Are you happy with your HT rig?

[Alaric]

Your rig? I know I'm always looking at new gear (that I can't afford!) and constantly trying to find the next upgrade. I have the stuff I had 2 years ago-and I still like it! I live in a townhouse with tissue walls , and I get to crank it up about twice a month , but it still makes me tingly in my happy place. I can still close my eyes and hear nuances and details that make me smile. Even when my listening isn't "critical" and I'm just enjoying the tunes , I get a good , musical , smack in the arse.

[whoaru99]

Over the course of the last 6 months or so, I've purchased some used pro audio gear. A couple of top cabinets, a pair of 2x18" subs, three amps, and a crossover.

I haven't had this much fun tinkering for a while. But, alas, the novelty of everything seems to wear off.

There is, however, something about being able to play the music with so much "smack in the arse" as you put it. The first time I fired up the system after getting the 2nd sub amp and crossover, the first kick drum beats about knocked the wind out of me before I got the volume cut back. :T

[Briz vegas]

Am I happy - yes indeedy-do

Time since last upgrade - about 3 hours. Ask me again in 3 months please.

[Ovation]

I'm generally quite happy, but spending a day at Festival Son et Image in Montreal on the weekend, listening to some fabulous setups, did create a momentary urge to whip out the credit card and upgrade all sorts of stuff. It passed (for two reasons--one, I have a roof to re-do this summer and two, I'll be putting together a 2 channel rig about 18-24 months from now and that's about the amount of time I usually take to research and audition gear for a serious setup).

I did hear some very nice speakers (two that stood out among the many were 30,000$ and 2500$, respectively. Each of them out-performed speakers that were considerably more expensive, IMO at any rate. The first pair (Gershman Acoustics Black Swan) were easily as good as, if not better than, the 50,000-100,000$ speaker pairs I heard and if I were to come into a whack of money, they would be my "money-no-object" speakers.

The second pair (North Acoustics Kitty Kat--not a name I would have chosen, but names don't affect sound quality) were at least as good as any pair up to 6-7000$ I heard and, at 2500$ will be on my short list when I get to the nitty-gritty about 2 years from now. They are engineered to be "near wall" speakers which would be ideal in the room I plan to place the 2 channel rig (the living room--unlike the HT room where I have space to place the speakers well out in the room where they sound best, the living room is a multipurpose space that is not all that big--so being able to place the speakers close to the wall is a giant plus). Between now and then, I'll be auditioning other speakers when I can.

[PewterTA]

I'm happy with my gear, but I want to build a new set of speakers (Jon Marsh' NeoD ccs) just to see if I can get a set of speakers that are that much "closer" to the next level without really having to pay outrageous amounts of money.

But all in all, yep, I'm pretty darn happy with what I got!

[greenhorn]

I'm pretty happy with all my stuff. My issue isn't with the equipment at this point it is the fine tuning that I'm working on. When I say fine tuning I think that the equipment needs to be setup (cabled optimally, not necessarily the cable themselves, but how you have each piece connected and configuration. Is it best to have the CD do the processing or the preamp? What preamp settings sound the best for CD's - DVD's - TV? Are my speakers correctly balanced, delayed if needed, have same volume levels from seating areas.

In just the preamp there are many different settings that impact or change the sound. Preamp can apply a lot of variables to speakers also. Then cabling so what aspect of each device does what.

It's a challenge getting this all sorted out.

[audioqueso]

I was happy with my setup before I moved. It was Marantz, Parasound, and B&W 805. I sold everything but my speakers when I moved. I wasn't sure what route to take this time (receiver or separates), but I decided to just keep it simple. I'll post again next week once I receive my Marantz SR7002 & DV6001. I hope I'm happy.

[Alaric]

Time since last upgrade - about 3 hours. Ask me again in 3 months please.

:rofl:

Glad to know we aren't too bad at picking gear!

[Chris D]

I consider this to be a very fundamental question to our hobby. (and most others) The question is, are you happy with what you've got, or do you always want more?

I think it's human nature to want what the other guy's got, and want more. But in the end, I think you've got to be happy with what you've got, and the choices you've made. If you put yourself in the poorhouse to support an expensive hobby, or don't take care of your family, or whatever, well... might have bad priorities.

I've certainly had to take a look at my priorities, time and time again, and have more than once caught myself making bad decisions like that. Often, it's after the fact, when I discover that I really didn't need to buy something as much as I thought I did.

[Dave999]

I am happy with my set up, except for its inability to handle the newer audio formats other than through analogue inputs into my Meridian G68 processor. Hopefully that will be solved in the relatively near future. That said, I am always looking at what is new and almost always shopping, even if I will not be buying in the near future. I think that it is always fun and interesting to see what is out there and what's new, as well as how different equipment performs.

[rick c]

I was happy with all my gear,became a little irritant with my rotel rsx1056.I recently went from the rotel rsx1056 to a marantz sr8002 and became even happier than how i was originally.Good things come to those who wait.

[joetama]

Yes I am very happy with my system.

Does that mean I am not looking to tweak, add, or change things? No not at all.

I feel it is the nature of the beast to want to go better. I get attached to my equipment so it is hard for me to completely replace everything.

For example my first receiver is still being used as my Phono Preamplifier. My RB-1080 got moved to center channel duty when I put my H||H V800 to power my mains. My DM-330i got moved to another system, my DM-601S3 got moved to surround duty when I got my 703.

[dtb300]

I consider this to be a very fundamental question to our hobby. (and most others) The question is, are you happy with what you've got, or do you always want more?

Happy, yes - but I am more into 2 Channel sound quality than HT video performance but my setup can do both. Do I want more, sure why not? But it depends on:

1. The amount of change it will make
2. The cost associated with the level of change
3. The room and can it handle the change properly

I think it's human nature to want what the other guy's got, and want more. But in the end, I think you've got to be happy with what you've got, and the choices you've made. If you put yourself in the poorhouse to support an expensive hobby, or don't take care of your family, or whatever, well... might have bad priorities.

Totally different question. Would you go in the poor house to improve your setup? Most, I think would say no.

I've certainly had to take a look at my priorities, time and time again, and have more than once caught myself making bad decisions like that. Often, it's after the fact, when I discover that I really didn't need to buy something as much as I thought I did.

When one is looking at what they have and what they can change, one has to put "instant gratification" out of play and take their time to research and listen to the new items. Then one can make a proper decision on the changes or not.

[Chris D]

Very true. I'm also continually making tweaks and improvements, and will probably do it again when I get get a reasonable high-performance HDMI 1.3 pre/pro. I'm just finding I have to be smart and slow down when thinking about upgrading stuff.

[John Holmes]

I'm just finding I have to be smart and slow down when thinking about upgrading stuff.

I know this is my case. As much as I'd like to move into the world of HDMI, I cannot justify the cost at this time. There are several reasons for this.

1) I really enjoy my current system's sound (the most important of them all).

2) My pre/pro is just two years old and, I refuse to take a 50% lost on it buy selling now.

3) I cannot convince myself that, DD+, LPCM and Dolby Tru-HD sounds horrible through my pre/pro's 5.1 inputs.

The best part of this hobby (imo), is that, it can be enjoyed on so many different levels and yet, yield the same results for the end user...audio/video satisfaction.

[ryan.devry]

New guy here

I just joined the site a few days ago, I have been reading post for a while though. There are a lot of good people, with usefull knowledge, so I decided to join. This thread is funny because I just dumped my old setup and bought some new gear. I had the old gear for the better part of 5 years and I loved it all. However, I just felt it was time for a change, and I waned to get away from the 5.1,6.1,7.1 for a little while. I Honestly missed 2.0. So, I am changing things up.

old
5.1 set up
Yamaha reciever htr-5260
psb main 6t
psb center 8c
psb rear alpha bookshelf
alpha series sub
oppo dvd player
pioneer elite cd player
mit cables

I will post pics off old and new as soon as the stands come in for the 685's
new
2.0 set up
Harman Kardon HK-3485 stereo reciever
B&W 685 main
Same Pioneer Elite CD player (next thing to go)
Same Oppo dvd
same alpha sub (soon to be Velodyne MiniVee
Same MIT cable

[Alaric]

Welcome to HT Guide! How do you like the HK receiver? I've been looking at that model as the start of a second system , along with some small Mirage speakers.

[John Holmes]

Welcome to the Guide, ryan devry!

Nice setup.

[ryan.devry]

Actually I haven't had a chance to play with the HK much yet. My B&W speakers come in this week (monday or tuesday). My stands are comming in a day or two later. However, the unit at the HT store was very nice. I was comparing it to a integrated Rotel amp, and I prefer the HK. It was able to push the B&W a little better to me. But I am really looking forward to getting everything set up

Thanks

[Chris D]

perhaps it'd be worthwhile to share my personal approach to upgrading. (feel free to totally ignore my personal opinions) I try to force myself to wait in upgrades until I can make a QUANTUM jump in performance. After I bought my first true new home theater receiver, (Yamaha) about 9 years ago, the next year Yamaha released an updated model to it with some newer features, including component video switching. At the time, I was running component video direct to the TV, without video switching. I really wanted the new features, and looked into buying it heavily, but my wife ended up "talking" me out of it. At first, I was pretty disappointed, with upgrade lust. But over time, I realized that if I had bought the upgrade, I would have, in the span of 1-2 years paid full price for not one, but TWO receivers. The second time, I would be buying the exact same receiver I already had, paying all that money for equipment I already owned, JUST for a few extra features.

So... if you buy quick, or impulsively, or for the latest gizmo, you'll be spending the majority of your money for stuff you already own. But on the other hand, if you hold off, and wait until a new product comes out that is quantitatively better and a BIG jump from your current equipment, then you're paying less money for the portion of it that is what you already have, and get more value from the portion of it that is new and better.

[IllNastyImpreza]

I am pretty happy with my Benq W500 projector (100'' screen). But my audio settup is rather "budget" rigged for the time being. I live in the basement, and like you said I simply cannot enjoy the full potential of any system I have due to noise constraints.



I WILL be moving by the end of the summer though. And I plan to upgrade all my sound equipment including all 5 speakers, reciever and Subs.

I would love to do a Modula MT x 7 with a decent reciever and at least 4 12'' subs placed in various seat shaking positions