mars73

Oh I think I know who you're talking about =) I was confused cos I also have the same speakers but the floorstander versions =D

I got the Oppo from Audio Iconic (2nd hand), or where you referring to my Focals =P

Hi I would second the Oppo 83SE if you are not into 3D. I'm using it myself. I must say that the CD playback is pretty good for a bluray player. I'm however using it for bluray and SACD playback as I have a separate dedicated CD player (which is better for CD playback but not by a huge amount). As for having a separate DAC, I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference at this level. Cos alot depends on how good your speakers are. Otherwise, even if the quality of input is good you might not be able to hear it. If your budget is $2-3k, my suggestion is to get a used Oppo 83SE.

I've gotten a pair of focal electra 1027be, used =)

It's about S$2.1k. Can also consider a single bookshelf (active) for $1.5k. Only difference is that only 1 tweeter and woofer in the bookshelf. The 'original' matching centre for my fronts (passive) costs close to $3k I think. Pretty ex, but very intriguing... maybe if I get an extra bonus sometime soon... haha

I think I may have found the perfect centre speaker for me.... http://www.focalprofessional.com/en/sm6-line/twin6-be.php Drivers are exactly the same size as my floorstanders, plus built-in amps matched to the drivers. However, supposed to be for near field listening use. Very interesting. Still trying to read up on the feasibility of this though.

This is embarassing cos I can't remember the movie's name for the life of me... It's a Bruce Willis movie, could be the latest Die Hard, scene was where Willis was driving a truck and being chased down by a fighter jet ordered to blast him into bits. The jet pretty ended up blasting up half the city trying to get him =) Funny you should say this. When Jack (KEC) and I were testing the SB12, the room was shaking so much, one of the covers of the ProCinema satellites dropped off the speaker in front of us. We just turned to each other and grinned. Priceless moment I have the series too. But I think my current HTIB can't bring out the oomph in that scene. So for the YPAO, you just let it auto setup and no tweaks thereafter?

I also went to KEC for a quick test of the SVS spl800i, SB12-NSD, and velo 10q. The 800i had barely any effect. The velo (ported) was loud, but in an eardrum pressing sort of way. Quite uncomfortable imo, and i feel it detracts from the sonic experience as it interferes with my enjoyment of the other sounds. The SB12-NSD was WOW. Tight and deep. Don't quite 'hear' it, but more of 'feeling' it in the chest and pants sort of way. Superb. After this test, I am convinced of the merits of a sealed design vs ported. Saw the cylinder SVS but didnt bother trying, no point, will never get past the wife with that. So it looks like the SB12 for me. Now I just have to tell my ID to customise a space at my tv console to accommodate the sub. Also tried out the new Onkyo 709 vs Yamaha 667. Surprisingly, I found the Yamaha comparable to the Onkyo. Onkyo was slightly more visceral in terms of impact, but I feel Yamaha was smoother, esp with dialogue. Onkyo runs HOT, can feel the heat after a few min of playing. One thing that bugs me is the Yamaha YPAO vs the Audyssey Multeq XT in Onkyo. The former looks rather 'basic', can only adjust speakers to large or small. Only other way to fine tune it further is through this frequency curve thingy which I have no confidence in getting right. The latter (Audyssey) can set specific crossover frequencies for each speaker. General feedback online seems to favour Audyssey vs YPAO.

The Rotel has built in high/ low pass filter? Thats nice, didn't know that. Does it have balanced XLR inputs?

I was told by KEC that stocks just came in but no confirmed pricing yet. You may want to call to check

Thanks. By the way, congrats on the Rotels? So no more bi-amping your fronts?

Interesting, this antimode. Not sure if it works with Audyssey though.

Oh yeah, just to add, the XPA runs pretty cool even on extended playing. Compared to my Audiolab 8200 CDQ which gets abit hot, as I believe it's a Class A. Managed to spend some time listening to my old CDs. Nice.

Yeah, saw the antimode on sale, though not sure what it does lol I got the XPA-3. Not bad. Quite fast and tight in terms of bass and transients. Had a nice time at the seller's place, listened to some cables he was auditioning. Some of the forumers had a cable shootout yesterday but alas last minute family commitments kept me away. My new speakers came in over the weekend too. Gonna get me some shoes for the speakers, as the original spikes look kinda dangerous with a young kid around. It's now sitting on its 'bare feet'. Heard that the spikies will improve the sound.

Mine are too And I've got news that will might add to your bills - the 709 is already here

Personally, I find 3D a gimmick. Unless they can do it without glasses. Even then, 3D gives me a headache after too long. So I'm not too interested. For me its the other stuff in the latest AVRs that I'm interested in - decoding DTS-HD Master, Dolby TrueHD, Pre-Outs (to add on power amps later), good room EQ system (e.g. Audyssey Multieq or above), networking (playing your AV files from PC/Laptop in your home network), enough HDMI ports. For Emotiva, they seem to be famous for their power amps so that's what I'm planning to get (branded power amps are *** expensive!). Also I read somewhere that power amps either develop a fault real fast (within days) or would be relatively problem free thereafter. So getting one used seems rather safe. For more complex electronics, despite their 5 year warranty, I can imagine having to troubleshoot or worse, repair, can be a real pain with no local agent to help. Different if I stay in the US, Emotiva everything lol.

So that's almost S$1050 in total. Also have to factor in cost of a multi-channel power amp. Inevitably going to cost more than a standalone AVR (>S$2k). Top of the line Deonon 4311 is about S$2300. For below $1k, can get Yamaha 667 or Denon 1911 or Marantz 6005. New Onkyo 609 is about $900. UMC doesn't handle 3D but all the rest does, if that sort of thing is important to you. Tough eh

Oops... sorry... You mentioned there was an XPA-5 that someone might be selling too? The 667 is very good actually at the price point. I was leaning that way myself, but now many places have run out (e.g. KEC). Was also putting more priority on getting my music set up running for now so KIVed that for too long. I figured since I have a Sony HTiB I can live with it until I move house later in the year. Just read somewhere about Audyssey's new LFC thingy, supposed to give strong bass without disturbing neighbours (or wife upstairs) too much. Interesting. Just got some belden cables from LHS yesterday. Will be collecting my new speakers on Saturday morning. So once I get a power amp it will be happy days!

Nice. I shortlisted the SB-12NSD and the SPL800i personally as well, but more due to space constraints and also I'm not an addict for apartment shaking bass. Good to see affirmation in your testing Btw, did some posts get deleted? I can't seem to see some of the posts I put down 2 days ago... Strange. I'm auditioning the XPA 3, might be the same one you were referring to? Was actually supposed to audition last week but had to change appointment last minute (it's the last piece of my stereo jigsaw). For the AVR, are you thinking of upgrading. I just saw the specs for the new Onkyo 709. Looks pretty impressive. Extensive connectivity (pre-outs, multi-channel analog ins, networking) Looks like they are really upping the ante on this new line.

Thanks for clarifying! I suspected something along these lines =) Bro, you read my mind!! This is precisely what I'm thinking of doing. Except Arcam amps seem really expensive (at least those with the power amp direct in, or HT bypass option or something similar). For the current line up, I think only A38 has that, and I was quoted $3k!!! Yikes. Other amps wtih this function I'm looking at include those from Marantz and Cambridge Audio. So I'm thinking of getting AVR first (with pre-outs). Then add on a good stereo integrated later when I have funds. Funny thing is for both movies and cds, I'm using the same source - Oppo 83SE =) So if I go down this route, I would not be getting a separate power amp. However, the power rating for the integrated stereo amp is likely to be significantly lower than a separate power amp (in fact, it is likely to be the same wattage per channel with the AVR, on paper at least). Hopefully this would not make a significant different to movie sound quality.

Hi, I think I know where you saw this, but I shouldn't mention it here I guess. I had a quick demo of it too. Was also told that an in-wall subwoofer will be coming soon. To my ears, I didn't like the sound, esp for music. But my benchmark is the Monitor Audio RX8 and possibly GX series so I guess sound quality wise, there is no way the live-wall can ever rival those. Music is important to me. I suppose for HT its not too bad. Cool factor is definitely there. My concern is what if you wanna change speakers later if for any reason you are dissatisfied with the sound or want to upgrade, tear out the wall??

RB Nice post re: power vs loudness. Basically it means that if my current amp in my AVR / integrated amp outputs 100W and I get a loudness of 100dB, switching my output to a power amp with 200W of output only increases loudness by another 3dB. Certainly makes one wonder about the fuss over super large power amps giving out 4-500W of power and what speakers really need such levels of power to drive. Comes at a good time. I'm debating the merits of getting an emotiva power amp (to connect to my AVR), as opposed to getting a stereo amp with only about 70W per channel. Based on this, the stereo amp route towards better music sound quality kind of makes sense - may marginally softer in loudness, but quality components dedicated to improving the quality (as opposed to the amplitude) of the sound signal seems like money better spent. Or is there more than meets the eye here?

Ah, brings back fond memories of my school days many eons ago...

Ok I got my first piece of my new set up yesterday - Oppo 83SE (2nd hand). Now I got to figure out the rest of the system. Might be auditioning some 2nd hand power amps soon (cos I figured I need to lighten the load of the AVR, whichever one I'm getting). Its fun putting the pieces together slowly

Did you consider emotiva power amps? Online reviews seems very positive generally. I'm thinking of picking up a 2nd hand power amp if I get the 667 as well.