Stereo vs. Surround

[Pwner_2130]

Stereo vs. Surround sound

Installing the Dual usb external drives was painless, I just checked to see if they were Fat32, and plugged them in. The Western Digital MyBook series of 250 and 320 GB Hard Drives are great for the PS3 because they have an auto-off feature so when i shut off the PS3 they turn off too.

 

[Pwner_2130]

Stereo vs. Surround sound

Installing the Dual usb external drives on my PS3 was painless, I just checked to see if they were Fat32, and plugged them in. The Western Digital MyBook series of 250 and 320 GB Hard Drives are great for the PS3 because they have an auto-off feature so when i shut off the PS3 they turn off too.

 

[avaserfi]

Did you have to do or install anything for the USB drives to work with the PS3? I have been thinking about picking one up.

Its pretty simple. Get pretty much any usb external drive connect it to your computer and format it to Fat32 and create three folders "Movies, Music, Pictures" and place files appropriately then connect to the ps3. You should be good from there.

 

[j_garcia]

So is there a way to drop downloaded content on the drive rather than the internal drive or move it once it is downloaded?

 

[avaserfi]

So is there a way to drop downloaded content on the drive rather than the internal drive or move it once it is downloaded?

I have never actually tried. I just use my extra drive for media storage. My internal 60GB still has something like 45GB free so I am not worried. It would seem possible but an update might be needed.

 

[Pwner_2130]

Ps3 as mp3 player

Yes there is a way to drop downloaded content to the external drive - I just press triangle on the item, select copy, and tell it what external drive to go to, and then i delete the original off of my ps3 internal hdd.

 

[Pwner_2130]

ps3 as mp3 player

Its pretty simple. Get pretty much any usb external drive connect it to your computer and format it to Fat32 and create three folders "Movies, Music, Pictures" and place files appropriately then connect to the ps3. You should be good from there.

Um...i don't mean to be anal, but the folders need to be named VIDEO, MUSIC, and PICTURE. Otherwise the ps3 won't see them unless you press triangle and select Show all...also you won't need a PC to do this, just copy a picture to the external hdd and it will create the folder "PICTURE" for you. The same for music and video.

 

[avaserfi]

Um...i don't mean to be anal, but the folders need to be named VIDEO, MUSIC, and PICTURE. Otherwise the ps3 won't see them unless you press triangle and select Show all...also you won't need a PC to do this, just copy a picture to the external hdd and it will create the folder "PICTURE" for you. The same for music and video.

Thanks for correcting me. I actually couldn't remember the exact folder names when I typed that and forgot to put a disclaimer. I didn't know you could just copy it straight over though, thats pretty cool.

 

[Seth=L]

There might have been a difference, real or imagined, but it certainly wasn't a meaningful difference in headroom.

I agree with John on this. An amp with extra heft is almost always going to handle loads more evenly at higher levels and be able to deliver more dynamically. A larger, higher VA power supply and a decent resevior capacitor bank can greatly increase dynamic capacity. I had a Carver power amplifier that was rated 85 watts per channel if I remember correctly, and would walk all over the supposed 140 watts per channel from the Yamaha I had. It had a larger power supply and capacitors, and regardless of its power rating could play at levels far beyond necessary in my listening space where the Yamaha would clearly strain with those levels.

 

[Seth=L]

The speakers are your weakest link, the receiver is not to blame for the SQ in stereo.

Set a budget for speakers and set a criteria of what you need in your space and I am sure the suggestions will pour in.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Can anyone recommend a reciever to upgrade to? My budget for a new reciever is about $600 max. Thanks a lot.

For that budget, I would get the new Onkyo TX-SR605 for $400(includes s/h).
It has 2 HDMI inputs, TruHD, DTS-MA, 105W + 105W (8 ohms, 2-ch driven).
My personal experience with amp power is this: I can't tell the difference between my Acurus 200 wpc (single amping) vs Acurus 200 wpc (bi-amping) vs. AudioSource 150 wpc (stereo) vs. AudioSource 470 wpc (bridged) vs. Proton 60 wpc. I think the only way you can tell the difference is if you seriously cranked the volume way up to dangerous levels.

 

[Starmax]

Power to the people

When I upgraded from a Denon AV3805 to a 5805, I noticed a significant difference in sound quality in both stereo and 5.1 - partly due to the added power (120w channel vs. 170w bi-ampable channels), but probably mostly due to the 5805's Audessey room correction. But I did notice (maybe because I knew I was playing with more power) a wonderful increase in overall "speaker slam" (I have no idea what that really means!!). I understand how sometimes "louder sounds better," but the music seemed to have more impact and presence in the room even at the same SPL levels of the old 3805. If it's a expectation/perception thing, so be it...the new sound made me very happy. Higher powered receivers like the Denon 5800 series may be beyond your current budget, but I was able to purchase mine (new) on eBay for about half the suggested retail price...around $3k. I believe they will continually get cheaper as newer models shove the older ones aside. You have to decide for yourself at what price point the added juice will be worth springing for. Like everybody has been saying, it's nice to have extra power but it's not as significant an upgrade as speakers and room treatment. All that collective wisdom aside, however, I STILL get a thrill knowing I've got all that POWER coursing through my cables! Muwahhahaha...

 

[krabapple]

If the OP is using bass management (small speakers + sub), then his sub is handling most of the power requirements, and there should be plenty left over for the other speakers.

It's kind of pointless to compare two different systems in two different rooms without lots more details about both; the 'slam' of one versus the other may be due to simple acoustic issues, rather than amp power.

 

[Seth=L]

If the OP is using bass management (small speakers + sub), then his sub is handling most of the power requirements, and there should be plenty left over for the other speakers.

It's kind of pointless to compare two different systems in two different rooms without lots more details about both; the 'slam' of one versus the other may be due to simple acoustic issues, rather than amp power.

I am almost positive the receiver is not affecting the sound in a negative way, it is just the speakers. No Sony Sub/sat configuration can keep up with full size speakers connected to that receiver. It sort of stands to reason, small satelite speakers and an 8" powered woofer aren't going to have "slam". A system like that is great for small rooms or for those that don't won't large dominating equipment, but if you want dynamics and slam, you need better speakers and subwoofer.

 

[krabapple]

Shh, Seth, you're suppose to *ignore* me.

An 8" powered woofer conceivably could have some 'slam', depending on the room and configuration. Especially if the listener perceived mid/upper bass boost as 'slam'.
(And then there's those Carver mini-subs...)

In any case, yes, it will all be very speaker/room dependent, moreso than amp-dependent.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

When I upgraded from a Denon AV3805 to a 5805, I noticed a significant difference in sound quality in both stereo and 5.1 - partly due to the added power (120w channel vs. 170w bi-ampable channels), but probably mostly due to the 5805's Audessey room correction

I think it's because the 5808 has better and cleaner processors and just better components. I mean for that much money, you would expect that.

I think the digital processors make a big difference, not the amplifiers/preamplifiers. For example, at what volume did you listen to? Maybe at the quarter mark or 25 % of the full volume? Unless you are going full blast---clipping volume---you wouldn't be able to hear a difference between the two Denon Amps, which are both great.

 

[Starmax]

I think it's because the 5808 has better and cleaner processors and just better components. I mean for that much money, you would expect that.

I think the digital processors make a big difference, not the amplifiers/preamplifiers. For example, at what volume did you listen to? Maybe at the quarter mark or 25 % of the full volume? Unless you are going full blast---clipping volume---you wouldn't be able to hear a difference between the two Denon Amps, which are both great.

I like this answer, because it's clean and simple. Better components. Works for me! I like to listen to music very loud, not because I'm hard of hearing but because I can hear so much more detail. I don't know...the volume gets close to 0db when the mute is set to -40. and everything starts sounding enveloping and clear. At any lower volume things start getting a bit muddy. I've found that quality components capable of playing with low distortion can be listened to at higher volumes than lesser gear without getting listening fatigue or harshness.

 

[hemiram]

I used to, when I had everything set up in my big basement, have 500W per channel (2 duplicates of Mark Levinson amps, I really miss them) of on my front mains, and 200W (Carver M400a) on my rear surrounds. I had 300W (Crown) amp on my sub, and it was barely enough on some soundtracks. If the sub hadn't died when the pipe broke in the basement, I would have upgraded that amp for sure. I lost my Ar-9a's, my levinson clone amps, the sub, and several components when they got soaked. Depending on the speakers I had, I sometimes would, if the meters were even close, be pulling 400+ watts on the mains on some movie soundtracks. Judging from the way the lights dimmed, I would bet the meters were pretty close. If my friend who built them was still alive, I would have had him rebuild the 2 Levinson clones, and make a third one to run the sub. He loved "cloning" really expensive amps.
I got a nice chunk of money for the aluminum scrap when I took the Levinson clone cases to the local scrap place, almost 25 pounds each! They were huge 1/4" plates welded together. Had a nice silver "industrial" look to them.