Home stereo question

Buy a Sun fire home theater 11.5 system. 30 grand. jk

Bose is and always has been a great marketing company. They are not a hi fi company. Their equipment is and always has been crap with regard to accurate sound reproduction. The original Bose 901s had 9 drivers per cabinet. Those drivers cost 73 cents each. They were not designed or manufactured by Bose.

I was in the hi fi business from 1971 until 1983. Really makes me sad what has become of the industry.

To the OP, I would suggest that you connect your sources to your receiver first then out to the TV instead of having the TV supply the receiver with a signal.

saea501 wrote in post #18408638
I was in the hi fi business from 1971 until 1983. Really makes me sad what has become of the industry.

It really makes me sad what has become of the listening public! Compact convenience rather than higher fidelity; 3" Bluetooth speakers in 0.2 cubic foot enclosures playing MP3 instead of CD quality,

Wilt wrote in post #18408663
It really makes me sad what has become of the listening public! Compact convenience rather than higher fidelity; 3" Bluetooth speakers in 0.2 cubic foot enclosures playing MP3 instead of CD quality,

Oh lord, Wilt.......don't even get me started. You're right, mp3 and ear buds....that's a 'stereo system'. Its the way of the world any more. Look how many people think of their phone as a camera. Head long into mediocrity.

Nothing beats a big music system.

Trackerxx wrote in post #18408449
Not a bad idea. I can move the older Pioneer to another room with an older TV. Or just simply use it as a stereo like the old days. Any suggestions on a new receiver that will do the job?

I honestly haven't bought a receiver in 5 years.

It depends on what audio codecs and video modes you want/need supported....receivers don't change much other than supporting all of these ridiculous modes the market keeps trying to throw at us. If your TV has an HDMI ARC port, then you can get away with needing the newest receivers that play with the newer video modes by sending only the audio to the receiver. If you want the latest audio codecs (dolby atmos), then you'll want something no more than a few years old. If you're ok with nothing more than 7.1 system, then you can honestly use anything from the past 10 years.

Wilt wrote in post #18408523
Just find yourself a THX compliant set of speakers for the movies, and you can later decide whether or not the continue using the Heresy for music appreciation.

Honestly for the past couple of years I've found myself being OK without using a bunch of surround speakers for movies. A solid 2 channel system can create the same spacial effects as full-on 5.1 or 7.1 sound....stereo sound is a lot like stereoscopic 3D video, and your brain can be tricked into thinking sounds are coming from behind/above/beside you with a well mastered soundtrack coming from two high quality speakers. I actually have a full-on home theater in my house (paradigm studio set-up with a massive dual 15inch sub), but we never use it because the room is so isolated that its hard to watch anything casually in there. We watch most of our movies in the living-room which has a simple 3.1 set-up with these tiny paradigm millenia one speakers and a smallish sealed 12 inch sub, and I've come to appreciate how good such a simple set-up can sound. These tiny paradigms have a very good soundstage and the only downside is that the sub doesn't get deep/loud enough.

The industry is trying to shove atmos down our throats to sell us more speakers....that's more of a need for large movie theaters that are creating audio effects for hundreds of people...overkill for home use IMO. I do think a solid center channel is a must though...you really need to center the dialogue to the center of the screen.

saea501 wrote in post #18409037
Oh lord, Wilt.......don't even get me started. You're right, mp3 and ear buds....that's a 'stereo system'. Its the way of the world any more. Look how many people think of their phone as a camera. Head long into mediocrity.

Nothing beats a big music system.

What I don't get is that anyone could go to a live concert, with the 15" and larger woofers and the 1000W amps, and then go home and listen to their smartphone playing thru Bluetooth battery powered speakers with 3" drivers backed by 1W amps, and be SATISFIED in any way after hearing the concert in person!

mystik610 wrote in post #18409068
Honestly for the past couple of years I've found myself being OK without using a bunch of surround speakers for movies. A solid 2 channel system can create the same spacial effects as full-on 5.1 or 7.1 sound....stereo sound is a lot like stereoscopic 3D video, and your brain can be tricked into thinking sounds are coming from behind/above/beside you with a well mastered soundtrack coming from two high quality speakers. I actually have a full-on home theater in my house (paradigm studio set-up with a massive dual 15inch sub), but we never use it because the room is so isolated that its hard to watch anything casually in there. We watch most of our movies in the living-room which has a simple 3.1 set-up with these tiny paradigm millenia one speakers and a smallish sealed 12 inch sub, and I've come to appreciate how good such a simple set-up can sound. These tiny paradigms have a very good soundstage and the only downside is that the sub doesn't get deep/loud enough.

The industry is trying to shove atmos down our throats to sell us more speakers....that's more of a need for large movie theaters that are creating audio effects for hundreds of people...overkill for home use IMO. I do think a solid center channel is a must though...you really need to center the dialogue to the center of the screen.

I will be the first to admit that, when seeing the various Doby versions over the years, a pretty poor job has been done to create demand among listeners...they keep launching new versions which you usually only hear a passing reference to, when buying a receiver with latest decoder...but what is the signficance of having it or not?! I frankly had not heard about Atmos until this thread, just I just did web search to learn:

Dolby Atmos Redefines Your Entertainment Experience

Moves sound all around you
Rather than being constrained to channels, sounds can be precisely placed and moved in three-dimensional space.

Adds an overhead dimension
A new sensation of height immerses you in the action, creating a full audio atmosphere and realistically depicting objects moving overhead.

...and then the usual marketing BS "breathtaking sound quality...powerfully moving entertainment experience" subjective (no tangible quantifiersqualifiers given). Hey, don't you 'have to have' the experience of the Starship Enterprise cruising from behind you at 7 o'clock and passing overhead to exit at 2 o'clock? What about UNDER you?!

mystik610 wrote in post #18409068
Honestly for the past couple of years I've found myself being OK without using a bunch of surround speakers for movies. A solid 2 channel system can create the same spacial effects as full-on 5.1 or 7.1 sound....stereo sound is a lot like stereoscopic 3D video, and your brain can be tricked into thinking sounds are coming from behind/above/beside you with a well mastered soundtrack coming from two high quality speakers. I actually have a full-on home theater in my house (paradigm studio set-up with a massive dual 15inch sub), but we never use it because the room is so isolated that its hard to watch anything casually in there. We watch most of our movies in the living-room which has a simple 3.1 set-up with these tiny paradigm millenia one speakers and a smallish sealed 12 inch sub, and I've come to appreciate how good such a simple set-up can sound. These tiny paradigms have a very good soundstage and the only downside is that the sub doesn't get deep/loud enough.

The industry is trying to shove atmos down our throats to sell us more speakers....that's more of a need for large movie theaters that are creating audio effects for hundreds of people...overkill for home use IMO. I do think a solid center channel is a must though...you really need to center the dialogue to the center of the screen.

I find this to be true especially when comparing stereo headphones + processing to "surround" headphones with a gaggle of drivers.

In the home theater space, I've been less convinced about the move beyond the 5.x configuration in most situations, but there's still a noticeable improvement (assuming your setup is correct) in going to 5 channels over just two, even without tricksy surround processing.

Wilt wrote in post #18408507
Klipsch Heresy fronts, nice ...I compared those to ESS AMT-1B (heil air motion transformers) a very long time ago and ended up with the ESS, which I kept for about 2 decades before replacing...my wife wanted less physically obvious speakers to better integrate to furnishing changes .

The challenge for you, who appreciates acoutically accurate sound, will be to find sonically-similar (to the Heresy) Center and surround speakers, so as the maximize the transparency of sound (midtones and highs) as it moves about with the sound field. You might want to consult Klipsch to see what they recommend for additional speakers to supplement your existing speakers. Adding a subwoofer is a relatively simplistic task.

I found Polk bipole/dipole surround speakers worked well sonically with my ESS front speakers, and I even still use them today.

The reason why, in another post, I mention THX complaint speakers:

Can I mix and match THX speakers?
"Yes. Mixing and matching speaker brands and styles is fine. In fact, the whole concept of THX certification is based on the idea of being able to mix and match components from different manufacturers. The THX certification process standardizes all electrical and output parameters, so that all THX Certified speakers and receivers work together.
You can potentially have box speakers for the Front and in-wall or in-ceiling speakers for the Surrounds. However, THX recommends that you keep groups of speakers similar. This means, the Front speakers should be from the same manufacturer and designed to work together. Surround Left and Right speakers should also be identical to each other, as should the Surround Back speakers."

My Polk (rear surround) speakers were THX compliant, as were the KEF (front) speakers which I purchased (when selling my ESS) and the integration of sound has been seamless.

I've never concerned myself greatly with THX certification, moreso with buying speakers of good construction and specs with matching drivers. Plenty of excellent brands do not bother with THX certification as well, but it does require more research.

No disagreement that there are pleny of non-THX products that sound great.

The added benefit of THX is the ability to choose other brands with THX certification, and know that they will be sonically compatible with what you already own.

Wilt wrote in post #18409461
No disagreement that there are pleny of non-THX products that sound great.

The added benefit of THX is the ability to choose other brands with THX certification, and know that they will be sonically compatible with what you already own.

To an extent, yes, but even THX concedes that mixing and matching of speaker brands should be limited.

I wouldn't mix and match brands (or in fact lines from the same brand, as they usually differ too much) at all.

Colorblinded wrote in post #18409552
To an extent, yes, but even THX concedes that mixing and matching of speaker brands should be limited.

I wouldn't mix and match brands (or in fact lines from the same brand, as they usually differ too much) at all.

You position seems contrary to what THX has on its web site, which is where I quoted the statement in post 25 .

Wilt wrote in post #18409380
You can potentially have box speakers for the Front and in-wall or in-ceiling speakers for the Surrounds. However, THX recommends that you keep groups of speakers similar. This means, the Front speakers should be from the same manufacturer and designed to work together. Surround Left and Right speakers should also be identical to each other, as should the Surround Back speakers."

Wilt wrote in post #18409591
You position seems contrary to what THX has on its web site, which is where I quoted the statement in post 25 .

It may be 2AM brain, but the quoted section seems to agree with what I said.