SACD bandwidth
September 10, 2003
I have a Nakamichi RE-10 stereo receiver and Wharfedale
Diamond 8.4 speakers. Both have bandwidth from 20Hz to 20KHz only. I am interested in an
SACD player and would like to listen to SACD in two-channel mode only. Do I have to change
my amp and speakers to ones having bandwidth up to 100kHz to get the best out of SACD? Are
my existing components good enough to still get marked improvement in sound quality?
Subby
Early on there was quite a panic about the bandwidth of
current components and how that corresponded with SACD. I actually heard from a speaker
manufacturer that was told by his dealers that customers were not considering his newest
model because of this. Then more information started coming out, like the fact that SACD
requires a filter to cut off extreme high frequencies so that excessive noise does not
make it to your speakers. Although I can't tell you exactly what you would gain or lose --
all other things being equal -- with the frequency response of your system extended, I can
tell you that I've listened to SACD over a number of speakers that don't claim response
over 25kHz and the sound is superb. Bottom line: I wouldn't worry much about it.
Internet speaker buying
September 8, 2003
I'd like to buy some home speakers very soon, but the only
store in my area is Circuit City. Are Internet-direct manufacturers reputable? I'm just
looking for options here and hate being locked into one or two brands. I still have some
skepticism about buying over the Web.
Jason
Internet-direct manufacturers are just like conventional
manufacturers in that there are good ones, bad ones, and everything in between. We've had
great luck with Axiom Audio, for instance, and Ascend Acoustics is coming on strong.
Comparing these products to what is available at Circuit City will expand your choices
dramatically. It doesn't mean the Internet is the only way to go, but is a great option.
Car amp shuts down
September 3, 2003
A while back my friend put a system in his car, and he had
trouble with his amp. His amp kept shutting off while he was listening to it and he would
have to shut off his car and turn it back on to reset it so it would come back on. We
couldn't figure out what was wrong but just figured it was either a cheap amp or it was
because the speaker system had a lower impedance than his amp could handle. Now my other
friend just bought a brand new Performance Teknique 1600W amp and we put it in his car
with some subs running at 4 ohms and thought it would be OK, but it still shuts off and it
seems to heat up. Is this a problem with the amp or with something else? If so, how would
I go about fixing the problem.
S.S.
There's a few things to look at First, there may be an
impedance issue, with the speaker system dropping below the amplifiers' specified range.
This would kick in the protection circuitry and the amplifiers would shut down so as to
avoid damage. Second, look at where the amplifiers are mounted. If there isn't sufficient
ventilation, a fan may be needed to help the units dissipate heat. Heatsinks just don't
work properly unless there is some airflow to pull heat away from the chassis. This would
cause the same type of problem you're experiencing. I'd suspect a combination of the two
conditions based on your description. Lastly, there could be some kind of voltage issue
with the car's battery not supplying the needed power for the amp to perform properly, but
this is less likely than the other above explanations.
Wants to upgrade
September 2, 2003
I was shopping for a surround system, then decided to go
with a high-end two-channel system instead. I've got Totem Hawk speakers, a Plinius 200Wpc
integrated amp, Hsu Research VTF-2 subwoofer, Richard Gray power conditioner, and Rotel
RDV-1060 DVD/CD player. I have two questions. Since my system is very high end, should I
choose a higher-end DVD/CD player like a more expensive Denon or Arcam unit? I'm also
looking at Transparent speaker cables and interconnects, which amount to around $1000 for
the whole set. Signal Cable sells cables and interconnects for one third of the price, and
has great reviews. Are Signal Cable's products just as good as the more expensive
Transparent cables? Thanks for the advice.
Richard Harper
Cables are a viable upgrade to a system that already
satisfies in other basic areas. However, I think you have to identify what you are trying
to improve in your system -- a specific area of performance -- then target that in your
upgrade. It looks to me that you have a fairly balanced system all around with no glaring
areas of weakness. Perhaps one course of action is to borrow a set of better cables to see
if that makes the improvement you're looking for. You could also do that with another
source player, too. You may just find that you don't really need anything.
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