Revenge of the Home Stereo thread!

[Jammrock]

The insanity will never end!!!!



My stereo store has a used B&W Nautilus HTM-2 center channel on sale for $525. Which is basically half off... Should I buy it? Will the center make a huge difference in sound? Enquiring minds want to know?

Jammrock

EDIT: Oops, it's an HTM-2...if it was an HTM-1 for $525 it would be mine

[xortam]

The center channel is the most important channel in a HT setup. I don't know that particular speaker since I haven't shopped for speakers in 14 years (extremely happy with my KEFs, thank you very much).

[ALBPM]

YES!!!!!!! It is much better than the CDM CNT. I have heard the difference.

The HTM2 does not have the "Boxy" sound that the CDM CNT has.
It is timbre matched with the CDM 9NT's and will be a more future proof addition then the CDM CNT.

I was not happy with my CDM CNT and upgraded to the HTM1 while I still had my CDM 9NT's.


Paul

[ALBPM]

This week I am upgrading the interconnects from my receiver to the Amp.

I was using the AudioQuest "Sidewinder" (single wire) and am upgrading to the "Coral" (3 wire) interconnects.

Paul

[Jammrock]

ooooh....switching to balanced cables are we? You'll have to tell me if the sound improves. My RB-1080 has balanced inputs and the Rotel RCD-1070 cd player I'm going to buy has them too.

Right now I use AQ Diamondbacks between the Denon and the Rotel, and the CD and the Denon. Copperheads from the cable box. AQ S-1 for all S-video runs, and the AQ digital coax for DVD playback. An assortment of other cables for the crap I don't care about, or can't get good stuff for, like the PS2 (although I do have the Monster S-video cable).

Edit: Wait a second...your Denon doesn't have balanced inputs\outputs...did you get a new preamp, too?

Jammrock

[ALBPM]

No, these aren't the real Balanced inputs with the different connectors. AudioQuest refers to the 2 and 3 wire interconnects as being balanced????

• Design Basics: Coral is Triple-Balanced. This means there are three identical insulated conductors, in addition to a separate conductor underneath the 100% coverage foil shield.

Paul

[Jammrock]

I gotcha. I was confused, because balanced interconnects have 3-pins. You said 1-wire to 3-wire so I thought you meant switching from unbalanced to balanced. You meant 3-wire conductors in the interconnect My bad. The Corals are also available in balanced form. Go to this link to see the back on my RB-1080 and you can see the difference between balanced and unbalanced inputs (unbalanced being standard RCA connections).

There is currently a war going on in the audiophile community as to whether balanced inputs give you better sound quality over standard RCA connections. StereoPhile has a good article about the differences between the two, but I can't find the link.

Here are some I pulled off Google:

http://www.yamaha.com/ycaservice/techdocs/Sound/balanced/balance1.htm

http://www.earthcurrents.com/london-live/balanced.htm

Jammrock

[Greebe]

Oh lordee are we getting in knee deep or what... better breakout my hipwaders!

The reason for balanced (3wire) inputs is to prevent long line impedence variations from affecting the signal (and corresponding inputs) adversely. Now todo this they must employ a signal transformer which itself will degrade the signal by adding phase shift, inductive reactence (etc) to the signal. The main use of such is where we have long lines people, not where the individual system componets sit next to each other!... ie like in pro audio setups like theaters, auditoriums, concert halls etc.

[ALBPM]

Well, I called my dealer "Hudson's Audio" to let them know I needed another Coral interconnect for my center channel. I went over after work and they threw me a curve ball.....LOL

Jeff, who I've been buying my speakers from for the last few years handed me a pair of the AudioQuest Coral cables and then went back and brought out 2 pairs of the "Purist Elementa" interconnects. He refused to let me pay for anything and said if I liked the Coral I'd love the Purist.

So, of course I spent a few hours switching back and forth. I even had my wife do a blind test. And the Purist Elementa are better than the AudioQuest Coral. No coloration and more detail, lots more detail and more bottom end.

KvH, you got to get some of this cable. It is truly amazing stuff and it's made in Texas ...LOL

Purist Audio Designs

Paul

[Jammrock]

Good googley moogley. All I wanted was a stinking CD player, but noooo... the store is closed because they are all at CES. Punks

What do the Purist cable run?

Jammrock

[ALBPM]

The interconnects are $210 for a 1 meter pair of Purist Elementa vs $135 a pair for the AudioQuest Coral.

Unfortunately they don't have any used ones like they did for the bi-wired speaker cables that I bought.

So, I may get three for my fronts and center channel. Even my wife approves this purchase....LOL

I'll keep the Corals for the rear speakers for now.

Paul

[Dogbert]

Damn you people,

You're spending hundreds of hard earned dollars on CABLES ?!?!?!
Won't it be simpler buying fully digital system with killer DACs and digitally wire everything ?

[Jammrock]

Dogbert,

Eventually, the signal needs to be converted from digital to analog, as speakers, amplifiers and the human ear don't know 0's and 1's. The other problem is that not every device has a digital connector, or needs them.

CD players don't need digital, as a good CD player will decode the sound better than any reciever/preamp can. At that point you need good cables to transfer the signal with as little color and interference as possible. Now if you have a cheap-o Best Buy special CD player and reciever, then there is no need to spend big $$$ on cables.

The other place that needs really killer cables is between the preamp and amp, if you are not using an all-in-one A/V reciever. It is imperative that the signal be as clean as possible when it gets to the amp, AND when it leaves the amp, good speaker cable is needed so external noise doesn't interfere with the signal.

And that $210 for the Purist cables is NOTHING!!! The Elementa are Purists low-end interconnect cables. The AQ Corals are one of the higher end's for AQ, but not the highest by any mean. Speaker cable can run $200-400 per FOOT (about 0.3 m). But the only people that buy that kind of stuff are people with money to burn or insane audiophiles...who still have money to burn.

In the end...you'll never know why people do this stuff until you hear a true audiophile system

Jammrock

[isochar]

Perhaps all this expensive speaker-wire isn't worth it? (Maybe on $100k equipment it MAY make a difference)

http://2eyespy.tripod.com/myaudioandhometheaterhomepage/id3.html

[Dogbert]

I wouldn't argue if you were using B&W Nautilus or Quad ESL 989 grade speakers with Theta / Levinson etc.

But for sub 10k systems, c'mon people, get a life !

My Yamaha HTR-5170 (same as 795a) with Wharfedale Modus OneSix sounds almost as good as a Theta(preamp) with Nakamichi class A amp and 2 coffin sized Polk Audios for a few percents of the price !!!

FYI, I'm biwiring (and yes, biwiring does make a difference for almost no added cost) with standart 2.5mm 10ft cables to each loudspeaker and it sounds just great while the Theta/Nakamichi/Polk system is using only top grade cables.

My system costs around 1000$ (here in Israel) while the other system costs over 20,000$.