General Audio Guidance . . .

[ahblaza]

Hey there BoredSysAdmin,

I was going back through this thread . . . and it looked like I didn't thank you for your reply; my bad, I appreciate the info and you taking the time to respond (let alone go back over the responses) . . .thanks for that, much appreciated.

Here's an unrelated question, if you wouldn't mind, is this possible and if so, what features am I looking for (besides a USB connector) . . . is it possible to hook up an external hard-drive (digital music) to the higher-end AVRs? If so, should I be looking for particular onboard software?

Thanks,

p.s., I enjoyed the quote at the end of your signature block . . . I will no doubt use it in the future . . .

Shek

Hey SHEK, just hit the THANKS icon with the thumbs up also ar bottom right of the post to thank someone for their useful post. Welcome aboard.
Jeff

 

[ahblaza]

Sorry I see you already know that

 

[Steve81]

Another thought/question regarding the Audyssey & speaker placement . . . on my rears, which are about 20+ feet from the TV/Receiver area . . . I have an extra foot (or two) of speaker wire coiled up at the base of the speaker stands & I guess my question is . . . will this affect the Audyssey setup as it goes through it's processes . . . as the sonic distance is one thing, the actual distance is another thing; but w/ the extra cable (at the base of the stand) the actual distance that the electrical impulse must travel is different that both the sonic & actual distance . . .

A foot or two of extra cable won't hurt anything, Audyssey or not. FWIW though, while Audyssey refers to things as "distance", it's really just setting a delay so everything syncs up properly. For example, if a subwoofer has a built in DSP that adds an extra millisecond or six of delay, Audyssey factors that in.

 

[Steve81]

Thanks & do you have a link (to elsewhere in this forum) where you give your thoughts on subs??? I'm guessing you probably do . . . & I'd be interested in checking it out . . .

Subwoofers - Audioholics Home Theater Forums

I'd also recommend checking out Data-Bass (it is run by Josh Ricci who does the subwoofer reviews here at AH).

 

[ahblaza]

Surge supp.

Hey Shek, I got a couple of these along with a meter pan surge suppressor from my utility company that's supposed to trip if any power surges enter through my power lines outside and the tripp Lite for inside lines. I fell pretty safe now, you have to consider all data, phone and cable connections as potential threats for power surges coming in to your house and into you precious electronics. Very reasonable price and does the job, this unit also passes the high bandwidth of my data lines (cable and internet). Hope this helps.
Newegg.com - Tripp Lite HT10DBS Home Theater Surge Suppressor 10-outlet coax
Cheers Jeff

 

[ahblaza]

A foot or two of extra cable won't hurt anything, Audyssey or not. FWIW though, while Audyssey refers to things as "distance", it's really just setting a delay so everything syncs up properly. For example, if a subwoofer has a built in DSP that adds an extra millisecond or six of delay, Audyssey factors that in.

+1 with that.

 

[ahblaza]

I'm not a big fan of RC, OK everyone fire away, because I have the perfect room , but I don't think there is much better than XT32, I would try both the Audyssey and manual level setting and see what you prefer, you may find that you prefer Audyssey with movies and music without, in the end it's up to you. I think the biggest advantage of Audyssey is setting levels, distance and delay, it is spot on for that, and of course dual sub EQ'ing, other than that .Nice receiver choice.
Jeff

 

[Steve81]

Hey Shek, I got a couple of these along with a meter pan surge suppressor from my utility company that's supposed to trip if any power surges enter through my power lines outside

Very important if you live in an area that sees a good number of thunderstorms. Unlike a surge protector that sits next to your equipment, these are at the service entrance with a relatively short, low impedance connection to ground so they can deal with very large surges, and they provide protection for everything in your house, from your AV system to your HVAC system.

 

[ahblaza]

Very important if you live in an area that sees a good number of thunderstorms. Unlike a surge protector that sits next to your equipment, these are at the service entrance with a relatively short, low impedance connection to ground so they can deal with very large surges, and they provide protection for everything in your house, from your AV system to your HVAC system.

Exactly, my home appliances were considered when I got the SP at the house entrance, along with the SP's next to my equipment, I pay a small monthly fee from the Utility CO. but to me it is worth it, I considered getting the unit that attaches to the breaker box but was uncomfortable installing it. We had a violent thunder storm recently, and everything survived, my sister sustained much damage to appliances and AV equipment during this episode, home owners paid for most but it still cost her over a grand.

 

[Shek5150]

copy that . . . thanks Steve

 

[Shek5150]

reply to ahblaza . . .

Hey Shek, I got a couple of these along with a meter pan surge suppressor from my utility company that's supposed to trip if any power surges enter through my power lines outside and the tripp Lite for inside lines. I fell pretty safe now, you have to consider all data, phone and cable connections as potential threats for power surges coming in to your house and into you precious electronics. Very reasonable price and does the job, this unit also passes the high bandwidth of my data lines (cable and internet). Hope this helps.
Newegg.com - Tripp Lite HT10DBS Home Theater Surge Suppressor 10-outlet coax
Cheers Jeff

Greeeeetings Ahblaza,

I think I get the gist of what you're saying . . .but are you referencing one or more than one product here . . . I clicked on the new egg link & saw the SP product . . . but your wording seems to indicate a second product . . . am I wrong? If not, what's the other product you're referring to . . . .

Also, this is the only SP I have at the moment: Monster HDP 900G PowerCenter . . . do you think this is not sufficient for my needs??? I've had this for some time now . . . so, I have no idea how it compares . . . or if it's just crap . . .

Thanks in advance for your time & reply.

Shek

 

[ahblaza]

Greeeeetings Ahblaza,

I think I get the gist of what you're saying . . .but are you referencing one or more than one product here . . . I clicked on the new egg link & saw the SP product . . . but your wording seems to indicate a second product . . . am I wrong? If not, what's the other product you're referring to . . . .

Also, this is the only SP I have at the moment: Monster HDP 900G PowerCenter . . . do you think this is not sufficient for my needs??? I've had this for some time now . . . so, I have no idea how it compares . . . or if it's just crap . . .

Thanks in advance for your time & reply.

Shek

Shek, I think your Monster should be just fine, the SP I'm referring to at Newegg has cable, phone and ethernet protection, that's why I like it. The other SP is a meter pan suppressor, it is connected outside my home inside the electric utility meter where my service comes into the house, it has green and red lights, green means it is protected and not tripped, red designates a severe power surge and needs to be reset by the utility company, like Steve said it can sustain some severe surges and keep on ticking. The reason for the inside devices is mainly for other lines coming in that are not a part of the meter pan, like cable and phone. It helps me to rest easier. I really don't know anything about your Monster, but if it is older you may want to consider one that offers cable, phone etc. protection.

 

[Steve81]

I think I get the gist of what you're saying . . .but are you referencing one or more than one product here . . . I clicked on the new egg link & saw the SP product . . . but your wording seems to indicate a second product . . . am I wrong? If not, what's the other product you're referring to . . . .

Also, this is the only SP I have at the moment: Monster HDP 900G PowerCenter . . . do you think this is not sufficient for my needs??? I've had this for some time now . . . so, I have no idea how it compares . . . or if it's just crap . . .

Hi Shek,

He is referencing two products. The Tripp Lite product from newegg is analogous to your Monster surge protector, which looks competent for what it is.

The other is a protector that sits at the service entrance. You can buy these from the hardware store and install yourself if you know what you're doing, or if you're like me, hire an electrician. In ahblaza's case, his power company provides it. This provides protection for your whole house, and is much more capable of dealing with large surges (read lightning) than a protector sited with your equipment. Whereas your Monster and other such surge protectors try and shunt a surge to the safety ground (third prong) via MOVs, a whole house protector usually has a short straight path to a grounding spike(s).

 

[ahblaza]

Hi Shek,

He is referencing two products. The Tripp Lite product from newegg is analogous to your Monster surge protector, which looks competent for what it is.

The other is a protector that sits at the service entrance. You can buy these from the hardware store and install yourself if you know what you're doing, or if you're like me, hire an electrician. In ahblaza's case, his power company provides it. This provides protection for your whole house, and is much more capable of dealing with large surges (read lightning) than a protector sited with your equipment. Whereas your Monster and other such surge protectors try and shunt a surge to the safety ground (third prong) via MOVs, a whole house protector usually has a short straight path to a grounding spike(s).

Thanks Steve for saying what I was trying to convey.

 

[Steve81]

Thanks Steve for saying what I was trying to convey.

Glad to be of assistance. You're still a heretic for not liking room correction though

Of course I'm a hypocrite since I don't have a whole house protector, so I guess that makes us even.

 

[ahblaza]

Glad to be of assistance. You're still a heretic for not liking room correction though

Of course I'm a hypocrite since I don't have a whole house protector, so I guess that makes us even.

Consider it a draw............ I use RC when I want my guests to leave

 

[Shek5150]

Thanks ahblaza

Shek, I think your Monster should be just fine, the SP I'm referring to at Newegg has cable, phone and ethernet protection, that's why I like it. The other SP is a meter pan suppressor, it is connected outside my home inside the electric utility meter where my service comes into the house, it has green and red lights, green means it is protected and not tripped, red designates a severe power surge and needs to be reset by the utility company, like Steve said it can sustain some severe surges and keep on ticking. The reason for the inside devices is mainly for other lines coming in that are not a part of the meter pan, like cable and phone. It helps me to rest easier. I really don't know anything about your Monster, but if it is older you may want to consider one that offers cable, phone etc. protection.

Ahblaza,

Your text prompted me to pull my entertainment center out and inspect my monster (weeeeeell that just didn't sound right, my bad) . .. in any case, it does have the ethernet & cable protection (neither of which was I using) . . . so, I hooked everything up properly and I think I'm good to go. . . at least until I can research this some more . . . I'm not sure what my landlord would think about me affixing something permanent to the control box . .. but I'll definitely look into it . . . or at the least I need to see if my monster is up to the task or not (it's about 1.5 yrs old) . . . but all the lights are still good (e.g., grounded, protected, etc).. .

In any case, thanks always for the education & direction.

Regards,

Shek

 

[Steve81]

I'm not sure what my landlord would think about me affixing something permanent to the control box . .. but I'll definitely look into it . . . or at the least I need to see if my monster is up to the task or not (it's about 1.5 yrs old) . . . but all the lights are still good (e.g., grounded, protected, etc).. .

Probably not worth while to worry about the protector at the service entrance in this case; if you have renters insurance, it probably doesn't hurt to verify that you'd be covered in case of lightning damage.

 

[ahblaza]

Shek, you're welcome my friend. +1 with what Steve said, I wouldn't worry about the meter pan or WH protection at this time especially if you have renters insurance. Check to make sure the monster is passing the signal without any degradation to it, cable, internet or phone. If you getting a decent picture and phone works and internet is good, you're good to go, the phone, cable and ethernet connections on the HT10 were important to me that they could handle (pass) the high bandwidth signal, they could but many do not, the coaxial inputs can pass at least 2.2GHz signal and that's what I needed. You should be good to go my man.
Jeff

 

[Shek5150]

Audyssey set up . . . or not.

Gentlemen of the Holy Audio-Order,

I beseech thee with the following inquiry . . . okay, okay. . . so, I ran the Audyssey (still w/out a subwoofer) . . . on my newly acquired Denon AVR 4311ci & Paradigm Reference Studio 100’s, CC-690 & ADP-590s . . . I do like the final outcome for movies (I really only do 2-channel music/not much into multichannel music) . . . little bit of tweaking w/ rear channels (but that was probably more me trying to feel useful more than anything else) . . . blah, blah, blah. . .

In any case, I’m wondering if the following is a normal outcome . . . it seems as though the overall volume parameters are artificially low? Not that I listen to (or watch) music (movies) at terribly loud volumes (I live in row housing in the DC area; so, that wouldn’t work); but if I had these speakers hooked up to my Yamaha 2095 at similar volume levels . . . well, the disparity would be pretty significant . . . so, did I do something wrong in the set-up? Is this normal? Don’t get me wrong . . . the volume is decent; I just want to be sure this thing wasn’t damaged in the delivery process (box was a bit beaten up). By way of example, it seems like my Yamaha when dialed up to about 30-40% pretty much tested the limits of keeping the sound inside my townhouse . . . whereas with this Denon I’m well over 50% and I’m still not worried about the sound traveling between walls to my neighbor . . . I hope this makes sense . . . if not, let me know and I’ll clarify where I’m able . . .

Shek5150