Reliable AV/Audio equipment

[Mark4583]

With out getting into the High end equipment what is some of the most reliable equipment that are normally solid equipment, not something that has a rep of crapping out on you in about a year or casual use.
Im haveing bad luck on DvD payers, 2 Sonys and a Onkyo in the last 5 yrs, The Onkyo lasted about a year, I have the reciever also, Tx-SR602, so Im guessing it wont last much longer either. They seem to put off more heat than norm.
What I plan on doing is getting a new DvD palyer (Blue ray possibly) and AV reciver with in a budget of about $1500-2000.
Im hooking them to
Axiom M60's Tower's
Qs8's Surround
VP150 Center
EP500 Sub
I see Yamaha and Dennon mentioned alot.
Thanks

[PeruvianSkies]

I would recommend the following:

Denon, Marantz, Pioneer Elite, NAD, Outlaw Audio, Adcom, Anthem, and I am sure there are others that I am missing.

I am not a fan of Yamaha or Sony, Onkyo either really. I have had loads of success with EVERYTHING I ever owned by Pioneer. I run a multimedia department and use about 10 Pioneer DVD players that are super reliable! Plus, their receivers are great too and last a long time, the Elite series gives you more quality as well.

NAD is built super tough and doesn't have many bells & whistles, but get's the job done. Denon and Marantz are both fine quality products that are usually stretching into the higher end of things.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[pixelthis]

With out getting into the High end equipment what is some of the most reliable equipment that are normally solid equipment, not something that has a rep of crapping out on you in about a year or casual use.
Im haveing bad luck on DvD payers, 2 Sonys and a Onkyo in the last 5 yrs, The Onkyo lasted about a year, I have the reciever also, Tx-SR602, so Im guessing it wont last much longer either. They seem to put off more heat than norm.
What I plan on doing is getting a new DvD palyer (Blue ray possibly) and AV reciver with in a budget of about $1500-2000.
Im hooking them to
Axiom M60's Tower's
Qs8's Surround
VP150 Center
EP500 Sub
I see Yamaha and Dennon mentioned alot.
Thanks

Are you pushing the little disc tray shut with your finger? Thats murder.
Really tho, onkyo players are made by toshiba, so no surprises there, as for your onkyo
receiver, I have an Integra, built by ONKYO, about three and a half years old, no problems
yet, they are known for their amps, and as the instructions say they run a little hot, but its not a problem. I got a fan from radioshack, keeps mine cool, but I dont think you really need one

I'd upgrade those Axioms first, I have a friend who has some towers, (top of the line)
but there are more sophisticated speakers out there for the price.
Axiom, like a lot of Canadian speaker companies, exist mainly to support the Canadian
timber industry
As for a player, get an Oppo, they can't be beat, and they play Sacd and DVDAUDIO.

[musicman1999]

[QUOTE=pixelthis]
Axiom, like a lot of Canadian speaker companies, exist mainly to support the Canadian
timber industry

What does that even mean?

[PeruvianSkies]

[QUOTE=musicman1999]

Axiom, like a lot of Canadian speaker companies, exist mainly to support the Canadian
timber industry

What does that even mean?

I thought it existed to support the 'timber in the voices' of Randy Travis.

[emorphien]

Axiom, like a lot of Canadian speaker companies, exist mainly to support the Canadian
timber industry

What does that even mean?

I'd say it just means he's trying to piss people off.

My Harman/Kardon receiver has been very reliable in the past 4 years but there have been issues with some of their other models and I don't think their new stuff is as good. Denon seems solid to me, my NAD stuff has been great as well. Of my two DVD players one is a 5 year old 5 disc Panasonic that's slow as heck to recognize a DVD but works flawlessly (recently it stacked two DVDs on top of each other but one was a netflix that I missed a sticky spot on the top of). My other DVD player is a couple years old, it's a Pioneer Elite DV-45A which has also worked flawlessly.

In general most speakers should hold out pretty well but in electronics NAD, Outlaw, Marantz, Pioneer and Yamaha have all been good as far as I've seen. Onkyo is usually OK but I know some people who have had a couple issues.

[Mark4583]

Ive been looking at the Pioneer Elite's and it looks like a local store is going to start selling them, I just need to decide what model reciever and DvD I want. I dont need alot of bells and whistles, just a solid system that sounds and looks good.
As far as my Axiom Speakers go, I like them alot. I listened to several other's in the same price range and I liked these by far and the Sub just blows me away, I might add another Qs8 for 7:1 .
Thanks for the info I appreciate the input.

[emorphien]

I have a pair of Axiom M3Ti speakers and they're still one of my favorite speakers under $500.

[PeruvianSkies]

I'd say it just means he's trying to piss people off.

My Harman/Kardon receiver has been very reliable in the past 4 years but there have been issues with some of their other models and I don't think their new stuff is as good. Denon seems solid to me, my NAD stuff has been great as well. Of my two DVD players one is a 5 year old 5 disc Panasonic that's slow as heck to recognize a DVD but works flawlessly (recently it stacked two DVDs on top of each other but one was a netflix that I missed a sticky spot on the top of). My other DVD player is a couple years old, it's a Pioneer Elite DV-45A which has also worked flawlessly.

In general most speakers should hold out pretty well but in electronics NAD, Outlaw, Marantz, Pioneer and Yamaha have all been good as far as I've seen. Onkyo is usually OK but I know some people who have had a couple issues.

Which is exactly why this TROLL needs to be extinguished from this site.

[pixelthis]

Which is exactly why this TROLL needs to be extinguished from this site.

Kinda like the light of reason has been extinguished from between your ears?

I guess the truth hurts, especially you who support the Canadian speaker industry with your purchase of PSB( Pretty Sure they Blow)
The entire Canadian speaker industry is subsidized by the government.
A lot use the research facilities provided by said government.
Axioms are just the chevys' of that effort, with PSB being the pontiac, etc.
Why do you think there are so many speaker companies from Canada that have started in the last decade or so?
Now a lot of the stuff produced by this effort are okay in a circuit city/ best buy sort of way,
but its just my opinion that your money can buy more, is all.
I am entitled to an opinion arent I?

[PeruvianSkies]

I guess the truth hurts, especially you who support the Canadian speaker industry with your purchase of PSB( Pretty Sure they Blow)

You are only "pretty" sure because you don't know for a fact simply because you probably never actually HEARD them or actually spent any time listening to serious speakers in your life. You go right ahead and enjoy your Klipsch speakers though, oh wait, that's right you have B&W speakers now...despite the fact that you have no proof and are too ashamed to show any pictures. You are only jealous of what I have and that's the only reason why you make comments in regards to my posting of pictures, here's a hint: it's a photo gallery...the point is to post pictures. Get over it!

Axioms are just the chevys' of that effort, with PSB being the pontiac, etc.

A comment this ignorant could only be made by an uneducated fool, you fit that bill quite well. I doubt you've ever actually heard PSB speakers. If you did, you were probably listening to Randy Travis.

Why do you think there are so many speaker companies from Canada that have started in the last decade or so?

I don't know, but PSB just celebrated 30+ years.

Now a lot of the stuff produced by this effort are okay in a circuit city/ best buy sort of way,
but its just my opinion that your money can buy more, is all.
I am entitled to an opinion arent I?

Well, next time you see PSB at Best Buy you let me know. I think they will probably sell them right next to the Paradox speakers.

[emorphien]

He went from thinly veiled trolling to blatant trolling in just one post!

PSB blows? Honestly have you listened to them? I'd take them over B&W most days of the week. Same for many of the B&Ws vs Axiom. I'm no big fan of Paradigm but they are another hugely successful, popular and well reviewed brand. Although I have no idea how old Axiom is, PSB and Paradigm (and Totem) all go back beyond your "past 10 years" theory.

[PeruvianSkies]

He went from thinly veiled trolling to blatant trolling in just one post!

PSB blows? Honestly have you listened to them? I'd take them over B&W most days of the week. Same for many of the B&Ws vs Axiom. I'm no big fan of Paradigm but they are another hugely successful, popular and well reviewed brand. Although I have no idea how old Axiom is, PSB and Paradigm (and Totem) all go back beyond your "past 10 years" theory.

When my Platinum's arrived they came with a high-gloss PSB book that also included a 30th Anniversary high quality engraved pen, which was a nice little token of appreciation. I would also agree with you on PSB over B&W, with the exception of the flagship B&W I never really liked their sound. Some people LOVE them and that is understandable, but to me they always seemed to over-articulate the music and almost 'color' it a bit. What I love about PSB is they are strictly business...all neutral and natural in their sound. My T6's are one of the few speakers in their price range that absolutely disappear in the room and enable you to just enjoy the music. There are a few reviews out there comparing their sound to that of speakers around the 20K mark, like Aerial Acoustics and others in that similar range. That doesn't mean anything though if the buyer isn't 100% satisfied, which I couldn't be more happy with what I have. Even if I got a set of MBL's sent to my house tomorrow I'd still keep the Plats around.

[emorphien]

I love Aerials, except for their top one (30T I think?) which I found rather boring to listen to.

[PeruvianSkies]

I love Aerials, except for their top one (30T I think?) which I found rather boring to listen to.

Yeah, I haven't heard those, but I found Aerial and PSB to have some similar characteristics, mostly their ability to just let you enjoy the music without influencing it and keeping it dynamic, but at the same time neutral to the source.

Also, I tend to lump PSB into 2 categories: Quality MidFi and Stunning HiFi and basically the Alpha and Image line fall into the first category while the Stratus and Platinums fall into the second one, most likely the G-Design too, but I haven't heard for myself so unlike those that say something on assumptions and opinionated ballyhoo...I'll reserve comment for those until I demo a some.

[Mark4583]

Thanks for the input.
I just purchased a lower cost Pioneer DvD , DV-400V-K for around a $100.
Going to wait a bit to see how the Format war's go for a bit.
Be esier for me to drop some $$$ on a Elite Reciver by its self.
Thanks again

[frenchmon]

Kinda like the light of reason has been extinguished from between your ears?

I guess the truth hurts, especially you who support the Canadian speaker industry with your purchase of PSB( Pretty Sure they Blow)
The entire Canadian speaker industry is subsidized by the government.
A lot use the research facilities provided by said government.
Axioms are just the chevys' of that effort, with PSB being the pontiac, etc.
Why do you think there are so many speaker companies from Canada that have started in the last decade or so?
Now a lot of the stuff produced by this effort are okay in a circuit city/ best buy sort of way,
but its just my opinion that your money can buy more, is all.
I am entitled to an opinion arent I?

Can you kindly support you claims with documentation? Kindly give us a web site that says this so we can read ourselves. If not we will just count this as rubbish as your other ramblins.

frenchmon

[pixelthis]

When my Platinum's arrived they came with a high-gloss PSB book that also included a 30th Anniversary high quality engraved pen, which was a nice little token of appreciation. I would also agree with you on PSB over B&W, with the exception of the flagship B&W I never really liked their sound. Some people LOVE them and that is understandable, but to me they always seemed to over-articulate the music and almost 'color' it a bit. What I love about PSB is they are strictly business...all neutral and natural in their sound. My T6's are one of the few speakers in their price range that absolutely disappear in the room and enable you to just enjoy the music. There are a few reviews out there comparing their sound to that of speakers around the 20K mark, like Aerial Acoustics and others in that similar range. That doesn't mean anything though if the buyer isn't 100% satisfied, which I couldn't be more happy with what I have. Even if I got a set of MBL's sent to my house tomorrow I'd still keep the Plats around.

That overarticulation you refer to is accuracy , imaging, and frequency response.
Speakers from a certain geograpical area tend to have a similar sound, and the "neutral" sound you refer to is simply bland to me, and I dont use my speakers for "business", I use them for pleasure.
Theres' boston" sound, "west coast sound", english" sound, and Canadian sound, with either the "aluminumized cones" or the clear polyproplene.
I have heard Axioms, and paradigms, PSB not so much, the local dealer folded in a hurry,
but while my buddies M80s' sounded decent enough you couldn't distinguish them from a zillion other speakers in what is a crowded market
And don't mention Paradigm, god! What a crappy sound.
But I do hope you enjoy your little book, and your pen, peruvian.
Nice to know you got something for your money

[PeruvianSkies]

That overarticulation you refer to is accuracy , imaging, and frequency response.
Speakers from a certain geograpical area tend to have a similar sound, and the "neutral" sound you refer to is simply bland to me, and I dont use my speakers for "business", I use them for pleasure.
Theres' boston" sound, "west coast sound", english" sound, and Canadian sound, with either the "aluminumized cones" or the clear polyproplene.
I have heard Axioms, and paradigms, PSB not so much, the local dealer folded in a hurry,
but while my buddies M80s' sounded decent enough you couldn't distinguish them from a zillion other speakers in what is a crowded market
And don't mention Paradigm, god! What a crappy sound.
But I do hope you enjoy your little book, and your pen, peruvian.
Nice to know you got something for your money

Again, you say that you have not listened to PSB that much....and I'd be curious to know which model you were listening to. What you need to realize is that the Platinum line of PSB is much different than anything else that have ever made. This says a lot considering that the PSB Stratus Gold's were one of the finest speaker in it's price-range for nearly a decade! Untouched by anything else near it and to some extent speakers costing well above it. It was a benchmark speaker for it's class. The Platinum's are in a league to their own as well surpassing the Gold's by a mile and entering into the land of exotic high-end. While they aren't in the same division as Wilson Audio, Kharma, Hansen, or MBL, they are strong contenders in those higher-end divisions. It's probably fair to say that the Platinum T6 or T8 is the last stop before going super high end like Aerial Acoustics and such. The guy from Soundstage wrote a review on the T6 saying how they were going toe-to-toe with the Aerial Acoustics 20T, even though it cost 1/4th as much.

So if you are going to blabber on about things that you don't know anything about, at least do some reading, research, and maybe some listening and at least try and come off like you have somewhat of a clue.

[pixelthis]

Again, you say that you have not listened to PSB that much....and I'd be curious to know which model you were listening to. What you need to realize is that the Platinum line of PSB is much different than anything else that have ever made. This says a lot considering that the PSB Stratus Gold's were one of the finest speaker in it's price-range for nearly a decade! Untouched by anything else near it and to some extent speakers costing well above it. It was a benchmark speaker for it's class. The Platinum's are in a league to their own as well surpassing the Gold's by a mile and entering into the land of exotic high-end. While they aren't in the same division as Wilson Audio, Kharma, Hansen, or MBL, they are strong contenders in those higher-end divisions. It's probably fair to say that the Platinum T6 or T8 is the last stop before going super high end like Aerial Acoustics and such. The guy from Soundstage wrote a review on the T6 saying how they were going toe-to-toe with the Aerial Acoustics 20T, even though it cost 1/4th as much.

So if you are going to blabber on about things that you don't know anything about, at least do some reading, research, and maybe some listening and at least try and come off like you have somewhat of a clue.

Stuff like Wilson watt puppies or his latest, at 45,000, is totally out of the conversation we're having.
A "benchmark" is just that because some say so, ultimately you have to listen with your ears, and I never go by what others say concerning speakers, except when there is an overwhelming consensus. A lot of people like Bose.
Speakers tend to be mass manufactured, but they are a major part of any system, and their "personality" (sound, build quality) colors the aspects of what your system is a great
deal. Canadian speakers just can't get away from that industrial mass built look and sound, and sure B&w is mass manufactured also, but they've figured out how to get a little personality in their product, at least they resemble something hand built (and their higher line is) and the price is unbeatable.
But if you're happy with your psb then more power to you, there is just better out there
in my opinion. In a crowded speaker market the 1,000 to 2,000 "midline" is one of the most crowded.
Next time try some triangles, viennas, heck, even some Bostons, aall have more personality than your designed by the numbers Canadian speakers

[PeruvianSkies]

Stuff like Wilson watt puppies or his latest, at 45,000, is totally out of the conversation we're having.
A "benchmark" is just that because some say so, ultimately you have to listen with your ears, and I never go by what others say concerning speakers, except when there is an overwhelming consensus. A lot of people like Bose.
Speakers tend to be mass manufactured, but they are a major part of any system, and their "personality" (sound, build quality) colors the aspects of what your system is a great
deal. Canadian speakers just can't get away from that industrial mass built look and sound, and sure B&w is mass manufactured also, but they've figured out how to get a little personality in their product, at least they resemble something hand built (and their higher line is) and the price is unbeatable.
But if you're happy with your psb then more power to you, there is just better out there
in my opinion. In a crowded speaker market the 1,000 to 2,000 "midline" is one of the most crowded.
Next time try some triangles, viennas, heck, even some Bostons, aall have more personality than your designed by the numbers Canadian speakers

I can assure you that the Platinums would beat out anything by B&W with the exception of their flagship speaker. And for the record, the Stratus Gold's are a well-known audiophile speaker that I have listened to in dozens of setups of the years. It's one of t he most recognized speaker of it's kind and has a long-stranding reputation as one of the best speakers in it's class. Ask anyone out there. Or better yet, listen to a few yourself and you will see.

[pixelthis]

I can assure you that the Platinums would beat out anything by B&W with the exception of their flagship speaker. And for the record, the Stratus Gold's are a well-known audiophile speaker that I have listened to in dozens of setups of the years. It's one of t he most recognized speaker of it's kind and has a long-stranding reputation as one of the best speakers in it's class. Ask anyone out there. Or better yet, listen to a few yourself and you will see.

you're even Bogarting B&W's ad copy.
Yeah, I see all of these recording studios ditching their B&W monitors and switching
to PSB.
I admit I havent listened to much in the PSB line, what I listened to sounded competent
enough, but hell, at those prices they should. I have heard better for less.
These days the market is simply too crowded with decent speakers at a decent price
to pay a premium for standard.
I recently saw a pair of B&W CDM-1 bookshelves on Ebay, looked nicely maintained,
thought I had a chance at those, the bidding was around 385 when I first saw them.
Bidding stopped at close to a grand! They cost 1200$ new!
Theres a reason for that

[PeruvianSkies]

you're even Bogarting B&W's ad copy.
Yeah, I see all of these recording studios ditching their B&W monitors and switching
to PSB.
I admit I havent listened to much in the PSB line, what I listened to sounded competent
enough, but hell, at those prices they should. I have heard better for less.
These days the market is simply too crowded with decent speakers at a decent price
to pay a premium for standard.
I recently saw a pair of B&W CDM-1 bookshelves on Ebay, looked nicely maintained,
thought I had a chance at those, the bidding was around 385 when I first saw them.
Bidding stopped at close to a grand! They cost 1200$ new!
Theres a reason for that

You are the ONLY person in the world that believes that PSB are overpriced...exactly how much were the speakers that you listened to and which model were they?

I'll be here waiting for you to get back from searching the internet over in order to come up with some crazy concoction of a story and such about them in order to fit what you are trying to prove.

[PeruvianSkies]

From a Soundstage review...

PSB Speakers is best known for its "quality for value" offerings -- loudspeakers that marry solid engineering to affordability. The Stratus Gold-i, for example, measured as well as (or better than) any $15,000 loudspeaker I've heard, and for a puritanical $2699.

What distinguishes PSB's Platinum series from the company's other lines is simply that it carries that same philosophy to a more ambitious level. You know -- better parts, more contempo styling, and higher prices. But -- and here's the part that truly is startling -- not all that much higher. The top-of-the-line T8 barely clocks in at $7k, and the T6, the next dearest and the subject of this review, costs $4999 USD per pair.

That ain't cheap, but some high-end loudspeaker manufacturers don't even offer entry-level speakers for that few ducats. Nothing against those companies, of course, but when you pay those dizzying prices, you ought to expect that they will make listening to music a transformative experience. I didn't anticipate that from a pair of $5000 floorstanders, but that's precisely what I got.

[thekid]

On a somewhat related note my brother just told me of an interesting strategy he is using to purchase his DVD recorder/players. He burns alot of DVD's for school and as gifts and found that most of the brands in the price range he buys in die somewhere after the first year because of the amount of hours he puts on them. He goes into either BB or CC and purchases one of their open box specials which are reduced in price. He then takes the savings and uses that to by their extended warranty plan. When the recorder/player dies he just returns it and gets a new unit. He is currently on his 3rd player from the same warranty. Sounds a little crazy to me but on his budget and with the amount of recording he does it seems to work.