Recommendation For A Decent Sound System.

[RimBlock 0]

My shortlisted 46" Sony NX710 at $2499 discontinued. The version after that was NX720 which cost $4699. **** ex. Any other brands or models that are comparable with NX710 to recommend?

TVs are not really my thing as I find they are all very close to each other. Go for the features you want, check on-line for any known reported problems with that particular model / series.

LCDs are generally ok,

Plasmas are usually better with contrast and a natural looking picture but use more power and run hotter.

LED LCDs Are close to Plasmas for contrast but can look a bit unreal with the pictures especially with the 100+hz where the extra frames are digitally created to bridge the gap between two frames that are transmitted from the source.

To my mind, Plasmas are still a very viable alternative to LED LCD displays if you are not insistent on a very thin TV and are usually a lot cheaper as they are not the 'in' thing.

It is also worth noting that TVs require calibration if you want it to look like the film maker intended. People tend to like over bright heavily saturated vivid colours. TV manufacturers therefore setup their TVs this way. A number of BluRays have the THX calibration program in their setup menu which will help you get the right basic levels set. I think 'UP' has it along with a number of other cartoons and quite possibly the Starwars films. It will take time for you to get used to the correctly calibrated picture but then the hobbits in Lord of the Rings will look like they are wearing dark muddy green jerkins rather than a bright pea green jacket.

RB

[cubeball 0]

Any idea what is the current price for yamaha 667?

Edited May 23, 2011 by cubeball

[RimBlock 0]

Any idea what is the current price for yamaha 667?

hi cubeball,

the unit is eol and is being replaced like the onkyo 608. I heard it.was going for between 700 and 800 at adelphy but that was a couple of months ago. they also sell in courts megastore where I got.mine but were quite a bit more expensive. the preouts really are a great addition if you may upgrade later.

posted from my phone so please.excuse.the typos.

[cubeball 0]

hi cubeball,

the unit is eol and is being replaced like the onkyo 608. I heard it.was going for between 700 and 800 at adelphy but that was a couple of months ago. they also sell in courts megastore where I got.mine but were quite a bit more expensive. the preouts really are a great addition if you may upgrade later.

posted from my phone so please.excuse.the typos.

Thanks RimBlock, wa so fast being replaced coz after reading the specs it's just nice to go with my 5.1 n 3d tv lor? hm .... sorry am new to all this, just to chk when we buy the amp + speakers + blu ray player do we still need to buy a cd player or we just use the blu ray player to listen to music as well. If cd player is needed how much will it cost? can i chk with u where do i go to buy wiring for my rear speakers n what is eol?

Edited May 25, 2011 by cubeball

[RimBlock 0]

Thanks RimBlock, wa so fast being replaced coz after reading the specs it's just nice to go with my 5.1 n 3d tv lor? hm .... sorry am new to all this, just to chk when we buy the amp + speakers + blu ray player do we still need to buy a cd player or we just use the blu ray player to listen to music as well. If cd player is needed how much will it cost? can i chk with u where do i go to buy wiring for my rear speakers n what is eol?

Hi Cubeball,

EOL is End of Life (ie. the product is being replaced with a newer model).

Bluray players can play CDs but they are not 'tuned' to play CDs as they compromise in order to be compatible for Bluray, DVD and CDs. A decent CD only player 'should' outperform a Bluray player for playing CDs but you really need to let your ears to the talking by going and demoing a few if you are that much in to music. You would probably need to look around the S$800+

mark to get a CD player that is going to make a decent difference but what you could do is add an off board DAC, link to it via the Blurays digital output and use the superior electronics in that to decode the data read by the Bluray player. There are some good Dacs around the S$600 mark now and it is a growing market. Have a look at the Arcam rDAC for a starting point.

I used S$2/mtr for my rears and it is fine. I bought it from KEC (grey cable).

RB

[EmptyDivided 0]

Thanks RimBlock, wa so fast being replaced coz after reading the specs it's just nice to go with my 5.1 n 3d tv lor? hm .... sorry am new to all this, just to chk when we buy the amp + speakers + blu ray player do we still need to buy a cd player or we just use the blu ray player to listen to music as well. If cd player is needed how much will it cost? can i chk with u where do i go to buy wiring for my rear speakers n what is eol?

Well, if you are particular about how music should sound, a dedicated CD player works best, to what I have read. Dedicated CD players range from $100 plus to the mindless prices of $10,000 plus.

I am using an Oppo 93 as my Bluray player and CD transport. The Oppo 95 or even the passe 83SE I have read are great as CD transports. What I found outstanding on my Oppo player so far is the loading speed. For normal players, it takes a couple of minutes to load the menu page, with the Oppo, it takes less than a minute. And the quality of the bluray playback was excellent. Father in law insists that the video were 3D even without wearing the glasses , while my wife kept insisting that it was not 3D. Depth is certainly good.

For most of the music, my wife has it on hard disk in flacs. They do sound much better. So its a cheaper alternative you might want to look at. Simply hook up your computer to the amp by using a 3.5mm jack with two rcas. Audiophiles still prefer their SACDs played on a CD transport, so it depends again on your expectations.

RB, I have not tried a DAC. I heard it upscales and gets rid of jitter. Does it make a marked difference?

[RimBlock 0]

Well, if you are particular about how music should sound, a dedicated CD player works best, to what I have read. Dedicated CD players range from $100 plus to the mindless prices of $10,000 plus.

I am using an Oppo 93 as my Bluray player and CD transport. The Oppo 95 or even the passe 83SE I have read are great as CD transports. What I found outstanding on my Oppo player so far is the loading speed. For normal players, it takes a couple of minutes to load the menu page, with the Oppo, it takes less than a minute. And the quality of the bluray playback was excellent. Father in law insists that the video were 3D even without wearing the glasses , while my wife kept insisting that it was not 3D. Depth is certainly good.

For most of the music, my wife has it on hard disk in flacs. They do sound much better. So its a cheaper alternative you might want to look at. Simply hook up your computer to the amp by using a 3.5mm jack with two rcas. Audiophiles still prefer their SACDs played on a CD transport, so it depends again on your expectations.

RB, I have not tried a DAC. I heard it upscales and gets rid of jitter. Does it make a marked difference?

I thought you may mention the Oppo which is why I didn't (you being in a better position to comment than me)

Using an offboard DAC is meant to be able to resync the clock rather than tying it to the CD transport mechanism. The resync should help the timing as the motor on the player will usually not run smoothly and so the stream of data read will not be read in a uniform manor.

I was looking at a DAC to add to the WD Live TV but then the new amp came up so funds were no longer available and research stopped.

Bottom line is that an off board DAC should make a significant difference to musical playback, depending on what DAC the original player has. Most top end CD players will have two boxes (or at least 2 stages separated in a single box) which are the transport and the DAC.

Oh and on the comment about the 3D effect from the Oppo..... have you tried a different player on the same TV. The reason I ask is that my BiLs new TV has a big 3D effect even though it is not a 3D TV. The TV processes the picture received to produce the effect and it is really pretty good.

RB

[EmptyDivided 0]

I thought you may mention the Oppo which is why I didn't (you being in a better position to comment than me)

Using an offboard DAC is meant to be able to resync the clock rather than tying it to the CD transport mechanism. The resync should help the timing as the motor on the player will usually not run smoothly and so the stream of data read will not be read in a uniform manor.

I was looking at a DAC to add to the WD Live TV but then the new amp came up so funds were no longer available and research stopped.

Bottom line is that an off board DAC should make a significant difference to musical playback, depending on what DAC the original player has. Most top end CD players will have two boxes (or at least 2 stages separated in a single box) which are the transport and the DAC.

Oh and on the comment about the 3D effect from the Oppo..... have you tried a different player on the same TV. The reason I ask is that my BiLs new TV has a big 3D effect even though it is not a 3D TV. The TV processes the picture received to produce the effect and it is really pretty good.

RB

Hmm a DAC is the next toy I can think and research about then. It would be interesting to hear with and without a DAC. Which DACs do you recommend then? My amp is a tube 13 watt per channel tiny tot.

About the Oppo player, you are indeed intuitive . I have not had enough time to mess around with the system. And no, I have not tried the Oppo on another TV, so either its a great TV or a great player or, haha, both. I will review when I had spent sufficient time with the player and I will shift it to the bedroom to see if it has that great an effect, not forgetting that the Onkyo amp upscales as well.And both use the Marvel chip set.

At first, being a noob here, I thought $990 for a bluray player was extremely expensive, not to mention the 83SE or the 95 which both cost about $1700 . But now when I have seen CD players that cost $3000 and heard of some that cost more than $10,000, the Oppo player seems to be really good value for money then. An excellent CD and bluray transport for $1700 combined is indeed value for money. So Cubeball, if 3D is a must, you can try to audition the Oppo 95. So far the reviews are great for both audio and video. If not, just get the 93 and a good DAC?

[cubeball 0]

thank you RimBlock n EmptyDivided for the info, i'm sorry as tis is my 1st HTS so am clueless wat u're telling me. Yup i'll be getting the oppo for my blu ray player as well. But by using it to listen to cd will i damage oppo coz ultimately it's a blu ray not a cd player?

Wat is DACs?

Edited May 26, 2011 by cubeball

[EmptyDivided 0]

thank you RimBlock n EmptyDivided for the info, i'm sorry as tis is my 1st HTS so am clueless wat u're telling me. Yup i'll be getting the oppo for my blu ray player as well.

Wat is DACs?

Digital to analogue convertor. Digital music tends to sound harsh and have jitters. Analogue music sounds warmer, more natural or so I have read. Usually CD and mp3 players have on board DACs, but audiophiles want their music vocally to sound as natural as possible. So they add in a DAC. Again, as it is a sound equipment, prices range from a couple hundreds to the thousands. It is not something crucial i would say. It is a good extra option to add on, if you listen to vocals, strings and jazz. I have read some DACs are great for rock music. So RB, please correct me if I am wrong. Entirely new to this as well.

No problems, some of us are new to this as well. And there are many nice folks here who are willing to share their extensive knowledge. You have made a good choice to get an Oppo. If you want 3D, you can only get the 93 or 95. If you are not going into 3D, the 83SEs are excellent. As with all electronic equipment, a well used equipment may last longer than an unused equipment. So either way, it is not going to last! It gives a reason to upgrade!

[mars73 0]

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.

[EmptyDivided 0]

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.

Yes and I think I know whom you got it from. It was a great buy by the way. I wished I could afford his JM Labs Focals. Great speakers.

[mars73 0]

Yes and I think I know whom you got it from. It was a great buy by the way. I wished I could afford his JM Labs Focals. Great speakers.

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

[EmptyDivided 0]

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

Oh **** wrong person. Haha, then you must have got it from Patrick. I thought you got it from someone else . The same person who let go of his oppo 83se had Focal bookself speakers with intergrated amps and beryllium tweeters for sale at a steal. He sold off his 83 SE at a good price too. In fact all his items that were advertised were sold pretty fast. So i thought you were one of them.

[mars73 0]

Oh **** wrong person. Haha, then you must have got it from Patrick. I thought you got it from someone else . The same person who let go of his oppo 83se had Focal bookself speakers with intergrated amps and beryllium tweeters for sale at a steal. He sold off his 83 SE at a good price too. In fact all his items that were advertised were sold pretty fast. So i thought you were one of them.

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