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New member Username: Joewillie0621Post Number: 1 Registered: Feb-06 | I am thinking of a purchase for some speakers to use in our home theater. I am looking at the Paradigm Monitor 7's and JBL Northridge series E100's. Any one have any thoughts as to quality, sound etc??? Your comments would be appreciated. |
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Anonymous | Have you listened to them? They are very, very very different.... |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 500 Registered: Feb-05 | the paradigms are much more accurate |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1175 Registered: Dec-04 | And thus demand a much more accurate source and power supply. Otherwise, they sound ...like... JBL. |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 501 Registered: Feb-05 | lol... I agree with that statement |
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Bronze Member Username: LoceLilburn, GA Post Number: 32 Registered: Jul-05 | Wonder how one defines accurate. |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 534 Registered: Feb-05 | um... by passing a signal as true to the original source as possible... thats how |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1218 Registered: Dec-04 | Or by passing a signal through a marshall tube guitar amp @10% distortion, just like Eddie does. Anything that is true to the original. Oh!Pretty woman comes to mind. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1219 Registered: Dec-04 | Lots of members compare musical reproduction to a live listening experience, just as it should be. However, in my case, I do not hold operatic, or classical music as a well listened to type of music. Now, a Cat Stewvens or James Taylor or Neil Young, I do. Most of these are amplified to start with, so my listening is easily tainted by the amps/mics/soaks used for the recording. Accuracy is measured, spoonful by ever-loving-spoonful, by the listener. How accurately do you want to hear 'Augast and everything' after by the counting crows? Or Joe Walsh's voice?(I love Joe Walsh). |
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Unregistered guest | Once the room acoustics take hold, the signal accuracy will bounce around more than the guitar stretch in Funk49. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1225 Registered: Dec-04 | Ain't no room gonna fix Joe Walsh. The worse the room, the better Joe likes it. "Just yell, thats what I do." Joe |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 536 Registered: Feb-05 | sorry... I should have specified... original source meaning what is encoded on the CD, SACD, DVD, DVD-Audio, LP, etc. etc. etc. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1228 Registered: Dec-04 | Jim, if you are concerned with being true to the source, shouldn't the source be your first consideration? A dedicated cdp will outperform most universal players, but are expensive(in my opinion). |
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Unregistered guest | Firstly, I am not the audiophile caliber of a couple handfuls of experts on this board - don't have the time and do not allocate the money; it would be foolish to butt heads with some of them based on their expertise / experience. With that qualifier, we all strive, I think, for the cleanest, accurate source/signal, amplification/processor in tandem with our speakers; I even know that much. But, I poke fun at myself knowing that once said signal to my speakers are subjected to my room acoustics - speakers 13 inches from the rear wall (with a second rear firing tweeter), 3 feet from a corner, an 8 foot bank of glass windows with wooden slat blinds, a 7 foot masonry wall fireplace plus furniture upholstery, tables, floor treatments, well, how much has that clean accurate signal been altered - frequency response-wise - by Room Acoustics? What happened to that accurate signal that we perserved for? Married With Childeren and Room Acoustics. I'll take the liberty of citing Byron, "Wonder how one defines accurate." We've all seen the equipment Bench Tests plus the post mortem analysis on the Editorial Reviews. Yes, that equipment is/is not accurate at least until my room got a hold of it and "bounced it around more than the guitar stretch in Funk49". Secondly, dedicated CDP's are a bugaboo with me and here is why: please, take 40 minutes and read the following. Trust me, some of these guys are heavyweights, true gurus (like the ones on this board). I have lurked with them for years; they know of what they speak: Expensive vs. cheap CD players are discussed here, starting with post #6: http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=7673 and: http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=1778 and: http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=5793 Currently on an interesting note: http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=16054 In no way do I question or impugn those that hear a difference and enrich their audio experience with a Dedicated CD Player; just disagree based on the convincing views that I have read to the contrary. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1273 Registered: Dec-04 | JAW, you and me be seeing things about the same. If it's good enough for Joe, it works for me. Wondering about the DAC's in the Outlaw, 194 capable, will the rca out's from my pioneer feed the Outlaw(my guess is yes) as a transport? |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1274 Registered: Dec-04 | and if you register, JAW, you get a free beer. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1275 Registered: Dec-04 | and if you register, JAW, you get a free beer.From Canada, eh? |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1276 Registered: Dec-04 | The dedicated cdp is a tough question. I heard the Nad542 and the Rotel 1042 back to back, solid a.b with rotel amp and paradigm speakers. The Rotel was a 1075 amp(?) and studio 60's. Very hard to tell a difference. Both players presented very well, and were undstinguisable from one another. They each presented well. Is there a cheap one that can do the same? Art, was it the 4300 that you have/had? |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 908 Registered: May-05 | IMO, the question of how much of a difference a CDP makes depends on the surrounding equipment and how it's hooked up. If you're using a digital out from the CDP, then the DAC in the pre-amp/receiver is doing the majority of the work. In this case, I don't think their's much of a difference. I could be wrong, but I think their's really only a handful of different transports out their, and most gear in the same price range probably use the same or very similar transports. The real difference is when using analog outs of the CDP. I don't think any CDP manufacturers make their own DACs. For equally priced CDPs, it's not impossible or unheard of if they had the same transport and DAC. The difference between two players with the same transport and DAC could be inaudible. From my experience, the differences in CDPs become much more appearent when using higher end amplification and speakers. A few weeks ago I audtioned a Naim Nait 5i and a few CDPs. Speakers were Linn Katans; CDPs were the Naim CD5i ($1700), Naim CD5x ($2500) and Rega Planet ($1000). The differences between the CDPs was night and day. I think anyone - even people who know nothing about our 'hobby' - would be able to tell the difference in a double blind test. But, I think the biggest reason why the differences were as appearent as they were was the intergated amp. The Naim seperates made these differences even more appearent. Had I been listening through inferior amplification - even NAD or Rotel (no offense, I own NAD) - the differences would probably been subtle. I highly doubt I would hear a difference between these through my NAD 320BEE. To make a long story short, I don't think people should put one component "first" - source first, amp first, speakers first. The system should be a balance where their isn't one overwhelming "weakest link." If you have a bad source, the rest of the system is only going to play to it's level; bad speakers won't reproduce the music from a great source and amp the way they're supposed to. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1281 Registered: Dec-04 | Thanks, Stu. But where to put the cart, in front or behind the donkey in the system? The 'hobby' is like a vermin, crawling through my ears, like the worm thing going into Chekov's ear in Star Trek 2. Without a complete changeout, how will we ever find the audio nirvana which we all seek? I believe the source shold come first, followed by cubic money. Or the Outlaw setup I have in mind. Now Art is/was pretty big on his Marantz 4300(i think) as a carousel player, but very good transport and mains.He used the Marantz dac's i think. Would you consider the Outlaw990 pre a high end piece? Not wanting to jack the thread, I will start a new one, but I wanted to catch your ear, Stu, and a few others about this proposal. |
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Bronze Member Username: DobyblueSt. Catharines, Ontario Canada Post Number: 36 Registered: Oct-05 | I have a Pioneer DV-45a hooked up to a Pioneer VSX-1014TX. I currently use the analogue cables for DVD-Audio and SACD and the Digital Coaxial for my DVD movies and CDs. CDs will not play through the 5.1 outs, but i think there's also a separate 2 channel out as well. Do you think I'll get an even better sound from my CDs if I'm using a nice pair of analogue cables than from my Ixos digital coaxial cable? In other words, does the low end Elite player have better DACs than the top of the regular line receiver? Any ideas? |
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Silver Member Username: GmanMt. Pleasant, SC Post Number: 824 Registered: Dec-03 | Keep the digital cables, as long as they are in good condition. They send an exact copy of the digital stream. I am sure the DAC's in both are fine. You can try using one over the other and experience if a difference exists. Even if the DAC's in the Elite are better, I would doubt it is an audible difference. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1288 Registered: Dec-04 | Gregory. I currently use a Pioneer 578A uni player, using the analog out's. Might the DAC's of the H/K I run be better? Do I bypass the upsampling(54) from the player by doing so? The 54 is for SACD of which I own 2. Cheers |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 909 Registered: May-05 | "Without a complete changeout, how will we ever find the audio nirvana which we all seek?" I don't know. I think most of us probably only really listen to the weakest link in the system. To put it another way - If my amp doesn't pass all of the resolution, timing, etc of the source, everything at my sources level and above will all sound the same. If my speakers can't reproduce accurately what my source and amp have (assuming they are equal), then any component equal to or better than what I currently have is going to sound the same. Lets say my amp is the limiting factor. If I put a $10,000 cdp and a pair of $10,000 speakers into the mix, it's still going to sound the same. The speakers aren't going to fix the signal sent by the amp. How do you determine how far a component can go? My guess would be when you audition it (after you've heard it with your or similar gear) listen to it with 'better' surrounding components. Keep going up until it sounds the same for a step or two. For example - The Naim CD5i sounded great with the Naim Nait 5i integrated. The CD5x sounded somewhat better on the Nait. The Naim seperates didn't sound that much better with the CD5i than the Nait. The seperates blew the Nait out of the water when they had the CD5x. To me, the seperates woulnd't be worth the extra money if I was using the CD5i, and the CD5x wouldn't be worth the extra money if I was using the Nait. I have no realistic knowledge of AV gear, having never owned any. I've heard nothing but good things about the Outlaw gear and would definately look into it if I were putting together and AV system. With the movies and TV I watch, an expensive H/T setup would be pointless. Their aren't too many sound effects in Seinfeld, Yankee games, and Ohio State football games. My 2 channel set up does good enough for me when connected to the TV. |