu-ray either. It is definitely a noticeable difference over SD, just not as huge as I was expecting. But it does definitely matter what disc you are watching. House of Flying Daggers looks like complete crap. Kingdom of Heaven, MI 3, X-men 3, Ultraviolet, The Last Samurai and many others all look great.

I go here to find out which discs are worth buying or not:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/

Yeah, I agree. When I saw "House of Flying Daggers" on Blu-ray, I thought I was watching the standard DVD format!

I just saw "300" on Blu-ray. Why the heck did they intentionally add all that grain to the picture? Is it suppose to look more realistic or what? I hate picture grain. Some directors intentionally erase the grain digitally, and this director intentional adds the grain? Is he on crack?

 

[j_garcia]

What are you looking at?

Let me remind you; you still need a TV or PJ.

Marantz, Rotel, Emotiva... Yes, still need a new display, but receiver will take precendence I think.

Yeah, I agree. When I saw "House of Flying Daggers" on Blu-ray, I thought I was watching the standard DVD format!

I just saw "300" on Blu-ray. Why the heck did they intentionally add all that grain to the picture? Is it suppose to look more realistic or what? I hate picture grain. Some directors intentionally erase the grain digitally, and this director intentional adds the grain? Is he on crack?

I agree, HofD was pretty good, but that is because the master is good. There wasn't much of an improvement over the SD. Same with Sleepy Hollow, I was quite disappointed with the BD.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I think I will go ahead and order the amp next week. I am looking in a decent direction with the RPA-1 correct? Just looking to add power to my mains and release some AVR power for the center and surrounds.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think I will go ahead and order the amp next week. I am looking in a decent direction with the RPA-1 correct? Just looking to add power to my mains and release some AVR power for the center and surrounds.

For some reasons, I just don't like the idea of using a receiver with an external amplifier. I used the Harman Kardon AVR247 with my Acurus Amps, and I really didn't hear much difference. In the back of my mind I was thinking, "okay, I'm a hardcore audiophile because I'm using separate amps, but then I'm also using a receiver?"

It just makes more sense to me to use a Pre-Pro + Amp if I'm going the separate route. Otherwise, it makes perfect sense to go with just a receiver without any amps----like the Denon 4308, which I think would do as well as any separate Pre-Pro + Amp out there.

I guess I'm just weird.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It depends on the mix and the master. I watched Purple Rain the other day and while the video was pretty darn good looking, the Dolby True HD track sounded no different from the DD. That is due to the original master likely being so old for one and the original mix may not have been that great.

Thus far, I can't tell the difference between any DD and TruHD!
This includes Batman Begins, Matrix Trilogy, & 300.
I think the Dolby and DTS people are just trying to make money and fooling people to thinking that the TruHD and DTS-MA are 100% better.

Why won't anyone do a real comparison study?

 

[fmw]

For some reasons, I just don't like the idea of using a receiver with an external amplifier. I used the Harman Kardon AVR247 with my Acurus Amps, and I really didn't hear much difference. In the back of my mind I was thinking, "okay, I'm a hardcore audiophile because I'm using separate amps, but then I'm also using a receiver?"


I guess I'm just weird.

If you were a hard core audiophile you would have explained how using the seperate power amp improved the sound, pace, rythm and smoky finish on your audio and that it was a significant improvement over the receiver. Sounds to me like you're just human and you like AV equipment. Nothing wrong with that.