Re: Apex dvd player

From: gothika (Vampyres_at_nettaxi.com)
Date: 06/27/04 

Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 04:31:57 -0500

On 26 Jun 2004 08:55:06 GMT, laseranddvdfan@aol.com (LASERandDVDfan)
wrote:

>>Still you must go back and read again. The difference is not
>>discernable on th e average home tv.
>
>Whatever.
>
>Besides, my TV isn't an average home TV, so why should I care what you think?
>
>I don't have a beef with people doing what they want, I'm just saying that I
>have no need to do what you think is a great idea.
>
>I don't need S-VHS copies of my DVDs because I take care of my DVDs. Under
>proper care, DVDs will not wear out from normal use.
That remains to be seen. Dyes DO fade with time and use. chemical
compounds do destabilize.

>
>And, why would I want to copy DVDs for illegal distribution, if you are
>thinking of it that way?
I didn't ever imply illegal, rather fair use.
>
>>Yeah! I've seen such crap in the retail outlets. A kit form of a5.1
>>theatre is mostly crap with compromises inherent.
>
>If you buy *** from Apex, Coby, Audiovox, or Bose, then I can see why you'd
>have such scorn.
>
>But, systems from Panasonic, Pioneer, and JVC aren't as bad as you make them
>out to be and they don't cost an arm and a leg. Perfect for those who just
>want a decent sounding 5.1 system for movies in a small-to-medium sized room.
>
>And, as you've implied, the average consumer may not care about quality. As
>long as THEY think it sounds good, then more power to them. But, I've heard
>the sound of box solutions from Pioneer, Panasonic, and JVC. While they're not
>as good as my rig driven by an STR-DA4ES, I was suprised that they did sound
>pretty good for what you'd get.
>
>>You can't honestly say that a small polystyrene box you can hold in
>>your hand is actually a sub woofer.
>
>Now you're feeding words in my mouth.
Nooo... That's what you usually get with those all-in-one kits.
I've yet to see any of the Panasonic, Pioneer or JVC systems you're
talking about come with a 15 inch sub. and that is what it takes to
get true subwoofer performance.(I don't care what anyone says until
you get below 26hz you aren't even approaching true sub output.)
My klipschhorns put out a flat 22hz. (My subs go down to 18hz and I've
clipped the top end on them to 26hz.)
What's sold today as subs in most outlets are little better than "Bass
emphasizers". and not very low bass at that
To call a boosted 40-50hz note "sub" is ridiculous. Might sound good
to some, bit sub it 'aint!
>
>Since when did I ever make a bull*** remark that a cube speaker can accomodate
>a subwoofer?
That's what you get in most of the 5.1 box kits. At the very best you
wind up with a 12inch, mostly tho' it's 6-8"s. And there is no way
drivers that small can carry anything much lower 42hz before razzing
out.
>If anything, a subwoofer is required to complement a cube speaker, to fill in
>the lower end that those "speakers" are incapable of reproducing. (Which is a
>sleazy tactic that Bose does to push their Acoustimass modules on the sales
>floor.)
True, but then Bose has always been crap.
>
>>In order to have quality THX certified QUALITY sound in their dens the
>>consumer is looking at a couple of thousand bucks for an out of the
>>box solution.
>
>For a true THX certified system, EVERYTHING from the speaker cable to the
>actual room acoustics have to conform to the standard. This means you will
>spend more than a couple of thousand bucks for a true THX system.
Saw a THX unit at a local hifi shop last month that went for just over
1,800.

>
>And, IMO, THX certified equipment for the home is almost a complete waste of
>money. THX for the home is not like THX for the theatre circuit or THX for
>post-production studios, where strict quality control is mandatory.
True. Lucas does play fast and loose with the standards.
I'm talking about those standards set down by Tomlinson Howard when he
first completed the lab works though.
>
>For the home, THX only means you potentially spent a lot more than you should
>have for your equipment.
True, but then that's mostly about retail hype and trickery.
Just as I first asserted there is a huge gap between what is offered
to the average consumer and the real deal.
Especially when you consider what the consumer is able and willing to
pay.(Doesn't stop the retailers from dressing up a dog and calling it
a pony tho'.)

>
>Home THX will certify anything that pays for the brand. There is a Kenwood
>receiver, the KRF-X9992D, that's THX Ultra certified, which is the highest
>possible THX certification for home equipment. But it doesn't deserve it
>because of some screwy design decisions and horrendous design shortcuts. For
>instance, if the ventilation fan fails, the whole output section will overheat.
> Also, the DSP electronics are all located overhead of the heatsinks, which
>means they get a big dose of heat radiated from the output sections when the
>receiver is running. There are also no condensor capacitors for the primary
>power supply and the secondary power supply is underdesigned. This thing uses
>a lot of transmission ribbons and all cabling are organized in an almost
>totally haphazard fashion. Overall, this sucker is an expensive example of
>what not to do with receiver design. Yet, it manages to get THX Ultra
>certification?
That has to do with the signal processing, not with the basic design
of the tuner/amp/power stages.
Though I will not defend anything Kenwood has made in the past 35
years either.
>
>Sorry, but if THX allows big ass fuckups like this, then I don't have faith in
>their standards for the home.
Once again it's all about the money.
I agree, if the THX labs really cared about their rep they'd pay alot
more attention to the overall quality of the product they're sticking
their certification badge on.
>
>I'll stick with my Sony ES receiver, thank you. Better design and build
>quality with better sound for about half the price. (Although, I paid less
>than half the MSRP for my Sony ES receiver.)
Can't totally agree with you there about Sony.
they've been going down the tubes in later years just like many
others, and I've never cared for their customer policies.
Try getting a Sony specific part from them sometime.
I have two or three Sony Receiver/Amps sitting around that fried right
out.(Friends brought them to me for repairs.)
I could either not get the parts or they cost far two much to repair.
Two of them are lat model surround sound units. A 4.1 and a 5.1 unit.
The left channel is out on one as well as the power output stage and
the other tends to overheat and shut down, even after bigger heatsinks
and a faster cooling fan.
>
>If Sony ES weren't an option, I'd go with Harman/Kardon, Denon, or Onkyo
>(preferrably without THX). - Reinhart