Pete's Write

A link to the technical info: http://www.pioneer.com.au/au/products/42/99/161/SP-BS22LR/page.html Description: Two-way bass-reflex bookshelf speaker (not magnetically shielded). Drive-units: 1" soft-dome tweeter, 4" structured-surface cone woofer. Frequency range: 55Hz–20kHz. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 85dB/2.83V/m. Maximum input power: 80W. Crossover frequency: 3kHz. Dimensions: 12 9/16" (320mm) H by 7 1/8" (180mm) W by 8 7/16" (215mm) D. Weight: 9 lbs 2 oz (4.1kg). Finish: Wood-grain vinyl. Serial numbers of units reviewed: LNV004559VC (auditioning), LFNV0082030C (measuring). Price: $159.99/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 50+ (plus Best Buy). Manufacturer: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., PO Box 1540, Long Beach, CA 90801-1540. Tel: (800) 421-1404. Web: www.pioneerelectronics.com . And the info blurb from the official website: Quote 70 Years of Audio Firsts These speakers come with a remarkable pedigree of ove...

  This post stems from the frequent newbie questions on positioning their speakers, and FAQS like: 1- can I put my speakers on a console? 2- where can I place my rear channel speakers? 3- do I need 7 channels? 4- to place in-wall or mounted on the surface? 5- what about cabling? 6- what are the 'correct' placements of my speakers --- a- for HT b- audio 7- dipole or bipole or monopole? 8- can my speakers do both HT and audio? 9- what do the terms mean - "boundary reinforcement" / "phase coherence" 10- can Audyssey / YPAO / MACC etc do magic on lousy speaker placement? Quote 1.Apply the Golden Rectangle Rule If your room permits, try placing the speakers about 3’ from the front wall. This reduces bass reflections from the front wall and helps tame boomy bass. The distance from the side wall(s) is equally important. The Golden Rectangle Rule states that the speaker’s distance from the side wall should be...

Size matters - do we buy the biggest baddest speaker or choose what suits? That may be a simple concept, but often we think with our hearts and wallets instead of our minds... Front speakers: Our eyes, and our budget can allow us to buy really sweet and large floorstander speakers which are actually too big for our rooms. Then there's a lot of room treatment that needs to be done. How about surrounds? Actually many have also found that a good sized surround instead of a tiny one makes all the difference. Centre speaker: This speaker definitely benefits from a larger cabinet. The centre speaker and sub are the lynchpin of HT and carry most of the signals. Avoid buying the small WAF ones that can't do male baritone voices. Atmos speakers: Well do consider physics here... if suspending speakers for an Atmos / Auro setup is being considered, getting too small a speaker can affect the sound and dispersion, too big and it may not be practical for mounting, or what looks ok initia...

First the technical blurb: http://www.denon.co.uk/uk/product/pages/product-detail.aspx?catid=hometheatre&subid=avreceivers&productid=avrx4100w This amp is almost identical to last year’s model, the 4000 and the new feature most are looking at will be Atmos, the potentially game-changing new sound format that promises to bring home theatre to a whole new level (pun intended). So it has 7 channels of amps, pre-outs to allow 9 channel processing, Audyssey XT 32 and Sub EQ as well as lossless sound formatting. Accompanying system:   B&W 804d Front channels; 805s rears, HTM4s centre, Anthony Gallo A’Diva as ceiling Atmos speakers in Top Front and Rear positions KK 808 (two units) KK 12012 single unit Oppo 105 QED Revelation speaker cables for the fronts and Centre; QED Micros for surrounds Rotel RMB 1572 to drive the Top Rears This was about a simple exercise to try out Atmos in a domestic setting, and also to listen to the KK subwo...

--> Astell & Kern AK240 HD-audio player Review The iPod is the ubiquitous portable player of any budget, and has the lower end market pretty much sealed up. But what if you are a discerning audiophile that wants to have go at something that plays your lossless music with the same resolution and definition you are accustomed to at home? For those in this position, there are many options that will cost many times the price of that iPod, and will need better cans or IEMs than those commonly associated with the iPod, but here we have one of the more premium ones in the form of the Astell & Kern AK240 HD-audio player. First the technical blurb: http://www.astellnkern.com/eng/htm/ak240/ak240_feature01.asp It offers DSD playback, a micro SD slot, 256 Gb of hard disk space, and a balanced output as well as the usual 3.5mm headphone out. The DAC uses a Cirrus Logic CS4398 chip. It retails for around 2000 Euros or under $3300… For that you ar...