astroboy1226 Posted August 1, 2006 Posted August 1, 2006 I am new to home theater and is clueless on this. My living area is small (22 sq m), but has very high ceiling (6 m) with lots of window and glass wall. So, floor standing speakers system are out for me because of echoes. I have a budget of S$6k maximum. I have read the What Hi-FI Award 2005 and so am thinking of the following sound system. I am thinking of getting either B&W MT-20 or B&W MT-30 compact speaker system. But note that B&W MT-20 won best product of the year, rather than B&W MT-30. Is B&W MT-20 better? As for amplifier, thinking of Denon AVR-2106 or Denon AVR-1906 or Yamaha DSP-AX757SE. My preference is Yamaha DSP-AX757SE, but noted that it does not come with tuner. I need tuner....So, may consider Denon. What should I do? For DVD player, am considering either Denon DVD-1920 (with HDMI) or Denon DVD-2910 (with both HDMI and DVI). Which is better? I am confused and do not know which to get. Need advice! Cheers, Astroboy1226 :)
f_spider Posted August 1, 2006 Posted August 1, 2006 I remember my very 1st Set Up choice took place wen my gd friend brought me to KEC - Adelphi......... Well u should check them out - reasonable pricing , good patient service (juz d opposite of durian sellers), & they install for u too........ Look for Clarence..... ;) Ps. i tink they hav got B&W , Denon too!
MC_Hammer Posted August 1, 2006 Posted August 1, 2006 You should throw the " What Hifi " Magazine... away Yes go to kec...buy what your ears like...not what the "Kelong " magazine award
f_spider Posted August 1, 2006 Posted August 1, 2006 You should throw the " What Hifi " Magazine... away Yes go to kec...buy what your ears like...not what the "Kelong " magazine award Steady lah MC Hammer........... "Can't touch this !!" (What Hi Fi Mag)
SIN_0 Posted August 1, 2006 Posted August 1, 2006 i'm like u too. blur like sotong on HT, bought some HIFI mags, some are biased but still made good for reference. I went to KEC, just as the rest, for audition. Good service, i was served by a nice Patrick. tried MT-20, whafedale and Mordaunt Short Genie, i was surprised to hear that MS Genie sounded better than MT20. That's my ear or opinion. thus, genie and Denon 1906 will be my next purchase.
armoury Posted August 1, 2006 Posted August 1, 2006 Not sure why you think floorstanders are out "because of echoes". You are going to get bass reinforcement regardless of whether you have floorstanders or bookshelfs, especially with the subwoofer (which you cannot go without in a proper 5.1 system). Placement is paramount here. (Unless you mean that because of limited floor space, the speakers will be very close to the wall behind?) What HiFi rates not just by performance, but also by value for money/price class. The MT-20 therefore might be best in its price range, whereas the MT-30 (which IIRC has a better subwoofer) is more expensive and therefore competes with better systems, some of which might outperform it. Otherwise no mid-fi system (which in reality is what most of us have) will ever be rated highly in What HiFi (or any magazine) since they are all "blown-away" by HT systems that cost 6-figures. Best advice is just listen to the stuff recommended by What HiFi as only a starting point, then buy what your ears tell you you like. and KEC is a good shop to go to. (Re: what I said about buy what your ears like: unless it's Bose, which is ALWAYS a mistake...)
astroboy1226 Posted August 2, 2006 Author Posted August 2, 2006 Hi, I have gone to KEC yesterday and have tested both B&W MT-20 and MT-30 with Denon AVR-2106 receiver and Dennon DVD-1920 DVD player. Couldn't really tell the difference in sound between B&W MT-20 and MT-30, but sales person advice me to get the MT-30 (with more powerful PV1 subwoofer) in view of the high ceiling height of my living room area. I am seriously considering B&W MT-30 and Denon AVR-2106 at this point. Just confused if I should have a separate CD player in addition to the DVD player. The sales person advised me to get a separate CD player (Marantz CD-7300) for listening to music, instead of using Denon DVD-1920 for both movies and music. I could tell a slight difference in terms of music - Marantz has slightly clearer sound as compared Denon DVD player which has a more bassy sound. I am not too keen to have too many players (in view of space). Should I get a better all-in-one DVD player like Denon DVD-2910 for better image and sound? A little lost. I prefer to have one player for all if possible...
varun1624705824 Posted August 2, 2006 Posted August 2, 2006 <snip> Should I get a better all-in-one DVD player like Denon DVD-2910 for better image and sound? A little lost. I prefer to have one player for all if possible... I understand where you're coming from... :-) For most real-world folks, particularly those of us using non audiophile-grade equipment (such as you and I), the quality of CD sound from a *good* dvd player (that's also decent with CDs) is quite good enough. Naturally, this changes as you go higher up the price / equipment range. If you're happy with the CD sound of the 1920, stick with it. If you're happier with the sound of the 2910, sure, look at that instead, but remember that the 2910 doesn't support DivX playback (so, if that's important to you, then you're back to the 1920). FWIW, I started with the 1920 and had a separate system for music (Marantz cd player, Meridian DAC, Audiolab 8000A amp). Have since sold the stereo system, sold the 1920 (didn't care about the DivX), gotten myself the 3910, and use only the HT setup for music, movies, et al. To me, the music is quite enjoyable. And that's the bottomline. - V.
cracker Posted August 2, 2006 Posted August 2, 2006 I understand where you're coming from... :-) For most real-world folks, particularly those of us using non audiophile-grade equipment (such as you and I), the quality of CD sound from a *good* dvd player (that's also decent with CDs) is quite good enough. Naturally, this changes as you go higher up the price / equipment range. If you're happy with the CD sound of the 1920, stick with it. If you're happier with the sound of the 2910, sure, look at that instead, but remember that the 2910 doesn't support DivX playback (so, if that's important to you, then you're back to the 1920). FWIW, I started with the 1920 and had a separate system for music (Marantz cd player, Meridian DAC, Audiolab 8000A amp). Have since sold the stereo system, sold the 1920 (didn't care about the DivX), gotten myself the 3910, and use only the HT setup for music, movies, et al. To me, the music is quite enjoyable. And that's the bottomline. - V. Just OT abit.....nowaday lots of pple like to use the phrase... " I understand where you are coming from..." It was used repeatedly at one of the course that I had attended,,,,I was wondering where else can we come from....Land of Dodo ?
f_spider Posted August 2, 2006 Posted August 2, 2006 Bro Astro, welcome to d world of Home Theater man ;) My 1st set up was mainly HT, using AV amp & dvd player for music too......... But now i also hav a dedicated audio amplifiers & cd players too(coz it makes a lot of difference versus a AV amp & dvdp) ....... Unless u r crazy (like me) over music too, getting a dedicated audio system's a right choice (of coz u can still use d existing main speaker though) Good Luck Bro in ur search for AV enlightenment ;)
astroboy1226 Posted August 2, 2006 Author Posted August 2, 2006 Thanks for the tips guys! By the way, what is "HT" setup? And what is "DivX" playback??? Are these necessary??? ;)
SiriuslyCold Posted August 2, 2006 Posted August 2, 2006 HT = Home Theatre nothing is absolutely necessary; divx playback may be important if you download videos encoded in DivX. As fas as I know no commercial dvds are, so unless you download and burn your own DVDs...
Guest jonlee Posted August 3, 2006 Posted August 3, 2006 IMHO...if u are listening CD through a receiver, the dvdp will do. Go for dedicated CDP with integrated amp (not receiver) when ur backside is itchy later... ;D
varun1624705824 Posted August 3, 2006 Posted August 3, 2006 Just OT abit.....nowaday lots of pple like to use the phrase... " I understand where you are coming from..." It was used repeatedly at one of the course that I had attended,,,,I was wondering where else can we come from....Land of Dodo ? Congratulations. You've just placed on record your pathetic knowledge of international colloquial English. You need to get out more. - V.
astroboy1226 Posted August 4, 2006 Author Posted August 4, 2006 Please pardon my ignorance. I thnk I will go for a universal DVD player for both picture and music with my B&W MT-30 and Denon AVR-2106 for a start. What good universal DVD player would you recommend for this purpose? Heard bad and good things about Denon DVD-1920, Denon DVD-2190 and Marantz DV-7600. Any other good recommendation????
armoury Posted August 4, 2006 Posted August 4, 2006 All viable choices. You might also want to consider the Pioneer 989, although I think that's slightly more pricey (since its predecessor, the 969, was a competitor to the Denon 3910).
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