jiggagold
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Newbie needs to be schooled on home audio
rmilewsk
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If your looking to set up this system for home theater then it would serve you well to start here

Then I would suggest you find a good audio store in your area and take in some of your favorite CD's and start listening. Listen to as many different combinations of gear as you can lay your ears on. Use that to learn and make your decision.

ohfourohnine
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You already have the basics: your favorite music, and your ears. The system you should buy is the one you can afford through which your favorite music sounds best to you. In the ideal case, it is the one which sounds best to you in your own room, but, for a beginner, home auditioning isn't the best first step.

Pick an audio dealer who offers equipment over a wide range of price levels. Take your favorite CD's (2 or three) to the store and begin by auditioning speakers. When you have decided on a favorite speaker, it will lead you to the proper electronics. Some speakers need more power than others to perform to their optimum.

When you've put together a satisfying combination of speakers, amplification, and source devices (CD player, turntable etc.), thank the dealer and go home and sleep on it. Go back and listen again after a few days.

Some dealers will allow purchasers to try equipment in their homes for a reasonable period - 30 day return privileges with little or no penalty. Trying to find that accomodation is worth it. Your room is part of the sound system - sometimes a major part.

If you crave more than the approach I've recommended, buy a copy of the Complete Guide to High-End Audio by Robert Harley, and pay careful attention to the early chapters. Remember, however, that matching all the proper specifications may not produce what you prefer to hear.

I could suggest you duplicate the system I've spent years putting together and refining, and so could anyone else in the group reading your post. You'd wind up with as many different recommended systems as responses. You're lucky, there are lots of good products out there today at every price level. You should have no trouble finding the answer to good music reproduction (by your definition) in your home.

Best of luck, and welcome to the club. Let us know what you come up with before you decide to buy and we may be able to offer some useful reactions.

mrlowry
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Wattage is meaningless. Well, not entirely meaningless. Every manufacturer rates their products differently, so you can't compare wattage acrossed manufacturers. It is some what helpful within the same manufacturer. I agree with the earlier reply of picking speakers first, that will narrow the choice of electronics. Also a good dealer can help you avoid some of the most common pitfalls of the hobby. Sometimes what you buy isn't as important as who you buy it from.

mikeymad
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Welcome to the forum, and to your new endeavor.

Same advice: local dealer, talk, listen, listen again.

Don't buy too quick.

Cheers.

jiggagold
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Any brands i should take notice for and ones i should steer away from? Any sales rep can sell me some shitty system for a good amount of money and then me take the bait.

Monty
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I would start with an honest assessment of how the system will integrate with the room and what sort of features you will require. Are you going to need the system to pull double duty as a home theater and 2 channel music? Do you really have the room for large floor models that need to be placed well away from the walls to sound like they are supposed to sound? Is the room small enough to benefit more from monitor speakers that will need stands?

If you are strictly looking for good 2 channel performance, you needn't spend the money for features that will degrade the sound and that you will rarely use...if at all.

First things first; determine how the system will be used. Next, decide on a reasonable budget that you are willing to spend. From there, keep in mind that amplifiers and speakers need to work in partnership. Some speakers need to draw more current and put a heavier load on the amp while others are easy to drive and aren't as finicky with most amplifiers. If you buy from a reputable dealer, he should be able to ensure that your choices work quite well together.

Don't let the quest for "the best" keep you from buying something really good. And, stay away from the big box retailers if you want real hi-fi. If you simply want to put together an AV system that will go boom when the dinosaur walks, Circuit City and Best Buy are perfect.

Tedrick
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To reiterate what's already been said, get thee to your local higher-end audio dealer, and listen to systems at a couple of different price points to get an idea of what's out there and also what you might be ultimately aiming for. Be sure to take some music you are familiar with. Ask lots of questions, and learn what it is you value most in your system, as well as what you can afford.

Don't get caught up in all the numbers hype, especially regarding output power. With the right combination of amp and speaker, there are plenty of 6 or 8 watt systems that'll blow the doors off most 200 watt set-ups.

BTW, if you like the looks of the Primus 360s and they fit your budget, try to find some and give a listen. I have a pair mated with some 8 watt tube amps that sound really sweet. Try them with a couple of different receivers or amps if you can to find the best combination of what your ears like and what fits your pocketbook.

Just let your ears be your guide.

CECE
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Every mfg. cannot rate their wattage differently. FTC doesn't allow that. If you remember way back when, the FTC implemented a spec to which all mfgs of audio stuff must adhere to. Of course the ones who don't adhere to the RULES are somehow allowed to violtae consumer protection laws. Since this is audio , consumer protection laws seem to be negated and justified by certain aspect of people. Hmmm, i seem to recall an amp costing thousands and thousands, that didn't meet advertised specs, but it was blown off as, well it's so powerful, the missing few hundred watts won't matter!!! Nice.....Incredibly DUMB. When they advertize the car as getting 32 MPG, you only get 18mpg....are you gonna just accept it? homie don't think so. Why in the land of audio insanity, are consumer protection laws not so important, oh, it's the sound, that's all that matters. Audio advertizing is a work of amazing mind games. If the amp can't pass teh FTC test of like 1/3 power for a certain time as a runup, then it would seem, sumptin' wrong with it's specs, no? The use of peak power, music power etc etc, is the reason FTC implemented the RULES, RMS is all that matters. It's the real spec of what teh amp can do.

JoeE SP9
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I gotta go with DUP on this one. I remember when IPP instantaneous peak power was routinely used along with lots of other specious ways of measuring power.

JoeE SP9
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You are incorrect!

jiggagold
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Basically the system is for me and my buddy in a living room in our apartment which is spacious and has high ceilings. We want some power and for it to sound crisp we are not looking for the ultimate sound but something that will separate our system from the rest. The system will also be hooked up to a 60 inch HDTV but that setup doesnt need to be perfect I just want my movies and video games to sound decent nothing to good we are focusing on the music aspect. It will be sued as a party system so bass is a major factor and then just a good crisp sound from the mids and tweeters nothing out of this world.

Monty
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Good bass and apartments? I hope you signed a short lease. Seriously, bass travels through walls like Paris Hilton goes through department stores. Even at low volumes, bass will make its way into your neighbor's apartments.

You might want to consider that when making your purchase.

An NAD and PSB combination (electronics and speakers) wouldn't break your bank and is certainly a step into real hi-fi. I think the T-45 speakers would fill your apartment nicely and give you a solid bass foundation without having to opt for a subwoofer that would most likely annoy the neighbors. Both PSB and NAD are widely considered bargains in serious sound. I'm thinking you could put together a fine combination for under 2K that would stomp on anything you might find at Best Buy or Circuit City. In fact, if you are realistic in how loudly you are going to be able to play your music in the apartment, you could probably put together something nice for around $1300 with those brands.

jiggagold
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Its a college apartment so its pretty lenient when it comes to noise and stuff on the weekends but thanks for the reccommendations the stuff looks nice im going tomorrow to check it out and ill come back and post my thoughts.

stuwee
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Quote:
I gotta go with DUP on this one. I remember when IPP instantaneous peak power was routinely used along with lots of other specious ways of measuring power.


Gotta call Ya'll out on this in '72 horsepower ratings went down due to gov reg's bullshit It was the method of testing, and the emissions crud.
In other words they changed the rules. I have 2 Marantz 2270 that I know will test out to 130 WPC Right now today!!
I see great designs testing at 130 WPC There is a whole lot more to the synergy of the whole ya'll know that!!

JoeE SP9
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I'm not sure I understand your point. What is incorrect with what DUP and I agree about power ratings before the FTC standardized test methods.

stuwee
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sorry guys, I guess I was confused about ratings, In the 70's watts were continuous power ratings, meaning you could pretty much double the rating when playing music, if your speakers could handle 200watts max, you got a 100watt rig, or a 150watt one. Peace Craig

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