Friends systems

[DEVO]

How often do you go over to your friends homes for the evening for a drink or whatever, and end up fixing their electronics due to everything is so messed up?

I was over at a friends the other day, when he asked me why the sound was bad...he has some really nice Boston VR series speakers and when I really looked at them. The right channel was completely turned (not faced forward)...what is wrong w/ people

Another situation was I came over for a party and they had a 46" Sony LCD w/ a complete surround system. We were watching analog, and the picture was full (stretch mode), but when it came time for the HD football game only part of the picture was on! I asked them how long they had been watching it like this and they said since new (1 year). They had everything they needed, just were looping the signal through a dvd recorder, so signal was dropping to 480p.

What are the odds of people out there that are not really working their equipment properly?

[L.J.]

I gotta buddy with a Bose system. I went to his house a while back and he did a demo for me. First thing I noticed was he had his bass module thingie sitting inside his enter. stand. Second thing I noticed was the picture looked like crap. I asked him how it was hooked up and he told me he used the supplied cables. I asked him to describe the cable and found out he was using a yellow composite cable from his $2500 Bose combe unit to his $2500 plasma. I suggested he pick up some component cables to improve his PQ dramatically and he kinda brushed me off. We have plans to go back to his home soon and I'm wondering if I should bring it up again. Heck, I'll even give him the cables.

Second one is my brother. He purchased my old system off me, and although I've told him to read the manuals, he insisted that I hook it up for him. So now I get a call about once a month because his kid will push a button the front of his unit and he can't figure out how to get it back working. Funniest thing is when he called once and told me his surrounds weren't working. After going through an 1/2 hour of trying to help him over the phone I gave up and said he had to wait until I was at his house to look at it. He calls me a few minutes later and says now there working. Turns out he was watching a movie with a front heavy soundtrack and immediately assumed his surrounds weren't working.

[GMichael]

I gotta buddy with a Bose system. I went to his house a while back and he did a demo for me. First thing I noticed was he had his bass module thingie sitting inside his enter. stand. Second thing I noticed was the picture looked like crap. I asked him how it was hooked up and he told me he used the supplied cables. I asked him to describe the cable and found out he was using a yellow composite cable from his $2500 Bose combe unit to his $2500 plasma. I suggested he pick up some component cables to improve his PQ dramatically and he kinda brushed me off. We have plans to go back to his home soon and I'm wondering if I should bring it up again. Heck, I'll even give him the cables.

.

Maybe you should just bring a set of component cables with you the next time you go over. Let him see how good it looks, then take your cables back home when you leave.

[L.J.]

Maybe you should just bring a set of component cables with you the next time you go over. Let him see how good it looks, then take your cables back home when you leave.

Well the problem is that he thinks he knows a thing or two about this stuff. This is why he brushed me off. He even told me once that all those "woofers" (refering to my speakers vs his Bose system) aren't necessary and this is why the sub was invented. My wife gave me a look (trust me, she knows what I was going to say) so I just smiled. Besides, it was pizza and beer on him that night. Wouldn't wanna mess that up. Don't worry, next time I'll let 'em have it. All in good fun of course.

[GMichael]

Well the problem is that he thinks he knows a thing or two about this stuff.

That's the "I own Bose, and you don't" factor.

[basite]

most of my friends think I'm nuts, just because I have a big stereo and spend alot of money on it. Most of them don't know that much about the wonderful world of audio, and think that their Ipod is a top of the line quality piece, even compared to $$$ stereos. So all I try to do is to 'convert' them into the world of audio, it works sometimes, once they realise that their Ipod isn't a $$$ stereo, and that MP3's suck I'm already happy

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[PeruvianSkies]

One thing that I have noticed is that there is a really large line that divides people in this hobby. Most people are definitely not using their equipment properly or in ideal situations. Sometimes they just don't care and are happy with what they have, others (and we have seen examples of this on here) where people realize later on down the road that they have been using their equipment wrong all along, one thread comes to mind recently about maybe playing things through the receiver in 5-channel stereo mode instead of true 5.1. This person is upset because they may have been listening for a whole year to their system improperly, at least improper based on what they were hoping for.

I would venture to guess that the average HT/Audio consumer is probably using their equipment to about 40% of it's potential, most of the time it's just a simple tweak here or there to help balance things out. Now there is a huge difference between using something the wrong way and using it in a less-than-ideal way. For example: aiming the speaker backwards would be the wrong way, whereas having your center speaker off-center and more towards one side than the other is less-than-ideal. Often times it comes down to what is practical given our situation. Maybe the person can't center the center channel speaker because they don't have a TV they can set it on and the only rack they have puts that center speaker off-center. Ok, fair enough. Some choose to live with that, others wouldn't dare do it, and would do ANYTHING to correct the issue.

We all have to make compromises in our systems to some degree. I wish I had a larger room, I wish I had higher ceilings, I wish I had ....and the list goes on. Most of the time we have to adapt to the settings and we can still tweak everything to the point where we are getting the largest % of potential from our system. This is where it takes experimentation, experience, and trial & error to really develop a sense of what to do, and again the majority of people out there don't care. They want to buy an all-in-one package that works right out of the box. They want minimal setup time, they want optimal performance with little involvement from their end. And as long as it works* they are happy. [We] are the ones on the front-lines though educating people on this hobby and that is often why we find ourselves in situations where people are asking for our input or perhaps going back and forth with us on issues because they feel that they are informed, but they have only seen a small fraction of what this hobby has to offer.


*works - as in, the thing will turn on and I can make an assumption that it is doing what I think I paid it to do.

[GMichael]

And don't forget the people who want to believe that their system is the best based on what the guy at BB told them. They don't want to hear anything about anything else.

[DEVO]

And don't forget the people who want to believe that their system is the best based on what the guy at BB told them. They don't want to hear anything about anything else.

There are soooo many people who do NOT trust their own ears and eyes...Bose and Sony come to mind! Not that they are bad, but there are so many other options...

[musicman1999]

I used to do that but gave up.It seems that everybody has there own idea about what sounds good and what looks good.People come to my place and they comment 'why does your tv look so dark?" It's not dark,yours is just so ungodly bright."I like it that way".They come around when they hear good sound, but video seems to be a problem.So now i just keep quiet unless they ask.

bill

[topspeed]

Most of my friends are pretty literate on this stuff, so I rarely have to help them outside of responding to a question regarding a new piece they are thinking about. You know, "What do you think of the Sony SXRD?" or "What's the scoop on the Onkyo blahblahblah." Other than that, they all know how to set it up and with today's auto-calibrating AVR's, I'm no longer asked to bring my spl meter over in exchange for free beer .

Damn you Audessey...Damn you to Hell!!!

[emorphien]

Most of my friends don't have anything more than a small table top stereo or boxed system and don't know a thing about audio. Some like my system, some don't (I've heard complaints of bright when they want to listen to certain recordings that are in fact bright) and some don't understand why i care and then go off in to the usual Bose questions.

Ultimately I don't push anything on anyone or comment on their systems a lot. I have helped friends set something up or rearrange something after suggesting a component might be better used or set up in such a way. Most common one is repositioning the subwoofer.

[pixelthis]

If any of the people I know have any decent gear its because they have listened to my stuff.
I have a friend who constantly needs me to adjust his gear, he can't remember how most of the time.
But whats really sad is what so called professionals do..
When we started getting halfway decent cable gear, like SVHS outputs, the troglodyte
that came out wouldn't let me touch it, seemed nervous to let me near it.
I patiently waited while he hooked it up to channel 3, then when he left hooked up the coax
digital out, the svhs, etc.
NOWADAYS they have gotten smarter, know that most of their customers know more about this stuff than the dropouts they have "installing" things, and let you pick up your stuff at the office.
I have heard similar horror stories about HT "installers" who hook up a high def sat box
through composite, or worse, channel 3!

[pixelthis]

I used to do that but gave up.It seems that everybody has there own idea about what sounds good and what looks good.People come to my place and they comment 'why does your tv look so dark?" It's not dark,yours is just so ungodly bright."I like it that way".They come around when they hear good sound, but video seems to be a problem.So now i just keep quiet unless they ask.

bill

THE FACT that a LCD can get so bright is one of the reasons its such a popular display.
IMHO.
But you can adjust the backlight on these now, and with a little tweaking get a better black level
BUT at least you aren't hurting one of these by running it in "torch" mode