Audio Question

[Hans Tucker (Hans)]

Ok .. nothing happening on the visual or imaging side at the moment because Melbourne is in a rain band.

So here is a non Astronomical related question. .. Audio question.

If you were planning an Audio setup for movies and listening to movie scores would you spend more of your budget on the Audio Receiver or on the Speakers?

On the Audio Receiver side is it preferable to go with an integrated amplifier or opt for a pre and power setup?

[JA]

Originally Posted by Hans Tucker

If you were planning an Audio setup for movies and listening to movie scores would you spend more of your budget on the Audio Receiver or on the Speakers?

Hi Hans,

I'd spend more on the speakers, but it depends on your price entry point and your expectations. For an amplifier operating within its power and load constraints the speakers make far more difference than the interceding electronics.

Originally Posted by Hans Tucker

On the Audio Receiver side is it preferable to go with an integrated amplifier or opt for a pre and power setup?

I've always (mostly) gone for a preamp/processor with power amp as there is more flexibility and potentially performance, but if you want simplicity there are many very capable receivers. I like both for different reasons, we have an effective and inexpensive receiver with the main TV, with all the beaut seperate stuff for dedicated AV/HT.

Best
JA

[AstroViking (Steve)]

I would spend more on the speakers because it's easier to change your system components than it is the speakers.

I haven't dabbled in HiFi in a very, very long time, so this is totally out of date now. I once had a listen to some 'KEF' speakers and they were the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. FWIW, they were driven by a 'NAD' amplifier setup.

I'd also go for a component system where you can upgrade pieces as budget / time allows.

I am biased against brands such as BOSE (terrible sound quality - far too much bass and a tinny-sounding top-end) and SONOS (for ideological reasons regarding their support / on-selling / vendor lock-in regime).

Cheers,
V

[sharkbite]

Echoing what others have said.....speakers....thats where all the magic happens...

an Amp just amplifies the signal it receives, and anything you don't like can be Eq'd out (to a degree) Some receivers may have a certain bias which may or may not suit your speakers or room.

I chucked my Denon 'cause i couldn't make it work, and replaced it with a
$100 D-class amazon special, because it sounds great.(to me and her ladyship, anyway)

Here's stuff you may like to consider....

-the room you put the system in, how you lay it out, and what furnishings are in the room play a large part in the accoustics...

-Depending on your (ahem) vintage...you may not be able to hear the difference anyway....
(after a certain number of laps 'round the sun, you may struggle to hear anything over 10khz)

So if you eq it to suit yourself, and have younger people in the room, they might not be able to cope with the 'tinny' sound.
(I speak from experience here)

[Leo.G (Leo)]

Definitely component system as mentioned, these all in one things soon become a bad purchase.
As stated by everyone, good speakers are your best starting point (match the impedance to the sound gear though) but keep in mind the distance to your neighbours if you're gong to be watching/listening well into the night as my son and I do. I have the other side where my son is 80% deaf so whenever we get a new neighbour I always go explain and tell them to say something if it gets too loud, thankfully there's a huge pain in the *rse tree right up against the lounge room windows which absorbs the sound. Who would plant one of those horrid palm trees next to the house like that is beyond me (previous tenant), and those things they drop that will stall my ride on mower.... I must cut some before it removes the guttering.


Personally I went with a nice Yamaha system, not as good as my older Panasonic Technics system but it wasn't 5.1 and my hearing capacity has somewhat changed with age. The background noise of some server gear running in my lounge room impairs my hearing enough to not warrant expensive sound systems (it controls our TV viewing , smart lighting and other things my son plays with)and my sons one good ear he can hear anything without a hearing aid, he has tinnitus so expensive, quality sound is beyond us.

Another mention, I grew up in a period with friends (house mates too) who always believed big is better, not necessarily so with speaker systems.


Node points mentioned by Sharkbite, the old science of sound bouncing off furniture and absorbing/cancelling the signal, I used to know all that stuff when I remembered my electronics engineering studies, now I can't remember if I ate breakfast and I only got up an hour ago. Node point sound cancellation is VERY real.

[Hans Tucker (Hans)]

A big thankyou to all. Some great information provided and some takeway points to think about.

[Ramius (Bill)]

I will chip in late...
Yes speakers over Amp. But more fundamentally what speaker setup? Generally stereo for music but preferably 5.1 Surround for movies. I am guessing you are not a 'serious' audio person or you would not be asking this question. Therefore you would probably also be happy with the music quality of the surround system. More money perhaps (though you can pay the earth for top end stereo).
The .1 in 5.1 is the subwoofer which is great for movies and gives a visceral feel that your son might particularly appreciate.
An alternative is a good sound bar - not my thing but can be surprisingly good.
Beware the bug though - my 5.1 system has now grown to 7.4.4 and four amps.