Skip to main content

Just wondering. and how much time do you spend listening?

Do you modify your stereo?

Comments

Michael Fossenkemper Mon, 07/25/2005 - 06:59

my home stereo is basically pieced together from stuff that i've rotated out. I've got some jbl and B&W's. I have one of those multimedia surround sound amps, don't listen to much music at home, mostly for movies and internet stuff. Still trying to get my audiomedia 3 card to work in my G4 with tiger, but for now it's just running out of the line out. That reminds me, I've got to check to see if digi has a core audio driver that works with tiger.

Cucco Mon, 07/25/2005 - 10:06

I started as a hometheater junkie so I actually have a decent setup.

I too use the Rotel stuff - I don't recall the Preamp model, but it's the one with DD 7.1 (6.1 with their proprietary 7th channel), DTS ES, DPLII, Component video switching, etc. The amp is a RMB 1068? 120 watts RMS to 5 channels - THX approved (not that it means a damn thing to me). I also use an HK power amp (PA 5800) - 80 watts per channel x 5 channels. I use 4 of the channels of the Rotel to bi-amp my NHT 2.5 i's and the 1 remaining channel to power my center. 4 of the HK's amps are used for the remaining speakers. Then, I have a REL Strata III subwoofer - a pricey beast, but it's OH SO musical. Also, I have a Yamaha DVD-A/SACD transport and a Denon DVD player. My newest addition is an HD DirecTV receiver.

All the cables are MIT.

The room is also treated with acoustical products from RPG and Auralex and, oh yeah, it doubles as my current mastering suite.

J.

anonymous Mon, 07/25/2005 - 12:05

mmmmmmmmmmm interesting. I do not have my home hifi setup partly because i have two angels under five who think its sport to pull out the cones.I have not had it set up for about two years and don't miss it ,The second reason being that I have dificculty taking off my mastering hat so i would end up trying to get every song to sound better in my lounge.Ultmatley i want to convert my loft into a listening room where i can put a nice system and have access to my 10.000 record collection

Michael Fossenkemper Mon, 07/25/2005 - 19:55

Living in NYC is a bit tricky with a nice setup. Neighbors don't seem to appreciate a nice 15" sub. So gone is the sub and I route the LFE to the mains. What I do find is that i tend to like a slightly darker sound at home as apposed to the studio. In that i don't want to hear as much detail. If i hear uglyness in recordings, I tend to not like to listen.

Randyman... Mon, 07/25/2005 - 21:22

I run a pretty nice Sony ES system. Sony's GOOD stuff from the mid to late 90's was absolutely killer. Car audio and home audio were both massively "Overbuilt" and built like tanks with nice cosmetics, too. If you think Sony sucks "across the board", you surely have NOT seen the stuff I'm talking about. Otherwise - yes - Sony SUCKS ASS! My Car Audio in-dash CD player was like $1000 (CDX-C90), and the DSP unit w/ Burr Brown DA's and TOSLINK conection to the CD player (XDP-4000x) was another $1000 and is programmed via a Laptop (this is GOOD SHIT!). The Home Audio ES stuff I have is along these same lines.

I have downsized a bit, but I actually use my HR-824's for main L/R, a Polk Audio CS400i for Center, and some Peavey "Hi-Fi" 6.5"/1" satellites for rear. Currently don't use a sub, as the Mackies reach low enough for now - but I have 4x 10" subs in custom tuned enclosures powered with 1100Watts RMS I can whip out if I feel the need (not usually, and not in the past year).

I rely on 2-Channel "passive" processing from my Sony STR-DA777ES for the most part (ALL music listening, and some TV viewing are strictly L/R), and it is strictly an analog pass-thru device with a VERY nice attenuator and source selector in this mode.

I use one of the Dolby Pro-Logic DSP settings for TV viewing to allow use of the Center Channel when appropriate.

Add in a 400 Disc CD changer, 5 Disc DVD changer, SACD/DVD-A/MP3 combo player (doesn't see much use), and I also have my PC in the loop as well for a music server. I like it, and I am intimately familiar with its charachter (unlike my new Dynaudio BM-6's that I'm still adjusting to in my Mix room)

Later :cool:

pr0gr4m Mon, 07/25/2005 - 21:44

How expensive is my stereo? Not expensive enough.

I've got an old but pretty powerful Yamaha home theater thing with a connection for a Laser Disc!

For music I pipe my single disc CD player through the Yam to a pair of Jamo Cornet 100's. I like the way they sound.

I have a mix of Polk audio and mission speakers for surround/movie type stuff.

FifthCircle Mon, 07/25/2005 - 22:59

Got a pretty good setup here... I wish it was better, but it does ok.

I have Paradigm Reference 20's as my mains, the Reference Center and then monitor series speakers of the same size as my surrounds. I also have a B&W 15" 500W sub (god I love pissing off the neighbors with a loud movie.... hehe) I have one of the Rotel home theater preamp/amplifiers running the whole system. It is pretty good over all...

Eventually, I'll get a better preamp and amplifier setup and I'll probably upgrade to a higher end Paradigm Reference series for the Left-Right mains, but this is still a pretty good setup.

Ahh... If only I had more money.

--Ben

JoeH Mon, 07/25/2005 - 23:18

There seems to be a pattern here....hehehe...None of us seem to really spend the kind of $$$ on our home systems; they don't hold a candle to what we work with, almost literally in the next room sometimes. (Like the shoemaker's kids who go around barefoot... ;-)

I too tend to neglect my home stereo system while pouring all my time and resources into my studio setup. But still, it's my "reality check" system....all kinds of mongrel stuff, and I justify it by using it as my "What does the mix sound like on OTHER peoples stuff?" system.

It's a Best-Buy-on-sale Kenwood 100w/ch 5.1 system, a 12" dedicated sub, lots of Sony Components (DVD, CD, Tuner, etc.) and whatever I'm testing at the time. I've got it all set up diagonally across the corner of a square-ish room for the whole surround experience, so there's no parallel surfaces, and amazingly, the whole system sounds great.

Ditto for the rest of my house...all kinds of various "off the shelf" systems in the dining room (little Denon bookshelf System), and bedrooms (even have a sub in one of the bedroom systems....let's not go there....hehehe.)

I haven't gone as far as being able to play the same feed on every system at the same time, but with the way wifi distro seems to be headed these days, maybe it's something I'll play around with during the next blizzard or snowed-in months.

iznogood Tue, 07/26/2005 - 05:10

a home stereo is a stereo you have at home :-?

i must admit that when i was working i didn't listen to ANYTHING at home....

just as the time i worked at a music store.... i didn't do ANY music!

it's a bit of a paradox..... isn't it

we're making records all day long and basically not doing any listening...

and by listening i mean just sitting down in a chair.... maybe with a book.... and listen uninterupted for an hour!

now that i'm ill i have alot more spare time i'm listening up to 10-15 hours a week.... and i really feel i missed out on something.....

what do you guys feel?

TrilliumSound Tue, 07/26/2005 - 07:40

It is fun and vital (for me) to listen to music just like it is supposed to be. Unfortunetely, I do not have much time to do more than 1 or 2 hours per week. When I was yonger, I used to listen to music at least 4 hours a day and I really miss these moments. When I get a great CD and Mix to Master and I really gid the style on top, it is like a gift and makes me feel like listening again with my audiophile ears, just like being 16 again!

But I am really in need of this and I think I will take some time again to listen to music and not criticising about technical issues and enjoy the magic again.

FifthCircle Tue, 07/26/2005 - 09:01

Heck, I listen all the time.... I found that I didn't listen when I had a crappy stereo system as I just didn't like the way things sounded.

I have a huge CD collection that covers all genres and I love to listen to what I have. Also, of all things, the ipod has me listening more as well. It gives me large quantities of music for the gym and road trips.

-Ben

anonymous Tue, 07/26/2005 - 09:52

For me it's a matter of free time to listen. When you're listening critically at work 8-12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, you need to give your ears some time off & rest when your not working. It's a matter of balance... some nights after work I'll sleep with foamy earplugs.

If I were mastering only one or two records a weeks, sure I'd listen a lot outside the studio... probably to pre-digital vinyl. 8)

x

User login