TV & Home Theater

[MattInMHT]

Hello everyone my name is Matt S. and I am a employee at the BestBuy in Tracy, Ca... I work in the Magnolia Home Theater dept. so any questions you have about either the TV's or the Black Tie warranty I would be more then happy to answer. I check my messages about every other day usually so if I dont get back to you right away make sure to check back again soon. I will do my best to answer every question and if some of you stump me then I will find the answer and post back within 2 days! Happy Holidays everyone and I hope to hear from you soon! Oh yea and I also can help with finding the perfect HDTV for a gift. Remember that the TV you should buy very much depends on what it is going to be used most for ( Sports, Video Games, BlueRay Movies, etc...)

[BetterWay]

This may not relate to Tracy, CA but here in Nashville, TN the local best Buy and one other store(HiFiBuys) are the only places where one can truly sit down and simulate a true HT room.  My question is related to the acoustics of the room.

The prevailing theory is that approsimately 50% of all surfaces in a HT should have sound absorbing or sound defracting material on them.  I noticed in my local BestBuy that all of the walls were basically slatwall paneling.  This creates a very "live" room and does not simulate a true HT or a person's own living room.

Has BestBuy given any thought to modifying their Magnolia HT rooms to better simulate a true HT or living room?  I feel that if BB did that, their systems would sound much better. 

Thanks

[randy45acp]

hi, seen you in forum. I have question this receiver will be used to power 2 quality high end speakers not really for home theatre use but maybe in future. I will be using i-pod docking bay too. Which is better the denon 700w 7.1 or yamaha 910w 7.1.  Which one is more efficient to run 2 speakers and which works better with i-pod. Which would sound better. The denon is around 200.00 more, but if it sounds that much better i would consider it. what do you think

[BetterWay]

Not sure who you wanted to answer this, but here are my two cents worth...

First off, it is impossible to say whch would sound better since what you think may sound great, the next person may not like at all.  With that said, most people want to know how these sound against each other given that all other pieces in the audition stay the same.

If you want something that sounds a little more forward (i.e. a bit bright sounding) then go for the Denon.  If you want something a bit more laid back, then go for the Yamaha.  Surprisingly, the more laid back sound is less fatiguing to the ear and can be listened to for a longer period than a more forward sound.  This is what most of the reviewers are saying now.  A few years ago, this was quite the opposite where Denon killed Yamaha.  I have successfully paired a forward sounding amplifier with some laid back speakers and I can listen for hours with no fatigue.

You should also consider what type of speakers you pair with the receiver and the cables you use.  Yes, cables do make a difference and each has a different sonic signature, although many people think that this is just a bit or craziness.  For instance, matching high-sensitivity forward speakers with a forward sounding receiver may make the system way too bright and unlistenable for long periods.  The same holds true if your speakers are laid back and you pair them wih a laid back receiver.  This combination may sound like someone threw a towel over the speakers.

I must confess that I can not give you any recommendation as to which would work better with an i-pod since I am an "old" man and have not joined th digital music crowd.  Why?  Basically, the music from an i-pod is compressed and lacks the dynamic range and bit-depth available from a CD/DVD-A/SACD.  If one truly wants to get the best sound from their system, then you should not cripple it by using a source component like an i-pod.  I'm sorry if this sounds elitist or I am being a snob, but I don't mean it to be that way.   By posting this type of question you have let me know that you care about sound quality, so I would recommend that you use a higher resolution source component other than an i-pod.  If that is impossible, then make sure to use the highest resolution files available and try to use an external D/A (digital to analog) convertor to improve its sound quality.  You may also try looking at the newer Sonos systems.

Remember, that your room's acoustics and more importantly speaker placement can make a much larger diffence than the sonic signature of a receiver.

For more in-depth reviews of recievers and much, much more, I recommend www.hometheatermag.com

I hope that this has helped.