Tips on getting that new HT system - info, suggested brands and advice

petetherock

petetherock

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Alternate places for hi fi are People's Park and smaller establishments outside the usual belt, such as in Bukit Timah Plaza.

Some carry specific brands which have no other sellers in Singapore and make it hard to compare prices, some thrive on good service and others just mark up

A few shops will be well known for good service and reasonable prices, others will need to be avoided.
 
petetherock

petetherock

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Budgets

After blowing away half the house mortage on your system, what next?

Actually some points:

- spend the max you can on the system
- don't end up saving peanuts only to blow it away on frivilous spending on tweaks which don't do a lot
- do budget for cables - about 10% will be fine - there is really no use buying a $1k cable for a budget 1k system

- you may wish to spend in stages, see how it sounds, find out what the system lacks, then spend again to satisfy that 'itchy backside' since few people can stay content for that long

About 1/5 each for source, 2/5 for amps and 2/5 for speakers
 
petetherock

petetherock

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This is a simple article on why we should avoid those cheap and nasty DVD players:


http://www.smh.com.au/news/reviews/cheap-dvd-players-come-at-a-cost/2007/05/26/1186857506097.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

"So why would you spend $300 or more on a DVD player when the discount houses have them from $69? It's an easy answer and it's just two letters long: HD. High-definition screens don't just show up the abilities of a good DVD player, they also expose the weaknesses of a bad one, often very painfully.
The picture quality of a cheap DVD player may be fine on the 51cm television in the kid's room but on your 127cm HD flat screen in the living room you'll note the poor handling of rapidly moving images, the rainbows that form around densely packed lines, the colour bleed that makes the definition horrible and the fuzziness. And if you have a good sound system, you'll certainly notice the poor audio quality.

Premium DVD players do more than handle all of this comfortably - they also have features that the cheapies simply can't match, such as video upscaling to take standard-definition images up to simulated HD. It's not as good as the real thing but it's not bad. Many have HDMI connectivity, using just one lead to handle what would normally require four or five. They can work with compressed DivX files downloaded from the internet and burned onto a DVD, and play a wide range of both video and audio disc formats.

Audio quality is a big point. The makers of cheap DVD players pay little attention to it and if you use the machine for playing CDs the result can be most disappointing. Some more expensive DVD players have such good audio quality they even do justice to the premium audio formats of super-audio CD and DVD audio.

But more than this, they're far better built. You'll notice the disc drawers slide in and out smoothly and almost silently and there's no audible mechanical noise when the disc is spinning up. They're built to last and they won't develop lots of tolerable but still niggling problems as the warranty approaches expiry - or pack it in for good shortly afterwards."
 
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petetherock

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ALLOCATING YOUR BUDGET

This is a simple guide IMO:

35% speakers
25% amp
25% source
10% room
5% cables

And spend gradually, no doubt buying it all from one shop helps the price, but you will not enjoy the benefit of knowing what improvements are needed and you still get that itchy backside within a few months again.

Buy the best you can, so you don't waste money on small upgrades which are not cost effective.
 
Vadimur

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Getting a subwoofer is also an art. When you are new, you just dun know what you dun know.

Got a 2nd hand SVS sub recently, read all the rave reviews abt it & it's ability to go as low as 20Hz. Thought i got one of the best subs in the world (i still think so :D), the more i listen & read abt ppl's exp with svs subs, i realized that it dun do those mid bass "thumps" (aka chest pounding bass). Luckily, i could connect another digital output from my avr to my previous 30W & 6 1/2" integrated amp subwoofer to give me some kicks, meanwhile thinking of getting another sub.

Now the more you know, the more you want to spend! *Sign*
 
Vadimur

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*Copy & paste one of my post* :D Correct me if i'm wrong.

Not so good subwoofers will bottom out or give port noises when trying to output those low frequencies, so it's unpleasant to hear. There are some which simply dun output anything when it reaches it's threshold, so at least you need not put up with those noises. However, if it's good & powerful subwoofer which can output those low frequencies, you'll feel that the air in your room is filled with bass, your window grills, bookshelf glass panels, etc will rattle.

And yes, you do not hear anything that comes out from a subwoofer, you can only feel whatever that comes out from the subwoofer, e.g. chest thumps (*maybe between 30-80Hz) & room shaking (*ard 30Hz & below). For 20Hz & below, maybe they use some kind of meter to measure?

And dun plainly believe those specifications given by manufacturers unless they dare to specify it's +/-3dB or somethin like tat. They may put that it can go down to 25Hz, but in real-life performance, it can only go till 30Hz.
 
petetherock

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Advice

A gentle tip to newbies asking for advice on components to buy:

- Give Us a Budget! Who can tell what you want to spend

- music preferences - just for games (some simple boom box from Logitech or Creative might suffice) / a full Home theatre system / Stereo listening pleasure / headphones

Plus the ratio of the above

- what is the room size??

- basically the more info offered, the more replies!
 
petetherock

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A good read:


http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=3860

High Def Audio FAQ

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There have been a lot of questions lately about HD audio... mainly the new codecs, and what equipment is needed to play them. This is a list of the new codecs, and what is required to hear each.

Dolby Digital-Plus:
Dolby ®Digital Plus is the next-generation audio technology for all high-definition programming and media. It combines the efficiency to meet future broadcast demands with the power and flexibility to realize the full audio potential of the upcoming high-definition experience. Built on Dolby Digital, the multichannel audio standard for DVD and HD broadcasts worldwide, Dolby Digital Plus was designed for the delivery formats of the future, but remains fully compatible with all current A/V receivers. With Dolby Digital Plus, you get even higher quality audio, more channels, and greater flexibility. Amaze your ears.

Features
Multichannel sound with discrete channel output.
Channel and program extensions can carry multichannel audio programs of up to 7.1 channels* and support multiple programs in a single encoded bitstream.
Outputs a Dolby Digital bitstream for playback on existing Dolby Digital systems.
Supports data rates as high as 6 Mbps.
Bit rate performance of at least 3 Mbps on HD DVD and up to 1.7 Mbps on Blu-ray Disc.
Accurately reproduces what the director and producer intended.
I
nteractive mixing and streaming capability in advanced systems.
Supported by HDMI™, the new single-cable digital connection for high-definition audio and video.

Benefits
Can deliver 7.1 channels and beyond* of enhanced-quality audio at up to 6 Mbps.
Allows multiple languages to be carried in a single bitstream.
Offers audio professionals new creative power and freedom.
Compatible with the millions of home entertainment systems equipped with Dolby Digital.
No latency or loss of quality in the conversion process.
Maintains high quality at more efficient broadcast bit rates (200 kbps for 5.1-channel audio).
Selected by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) as the standard for future broadcast applications; named as an option by the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) Project for satellite and cable TV.
Selected as the mandatory audio format for HD DVD and as an optional audio format for the Blu-ray Disc.
Source

Dolby Digital TrueHD:
Dolby® TrueHD is Dolby’s next-generation lossless technology developed for high-definition disc-based media. Dolby TrueHD delivers tantalizing sound that is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master, unlocking the true high-definition entertainment experience on next-generation discs. When coupled with high-definition video, Dolby TrueHD offers an unprecedented home theater experience that lets you enjoy sound as stunning as the high-definition picture.

Features
100 percent lossless coding technology.
Up to 18 Mbps bit rate.
Supports up to eight full-range channels of 24-bit/96 kHz audio.*
Supported by High-Definition Media Interface (HDMI™), the new single-cable digital connection for audio and video.
Supports extensive metadata including dialogue normalization and dynamic range control.
*Dolby TrueHD can support more than eight audio channels. HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc standards currently limit their maximum number of audio channels to eight.

Benefits
Delivers enthralling studio-master-quality sound that unlocks the true high-definition entertainment experience on next-generation discs.
Offers more discrete channels than ever before for impeccable surround sound.
Compatible with the A/V receivers and home-theaters-in-a-box (HTIBs) of today and tomorrow.
Dialogue normalization maintains the same volume level when you change to other Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD programming.
Dynamic range control (Night mode) enables you to customize audio playback to reduce peak volume levels (no loud surprises) while experiencing all the details in the soundtrack, enabling late-night viewing of high-energy surround sound without disturbing others.
Selected as the mandatory format for HD DVD and as an optional format for Blu-ray Disc.
Source

Additional information about Dolby Digital in HD

DTS-HD:
DTS-HD High Resolution Audio can deliver up to 7.1 channels of sound that is virtually indistinguishable from the original. DTS-HD High Resolution Audio delivers audio at high constant bit rates superior to standard DVDs---6.0 Mbps on Blu-ray discs and 3.0 Mbps on HD-DVD to produce outstanding sound quality. It is capable of delivering up to 7.1 channels at 96k sampling frequency/24 bit depth resolution. It allows content creators to deliver rich, high definition audio on movies where disc space may not allow for DTS-HD Master Audio.

DTS-HD Master Audio:
DTS-HD Master Audio is capable of delivering audio that is a bit-for-bit identical to the studio master. DTS-HD Master Audio delivers audio at super high variable bit rates -24.5 mega-bits per second (Mbps) on Blu-ray discs and 18.0 Mbps on HD-DVD - that are significantly higher than standard DVDs . This bit stream is so "fast" and the transfer rate is so "high" that it can deliver the Holy Grail of audio: 7.1 audio channels at 96k sampling frequency/24 bit depths that are identical to the original. With DTS-HD Master Audio, you will be able to experience movies and music, exactly as the artist intended: clear, pure, and uncompromised.

Source

Uncompressed LPCM:
Uncompressed PCM 5.1: Found on a large number of Blu-Ray discs but not supported on HD-DVD, uncompressed PCM 5.1 is simply that: an uncompressed version of the film’s standard 5.1 to 7.1 soundtrack. This is exactly what the name says, uncompressed, raw audio.
Source

What do I need to experience HD audio?
There are two ways to receive HD Audio, HDMI and 5.1 or higher analog audio connection.

HDMI will pass up to 7.1 channels of /HD audio fed from HD DVD or Blu-ray disc. There are two advantages to using HDMI: first, it is a digital connection, so the digital data is kept in digital form, and it uses a single cable.

Analog audio (5.1 or higher) will allow the player to feed the audio stream to an equiped receiver as PCM audio data.
 
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