I was on my way to Hyderabad and had a chance to drop in at few shops yesterday in Chennai.
Thought of just penning down what I had listened to. Main note is that these are opinions based on few minutes listening.
First stop was at AudioPeople:
I wanted to check to Monitor Audio Lineup. I listened to BR1, BR2, BR5, RS1, RS6, Radius 225 and nothing else in the shop. All of these were connected a Marantz CD5001 and Musical Fidelity A5.5 amplifier.
I first listened to BR1. Given that I had Monitor Audio B2 at my home for some time I immediately recognized the similarity. BR1 was indeed a very good speaker. There was definetly not much in the bass. Later I found the bass less even in the bigger floorstanders. I think the room was bigger and to some extent attribute this to CD5001 player I suppose. The speaker does have some crispness in highs. They are quite clean. I would rate them good for short listening periods and for more of an all round listening. I am sure they can do home theatre duties also comfortably. But, when you see the MRP of 17.5k (you can get a discount of around 10%), then we are in trouble. There is not much bass as much as the bigger bookshelves and the price tag issufficiently higher than other competitors. So, I would probably not recommend these as primary bookshelves for even a secondary system. They should do fine in a BR2/BR5 AV package for surrounds.
Next was the BR2. Given that I had B2, the previous model, I noticed that BR2 was indeed more sharp at highs. I wasn't too sure if I liked that. I thought my B2 lacked the detail, which BR2 did bring out but somehow when listening to complex passages it was collapsing and sounding harsh.
For simpler music this was definetly good. Again, comparing it to similarly priced bookshelves I have heard, I would rate them quite high. If you are in India and listen to mostly filmi music, then these will be definetly a better bet than other sub Rs.20k speakers.
Then we moved to BR5. I was all set expecting the same BR2 music with more bass, but I would say that there was some difference in what I heard. I did find the highs slightly smoother than BR2, but the bass wasn't of much improvement. The difference in highs could have been because of run in's. The bass could have been because of the room, but I did expect more bass. What was there was tight, but if a floorstander is going to get only that little extra, then I am not sure if the extra 16k (37k MRP compared to 21k MRP) are worthy. But, I am thinking with a different CD player, room the results might be different.
Next was RS1, I was expecting a more sharper highs from what I read, but I was so wrong. The things that I immediately noticed was that highs were more enjoyable in RS1 compared to bronze series. They were smoother atleast for me. The bass was infact comparable to BR2 inspite of the smaller size. The congestion in complex passages were reduced a lot compared to Bronze series. It was for me obvious that these are definetly a step above bronze. If I am going for one of these it will be the RS1. The MRP qouted was 35k for these with a 10% discount.
Then it was the RS6 turn. An MRP of 57k for these. Surprisingly, these had lots of bass and was definetly very very good to listen to. But, I would think that if somebody is listening to just music in a small normal indian room, the floorstander might be an overkill. Thats why I decided on RS1 to be my pick of the list here. The imaging was very good and actually these alone managed to almost vanish.
Last was the Radius speaker. I gave a listen to it for less than a minute. So, can't judge much. First of inspite of being a tower, there was nill bass. So, without connecting to a subwoofer, I don't think its right to judge these. But, I did notice there was a some extra sharpness in the sound. Would not call these musical, but it did have a very clear and nice sound. I would say if there is no space constraint for the same cost BR/RS series are better.
Second stop at Decibel:
To my surprise this place turned out to be a house instead of shop. So, you need prior appointment for demoing them. I was lucky. I was there with my main intention of listening to Dynaudio and Epos. They had Dyna Audience 52. It was connected to Primare I31 and CD21.
Straightaway I noticed that compared to Monitor Audio they sounded quite polite. The whole thing was very smooth. I am sure these can be listened for hours. So, I popped up some Joe Satriani's electric guitars to see if they have that attack. I would say that they were fine.
Somehow, I was under the impression that the extra zing that Monitor provided would suit me better. Also, there is a problem with the Dyna's. Evyerbody says the same story, that they need good clean quality and quantity watts. Even, the guy here recommended the same. When asked which budget amp would he match these with, he said NAD C372 though 352 can drive them as well. So, if somebody is looking to pair them with low powered amp, then we might have some trouble. So, you need a midrange amp for these Dyna's or these might be wasted. The bass of Dyna 52 was somehow a tad more than I liked. Somehow, the decay wasn't there much. The room is a normal room and so that could be the cause. So, I was thinking probably for my small room, Dyna 42 will be better - basswise and moneywise. I was offered the 42's for 45k and 52's for 55k. Later we paired 52's with the NAD C372 and I found the bass handled better this time with the highs still were a tad polite for me.
So, between RS1 and 52's, I would say that the price is a bit of killer here otherwise the smoother presentation will be preferable by me. But, if you are going to make the Dyna's do movie duties, probably the RS1's might be better because of that slightly sharper highs.
Also, RS1's are easier to drive and cheaper than Dyna's.
Then I listened to same Primare's connected to Epos M12.2 ans listened to Satriani. I would say the music was quite sluggish. There was simply no attack. The lead guitar was like playing somewhere in the background and I didn't feel like headbanging. Then I played a vocal track from Motorcycle Diaries. Now, this was simply awesome. They were just really wow to listen to.
It was clear that of all the ones I heard, for simpler vocal based musics, epos edged the others out. Also, the price of 37k were very good for these.
Next was Audience 122 with an Arcam AV280 with Arcam CD73. Now, this is an entirely different combination being a AV receiver. But the end result was very good. Infact, there was that zing suddenly in the music that 52's weren't showing. Probably a little more than required, but neverthless good. So, I came to think that Dyna 52's were polite mostly because of the Primare's then. So, probably like I was told Dyna's are very neutral. The imaging and soundstage were simply awesome. I was double checking if the centre channel was on or off.
But the AV receiver costing a lac in India makes it out of reach. The details pulled out by these were the best. I am not sure if for long term listening if these are good, but atleast this combo did sound quite great.
Then was Dynaudio Contor S1.4. I immediately liked these over the 52's. Rock sounded exciting to me. But in a short session I couldn't exactly figure out why these are better. I can say they are better but again for the cost probably questionable.
Actually, in the end between a Monitor Silver series with a NAD (32+32=64k) and a Dyna Contour being run with a Primare(64k+110k= 175k), the gap is far less than their prices.
Yes, defiently they are better, but for a person who is really stretching by putting their hard earned money to acquire the costlier combo, I would simply suggest them to save the money and go for getting more CD's instead. You could have covered about 75% with the Monitor/NAD combo.
Final stop at Grand Cinema:
My agenda here was entirely different. I had a 4k costing class D Dr.Amp (very small amp) and I needed them to be connected an entry level bookshelf. First was Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 which had very less senstitvity. The amp puts out less than 8watts. So, was not sure exactly if it will be fine. But, there was indeed good volume but it soon clipped. So, took these out. Replaced them with Mordaunt Short 902i. These were going loud but nothing impressive. Probably after all the big guys, these were not that impressive. So, finally connect Paradigm Atom v5 and immediately there was a difference. I saw there were details in the highs and it was quite crisp. I would say a lot crisper that for folks intending on laidback listening this is too much.
But, these can probably do a good HT duty. Comparing these with the Monitor Audio BR1, I would say that costing less than BR1's atoms are a better deal for that extra bass. I was qouted 13.5k for the atoms. However, if you can't tolerate some harsh highs, BR2 would be a better bet.
So, another day, few more thoughts and the journey continues.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
B&W Zeppelin Review
Wow!! Its great to have a product like this and then even more great to have folks around you who can gift it to you. Yes :) My cousin and brother gave me the Zeppelin as my birthday gift.
So, having listened to them for few days now here are my observations :
Looks : This is the biggest plus of Zeppelin. I always never understood why companies try not to make their products look good. Yes, it might be slightly costlier, but worth the effort. You might have some desktop amp and speakers and then the wires and everything, but there is some beauty about a one box solution and there is someting even more about it, if its a Zeppelin. They were quite larger than I had pictured and they look even more lovely in real life.
Accessories: I did't see much with them. There is that rubber stand, which is not so good and a bit annoying as it gets easily detached if you move around and seems to be needed only if the Zeppelin is placed somewhere higher than your ear level. So, I am not using it. It doesn't seem to come with even cables. So, not much points here. The remote is lovely to look, but then again not much features. The bass control is accessible only through 5G ipods. I did reduce it to -2 and things seem better now.
Sound:
Yes, this is what matters the most and let me generalize the nature of the sound. It seems to have been made with digital music (iPod and mp3's) in mind (obviously its an ipod dock :) ) What this means is that when I actually connect it to my CD player there seems to be some softness in the highs. I find it too laidback for my tastes. You get the zing back if you play the same CD through DVD player. My DVD player was sounding less harsh in Zeppelin compared to Rotel RA04. There is a bit of exaggeration in bass. Definetly, my room seems to have some trouble here and causing the bass to be even bigger. But, neverthless there is some exaggeration in the bass in my opinion. Probably, this was done again with mp3's in mind I think. But, the rest is that its crystal clear and definetly of high quality.
The volume can go quite high, but I do notice congestion. Actually, being a one box itself there is definetly, not much of imaging and soundstage. I would say that no matter how big the box is and tries to, doesn't come close to 2 speakers. So, that limitation has to be liven with. But, neverthless, there is congestion to lesser extenet at low volumes and quite present at higher volumes.
Also, I did notice quite some prominent port noise particularly when my pod had its EQ set to Rock or something where the bass is few db's up. It was odd to find that a product like this having ended up in a situation like this. But, anyway, turning off the EQ and setting the bass control to -2 has no port noise and works fine for my room, although the bass is less.
But, play some music thats simple with just couple of instruments and vocal and this is where Zeppelin's really shine. Not just that they are good, for the first time in my venture with budget seperates system, there were songs where I could really feel some connection with the music.
Conclusion:
You need something looking great, something thats convenient without wires and have a bit of toned down expectation for that price tag of these, then you have got a piece of art for your bedroom that you can be proud off. I know I am :)
So, having listened to them for few days now here are my observations :
Looks : This is the biggest plus of Zeppelin. I always never understood why companies try not to make their products look good. Yes, it might be slightly costlier, but worth the effort. You might have some desktop amp and speakers and then the wires and everything, but there is some beauty about a one box solution and there is someting even more about it, if its a Zeppelin. They were quite larger than I had pictured and they look even more lovely in real life.
Accessories: I did't see much with them. There is that rubber stand, which is not so good and a bit annoying as it gets easily detached if you move around and seems to be needed only if the Zeppelin is placed somewhere higher than your ear level. So, I am not using it. It doesn't seem to come with even cables. So, not much points here. The remote is lovely to look, but then again not much features. The bass control is accessible only through 5G ipods. I did reduce it to -2 and things seem better now.
Sound:
Yes, this is what matters the most and let me generalize the nature of the sound. It seems to have been made with digital music (iPod and mp3's) in mind (obviously its an ipod dock :) ) What this means is that when I actually connect it to my CD player there seems to be some softness in the highs. I find it too laidback for my tastes. You get the zing back if you play the same CD through DVD player. My DVD player was sounding less harsh in Zeppelin compared to Rotel RA04. There is a bit of exaggeration in bass. Definetly, my room seems to have some trouble here and causing the bass to be even bigger. But, neverthless there is some exaggeration in the bass in my opinion. Probably, this was done again with mp3's in mind I think. But, the rest is that its crystal clear and definetly of high quality.
The volume can go quite high, but I do notice congestion. Actually, being a one box itself there is definetly, not much of imaging and soundstage. I would say that no matter how big the box is and tries to, doesn't come close to 2 speakers. So, that limitation has to be liven with. But, neverthless, there is congestion to lesser extenet at low volumes and quite present at higher volumes.
Also, I did notice quite some prominent port noise particularly when my pod had its EQ set to Rock or something where the bass is few db's up. It was odd to find that a product like this having ended up in a situation like this. But, anyway, turning off the EQ and setting the bass control to -2 has no port noise and works fine for my room, although the bass is less.
But, play some music thats simple with just couple of instruments and vocal and this is where Zeppelin's really shine. Not just that they are good, for the first time in my venture with budget seperates system, there were songs where I could really feel some connection with the music.
Conclusion:
You need something looking great, something thats convenient without wires and have a bit of toned down expectation for that price tag of these, then you have got a piece of art for your bedroom that you can be proud off. I know I am :)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Home Theatre Experience
Me and my cousin, recently planned for getting one home theatre. This article just tries to put whatever we have come to know during this.
Important point : Liking a system can be very much like enjoying a cuisine from a favourite restaurant. There are tons of cuisines and restaurants and everybody have their unique taste and preference. The best way to judge which one you like is to just eat or listen and find it out. Hoping my experience will help you out in your quest.
Background:
So, few points first about ourselves which are very related to the search.
* We are Software engineers in our 20's and have only experienced home theatre in places outside and never owned one. So, this will be our first purchase and we are newbies to this.
* We are based out of Hyderabad,India. Beleive me this makes life lotta simple. You have problem when you have choices, we had only few. Even then we were confused too much within the choices we had. So, if you are anywhere in India, this would be the same case for you. We checked couple of places in Chennai as well.
* We live in a huge apartment with our owners right below us. Definetly, not the right time in life to look out for one. Even if I own an apartment, still it will not be any different. Which means, I can never buy one until I own an independant bunglow. What the hell, let me better get started now itself.
* Budget, obviously the biggest constraint. We really didn't have much in our mind. We know we can't go for the best. But a pretty decent model.
* We are not audiophiles. Neither am I a kind of guy, who can't spot good sound quality. The closest good sound that I have been hearing for 2 years is with my 2000 rupee Sony Headphone.
* We were only looking for the audio because of budget constraints. So, we didnt go through this whole plasma-lcd-hdmi-projector confusion. We just have a normal 21" Onida TV. Fine for now.
Components of an HT Audio:
The basic difference between a music system/ dvd player is that you will have a player, which has an integerated decoder and a 2 speaker system thats connected to it. But, with a home theatre, you go for a receiver or a pre-amp and amp setup. This will do decoding, amplifying, multiplexing and lot more. The player can be built-in with the receiver or have to be got standalone. But, except for the basic models, I always see that the player is not integerated. Player integeration can be a bad thing. The reason is, you get an integerated DVD player and you never know, blu ray can become the standard in a year or you might need a HD player. So, its better that the input sources are not integerated. Then you have the speakers. Many know of 5.1, but we had 6.1 and already 7.1 is in the market. The latest Denon receiver is a 10.1. Ok, Now 5.1, would mean 5 speakers and a sub woofer. The 5 speakers are positioned as 2 in front left and right, one in the front center, 2 in the rear left and right. In 6.1, you add one to rear centre. In 7.1, you don't have rear centre, instead you add one each to your left and right of your seating position. Lets just leave anything above than this.
Basics of Speakers:
Everybody, I hope remember what they learnt as a child that human ears can listen from 20hz-20khz. Now, the low frequency, thats towards 20hz, is the bass component and its your sub woofer that gives this. The higher frequenceies are the sharp ones. This job is done by the tweeters. You could have heard them, in your cars. The small 1" speakers that are placed in the front left and right corners. The system should cover this whole range of frequencey for it to reproduce every sound possible. While almost all HT can easily reproduce 20khz, its the bass component where systems will vary. Now, front centre speaker is dedicated for Vocal. Front left and right, will be the one used during stereo.
Usage Pattern:
Its very critical what will be the kind of things that you will use your system for. Some like it to be very crisp and clear. Typically for carnatic music or hindustani, vocal is the most important thing. I understand, vocal is always important. But still, there is a difference as to how much important it is for carnatic music vs an action movie. If you use your system for music extensively, then you have to be very careful about your front speaker choices. These will be the ones that will play for music. You can have all speakers running for music, but the recording you will get (even in DVD's) will be in stereo only. Enhanced 5.1 is good, but still given that the original recording was in stereo, I find its better played in stereo mode. If you like the earth shattering effect, then woofer has to be powerful. However, for an apartment, basic woofer should do. You can even do without a woofer for a small room, if your 5 speakers are choosen accordingly. If you are a DTS movie buff for all the surround effects, then your rears should be almost as powerful as your front speakers. So, the best thing to do is to take your favourite music and movie DVD's when you are checking the system. Always, the pieces they play using the DVD's with sequences specifically made for this will be great. So, you hear using your DVD's and your type of music or movie. Thats when you can judge the best.
Room Accoustics:
One of the first questions that was asked when I wanted to an HT was, wether the house was built already. Was there a dedicated room for this etc; Its so important that it can change what the HT can do. When you audition you will find that most of the showrooms will have a dedicated small room for this. Its done for a reason. As soon as we take this system and put on a bigger room, it can just loose the power. So, make sure that you dedicate a room for this. So, one of my bedrooms have to give way for this. My hall is too huge for an entry level system. Particularly when it has any open space connected to it, it will affect the output a lot. So, anything less than 15 X 15 feet, roughly 300 to 400 square feet, can be considered small room. Now, wooden walls , carpeting (not for beauty) all these can enrich your experience. But, definetly not in question for our setup. So, other than giving a dedicated room, we didnt do much. Sizes of the speaker is the next thing. Definetly, this can play a major role. You might not have enough space for the big ones, but then satellites mean compromise on performance for same cost. Also, some might consider wireless, but they are just way too costly. Example, Sony's particular wireless model was rs.39000, while the non wireless model costed just rs.15000. Infact, out of the 5 speakers, only the rear speakers where wireless.
Receivers:
For entry level or even till mid range a receiver should be fine. The 2 device setup of a pre-amp and an amplifier, might be an over kill for us. So, we didn't check that one at all. The first thing is the output per channel it offers. You should go for the rating done as conitnous and not the Peak Rating. Typically it is like 75W Per Channel Continuos. It is important to notice at how many ohms was this wattage noted. Its given in 6 or 8. So, a 90W output at 6 Ohms is roughly same as 75W at 8 Ohms. Its better if you get the rating in the exact Ohms you need. Most of the speakers come in 8 Ohm rating. Now, how much power do you need. Even, I dont have much of an understanding on this. There are 2 problems here. For one, its very clear that one brands 75W is not same as another brands 75W. Sometimes people say you can compare certain 40W system's output clarity with even an 80W system. So, which will be the one you need will depend on which speakers you choose and how much power do you need to drive them. Apart from output, input is another thing to consider. Are you going to have HDMI TV or player, would you want direct iPod connectivity, how many systems would you connect simultaneously.
Take into account all of these to determine whether the inputs are sufficient. Obviously, you can't go a change wires whenever you decide to play some different device. Now, for those who think how many devices I can have - DVD player, (HDMI) TV, XBox 360/PS3, FM or Worldspace Radio, Auxilary (laptop or walkman or tape player), iPod. There are certain good features that you might want to think about:
* Audyssey or Auto Calibiration - Its very tough to setup a home theatre. Depending on your seating position and your room accoustics, the output get distorted by the time you hear. So, few people have come up with this very good thing. You play some music and then use a mic to tap the output as it reaches you and then feed that back to the system. System the sees how much different the original input and the feedback input is, and corrects itself accordingly. Without this, it can get tough for setting it up.
* Multi Zone facility - You can have 2 systems being played at the same time. So, while in one room a movie is played, in another room you can hear a music system
* 5.1 or 7.1 - Now, I find that most receivers have started coming up with 7.1 instead of 5.1. So, even if you are not going for a 7.1 system, I think its better to go for a 7.1 as this gives 2 major benefits. One, you don't have to change your receiver if you want an upgrade. Secondly, it allows you to do something called as bi-amping. This is a way in which you use the 2 extra output lines to feed your front speakers which are already connected. Essentially, instead of one set of wire going for a speaker, you have 2 wires for front speakers. This means almost double the input power instantly and so, better output from your speakers.
The quest for the right system:
Brands Checked : Bose, Sony, Onkyo, Philips, Polk, JBL, Harmon Kardon, Elac, Jamo, Denon, B&W, Yamaha, Infinity, Klipsch, Energy, Monitor Audio, Paradigm, Wharfedale, Athena
Some concepts explained before we go further as per my understanding:
bright - if speakers are bright, that means the sounds are too sharp, that people might find it unpleasant. In fact, there can be a different problem. If it causes even slight strain in your ear, you can get tired of listening. But there is no say as to how bright is right for a person.
tight bass - This kind of bass is something that you would typically require for music. That is not an earth shattering bass like in action sequences of movies or partying music. This is the kind of bass that you find it smooth and spread out in the room and right amount for music.
seperation - in this context, we should be able to hear every different instrument seperately. We should be able to distinguish them, unlike all of them coming together.
direction - bass has no direction. So, the woofer can be kept anywhere. Preferably, in a corner. While sharp sounds are pointed. So, for best output the speakers should be facing the listener.
bi-amping - this means that we give 2 inputs instead of 1 for a speaker. this will increase the input power fed in for the speaker and definetly, better output.
bipolar - speakers will be off a triangle shape, instead of the normal 4 sided figure. the reason is that there will be drivers in 2 side of the speaker, instead of one side. This gives more seating position flexibility than the normal one active subwoofer - a woofer which has a seperate electric power connection. output will be better than the passive sub woofer.
downfiring subwoofer - the hole(driver) that you can see in a subwoofer will be present in the bottom. This can give very good effect on wooden floors, particulalry can cause the floors vibrating.
The real story starts now.
HTIB - Home Theatre in a Box :
This is for those folks who prefer things to be simple. And this can be good in a home theatre search. Its because once you step in you can find that its very very tough to decide when so many factors are there. So, here all you have to do is, go listen and pick one. Typically these come literally in a box. So, this means that they are all satellite speakers only or rather small speakers. I bought an extremely basic Philips Home Theatre for Rs.13000 a year back. Once taken to home, I just found that it simply never could give surround effect. The centre speaker was the only best thing. So, on my first day, when I checked Sony and Philips, one thing was very clear. They are like school kids compared to rest. Now, obviously I am talking about the models that were available in India, these are all meant to be listened, just like how they are demoed. You sit a couch thats not even more than 2 mts from TV, you have the rear speakers,
placed less than 2 feet from your ear. They will definetly sound good. Take it to your home place them where you can, you then sit where you will normally and then you will understand whats lacking in the system. My Philips exactly taught me this. It was so bad, that I put my rear speakers back into the box and almost never used it. These models entirely (some include player as well) will cost you max Rs.30000. A decent entry level receiver will cost about that much. So, you would know what I am talking about. But, however I did find couple of good HTIB.
* Athena Micra 6 and Paradigm Cinema 70
These are 5.1 speaker packages that I had a chance to listen to. We were simply amazed with the kind of output they gave compared to the other HTiB's we have heard. They do sometimes sound a bit too sharp and hence probably might not be that good for music. Actually, music was decent through them, but they will fall short compared to a decent stereo setup. They both cost about 27k and combine them with an entry level Yamaha/Onkyo receiver for another 16k, you will have an awesome setup that can hands down beat the Sony/Philips.
* Onkyo HTS990 and HTS790 - The first THX certified HTIB in the world. Priced at around Rs.70k http://www.onkyoindia.com/products/HT_Packages/home_style/emperor/hts990.htm
Its a 7.1 system and was pretty impressive. You can check even HTS790 or HTS590. HTS790 is almost same as 990, except that it comes without the THX certification. But it costs about 15k less and only Rs.55k. There is the HTS590 which is only Rs.27k See, before we started, we know only 2 names in this business - Onkyo and Bose. So, with all high hopes we went in, but we weren't happy about the output. Reason, we find that the speakers weren't as crisp and clear as we wanted. It did have bright sounds. But then the mid was lacking a lot. Also, the bass wasn't tight. But still a pretty good deal for someone who is not an audiophile. Onkyo has been right up in the top for receivers, only second to Denon. But, speakers doesnt seem to be their forte. That was kinda double confirmed when we came to know the following. In the 70k HTS990 system, the receiver alone will cost us 50k if bought seperate. So, that leaves them a budget of about 20 to 25k for speakers. We are then grossly under utilising the receiver. Obviously, the better the speakers they want to give, the overall cost is going to shoot up. Typically, whichever configuration we chose, the 5.1 speakers costs about 1.5 times the receiver. So, typically to get a matching speaker set for a 50k receiver, you have to shell out about 75k. I know, price is not probably the right way to check the output. But then, I really doubt you can run a 50k receiver, using 25k speakers. However, in other places when we hear different speakers with Onkyo, we found it very good. Bottomline, is that Onkyo receiver seems to be very good. But then its very tough to say how good the receiver is. Unless you use the exact same set of speakers and then compare receivers. Unfortunately, we didn't have that luxury.
* Harman Kardon HKTS 14 - This one probably had one of the best bass that I have checked. They however didn't do a good job as far as mid and high frequencies. But decent overall. The woofer had really awesome looks and even the receiver. I really wanted the woofer alone. But then, they don't sell that way.
Bottomline - Somehow, we were not impressed by the cheap HTIB's. They had something lacking. Simply, because each will have a different preference for low,mid and high. So, getting them all right in one package is tough. But, then its always said that mix and match can be very tough and can screw up the system. So, for somebody who chooses to just walk and get one,
these are the HTIB's that can be checked.
Speakers Mix and Match:
Lets classify the speakers in different ways.
By Position: Front, Centre, Surround , Rear and Sub Woofer
By size: Floorstanding, Bookshelf, Satellites
Floor standing really requires lots of space.
As far as size and output is concerned, there seems to be quite some controversy on this. Its very general understanding that the bigger the speaker is the better it can give the output. But then, you can see that satellites do a pretty good job. But, if compared side by side, bigger speakers win. So, if you have space my take is go for bigger speakers, atleast for front.
Satellites(In Wall/Ceiling):
In general, none of the satellites impressed us. We did check few of them. The only ones that were good was Bose and the one system that stood out was the following:
Bose Acoustimass 5: This is a 2.1 system. The speakers are too small and the woofer can be placed anywhere. Even under the bed, while the satellites are very tiny, size of 2 Coke cans. This makes this system almost invisible. Now, when it comes to the sound, I really found the bass was decent, not earth shattering though. The highs were slightly lacking, that is it wasn't that sharp. But then, mid was very full. So, for music it sounded really good. This costs about Rs.22k, add a basic amplifier for 12 to 15k. For about 35k you will get a very good music system, that can beat any standard Sony, Philips CD Systems outright. However, this would not give you the surround movie experience. So, only if a music listener and living in a small room.
Beware of 2 things - Bose has been bashed left and right in the net. People hate them and people love them. So, listen for yourself and judge. Typically the accusation is that they are overpriced and poor build quality. Another thing is that, the Bose salesman talks you into an idea that you can buy just these and then upgrade to a 5.1 system piece by piece. But the problem is that there are many catches in that. But for a music system, this will be one thing that I would want to buy, for sound quality and size.
Bookshelf:
Once, I have decided that I am not going to have a satellite, bookshelf or floorstanding was almost the same. The reason is that, for bookshelf I would need a stand that can support the same. So, space wise its no different. As far as output was concerned, I found that these served definetly good enough for rear or surround speakers. But when it comes to competing with floorstanding, I think it can't.
Floorstanding:
Now, sometimes its good if the speaker is tiny and could do magic. But sometimes, you love to be next to a tall speaker. This is where we spent most of the time in. You play one and then another and then another, it just doesnt end.
Now, some more dilemas decided:
Satellites for all 5:
As said earlier, we found none so impressive that we dropped this idea. More over, it would mean drilling holes and in wall wiring etc; that we can't think off. Also, there is really no constraint for space.
Bookshelfs for all 5:
Since, floorstanding was sounding better and given that bookshelf will take almost the same space and probably might even have some extra cost coming through the stands, we dropped this idea as well.
Floorstanding for all 5:
Might be , given a chance we can. But then the floorstanding are quite costly and since its not a 100% movie use, the rear need not be as powerful as the fronts. So, having floorstanding for rear will be an overkill for sure for us.
7 instead of 5:
Why should we have only 5 speakers when 7 is better. Its because the room size if small, doesnt require 7. Its said if the room length is less than 20", then definetly 5 speakers are sufficient.
Particularly, if you are not more than a couple of feet away from rear, then surround might not be needed.
Bipolar instead of Normal:
Bipolars are more costly. So, going for something basic in bipolar can mean that you are better off getting a more powerful normal one for the same price. If you can shell out extra and go for the powerful bipolar, they are better than the normal definetly. So, for my budget I decided I can skip this one.
Same brand for all speakers or mix matching the brand for different speakers:
We already had too many thing to decide. So, being a newbie going around differnet places and then see if this centre is better than the other or not and then would this centre match with that rear, was just too tiresome to even think off. This is more tricky than this. Thereis something as
crossover. This has to be right between different speakers that movement of sound from one speaker to another has to be smooth. If one of the speaker is more powerful or of different type, this can mean serious problem. So, you have to very careful and we thought we are better of going for a recommended combination from the same brand rather than mix matching it ourselves.
Single shop advantage:
There is one more crucial thing. Its preferrable if you buy all from a single shop. The reason is that they can come and install it and set it up for you. Also, they seem to take ownership and agree to fiddle around with different models at your home before the final one can be decided. So, a mix match of shops, can leave you a bit alone.
Configuration decided:
5.1 with 2 floorstanding for front, 1 centre, 2 bookshelf for rear and a small subwoofer plus a 7.1 receiver so that I can bi-amp my front 2 speakers.
Budget decided:
We started with a budget of Rs.50k in all. We soon realised that we would get something which is very basic. Hence, shelling out Rs.50k and compromising on quality didn't seem right. Also, the upgrade idea might not work in India. Reason is that the stores dont take them back like in US. So, if I buy one now, either thats final or I have to entirely upgrade it later by something else. If I am going to buy them in pieces in 2 or 3 years, then I found that even speakers themselves get outdated soon. Also, a very good receiver itself might cost 50k. So, in parts really didn't seem to work out. Now, that we have decided to shoot up the budget, how far can one go. Soon, we realised one more thing. Its very tough to tell which speaker and which receiver you like. Which means we are better off buying entry level products and try it out before going for a perfect home theater setup that will cost us lakhs. So, we decided that our budget will be increased but not more than a lakh. 80k will be comfortable. In short a decent mix match entry level HT can cause somewhere above 75k atleast. You will be lucky if you found something interseting at a lesser cost.
Final Twist (this portion added after few months) :
I am pretty sure all the hifi shops in Hyderabad will have my photo put against the walls as a sign of warning for them. I think the universal mentality over here (atleast in India) is that people will just walk over and listen to whatever the shop guy has to say and buy it. You ask them questions , they are happy to answer only if the questions are few and if they are sure you will buy something. The moment you talk about comparison, cross questions and tell them you might buy this or not, somewhere after the second visit to the shop, they not only loose interest on you, they start to get annoyed. Now, why this crib from me. Its pretty simple, all you can do being here in India with limited resources is following. Each city has a couple of hifi shops. They carry few speaker, receivers etc; So, in the price range and model you are looking at, you will be lucky if you can get to hear a couple of them. That too, you have to listen to some songs in one shop drive few odd kilometers, to the second shop and listen another there and then compare them. There is no way you can do an A/B comparison of your favourites and pick one. So, it all became too confusing and with one thing clear, that its gonna cost a lot and with the strict budget constraint I was not in a position to finalise something that will be best for the money and be able to upgrage. Then somewhere from nowhere, came this idea. I needed a good stereo setup now. I listen to more music than movies. So, given the budget and other constraints, this sounded the best for me. So, started a new search for a stereo setup.
Bye bye 5.1 for now.
Important point : Liking a system can be very much like enjoying a cuisine from a favourite restaurant. There are tons of cuisines and restaurants and everybody have their unique taste and preference. The best way to judge which one you like is to just eat or listen and find it out. Hoping my experience will help you out in your quest.
Background:
So, few points first about ourselves which are very related to the search.
* We are Software engineers in our 20's and have only experienced home theatre in places outside and never owned one. So, this will be our first purchase and we are newbies to this.
* We are based out of Hyderabad,India. Beleive me this makes life lotta simple. You have problem when you have choices, we had only few. Even then we were confused too much within the choices we had. So, if you are anywhere in India, this would be the same case for you. We checked couple of places in Chennai as well.
* We live in a huge apartment with our owners right below us. Definetly, not the right time in life to look out for one. Even if I own an apartment, still it will not be any different. Which means, I can never buy one until I own an independant bunglow. What the hell, let me better get started now itself.
* Budget, obviously the biggest constraint. We really didn't have much in our mind. We know we can't go for the best. But a pretty decent model.
* We are not audiophiles. Neither am I a kind of guy, who can't spot good sound quality. The closest good sound that I have been hearing for 2 years is with my 2000 rupee Sony Headphone.
* We were only looking for the audio because of budget constraints. So, we didnt go through this whole plasma-lcd-hdmi-projector confusion. We just have a normal 21" Onida TV. Fine for now.
Components of an HT Audio:
The basic difference between a music system/ dvd player is that you will have a player, which has an integerated decoder and a 2 speaker system thats connected to it. But, with a home theatre, you go for a receiver or a pre-amp and amp setup. This will do decoding, amplifying, multiplexing and lot more. The player can be built-in with the receiver or have to be got standalone. But, except for the basic models, I always see that the player is not integerated. Player integeration can be a bad thing. The reason is, you get an integerated DVD player and you never know, blu ray can become the standard in a year or you might need a HD player. So, its better that the input sources are not integerated. Then you have the speakers. Many know of 5.1, but we had 6.1 and already 7.1 is in the market. The latest Denon receiver is a 10.1. Ok, Now 5.1, would mean 5 speakers and a sub woofer. The 5 speakers are positioned as 2 in front left and right, one in the front center, 2 in the rear left and right. In 6.1, you add one to rear centre. In 7.1, you don't have rear centre, instead you add one each to your left and right of your seating position. Lets just leave anything above than this.
Basics of Speakers:
Everybody, I hope remember what they learnt as a child that human ears can listen from 20hz-20khz. Now, the low frequency, thats towards 20hz, is the bass component and its your sub woofer that gives this. The higher frequenceies are the sharp ones. This job is done by the tweeters. You could have heard them, in your cars. The small 1" speakers that are placed in the front left and right corners. The system should cover this whole range of frequencey for it to reproduce every sound possible. While almost all HT can easily reproduce 20khz, its the bass component where systems will vary. Now, front centre speaker is dedicated for Vocal. Front left and right, will be the one used during stereo.
Usage Pattern:
Its very critical what will be the kind of things that you will use your system for. Some like it to be very crisp and clear. Typically for carnatic music or hindustani, vocal is the most important thing. I understand, vocal is always important. But still, there is a difference as to how much important it is for carnatic music vs an action movie. If you use your system for music extensively, then you have to be very careful about your front speaker choices. These will be the ones that will play for music. You can have all speakers running for music, but the recording you will get (even in DVD's) will be in stereo only. Enhanced 5.1 is good, but still given that the original recording was in stereo, I find its better played in stereo mode. If you like the earth shattering effect, then woofer has to be powerful. However, for an apartment, basic woofer should do. You can even do without a woofer for a small room, if your 5 speakers are choosen accordingly. If you are a DTS movie buff for all the surround effects, then your rears should be almost as powerful as your front speakers. So, the best thing to do is to take your favourite music and movie DVD's when you are checking the system. Always, the pieces they play using the DVD's with sequences specifically made for this will be great. So, you hear using your DVD's and your type of music or movie. Thats when you can judge the best.
Room Accoustics:
One of the first questions that was asked when I wanted to an HT was, wether the house was built already. Was there a dedicated room for this etc; Its so important that it can change what the HT can do. When you audition you will find that most of the showrooms will have a dedicated small room for this. Its done for a reason. As soon as we take this system and put on a bigger room, it can just loose the power. So, make sure that you dedicate a room for this. So, one of my bedrooms have to give way for this. My hall is too huge for an entry level system. Particularly when it has any open space connected to it, it will affect the output a lot. So, anything less than 15 X 15 feet, roughly 300 to 400 square feet, can be considered small room. Now, wooden walls , carpeting (not for beauty) all these can enrich your experience. But, definetly not in question for our setup. So, other than giving a dedicated room, we didnt do much. Sizes of the speaker is the next thing. Definetly, this can play a major role. You might not have enough space for the big ones, but then satellites mean compromise on performance for same cost. Also, some might consider wireless, but they are just way too costly. Example, Sony's particular wireless model was rs.39000, while the non wireless model costed just rs.15000. Infact, out of the 5 speakers, only the rear speakers where wireless.
Receivers:
For entry level or even till mid range a receiver should be fine. The 2 device setup of a pre-amp and an amplifier, might be an over kill for us. So, we didn't check that one at all. The first thing is the output per channel it offers. You should go for the rating done as conitnous and not the Peak Rating. Typically it is like 75W Per Channel Continuos. It is important to notice at how many ohms was this wattage noted. Its given in 6 or 8. So, a 90W output at 6 Ohms is roughly same as 75W at 8 Ohms. Its better if you get the rating in the exact Ohms you need. Most of the speakers come in 8 Ohm rating. Now, how much power do you need. Even, I dont have much of an understanding on this. There are 2 problems here. For one, its very clear that one brands 75W is not same as another brands 75W. Sometimes people say you can compare certain 40W system's output clarity with even an 80W system. So, which will be the one you need will depend on which speakers you choose and how much power do you need to drive them. Apart from output, input is another thing to consider. Are you going to have HDMI TV or player, would you want direct iPod connectivity, how many systems would you connect simultaneously.
Take into account all of these to determine whether the inputs are sufficient. Obviously, you can't go a change wires whenever you decide to play some different device. Now, for those who think how many devices I can have - DVD player, (HDMI) TV, XBox 360/PS3, FM or Worldspace Radio, Auxilary (laptop or walkman or tape player), iPod. There are certain good features that you might want to think about:
* Audyssey or Auto Calibiration - Its very tough to setup a home theatre. Depending on your seating position and your room accoustics, the output get distorted by the time you hear. So, few people have come up with this very good thing. You play some music and then use a mic to tap the output as it reaches you and then feed that back to the system. System the sees how much different the original input and the feedback input is, and corrects itself accordingly. Without this, it can get tough for setting it up.
* Multi Zone facility - You can have 2 systems being played at the same time. So, while in one room a movie is played, in another room you can hear a music system
* 5.1 or 7.1 - Now, I find that most receivers have started coming up with 7.1 instead of 5.1. So, even if you are not going for a 7.1 system, I think its better to go for a 7.1 as this gives 2 major benefits. One, you don't have to change your receiver if you want an upgrade. Secondly, it allows you to do something called as bi-amping. This is a way in which you use the 2 extra output lines to feed your front speakers which are already connected. Essentially, instead of one set of wire going for a speaker, you have 2 wires for front speakers. This means almost double the input power instantly and so, better output from your speakers.
The quest for the right system:
Brands Checked : Bose, Sony, Onkyo, Philips, Polk, JBL, Harmon Kardon, Elac, Jamo, Denon, B&W, Yamaha, Infinity, Klipsch, Energy, Monitor Audio, Paradigm, Wharfedale, Athena
Some concepts explained before we go further as per my understanding:
bright - if speakers are bright, that means the sounds are too sharp, that people might find it unpleasant. In fact, there can be a different problem. If it causes even slight strain in your ear, you can get tired of listening. But there is no say as to how bright is right for a person.
tight bass - This kind of bass is something that you would typically require for music. That is not an earth shattering bass like in action sequences of movies or partying music. This is the kind of bass that you find it smooth and spread out in the room and right amount for music.
seperation - in this context, we should be able to hear every different instrument seperately. We should be able to distinguish them, unlike all of them coming together.
direction - bass has no direction. So, the woofer can be kept anywhere. Preferably, in a corner. While sharp sounds are pointed. So, for best output the speakers should be facing the listener.
bi-amping - this means that we give 2 inputs instead of 1 for a speaker. this will increase the input power fed in for the speaker and definetly, better output.
bipolar - speakers will be off a triangle shape, instead of the normal 4 sided figure. the reason is that there will be drivers in 2 side of the speaker, instead of one side. This gives more seating position flexibility than the normal one active subwoofer - a woofer which has a seperate electric power connection. output will be better than the passive sub woofer.
downfiring subwoofer - the hole(driver) that you can see in a subwoofer will be present in the bottom. This can give very good effect on wooden floors, particulalry can cause the floors vibrating.
The real story starts now.
HTIB - Home Theatre in a Box :
This is for those folks who prefer things to be simple. And this can be good in a home theatre search. Its because once you step in you can find that its very very tough to decide when so many factors are there. So, here all you have to do is, go listen and pick one. Typically these come literally in a box. So, this means that they are all satellite speakers only or rather small speakers. I bought an extremely basic Philips Home Theatre for Rs.13000 a year back. Once taken to home, I just found that it simply never could give surround effect. The centre speaker was the only best thing. So, on my first day, when I checked Sony and Philips, one thing was very clear. They are like school kids compared to rest. Now, obviously I am talking about the models that were available in India, these are all meant to be listened, just like how they are demoed. You sit a couch thats not even more than 2 mts from TV, you have the rear speakers,
placed less than 2 feet from your ear. They will definetly sound good. Take it to your home place them where you can, you then sit where you will normally and then you will understand whats lacking in the system. My Philips exactly taught me this. It was so bad, that I put my rear speakers back into the box and almost never used it. These models entirely (some include player as well) will cost you max Rs.30000. A decent entry level receiver will cost about that much. So, you would know what I am talking about. But, however I did find couple of good HTIB.
* Athena Micra 6 and Paradigm Cinema 70
These are 5.1 speaker packages that I had a chance to listen to. We were simply amazed with the kind of output they gave compared to the other HTiB's we have heard. They do sometimes sound a bit too sharp and hence probably might not be that good for music. Actually, music was decent through them, but they will fall short compared to a decent stereo setup. They both cost about 27k and combine them with an entry level Yamaha/Onkyo receiver for another 16k, you will have an awesome setup that can hands down beat the Sony/Philips.
* Onkyo HTS990 and HTS790 - The first THX certified HTIB in the world. Priced at around Rs.70k http://www.onkyoindia.com/products/HT_Packages/home_style/emperor/hts990.htm
Its a 7.1 system and was pretty impressive. You can check even HTS790 or HTS590. HTS790 is almost same as 990, except that it comes without the THX certification. But it costs about 15k less and only Rs.55k. There is the HTS590 which is only Rs.27k See, before we started, we know only 2 names in this business - Onkyo and Bose. So, with all high hopes we went in, but we weren't happy about the output. Reason, we find that the speakers weren't as crisp and clear as we wanted. It did have bright sounds. But then the mid was lacking a lot. Also, the bass wasn't tight. But still a pretty good deal for someone who is not an audiophile. Onkyo has been right up in the top for receivers, only second to Denon. But, speakers doesnt seem to be their forte. That was kinda double confirmed when we came to know the following. In the 70k HTS990 system, the receiver alone will cost us 50k if bought seperate. So, that leaves them a budget of about 20 to 25k for speakers. We are then grossly under utilising the receiver. Obviously, the better the speakers they want to give, the overall cost is going to shoot up. Typically, whichever configuration we chose, the 5.1 speakers costs about 1.5 times the receiver. So, typically to get a matching speaker set for a 50k receiver, you have to shell out about 75k. I know, price is not probably the right way to check the output. But then, I really doubt you can run a 50k receiver, using 25k speakers. However, in other places when we hear different speakers with Onkyo, we found it very good. Bottomline, is that Onkyo receiver seems to be very good. But then its very tough to say how good the receiver is. Unless you use the exact same set of speakers and then compare receivers. Unfortunately, we didn't have that luxury.
* Harman Kardon HKTS 14 - This one probably had one of the best bass that I have checked. They however didn't do a good job as far as mid and high frequencies. But decent overall. The woofer had really awesome looks and even the receiver. I really wanted the woofer alone. But then, they don't sell that way.
Bottomline - Somehow, we were not impressed by the cheap HTIB's. They had something lacking. Simply, because each will have a different preference for low,mid and high. So, getting them all right in one package is tough. But, then its always said that mix and match can be very tough and can screw up the system. So, for somebody who chooses to just walk and get one,
these are the HTIB's that can be checked.
Speakers Mix and Match:
Lets classify the speakers in different ways.
By Position: Front, Centre, Surround , Rear and Sub Woofer
By size: Floorstanding, Bookshelf, Satellites
Floor standing really requires lots of space.
As far as size and output is concerned, there seems to be quite some controversy on this. Its very general understanding that the bigger the speaker is the better it can give the output. But then, you can see that satellites do a pretty good job. But, if compared side by side, bigger speakers win. So, if you have space my take is go for bigger speakers, atleast for front.
Satellites(In Wall/Ceiling):
In general, none of the satellites impressed us. We did check few of them. The only ones that were good was Bose and the one system that stood out was the following:
Bose Acoustimass 5: This is a 2.1 system. The speakers are too small and the woofer can be placed anywhere. Even under the bed, while the satellites are very tiny, size of 2 Coke cans. This makes this system almost invisible. Now, when it comes to the sound, I really found the bass was decent, not earth shattering though. The highs were slightly lacking, that is it wasn't that sharp. But then, mid was very full. So, for music it sounded really good. This costs about Rs.22k, add a basic amplifier for 12 to 15k. For about 35k you will get a very good music system, that can beat any standard Sony, Philips CD Systems outright. However, this would not give you the surround movie experience. So, only if a music listener and living in a small room.
Beware of 2 things - Bose has been bashed left and right in the net. People hate them and people love them. So, listen for yourself and judge. Typically the accusation is that they are overpriced and poor build quality. Another thing is that, the Bose salesman talks you into an idea that you can buy just these and then upgrade to a 5.1 system piece by piece. But the problem is that there are many catches in that. But for a music system, this will be one thing that I would want to buy, for sound quality and size.
Bookshelf:
Once, I have decided that I am not going to have a satellite, bookshelf or floorstanding was almost the same. The reason is that, for bookshelf I would need a stand that can support the same. So, space wise its no different. As far as output was concerned, I found that these served definetly good enough for rear or surround speakers. But when it comes to competing with floorstanding, I think it can't.
Floorstanding:
Now, sometimes its good if the speaker is tiny and could do magic. But sometimes, you love to be next to a tall speaker. This is where we spent most of the time in. You play one and then another and then another, it just doesnt end.
Now, some more dilemas decided:
Satellites for all 5:
As said earlier, we found none so impressive that we dropped this idea. More over, it would mean drilling holes and in wall wiring etc; that we can't think off. Also, there is really no constraint for space.
Bookshelfs for all 5:
Since, floorstanding was sounding better and given that bookshelf will take almost the same space and probably might even have some extra cost coming through the stands, we dropped this idea as well.
Floorstanding for all 5:
Might be , given a chance we can. But then the floorstanding are quite costly and since its not a 100% movie use, the rear need not be as powerful as the fronts. So, having floorstanding for rear will be an overkill for sure for us.
7 instead of 5:
Why should we have only 5 speakers when 7 is better. Its because the room size if small, doesnt require 7. Its said if the room length is less than 20", then definetly 5 speakers are sufficient.
Particularly, if you are not more than a couple of feet away from rear, then surround might not be needed.
Bipolar instead of Normal:
Bipolars are more costly. So, going for something basic in bipolar can mean that you are better off getting a more powerful normal one for the same price. If you can shell out extra and go for the powerful bipolar, they are better than the normal definetly. So, for my budget I decided I can skip this one.
Same brand for all speakers or mix matching the brand for different speakers:
We already had too many thing to decide. So, being a newbie going around differnet places and then see if this centre is better than the other or not and then would this centre match with that rear, was just too tiresome to even think off. This is more tricky than this. Thereis something as
crossover. This has to be right between different speakers that movement of sound from one speaker to another has to be smooth. If one of the speaker is more powerful or of different type, this can mean serious problem. So, you have to very careful and we thought we are better of going for a recommended combination from the same brand rather than mix matching it ourselves.
Single shop advantage:
There is one more crucial thing. Its preferrable if you buy all from a single shop. The reason is that they can come and install it and set it up for you. Also, they seem to take ownership and agree to fiddle around with different models at your home before the final one can be decided. So, a mix match of shops, can leave you a bit alone.
Configuration decided:
5.1 with 2 floorstanding for front, 1 centre, 2 bookshelf for rear and a small subwoofer plus a 7.1 receiver so that I can bi-amp my front 2 speakers.
Budget decided:
We started with a budget of Rs.50k in all. We soon realised that we would get something which is very basic. Hence, shelling out Rs.50k and compromising on quality didn't seem right. Also, the upgrade idea might not work in India. Reason is that the stores dont take them back like in US. So, if I buy one now, either thats final or I have to entirely upgrade it later by something else. If I am going to buy them in pieces in 2 or 3 years, then I found that even speakers themselves get outdated soon. Also, a very good receiver itself might cost 50k. So, in parts really didn't seem to work out. Now, that we have decided to shoot up the budget, how far can one go. Soon, we realised one more thing. Its very tough to tell which speaker and which receiver you like. Which means we are better off buying entry level products and try it out before going for a perfect home theater setup that will cost us lakhs. So, we decided that our budget will be increased but not more than a lakh. 80k will be comfortable. In short a decent mix match entry level HT can cause somewhere above 75k atleast. You will be lucky if you found something interseting at a lesser cost.
Final Twist (this portion added after few months) :
I am pretty sure all the hifi shops in Hyderabad will have my photo put against the walls as a sign of warning for them. I think the universal mentality over here (atleast in India) is that people will just walk over and listen to whatever the shop guy has to say and buy it. You ask them questions , they are happy to answer only if the questions are few and if they are sure you will buy something. The moment you talk about comparison, cross questions and tell them you might buy this or not, somewhere after the second visit to the shop, they not only loose interest on you, they start to get annoyed. Now, why this crib from me. Its pretty simple, all you can do being here in India with limited resources is following. Each city has a couple of hifi shops. They carry few speaker, receivers etc; So, in the price range and model you are looking at, you will be lucky if you can get to hear a couple of them. That too, you have to listen to some songs in one shop drive few odd kilometers, to the second shop and listen another there and then compare them. There is no way you can do an A/B comparison of your favourites and pick one. So, it all became too confusing and with one thing clear, that its gonna cost a lot and with the strict budget constraint I was not in a position to finalise something that will be best for the money and be able to upgrage. Then somewhere from nowhere, came this idea. I needed a good stereo setup now. I listen to more music than movies. So, given the budget and other constraints, this sounded the best for me. So, started a new search for a stereo setup.
Bye bye 5.1 for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)