J

jeffd

Audiophyte
Hello--pretty new here, thanks for all the other responses.

Buying new home theater, so far pioneer elite vsx92, monitor audio rs6 sides and rslcr center. Questions:

1. do i need a panamax? can i get away with just a surge protector? if i need one, which type of panamax...i've been given inconsistent advice from salespeople. (magnolia)

2. as for subs, they recommended martin logan dynamo at $600. Any recommendations? prices? websites, etc??

3. Whats a good remote and price? they recommended a very expensive one.

Thanks.
 
Haoleb

Haoleb

Audioholic Field Marshall
You can get away with just a surge protector, Personally I would go with something a little better such as the Panamax 4300ex but you dont need to spend more than say 150 to get a very nice unit. A regular cheapo surge protector (and many that cost around 50) are basically just crap power strips, The surge protection circuitry in them is literally fried in a year or so in most areas.


SVS and HSU both make great subwoofers.

www.svsound.com

www.hsuresearch.com

I like Universal Remote controls (the brand) such as the MX900, TX1000, MX850. They are not cheap but I think they are among the best ones I have used. They may not be as user friendly as something like a logitech since those are kind of dumbed down for "normal" people to use but they do not offer as much flexibility.
 
Adam

Adam

Audioholic Jedi
I'll second Haoleb.

1. Panamax makes good stuff, as do other brands. I agree that you can get good protection for under $150. I have both a Panamax station ($100 in 1997) and a Belkin PureAV unit (PF-31D, $135 last year).

2. SVS and Hsu would also be my picks for subs in terms of looking at other brands than what you'll find around town. I've only read about Hsu, but I own an SVS. I love mine. There are certainly good subs to be found in local stores, but those are good websites to check out. Prices from SVS range from $429 to $1699 plus shipping. Some of the cost is associated with better surface finished for the box cabinets, but mostly it's due to going up in performance. I own a PC13-Ultra, which is a cylindrical sub.
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
2. as for subs, they recommended martin logan dynamo at $600. Any recommendations? prices? websites, etc??
The Martin Logan Dynamo is a very good subwoofer.

What size room is this sub going into? And what primary uses is your system for? Music vs. HT.
 
Davemcc

Davemcc

Audioholic Spartan
1. I like my Panamax. It does what it should without drawing attention to itself, like a good appliance should. Do you need one? No, but it sure cleans up the wiring clutter and is a decent looking unit that looks good in the rack.

2. You can't go wrong with either SVS or Hsu. I've got one of each and won't hesitate to recommend either. Really, select the sub according to your room size and your expected use. If you like rock, metal, rap or movie explosions, choose the sub for your room size then go up a model or two. Good, solid bass can be an addiction on it's own.

3. It doesn't look like you have a complex system to run. If it's just a TV, receiver and typical media sources, you should be just fine with something like the Harmony 659 that can be had for $100 or less.
 
GlocksRock

GlocksRock

Audioholic Spartan
I really like my APC A15 power conditioner, look into getting one of those, APC is a very good and well respected brand.
 
P

Panjsheri

Audioholic
Hello--pretty new here, thanks for all the other responses.

Buying new home theater, so far pioneer elite vsx92, monitor audio rs6 sides and rslcr center. Questions:

1. do i need a panamax? can i get away with just a surge protector? if i need one, which type of panamax...i've been given inconsistent advice from salespeople. (magnolia)

2. as for subs, they recommended martin logan dynamo at $600. Any recommendations? prices? websites, etc??

3. Whats a good remote and price? they recommended a very expensive one.

Thanks.
Well u dont need anything really but if you want to protect your equipment help filter the "crap" in your power and have it look good aesthetically with a Panamax vs a power bar then get a Panamax. I use to have Monster Stage 2 power bar and to be honest it did its job but when I got my ONKYO, speakers blu ray player and LCD TV I can hear and see the difference being a former Futureshop HT (AKA Best Buy) employee. There was less hissing coming from the speakers during low volumes and the picture looked more crisp...maybe its just me:confused:? But I am a Panamax owner as some of the other who have already replied and just as they are I am a proud and very happy owner of one. I spent top dollar on mine and for good reason and don't regret it one bit:D!!!!! We can all tell you its good, its bad, buy cheap, buy expensive but in the end base it upon the equipment you bought and if you can see yourself spending $100 or $1000. If you have a top of the line receiver like I do then you should spend some more on the Panamax or something equivalent. BUT if you are buying a mid range receiver/ other A/V equipment then buy a mid range powerbar/ Panamax. Hope it helps and Welcome to the hobby:D

I have a Velodyne and love it so I would say Velodyne but again it depends on you.

For remotes it depends on what you want to do I wanted to be able to do everything from turning on my A/V equipment to controlling my lights so I got the Monster Remote(MCC AVL300-S CAN). Otherwise mid range Harmony are the more popular ones and dont have a bad price:)
 
jcPanny

jcPanny

Audioholic Ninja
HT gear

I think you should consider spending less on the power center and remote and more on the subwoofer.

There are plenty of great options for the sub in the $600-1k range including several ID companies. AV123 is running a deal for 2 of their MFW-15 subs for $1250 with a $250 credit for future purchases.

For the remote, I have an entry level URC w/ RF and they start around $100. It has a B&W touch screen and does its job well.

A $5-10 power strip will protect your gear just as well as a panamax or other high end unit. I actually have an APC H10 which looks good on the rack. It is nice to be able to turn off power to all my gear with the button on the front and see the voltage and power usage with the display but don't expect an audio or video performance improvement from on of these devices.
 
Haoleb

Haoleb

Audioholic Field Marshall
A $5-10 power strip will protect your gear just as well as a panamax or other high end unit.

That statement does not hold much truth, There are many variables such as joule rating. Most of the cheap power strips are rated at less than 1,000 joule's Also, most cheap surge protectors use a single MOV in parallel across the hot and ground lines which WILL fail after getting hit by surges which it will do many times a day. I dont know about all of the high end units but most of them would use a more durable system such as disconnecting the power completely or banks of MOV's to ensure protection for a longer period of time.
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
I spent top dollar on mine and for good reason and don't regret it one bit:D!!!!! We can all tell you its good, its bad, buy cheap, buy expensive but in the end base it upon the equipment you bought and if you can see yourself spending $100 or $1000. If you have a top of the line receiver like I do then you should spend some more on the Panamax or something equivalent. BUT if you are buying a mid range receiver/ other A/V equipment then buy a mid range powerbar/ Panamax.
This is total hogwash.

Do some reading

www.surgex.com
www.brickwall.com
www.zerosurge.com
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
1. do i need a panamax? can i get away with just a surge protector? if i need one, which type of panamax...i've been given inconsistent advice from salespeople. (magnolia)
Not sure where you live, but you may want to speak to a local custom dealer which may be able to give you similar pricing, but a much more experienced installation.

As you can read here, there is a wide variety of opinions, but most lean towards the investment in a decent power console to be a reasonable purchase. I would tend to side with the concept op spending at least a couple hundred bucks on a decent console as well. There is a fair bit of difference between a basic power strip and a home theater console, and most sites agree that they tend to be pretty appropriately priced for what you get. The basics of the power strip vs. the power console is the same. But, there is far more in a power console to take protection and a clean image much further.

2. as for subs, they recommended martin logan dynamo at $600. Any recommendations? prices? websites, etc??
I think that is almost 'inexpensive' for a good theater. I have a hard time thinking that you can have to much GOOD LFE in a room, so if you are thinking that's expensive, I would disagree personally. There's lots cheaper, but lots that are way more expensive. I think it's a solid brand and likely a solid product, but there are plenty of options... hard to say which is best for your environment without seeing it.

3. Whats a good remote and price? they recommended a very expensive one.
Spending less than a couple hundred for a programmed remote is a rarity. There are three mainline options that I consider worthwhile...

1. Harmony remotes - very good for do it yourselfers and they work well. Not as customizable as other remotes, but typically solid.

2. Universal Remote Control remotes (URC is a brand name) - Typically programmed on a PC, and they are very good remotes for most people. I had a client who liked his Harmony, but traded it in for a URC remote for added control. The level of control he needed was beyond a URC though, so I actually took him up to...

3. Crestron/AMX - These are the most expensive, and typically require about 8 hours of programming minimum for a home theater. Brand new they cost thousands, but there are some options which can get people into this for less than $1,000 for a fully programmed remote. Which may sound like a lot, but when you can hand the remote to your wife, and she can turn your system on to DVD, Cable, etc. without ever getting it wrong, it goes a long way to making a product sell itself. 99.9% reliability is the key behind these remotes doing so well.
 
F

fmw

Audioholic Ninja
Hello--pretty new here, thanks for all the other responses.

Buying new home theater, so far pioneer elite vsx92, monitor audio rs6 sides and rslcr center. Questions:

1. do i need a panamax? can i get away with just a surge protector? if i need one, which type of panamax...i've been given inconsistent advice from salespeople. (magnolia)
No, in fact you can get by with out a surge protector too. I have yet to see a verified account of any audio gear ever being protected from damage by this stuff.

2. as for subs, they recommended martin logan dynamo at $600. Any recommendations? prices? websites, etc??
Probably recommending what has a spiff this week. Might be good. I don't know. My own subwoofer is a B&W and it does a good job. I'm sure there are all kinds of them that do a good job. I don't think $600 is unreasonable as long as it has at least a 12" driver.

3. Whats a good remote and price? they recommended a very expensive one.

Thanks.
Of course they did. Personally, I own 3 different Logitech Harmony units and they do everything I could ever ask of them. I'm sure there are many good ones but I can only recommend the Harmony units from personal experience.
 
F

fmw

Audioholic Ninja
Thanks for those links. If that saying about having half a brain has any truth to it'
then right after I get done with these articles I'll be able to say,
"I'm T-N-T, I'm DYNOMITE!" :D

well, at least you will have some additional expertise in marketing hype.
 
Alex2507

Alex2507

Audioholic Slumlord
well, at least you will have some additional expertise in marketing hype.
Knowing what an MOV is and seeing a few schematics was sort of cool,
until I read that.

This is the first time I have ever read that plugging your gear into a surge protector is not
(for lack of better words) in your best interest.
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
I think the point is if the MOV's have taken a few small surges or spikes. Then your surge protector is as good as not having one. Especially when the big one hits.

Makes you wonder if you should replace your surge protectors after awhile.

 
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