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By squigs (Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 08:51:21 AM EST) (all tags)

The whole surround amp thing confuses me.

And who should be my valentine?

What's a receiver and what's an amplifier? Do I really need 100W per channel? Is it possible to buy a decent quality less powerful amplifier that doesn't takeup so much space?

It seems Valentines day is coming. Should I send a card to someone?

I mean, there's various lesbians that I seem to have an innate ability to spot, the crazy mixed up girl I used to have the hots for, and hasn't spoken to me for several years for a reason that never made a lot of sense. There are probably a few people I could try to make jealous. Should I choose someone at random from the phone book?

Bitter? Me?

< Must be stuff, | BBC White season: 'Rivers of Blood' >

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Home cinema systems | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

Receiver/amp/etc by wiredog (2.00 / 0) #1 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 09:20:30 AM EST

A receiver is an amp+switch+radio tuner. An amp is just an amplifier. Only the really high end systems have a separate amp.

Surround sound means that there are speakers behind you, and a center channel (the "5" in "5.1") plus a subwoofer (the ".1").

How much power you need depends on the room it goes into and how loud you want to play it. I have a 6 year old "home theater in a box" system,like this one but not as good, which is fine for me.

One issue with 5.1 systems is you usually have to run the wires for the rear speakers across the floor at some point.

Earth First!
_{(We can strip mine the rest later.)}

there are wireless available by garlic (2.00 / 0) #4 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 10:50:44 AM EST

but I don't know about quality.

[ Parent ]

I had a plan by Herring (4.00 / 1) #5 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 11:15:00 AM EST

Trained gerbils. The answer to all your underfloor wiring problems. You can just make 2 1.5" holes (with a holesaw), tie string to the gerbil's tail (this is why gerbils and not hamsters) drop it down one hole and it runs to the other.

Patent Pending.

When my grandfather became ill, my grandmother rubbed goose-fat into his back. He went downhill quite quickly after that. - Milton Jones
[ Parent ]

many jobs ago by clover kicker (4.00 / 1) #7 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 03:17:18 PM EST

One of the techs at a remote office bought an RC car, duct-taped a flashlight to it, and used it to pull data cable thru the fake ceiling.

[ Parent ]

I toyed with that idea by Herring (4.00 / 1) #8 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 03:34:43 PM EST

But things like uneven ground (I've had the floorboards up in our living room) and size of hole means that the clear winners are gerbils.

When my grandfather became ill, my grandmother rubbed goose-fat into his back. He went downhill quite quickly after that. - Milton Jones
[ Parent ]

are serious comments allowed? by clover kicker (2.00 / 0) #11 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 07:02:01 PM EST

Fish tape is the most annoying thing in the world, but it will get you from point A to point B.

[ Parent ]

: Not really by Herring (2.00 / 0) #12 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 07:39:54 PM EST

Also, all the rod type solutions I've seen would be really awkward near walls (going perpendicular away from the wall).
Also, when I had the floor up in my house (should've put a load of CAT5 in then - FOOL) where it used to be two rooms, it would be really awkward to get anything through. Except maybe a gerbil.

When my grandfather became ill, my grandmother rubbed goose-fat into his back. He went downhill quite quickly after that. - Milton Jones
[ Parent ]

At a previous company by ks1178 (4.00 / 2) #9 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 04:20:01 PM EST

One of our techs used to use a crossbow to fire string through fake ceilings at large sites.

[ Parent ]

: I used a broomstick javelin by clover kicker (2.00 / 0) #10 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 06:59:16 PM EST

It's heftier, so you can pull the actual cables instead of just a string.
Your way sounds more fun, tho.

[ Parent ]

You don't NEED 100 watts per channel, by blixco (4.00 / 1) #2 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 10:10:24 AM EST

but your neighbors...are they annoying?

"Fight Club" at top volume at 3am has much more impact with a hundred watts behind it.

However, my current surround sound system has 55 watts per channel and seems to have plenty of overhead for transients. Like, say, gigantic explosions, full range stuff that requires a lot of sudden power to play cleanly.

My "music" stereo (amp + pre-amp, turntable, and two speakers) has the ability to hit 480watts when needed, but all I use it for is bragging rights and the occasional Robert Johnson or Skip Wilson album. Sometimes Al Green. Depends on the state of (un)dress.
---------------------------------
I accidentally had a conversation in italian at lunchtime. I don't speak italian. - Merekat

: Or Yoko Ono at 11 by ad hoc (4.00 / 1) #3 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 10:22:41 AM EST

--
Hypocrisy is the resin that holds the plywood of society together
[ Parent ]

Recievers and amplifiers by riceowlguy (4.00 / 2) #6 Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 12:20:26 PM EST

An amplifier ("power amp") just takes a low-power signal from some source and amplifies it to speaker power levels. As somebody else already pointed out, only the more high-end systems have separate power amps. Some very high-end systems actually have separate amplifiers for each channel.

There isn't such a thing as a "surround amp". There are amps with more or fewer channels. The pre-amplifier, or line stage, or surround processor, is responsible for taking an input signal from your DVD player or cable box and splitting the audio into five or more channels which are then amplified by the amplifier and sent to the speakers. Most "home theater receivers" combine these functions into one unit for you.

As far as power ratings go, you get what you pay for. "Watts" can be measured a couple of ways, most is measured in peak RMS power, but often what is more important is sustained power output and current output ability. I have an NAD stereo amp which is only rated at 35 watts per channel, but has big caps so it has a larger current reserve than many cheaper amps with higher power ratings.

As far as a recommendation for something that is quality and doesn't take up much space, if you don't have a bunch tied up in a DVD player you could consider one of these.

Home cinema systems | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback