RimBlock

Haha... Discontinued can give bargain prices and still have warranty. You have to make a decision at some time or you will just keep looking and never buy or enjoy. I would suggest you set yourself a deadline. Remember, we can only suggest and those suggestions may not be the best for you. Make your own decision based on suggestions and reviews but most of all by listening yourself. If you can get for a good price then no reason why not. They have good reviews for entry level setup. Also on the topic of subs which you and Marc are discussing over on Xtremeplace, I would suggest you really listen in a like sized room first as you may find larger subs to be a fit overpowering. Some like having their internal organs vibrating madly and the windows threatening to fall out of the building but some do not. Sometimes big bass cane become a bit oppressive when listening for long periods like 3D movies can make your eyes tired.. RB

Bit confused here. The B&W CM5s are around US$1.5k per pair. The DTP 1000 5.1 set is US$1.6k (approx). The DTP 1000 surely would be better matched to the B&W M1 set. What about the Klipsch set mentioned here. B&W CM5: Reviewers Choice award SoundStage (US based HiFi site) Recommended systems from Audio Etc. Interesting that the DTP 1000 fronts are recommended in the US$2k 5.1 system and the B&Ws are recommended in the US$8.5k and the US$12.5k systems. DTP 1000: A little on the AVS forums here. B&W M1 set: Review FKN has a very outgoing anti British streak he loves to demonstrate here and clearly believe is, as he put it, HiFi voodoo. I would be careful with the advice he presents and do your own research / listening. RB

Again you have failed to answer any questions asked directly to you. Oh and I have found another sure fire way to improve your sound 1000%. Put packets of Coco Crunch under the amplifier (at least 1 box per side) and the combination of air paces and the material the Coco crunch is made of will completely isolate any form of electromagnetic interference from going up the amplifiers legs. It also provides air cushioned stability which will turn your S$100 amplifier in to one sounding like you paid 10 times as much. Top tip: You do not need to add milk. I have no evidence that any of this works, will not post any links and will completely ignore any information stating that what I say is not possible. I will ignore the phacts of physics and instead claim that voodoo is how it works. I will maintain my view that you all must trust me and I know better than you all so you have to believe me and if you do not hear the difference then your ears don't work. (those of a sane disposition I am sure will understand that this is just an example of the sort of posts FKN likes to make. Coco Crunch is unlikely to improve the sonic ability of your amplifier although I cannot be certain as I have not tried ). Check out the "top ten myths thread" for more info and documented links. By all meant go and test but take what anyone tells you, especially if they are telling you that you are medically damaged if you cannot hear the same results as the poster hears, with more than just a pinch of salt....... maybe a bucket load would be more appropriate. Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for any damage resulting in tests with chocolate flavoured breakfast products and HiFi equipment, even if they are really tasty. Enjoy RB

It is for seting up the amp to take in to account your speakers abilities and the room acoustics. It is therefore helpful for setting up. Have you tried any others ?. Shop owners are not only there for your good . You need something to compare against or how do you know you have the best for your pleasure. Some people prefer Onkyo, some prefer Denon, some prefer Yamaha after listening. If Onkyo was the clear winner then why do these other brands still sell after demos. Not trying to make your choice harder but try not to discount any of the main brands until you have at least listened to them. RB

Ok, so no reviews then . First is a product description, second is a notification of a new product and the third is a report of the product winning an award. To be fair they look much higher quality that the standard in wall speakers as they are a flat panel and are meant to be hidden under the wall covering and so are completely invisible so not even a speaker grill is visible UK pricing is around 590 pounds each so they are in a high price range (stereo = 1180 pounds or S$2.4k). Would like to see a review still. Hopefully some will surface sometime going forwards. Thanks for pointing them out ugene. RB

As per the link I posted previously, someone is bi-amping with a couple of Arcam 9s which should be affordable second hand if you can find them . There is an Alpha 9 on UK Ebay for around S$500-S$600 and they will post worldwide. Depends on what else is available that may be better for the price. There are also some FMJ P25s on there. The AV amp should be able to work out the bias settings for all speakers whether some are going through a separate power amp or not with its setup program. As long as there is not a significant difference in power you should be fine. RB

From a physical standpoint it would be hard to see how in wall speakers can rival a floor stander but you can get good in wall speakers which are up to the level of lower bookshelf speakers. Burying speakers in the wall here would require a false wall with all the stability / reflectional issues due to fixing to a structure that will have a fair amount of flex in it and lots of undampened space behind it. Not a bad compromise for the high wife approval factor (WAF) but not likely to rival decent AV speakers. Links to any reviews ugene ? RB

Haha. Why Onkyo and not Denon or Yamaha ? . First digit in the model number is the series (level), last digit is the revision. 608 is series 6 revision 8. So .... 609 is one level lower then the 708 but is one revision newer. First look at the 609 from Audioholics here. It has networking and streaming functions and uses the same upscaling chip as the Oppo 93 and can be controlled by your iPhone (if you are the sort of person who buys an iPhone ). Looks good but I would wait to see what Yamaha and the others come out with first before jumping on it. RB

PM'd you. RB

Ok, as Bluefly is busy or MIA here is some more sense for power amplifiers. So you have a one box solution... pre-amp and power-amp and controller (switching input etc) all in one box. This is your integrated amplifier. Now imagine you want home theatre as well, you need to have all the HDMI / DTS / DD decoding chipsets etc also included. This all costs money and which parts do you think cost the most ?. More cash is likely to go on the AV tech side of things rather than the signal amplification side of things. So you have a cheap(ish) amp with the AV decoders and controllers but everything is all crammed in to one box. There is interference / distortion all being added by the fact that the cheaper components are all crammed together in a single box. If you have a midrange av amp then you may well have pre-outs which will enable you to use the AV amp as just a pre-amp (or partial pre-amp) and attach a power amp to handle the upping of the signal in a cleaner manner as the circuitry is held in another box away from all the other interference. The components are also likely to be of higher quality as the cost of the product is for just the power amplification part. You can also upgrade the power amp part of the setup, mixing and matching with other manufacturers as better products come along without the need to re-buying the AV decoder tech which you already have. Now if you wanted to be really funky, you could get something like the Arcam A85, attach it to the pre-out of the AV amp and set the Arcam to power amp mode. Then if you wanted to listen to CDs you would have the CD player directly attached to the Arcam and switch it to integrated mode and get better quality sound by bypassing the AV amp totally. You can even bi-amp the fronts for that truly funkilicious feeling on a budget. More reading here. There are surely other combinations that would work as well from other manufacturers, you would just need to find them. It is now widely believed (apart from within power amp devotes) that a comparable priced integrated amp should perform as well as a pre-power combination. The pre/power combo will allow you to upgrade a bit at a time though and gives a bigger wow factor for all your male friends. Doesn't have quite the same effect on the ladies though . So for the purpose of home cinema, adding a power amp to your AV receiver (if it has pre-outs) will add a better quality power section resulting in (hopefully) a cleaner signal without the need to pay to replace the AV decoding electronics in a integrated amp. RB

Sorry but not a lot of info out there on these Sunfire dynamic subs it seems. Go give them a listen. Report back as I will be after a sub in a couple of months . Hopefully my centre speaker (Wharfedale WH-2) will be up for sale before the end of this month as I get a replacement. RB

If you have money to burn then I can find it a good home . Seriously, why do you want the Onkyo 708 ?, why do you want the pro 800 or pro cinema 1000 ?, why do you want the SVS SB12 ?. Not saying your choice is wrong but why did you select those ?. How much better are they than the 3k systems demo'd by others here ?. What have you listened to ? I also do a bit of photography (not so much now unfortunately) and was always asked if someone should buy Canon or Nikon or even Pentax / Sony / Minolta etc. My response is the same as with HiFi, some have pluses where others have minuses and vice versa. If the camera has no reported design defects then go try it out. Is the grip good for you, are the buttons placed logically for you, can you get to the functions you want easily for you, are the available lenses in that manufacturers range good for your use at a price you are willing to pay ?. The common point was 'good for you'. Good for me not always good for you, good for you not always good for me. Research, try, compare, buy, enjoy. Simple but you have to do some of the work. We can suggest, you can buy but you may be disappointed with the result and there could be better for you. Without doing some leg work, whatever we suggest is unlikely to be the best for what you want. We can help with the research and possibly a little with the compare based on your feedback and maybe offer other solutions but the rest you need to do for yourself to get the best result including the 'enjoy' at the end . Price wise, I cannot really help as places in Singapore hate advertising prices on the Internet so people can compare. Phone around and get quotes for a number of places and compare. RB

If 3 is not done then he is breaking HDB rules of having to hack away all the old screed before starting afresh. So combo him. 1/2" drop and 1" curb. Gives 1 1/2" protection with minimal curb . Left, right, left, left , square, triangle, triangle. Fatality (you have to be of a certain mind to understand the last bit). RB

Hiya, Didn't realise you had started your own. Unfortunately I cannot view the pictures from work which sort of ruins the experience . I can always check from home though. Congrats on the EM. Plenty of room for future children . Yeah, having met you I think that is most likely the case . I am the same but TBH when it comes to money and what I want I have to give myself a kick to make sure I get what I want rather than what someone wants to give me as it is easier / more profitable for them. It is not an easy thing to do if you are not naturally disposed to being cut-throat and hard lined but sometimes it is needed IMO. Bit late but as for the shower drop, I have sort of got lost with all the back and forth. As I understand it (comments in brackets). 1. Contractor submit approval request to HDB 2. HDB reject as unclear 3. Contractor state not unclear (HDB or Contractor not being honest or more likely not clear to HDB officer but clear to Contractor so contractor not understand what HDB officer needs. Seems not so experienced on one side or the other). 4. Contractor state shower drop only allowed in newer blocks (I have shower drops in both my current EM and my old 3-room. Both were over 20 years old. The 3 room was inspected before sale with no issues reported by the HDB officer). 5. Contractor suggests not asking HDB so many questions for fear of inspection (what is he afraid of if he insists on following HDB rules). 6. You confirm cannot raise floor by more than 50mm (30mm screed burying 1" pipes for waste, 10mm screed for areas apart from shower lower area, 10mm tile thickness. I also believe that 50mm is a guideline and as long as there is a drop between the next room and the toilet area HDB are pretty ok with it. Lets face it, how are HDB going to determine how deep the screed is without breaking in to it). 7. HDB confirm to Contractor that he can do drop but Contractor state he cannot without laying more than 50mm floor finishing (seems to be a pretty strong indicator of your contractors belief in his workers ability). 8. Contractor suggest water from shower trap may have problems (not if the tilers / plumbers have any ability. We have never seen any issues with this. Water flow is strong enough to wash away without issues). 9. "the shower screen will have "lobang", so the floor tiles would be laid in such a way, the water running for the rest of the bathrooms will have problems" (no idea what he means by this. Why would the shower screen affect other toilets). 10. You have confirmed HDB rules on topup of floor. 11. Contractor claims he has 2 units need to redo floor due to 50mm limit (how did HDB confirm the limit was broached unless it was so badly broached it was obvious like being level or higher floor than the next room). 12. Contractor is demanding HDB approval for a job that HDB guidelines state do not need approval. 13. Contractor stating you should not contact HDB asking questions too often (so he wants you to apply for something that is not needed whilst telling you not to contact HDB too often. Trying to give you a task before he will start and trying to make the task unappealing). 14. HDB state that the contractor seemed quite experienced when the officer spoke to him (May I believe stated that the officer is nice but not so technical which seems to be fairly clear as she is just quoting the official rules to you from their website. Would take her opinion of contractors skill with pinch of salt. If she is hampered by lack of technical knowledge so is only flying with one eye open to start with, how easy for the contractor to talk nice and pull the wool over the other eye ). 15. The HDB officer states from personal experience that using EPF may not be good due to leaking (the waterproof layer is meant to be under the EPF so leaking will be restricted to the toilet area anyway, putting an inflexible material over a flexible material sounds like a silly idea anyway). If this is how it stands then I personally would source for someone else to do the toilet areas as your contractor is clearly not happy with doing it the way you want and many others have had it done. He is clearly not being completely honest with you about it and I would ask HDB to do a site inspection which he clearly doesn't want done just to make sure there are not anything else he is cutting corners on but has not told you. It could well be he is not happy to do the drop as he doesn't want too and is just using HDB inspection to pressure you. Surely if he is doing his job then the HDB inspection should turn up nothing. Maybe ask him what he has done that makes him so worried about the inspection. You could also ask to speak to the HDB technical officer who will have a better idea. Our ID was going to give us a curb but I luckily caught it before the work was started. The way it was done for us (AFAIK - i.e. I did not measure at the time); Cement screed (used to flatten floor after hacking) Waterproofing Cement screed around 30mm for burying in pipes for sink and shower to main waste pipes from floor traps. Cement screed around 10mm with only a light covering in the shower area creating the recess. Tiling. Curbs are more dangerous due to the ability to trip up on them. Maybe not an issue for you but elderly relatives staying or young children in the future. Something to think about ? RB

Well a little update and some more fun over the weekend. The good...... My ID popped round (finally) and we got the network cables run through the lightbox on the stairs. I can now finish the networking upstairs but have a fair amount of trunking to do. I managed to take my sons large 'office' desk down stairs on my own and re-arrange the study area so it is a lot nicer now. It is also easier to wire in the remaining network cables to the patch panel. We have agreed to our ID hanging the mirrors in the upstairs bathrooms however he wants on the agreement that they will be guaranteed not to develop marks for 1 year. If marks develop then they will be replaced FOC. TBH we have been in the place for 2 months and still no bathroom mirrors upstairs. Now for the soap opera part....... Our lovely youngest son decided to press in the locking button on the master bedroom door knob before closing the door to keep the aircon cold in. This would not be so much of a problem if he had not thrown the door keys under the bedroom bed a few days before. For our sins we had been lazy and not crawled under the bed to retrieve them. Of course he did this around 11pm Friday night. Now to be fair, we were not there so it is possible he did not lock the door but the lock was faulty as when we tried some keys it would not open even though the set under the bed we fished out opened another rooms door. Now I was not too worried as after he had locked out old places storeroom (where the key box was stored with all the keys) and we had to call a locksmith I had done some reading and learnt of a small hole in the neck of the handle which when depressed will release the lock. This turned out not to be the case. Whilst there was a hole, you had to turn the handle in order to see the part that may unlock the door. Of course you cannot turn the handle outside as the door is locked. The door frame in these old places are metal so pulling off the door jam was not going to happen. I had limited ability with tools as well due to the time. I cannot go drilling at midnight. So I did the only thing left to me (apart from calling a locksmith and paying large amounts at 11pm), I put a screwdriver behind the rose (the bit that is flatish and touched the door around the neck of the handle) and levered it loose so I could see behind it. After poking around with the insides of the door lock and getting nowhere (my father on the phone who used to be a locksmith), I locked a mole wrench around the neck of the door handle and literally pulled the handle off including the whole cylinder where the key goes in. A little bit of poking and the door unlocked. Now we just need a new door lock for that door but as everything is already setup, I will be able to fit it myself. The door is not damaged so that is good. The keys to all doors are now stored out of little hands range in the kitchen which does not have a lockable door . It may not surprise some if I said this was not the first time I had to rip a door lock apart to get in to a room I am sure.... Around 1.5 years ago my youngest locked himself in my MiLs bedroom and I got a call from my wife who was there saying they couldn't get the door open. I packed some tools and rushed over. Again, I levered off the rose to allow me access to the insides of the lock and was able to click the lock open. My son, only 1 1/2 at the time was in the meantime howling for mummy as he didn't understand how to open the door. When we got in we found out he had been so upset he had been sick. So, a year and a half later, he is now 3 and still up to his old tricks but now he makes sure he is not locked inside.... at least he has learnt . Oh for anyone who has not seen the HiFi thread, I am selling my DVDs to raise some cash and make way for some new movies in the book shelves. 155 movies on original DVD (region 3-Singapore, region 2 - UK or one or two region 1 - US). S$5 each. Six boxsets (Lost, Supernatural, Heros, Ghost in the machine, Band of Brothers) which I am open to offers on. Pm or post interest here for a copy of the list. I will also be putting them out on vr-zone etc. RB

Only boring compared to some . I will take a shot of mine when I dig them out of which ever box they are buried in. More here. The added advantage of the sharp ones are that if you find someone cheating they double up as a weapon . RB

You could enlighten rather then dancing around the subject . You have a set of power amps so why did you get them other than because you could, and why not just go for an integrated amp. The fundamentals are set but everyone interpretation and use is interesting to hear . RB

Hi ve_ve, What else have you listened too at the same price point ?. 4K is a fair bit of cash. Have you listened to any 3k setu-ps to compare what advantages 1k more gives you ? Also, just to check, are you looking at the RX6 AV12 package which comes with sub and rear effect speakers (RXFX) ?. The RCFX would most definitely be a better choice for rears. Any bi-polar speakers will beat like spec direct firing speakers for rear effects as they defuse the sound around the rear and not straight from the speaker to the ear. This means the sounds come out as more ambient and so are no 'stuck' in one position behind you. My Wharfedale 18.DFS speakers were a great improvement on the standard bookshelf speakers for rear channel effects. RB

Not so hard. Double distance = -6dB Double watts = +3dB 10x Watts = +10dB 2 speakers (stereo) = +3dB You start with Your speakers sensitivity (dB) 1 meter 1 Watt Go up to your speakers or amps max capacity and your listening distance. Compare on list above as to roughly how loud you can go with what you have / look to get. . RB

So during my info gathering I have come across some information others may find interesting. This is one of those times. What do frequency response, sensitivity and power handling have to do with volume and clarity. Frequency Response: This is the range of frequencies a speaker can manage without distortion. The lower the number, the more bass, the higher the number the more treble. Human hearing is usually rated between 20Hz - 20kHz. This does not mean a speaker can only reach these ranges but that these ranges can be met without distortion. Sensitivity: This is a measurement in decibels (dB) specifying the volume (or sound pressure level SPL) of the speaker when it is fed 1Watt of power whilst listening from 1 meter away. It is in essence the efficiency of the speaker based on its ability to convert energy (Watts) to sound (dBs). Here are some levels so you can get a feel for how loud different dB levels are. 50 dB refrigerator 50 - 75 dB washing machine 50 - 75 dB air conditioner 50 - 80 dB electric shaver 55 - 70 dB dishwasher 60 - 85 dB vacuum cleaner 60 - 95 dB hair dryer 65 - 80 dB alarm clock 75 - 85 dB flush toilet 80 dB ringing telephone 90 - 115 dB subway 95 - 110 dB motorcycle 110 dB baby crying 110 dB symphony concert 110 dB car horn 110 -120 dB rock concert 112 dB CD player on high 117 dB football game (stadium) 120 dB ambulance siren 130 dB jackhammer, power drill 130 dB percussion section at symphony 140 dB airplane taking off 150 dB firecracker 157 dB balloon pop 162 dB fireworks (at 3 feet) Ok, but we are unlikely to be sitting just 1 meter away from the speakers. How loud can our speakers get if we are sitting in our living room. I will work through an example using my own speakers and distance to give an idea. My speakers Sensitivity: 89dB RMS: 100Watts (recommended power requirement). I sit 4 meters away from my speakers. First strange thing about sound volume is that doubling the speakers (i.e. using 2 speakers rather than 1) does not double the possible volume. What is does is add about 3dB as both speakers are using the same force to push the same air to create the sound. Think of it this way. If you are pushing a box with one hand and then you add your other hand but do not increase the pressure you use, you are then pushing the box with the same pressure but over a larger area. So. 89dB + 3dB for 2 speakers 92dB volume using 1 watt at 1 meter. Next rule... Distance doubled = -6dB 1 meter -> 2 meters = -6dB 2 meters -> 4 meters = -6dB total -12dB from 92dB = 80dB using 1 watt at 4 meters. Next rule... The relationship between the noise level and the power applied is logarithmic. This means it is not a straight +5W=+5dB. Basic rules; double power = +3dB 10xPower = +10dB So the speakers have a handling of 100W. How high can we go ? 80dB using 1W -> 90dB using 10W (x10 = +10dB) 90dB using 10W -> 100dB using 100W ((x10 = +10dB) So that is my limit without over driving my speakers. But.... my amp is only 90W/channel. Oh dear so we go back 90dB using 10W -> 93dB using 20W (x2 = +3dB) -> 96dB using 40W -> 99db using 80W So, around 100W . If I wanted to go to 110W then I would need speakers capable of handling 1000W of power and the amplifiers able to supply them. +/-3dB is widely considered the smallest step in order to hear a volume difference and +/-10dB is considered a doubling/halving of volume. There is a chart here (pdf) is you wish to work it out without having to do the step by step maths. RB

Strange name for the brand though as OXO in the UK is a brand of spices and stock cubes. There is also a building in London called The Oxo Tower which, if memory serves me, used to be a warehouse for Oxo products and was then converted in to flats with a trendy restaurant at the top with view over the Thames. The building got its name as it has a big OXO sign on the front. Now.... for a bit of extra trivia, and those of a more 'delicate' nature may not want to click the link, there were a spate of reviews of this restaurant in a popular website which were very cleverly worded and could, if you understand the nuances of English well enough, take the review it to mean something else entirely. For a hint, the difference between 'taking someone to' a place and the other way it is phrased in the reviews is key. Yes I am being a bit vague as to not offend any blushing flowers who may be reading but I know my wife would find the humour in it so I would imagine some people here also might. The OxO tower comes highly recommended. A little blue but no pictures and not likely to offend, certainly no worse than any naughty joke my wife and her friends may swap when they think I cannot hear. Quick edit. Taking a look at the Wikipedia article, someone has even managed to slip the double entendres under the reaction section. Ok, I will leave you good folks alone now. Back to S&V forum. RB

Edited for Piece, Harmony and all the fluffy cats. Lets all be friends.

Ahh but is it a sharp edged gem d20 or just one of the boring ones. Although I sold off all my Advanced Dungeons and Dragons books prior to coming to Singapore, I kept the dice in the wooden box with metal inlay. They are safe awaiting the next adventure. I sometimes think I can hear them rattling with impatience at night ready to get in to the fight. Maybe my sons will take them for adventure next time but with computer games very much taking over I sadly doubt it . RB

Haha, my wife has piles of cloths she refuses to throw away even though she never wears them. I don't throw them away as the wardrobe is full so she has no room to buy any more . RB

MKV can but there are more steps to go through as MKV does not support the format used by Bluray for subtitles. The 4th post here also has a suggestion of some software which will auto convert the subs for use in MKV for you. The issue is that backing up Bluray discs for using with media players is not yet very mature so the software either requires quite a few steps or might miss something. MakeMKV is very good as is Clown BD for making MKVs but as of last time I looked they do not auto convert subtitles so you have to do that manually and re-mux them in the the MKV. There are lots of guides out there though so it is not too hard. I very rarely use chapter info so am happy with m2ts. The other option if your player can play Bluray iso is to rip the Bluray to your hard disc and then make a ISO file from it. This should contain everything but will be very large and some media players will not be able to handle the menus so you will only get the film anyway. It is still in the try and find the best solution for you stage but it is getting better. RB