Home Theaters

    I am constantly amazed by the number of people who think, or are fooled into thinking, that the speaker systems from Bose are capable of reproducing anything close to the sound of real music.

    Yes, I am a snob about my sound. I don’t like mp3’s for that very reason. If I can tell on a $3 pair of Radio Shack headphones that something sounds lousy, what chance is there that using a multi-thousand dollar sound system will do anything other than point out the egregious flaws in the sound?

    Back to Bose, Dr. Amar Bose is a man I have nothing but respect for. He has sought and quantified more about the

ways humans hear, and interpret, sound than possibly anyone else. Beginning back in the 1970’s with the 901 series, he took a set of small, inferior drivers, designed a novel enclosure, and added an electronic equalizer to compensate for the limitations of both. The results were amazing. Many people of that era, never having heard live music, reacted with astonishment when first listening. The sound was dramatic.  

    Note that I said dramatic. I did not say excellent, accurate, or musical. When selling audio in the 1980’s, I heard more people wanting to sell Bose speakers after owning them for 6 to 9 months, than any others.

    As a lover of music then, not yet taken with most classical music, I only heard rock and pop music on the 901’s at first. They were bright, punchy, and slightly heavy in the mid-bass. all the things that make rock and pop music what it is. I knew that there was something I did not like, but couldn’t put a finger on it.

    I have also always liked folk music, so I also auditioned the speakers with that type of music, with the results that I heard all of the mistakes that the speakers were making with the reproduction. It was easy, with music containing guitar, small drum kit, and bass, along with vocals, to see what the problem was.

    Then, as now, Bose concentrates on the very low middle range of music - and mostly gets it right. If only listening to the middle 3 octaves of music, then Bose might be fine as a speaker of choice.

    Since we are in the age of home theater, I am not certain where Bose speakers could fit in. The ‘acoustimass’ module, which always gets mentioned in the company’s commercials, is something incapable of reproducing any substantial low bass, and when pushed fails miserably at reproducing anything the least bit bombastic in nature.

    But - it does sound impressive - doesn’t it? In a small bedroom, where volume will never move above that where conversation could comfortably take place, Bose systems could work as a home theater - stereo audio solution. The diminutive size of the boxes will make wives happy, and no one will have to walk around anything on those late night runs to the bathroom.  

    On the other hand, some Celestion, Wharfdale, or any other small, reasonably neutral speaker, paired with a 2 to 3 cubic foot subwoofer, would probably yield superior results, with much less listening fatigue, and less cringing from others when the urge to ‘turn it up’ occurs.

The dog days of summer let up a bit with the promise of some decent viewing without commercials, and without the dread of some disaster breaking into the viewing time.

Here’s the new stuff that will help you get back to the surreal life we all live!

8 Simple Rules: The Complete First Season (3-DVD Set) (2002)
Angels Fall (2007)
Are We Done Yet? (2007)
Bad Reputation (2007)
Barbeque Championship Series Volume 1: The Complete Series (3-DVD Set) (2007)
Beneath (2007)
Black Supaman (2007)
Borderline Cult (2006)
Come as You Are (2005)
Dead Heist (2007)
Disturbia (Full Frame) (2007)
Disturbia (Widescreen) (2007)
The Dog Problem (2006)
The Dresden Files (3-DVD Set) (2007)
The Film Crew: Killers From Space (1954)
Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig (2006)
Freestyle Fanatiks (2007)
Gabriel Iglesias: Hot & Fluffy - Live from Bakersfield (2007)
Gettin’ It (2006)
I Think I Love My Wife (2007)
Jamie Foxx Presents America’s Funniest Comics Vol. 3 (2007)
Montana Sky (2007)
Mustang Sally’s Horror House (2006)
New Orleans: Music in Exile (2006)
Rome: The Complete Second Season (5-DVD Set) (2007)
Rosario Tijeras (2005)
The Salon (2005)
The Simpsons: The Complete Tenth Season (4-DVD Set) (1998)
The Still Life (2006)
That Girl: Season Three (4-DVD Set) (1968)
TMNT (2007)
Unaccompanied Minors (2006)
White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2007)

The wow starts when you get it on the player.

    Home Theater PCs are becoming a feature of many living rooms these days, as the purveyors of all the assorted use the word convergence as a mantra.

    For those who want to have the outside of the machine look as impressive as the guts, it is imperative that some serious thought is given to the case chosen.

    One of the most impressive cases to date is made by Ahanix. Model MCE701 looks much like an older receiver from the 80s, with its 7 inch display screen. What is more 21st century about it is that it is a touch screen.

Though shown here in black, silver finish is also available.

    Another view at the back reveals that, unlike many of the other offerings for HTPC use, this case will allow the use of a full ATX size motherboard, which means your choices are not nearly as limited. For those who wish to combine the HTPC with the general use PC, this is ideal.

    Although more roomy than many other cases, much of the installation is difficult, however, the end results are well worth it.   

 The case is expensive, at a list price of $349, but discounts are available for those who shop wisely, and besides - no one ever complained about paying for the best.

Crutchfield has the Sony ES STR-DA5200ES on sale.

Sony builds its premium ES components according to elevated standards of design and construction to ensure truly superior home theater. The STR-DA5200ES carries forward the Sony ES legacy by filling your room with dynamic, involving surround sound and by providing superb picture quality from all of your video sources. It’s also endowed with advanced features that make your entire audio/video system more flexible and easier to operate.

This receiver’s precision-built ES amplifier delivers 120 watts times seven channels of home theater power, and its sophisticated digital processors turn out exceptionally accurate multichannel sound.   Read more Details:
       �     120 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000Hz) at 0.09% THD
       �     Dolby� Digital EX, DTS-ES�, DTS Neo:6, and Dolby Pro Logic� IIx, and Digital Cinema Sound processing
       �     1080p-compatible HDMI digital video switching (3 in, 1 out)
       �     analog-to-HDMI video upconversion (up to 1080p) with Faroudja DCDi? Cinema scaling
       �     HDMI version 1.2a
       �     XM Satellite Radio Ready (requires XM subscription and optional XM Mini-Tuner package)
       �     Neural Surround decoder for XM’s HD Surround channels
       �     Digital Cinema Auto Calibration (microphone included)
       �     three-room/three-source output (composite video and line-level or powered stereo audio output for 2nd room; line-level stereo audio output for 3rd room; powered stereo audio output option for 2nd room allows 5.1 home theater in main room)
       �     learning/multibrand remote
       �     basic remote for 2nd or 3rd listening room (requires remote control extender system, not included)
       �     front-panel USB input for audio playback from compatible MP3 players
       �     plays MP3, WMA, and all ATRAC music files
       �     Portable Audio Enhancer for MP3s and other digital music files
       �     picture-in-picture for monitoring multi-zone output or external video source
       �     on-screen display with graphic user interface (requires TV with audio/video input)
       �     component video conversion
       �     component video switching (3 in, 1 out, 80MHz bandwidth)
       �     7.1-channel analog input for connecting an SACD or DVD-Audio player
       �     7.1-channel analog preamp output
       �     digital inputs: 5 optical (including 1 front-panel), 3 coaxial
       �     optical digital output
       �     4 audio inputs (including phono)
       �     5 audio/video inputs (including 5 S-video and 1 front-panel)
       �     30 AM/30 FM/30 XM presets
       �     2 sets of main speaker outputs
       �     16-15/16″W x 6-13/16″H x 17-3/4″D
       �     warranty: 5 years

This is usually $1500, but Crutchfield has it for $999.99. This is a great discount for any piece of gear, but for Sony ES it is spectacular.

From DealNews today:

New: Monster Power MP-HTS850 8-Outlet Home Theater PowerCenter for $71 shipped
Buy.com offers the Monster Power MP-HTS850 8-Outlet Home Theater PowerCenter for $70.99. With free shipping, it’s the lowest total price we could find by $5. It features Monster’s Stage 1 Clean Power v2.0 Noise Filter as well as eight outlets, a coax outlet, and phone port. Of note, new customers can use this $5 off coupon. New Google Checkout users can get $10 off.

This is a really nice deal to keep all of your hard earned stuff safe from line transients, which can come at any time - not just during storms.

    During the time that NewsCorp owned DirecTV, the goodness that is known as TiVo was allowed to languish, and then finally dropped, because that company had some idea that they knew what the customer wanted.

    They did not.

    Most people I know who own [well, rent on a semi-permanent basis] one of the DirectDVRs is only mildly happy, at best. The units do have the ability to record 100 or so hours of standard definition television as delivered, which is the zenith of their utility. In most every other way the units operate, they are an annoyance to those having known the goodness that is TiVo, albeit the limited by DirecTV goodness. As most know, much of the stand-alone functionality of TiVo is not allowed by DirecTV. 

    The lucky bunch of subscribers who still enjoy their TiVo units have good news from the new owners of DirecTV. A new software revision is on track to be delivered in January of next year! By the way, this is for the Series 2 units.

    One of the best features promised with the update is the ability to use the USB ports on the back of their devices, which for stand-alone users have been able to get updates through a USB to network interface adapter. This means not having to worry about updates by modem, as the unit can remain connected to a broadband connection and receive updates faster and more reliably.

    The other promised options include all the features of the Home Media Option that Series 2 stand-alones got about 4 years ago.

    This should be good for both companies, as TiVo has been having some financial troubles since the break with DirecTV.  It seems the same options offered to cable companies has not met with the same degree of success. 

   Now the only thing remaining is what to do with all those DirectDVRs which will undoubtedly be returned. Perhaps the new owners can rebadge them and sell them in China. Ah, sweet justice.

    When putting together the killer home theater system, special attention is paid to the screen, the speakers, the electronics, and possibly even the furnishings in the room before the connections between equipment.

    Wiring is something that escapes the thoughts of many today. I’m not sure why it is so, because in the time when a really fine audio system was what most people strived to achieve, audiophiles knew the incredible importance of having quality cables. If someone used just any connection, the cables were indeed the weakest point.

    A quick trip over to the Monster Cable web page will show that there are all levels of speaker wires, interconnects, and toslink cables to be had. Monster was there in the cable revolution of the late 70s, and the company is still there with quality products in every price range.

    Another player in the game is a bit harder to find, but is no less important, as some of their first designs pushed the people at Monster to produce better stuff way back in the beginning. Kimber Kable is that player, whose speaker wires and interconnects are well known for amazing quality at fair prices.

    Ask anyone who has been into sound for any amount of time about the Kimber Red, which was their first ultimate cable. It consisted of literally hundreds of strands of high purity copper, woven into a special braid configuration, with a diameter of about 2.5 inches! This was serious stuff, and sold for about eighty dollars per foot back in the 80s. Red seems to have been discontinued, as the demand was always low, and the cost high. There are several new cables, and some old favorites. 8PR is an old favorite, that never fails to impress, both sonically and visually.

    When connecting components, many will be using toslink cables. For that, Monster makes a fine line of optical cables, of various lengths. Kimber also has an optical cable line, which it manufactures from medical grade fiber. Either will be a good choice, giving much better performance than bargain cables, because of the care taken in the construction.

    One last thing, if buying bulk speaker cable, be sure to buy the proper connectors, whether they are spade lugs, banana plugs, or something else. Also, a proper tool for spade lugs will be needed, so that the connection point does not oxidize and affect the sound. If you have never used spades, or a crimper, ask the seller to give you a short demonstration of how to prepare the wire. It will only take a moment, and they usually will be more than happy to do it.

   Quality cables cost more than the cheap stuff, but it sounds better, and it lasts much longer. With many of the Monster or Kimber products, if you buy pre-terminated cable, the warranty is lifetime.