Energy / Denon / Monster

[johnodonovan]

Hello,
I'm new to this forum and know practically nothing about AV. I would really appreciate if some of you knowledgeable AV folks could let me know if a recent purchase I made is a good deal (I think it was a good deal, speakers look great and the sound quality is impeccable). Altogether I paid $1000 for the following 5.1 rig:

2 Energy Connoisseur C7 tower speaker

1 Energy e:XL-S12 Sub

2 Energy Connoisseur C-R3 Surrounds with API - Macromount Custom Wall Mount Brackets

1 Energy Connoisseur C-C1 Center Channel Speaker

1 Denon ACR 1802/882 receiver (doesn't have hdmi unfortunately... I think this might be the "weak link" in the setup)

A bunch of Monster audio cables (5 more than the setup actually needs)



thanks a lot!
-John

 

[goonstopher]

Man I am sure you recognize that you are doing things backwards here... should have asked before buying but at this point set it up and decide if you get the performance you want... Thats really all that matters now.

 

[highfigh]

Hello,
I'm new to this forum and know practically nothing about AV. I would really appreciate if some of you knowledgeable AV folks could let me know if a recent purchase I made is a good deal (I think it was a good deal, speakers look great and the sound quality is impeccable). Altogether I paid $1000 for the following 5.1 rig:

2 Energy Connoisseur C7 tower speaker

1 Energy e:XL-S12 Sub

2 Energy Connoisseur C-R3 Surrounds with API - Macromount Custom Wall Mount Brackets

1 Energy Connoisseur C-C1 Center Channel Speaker

1 Denon ACR 1802/882 receiver (doesn't have hdmi unfortunately... I think this might be the "weak link" in the setup)

A bunch of Monster audio cables (5 more than the setup actually needs)



thanks a lot!
-John

You won't find (m)any Monster fans here and personally, I would recommend returning the cables so you can get some that will work just as well, but cost a lot less. Do some reading here- this site was started by a communications engineer who was sick of all the marketing BS that's rampant in this industry. The sponsors here sell good quality cables at fair prices.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I'm guessing by the year of the gear that this was a 'used' purchase, not new. The 1802 is about 9 years old now by Denon numbering. They are coming out with the 11 (as in 2011) series now, so the 1802 would be a 2002 model of A/V receiver, and is definitely not up to speed, but is likely still really fine with digital audio switching. Run HDMI right from the sources (Blu-ray, HDTV, etc.) to your TV, then run audio via digital (optical/coaxial) to the receiver. This works fine.

The cables were there because they sold their stuff and you didn't get screwed on the deal it appears, so make the most of it.

Really though, ask first, buy second - never the other way around.

 

[Seth=L]

Nine times out of ten if you have to ask if you did alright in a deal, then you didn't do very well. I'm not saying you lost out here, but you did do this backwards.

Let's focus on the finer points of getting a good deal. This may not all apply to your situation, but maybe those that are reading it will obtain some level of better judgement skill in the future.

Research: This is the most important thing to consider here. If you don't know anything about what you're buying, then how can you make a determination of whether it's outdated, crap, great, or cutting edge? The answer is that without prior knowledge it won't just "come to you".

Understand the Seller: "What does he mean 'Understand the Seller'?" I mean you need to know what the seller is up to. If it's an ebay purchase you should check feedback, quality of listing, pride of ownership, etc... If buying off a stranger locally, talk to the person, make sure they're legitimate owners of the items you're buying.

Test the product: This goes in line with understanding the seller, especially when dealling locally. Something could be faulty and the seller may be either unaware or will avoid disclosing a problem to you. Fully test any and all parts you can. If the seller is not willing to facilitate a test, move along.

If there are any points I didn't hit on, someone chime in. It's late and I may have forgotten something.

 

[johnodonovan]

clarification on original post

Hi All,
Thanks for your replies. Apologies, It seems I was not entirely clear in my original post and caused some confusion: while I do have the rig set up, I still have the opportunity to return everything, so in essence, this can be considered a "demo period", and I am attempting to do thorough research. What I was looking for here was some feedback on the actual speakers. (For example, maybe someone knows of strong and weak points about C7s, or the particular combination of equipment above), rather than the process of deal-making through the web. (cf: johnodonovan.net).

BMXTRIX, that info was very useful to me, thanks. I will probably upgrade to a HDMI compatible receiver at some point, but its good to know that running audio separately from HDMI will work well for now.


cheers
-john

 

[markw]

You didn't get beat. They are all quality products.

How do they sound to you?

I doubt you'll do much better for what you paid unless something falls off a truck.

 

[johnodonovan]

You didn't get beat. They are all quality products.

How do they sound to you?

I doubt you'll do much better for what you paid unless something falls off a truck.

Thanks! So far i'm really happy with the sound. (and the seller works in my building, so hopefully is legit

Movies: I've had time to watch a few movies on the system. the 5.1 is awesome and does a good job scaring my wife- we watched Prince of Persia on it last nite. But- I found that some of the voices were a bit hard to hear over the background sounds. Because we have a flat screen i can't put the center speaker over the tv, as the manual suggested, so its resting on the floor for now. The room has an echo anyway (wood floor and high ceiling). I've read that there is a device that can help me calibrate the volumes for each speaker, but I don't think the denon receiver (ACR 1802/882) has this function/microphone. Is there some other way to do this calibration properly?

Music: I'm blown away by the quality. I hooked it up to an old laptop running itunes and use the remote app on the iphone to control it over a wireless network. I'm no expert, but the clarity is better than anything i've heard before. Even at higher volumes, everying sounds crisp. I had no idea Pink Floyd had so much stuff going on in their intros... So I think i'll be keeping this setup for a while!

 

[SJTrance]

The center channel is going to be the primary speaker for dialogue in most movies. You really need to have that up a little bit higher on the entertainment unit or even higher. One thing you can do is to put a simple shelf above the TV and place the speaker on top of that. You're going to want to place some sort of a wedge so that the speaker will be directed to the listening position. In a pinch, you could also Use some sort of wedge to face the speaker up toward you from the floor as well.

Another thing you're going to need is a radioshack sound level meter (get the analog one) and a audio/video calibration disc like the AVIA II Guide to Home Theater. This CD will explain everything you need to know (great for a beginner) about basic sound and video setup. Once you've dialed everything in, then you're set to go.

I've got Prince of Persia at home and look forward to watching it. I hear that the movie is so so, but they say the audio is nice.