DoctorSpuds Reviews Things

My first home stereo system was a Denon amp & Jamo speakers.  About eight years ago I replaced them with a Pioneer S-HSAJ2 5+1 speaker system (although I've never hooked up the center speaker) and Yamaha AV Amp.

 

When I was shopping around I spent some time doing some listening tests at a HiFi store making the sales person swap cables while I listened to the same 30 second clip.  My conclusion was the difference between amplifiers at the price point I was buying was minimal.  Speakers made a bigger difference, although I bought based on reviews & specs rather than listening tests.  The one variable I couldn't change and would make a big difference is the room.

 

 

Whoo, for a price like that those speakers better make the room shake. I can't even imagine a reality where I'd be able to both afford and have a place to put a setup that massive.

49 minutes ago, EricBall said:

The one variable I couldn't change and would make a big difference is the room.

Acoustics are really tricky. My setup is in my bedroom, hooked up to my PC with the two speakers pointed directly down my dirty disgusting ears, so I have the luxury of all my crap soaking up the noise and a really directed stream of sound. If you're in a big echoing family room or just a room with really bad acoustics I can see how much of that research can go down the toilet when everything gets hooked up (If bad acoustics are your problem that is).

 

I know they're making sound absorbing/proof stuff a bit less ugly these days so that's always an option. Or you can go my route, which is to get as much clutter as possible into your space so that any form of echo is impossible. 

The living room is approx 10 feet by 15 feet with the TV & speakers at one short end.  The problem is one long wall is windows with a sofa in front while the opposite opens onto the rest of the house & the stairway.

Hmmm, the acoustic void. Indeed, there isn't much you can do with that. Unless of course you lack both taste and an aversion to curtains.

That's some wild EQ settings you've got there, but if it works well, and nothing is jumping out or being lost, then I guess it's all good.

 

Definitely, speakers need to be #1, and its sounds like you're in good shape there, from what you're saying. With a cassette deck (as opposed to a CD player), obviously you need something at least half-decent and in good working condition, and just looking at your brands JVC and Onkyo, you've got some half-decent middle of the road stuff that should be totally fine for most applications.

43 minutes ago, 5-11under said:

That's some wild EQ settings you've got there, but if it works well, and nothing is jumping out or being lost, then I guess it's all good.

It's mainly to boost what I feel is a bit weak from the speakers, a few songs will distort but they're mainly lower bitrate files and oddly enough a few songs from Gotye's Making Mirrors. My JVC also has the 4KHZ and 16KHZ sliders all the way up with the rest sitting in the middle. I boost the crap out of the treble because I like my music to sound crispy and sparkly, slowly distancing myself from overwhelming bass that tends to eat up the high end stuff.

46 minutes ago, 5-11under said:

With a cassette deck (as opposed to a CD player), obviously you need something at least half-decent and in good working condition.

I own more cassettes than CD's funnily enough, I enjoy the process of dropping them in the player more than clicking in a CD. And you're right, the deck literally is only 'half decent'. I'm still amazed that a deck that's clearly been in a garage for a decade sounds better than well maintained/cared for units.

 

If you want to see a crazy EQ take a good look at this guy.

No it does not sound good, I only use it as a weapon to make audiophiles cringe until their teeth shatter.

I have no source for my comment, but a vague recollection that "they" (the people that do these sorts of studies) tested a bunch of self-proclaimed audiophiles by letting them listen to music sent through different qualities of speaker wire and rating them. (I know this is different from speakers) The highest ranking speaker wire with the "best sound" turned out to be from wire coat hangers. I don't know if the story is true and I don't want my illusions crushed so I'm not googling it, but I thought it was an interesting anecdote.