I read your overview on the Axiom M3Ti [August 2001]. I'm
thinking of purchasing either the M3Ti or the m22TI. Are you familiar with the M22Ti and
if so, is it superior to the M3Ti?
...John Bacik
I would like your input on how a pair of Axiom M3Tis would
compare to a set of B&W DM305s.
...Terry Weilgoz
I read with interest your review of the Axiom Millennia
M3Ti. Do you think the M50Ti sounds better than M40Ti? The M40Ti has the same drivers as
the M3Ti and you loved it. What about the M50TI which has one more? Will the midrange be
as good? I'm not into techno boom-boom but I love to be fully enveloped by the low
frequencies.
...Christian Savoie
I don't mean to duck questions like these, but it would
be impossible for me -- or any audio writer -- to have auditioned more than a tiny
fraction of the speakers available, especially in any controlled way, and so offering
specific comparisons between models would be inappropriate. We do bring a background of
knowledge and experience of speakers in general, and so can make some educated comparison
between speakers we have tested and the general run of audio equipment, and we do that in
our NRC-based speaker reviews. Going beyond that would be treading on very thin ice.
...Ian G. Masters
I am hoping you will be willing to give me some suggestions
on a problem which has happened with my combo CD/cassette/radio/recorder and portable
stereo. It works perfectly, except that I am unable to play a cassette tape in either of
the dual decks because a very loud deep sound comes through the speakers, completely
blocking the music. It used to work fine and the CD and radio play perfectly.
...Christine Smith
I recently purchased a used cassette deck, and while it
plays great, it does not record on the right side. I tried adjusting the recording levels
of each channel and there was no noticeable change. Is this just a case of dirty heads, or
is it something more?
...Eric
Without more detailed information, I can only guess, but
both these problems seem to be caused by a failure of internal wiring. In the first case,
I expect it's a problem of shielding or grounding -- the loud noise is probably simple
hum, either generated in the tape deck portion of the unit, or induced by the house
wiring. In the second, it sounds as though a connection somewhere in the recording
electronics has come undone. If it's a three-head machine, it could be a simple break at
the head, if not, it must be earlier in the chain or the playback would be affected. In
both cases, a trip to the shop would be necessary, but don't be surprised if they tell you
it's cheaper to replace the equipment than fix it.
...Ian G. Masters
I will be buying a new tube amplifier to replace my old
receiver and I'm not sure how many watts of power I will need. My speakers are rated at
91dB SPL, they are in a small room and I don't listen at rock levels. Would a good 20-watt
tube amp do the job for classical and jazz at almost live levels?
...Mark Dwight
I won't speculate as to why you want to switch to tubes.
In my opinion, it's a very expensive (and hot) way to achieve virtually no performance
advantage. But if you go ahead, your very efficient speakers, small room, and relatively
modest level requirements, would probably be adequately served by a 20-watt amp, although
that's definitely a minimum.
...Ian G. Masters
I want to know about S-video and component video cables.
Which one produces a better quality picture when playing a DVD player to a 34-inch flat
screen television.
...Johari
There's more to it than just the cables. S-video and
component video are two entirely different methods of getting the picture from a source
component to a display device. Both have to support component video for you to be able to
use it; virtually all video gear with any pretensions of quality offer S-video
connections, but component video is much less common. In theory, however, it should
produce superior image performance, but that's largely dependent on the quality of the
original material.
...Ian G. Masters
I am a car audio shop owner, and custom home audio is my
favourite hobby. How does someone like myself get more involved in design and
manufacturing of home-related audio. I have experimented with various home subwoofer
designs including dual 15-inch floor-firing woofers in custom built and finished coffee
tables, 10-inch rear-firing with floor-firing ports in end tables and lots of the usual
stuff. What I am looking for is some guidance to help me better understand the true
meaning of musicality in the home environment.
...Ryan J. Shropshire
Fine-tuning the ability to design high-quality speakers
often takes the length of a whole career, and lots of people who strive for the highest
quality never quite get it. Until about two years ago, one of the best sources for the
kind of information and insight you want was a publication called Speaker Builder. The
bad news is that it no longer exists; the good news is that a number of its back issues
are available at www.audioxpress.com.
...Ian G. Masters
I've got a 47-inch TV in a corner and a wife who doesn't
want to see speakers. I think the center channel speaker has to be seen, but I am tempted
to take the front right and left channels and make them in-wall. if I do this, both
speakers will be about 4.5 feet from the corner and will be aimed perpendicularly one to
the other. In addition, I would use in-wall rear channels. The viewing area is about 12
feet in front of and parallel to the TV screen. I am concerned that this arrangement will
produce really bad sound. Do you think it will?
...Franklin Parlamis
It might. But then again it might not. The problem is
that you won't know until you have cut holes in your walls and mounted the speakers there.
One thing to be careful to ensure is that whatever speakers you use have very good
off-axis response, because that's what you will be hearing at your prime listening
position. All in all, I'd encourage you to forget the in-wall scheme and get one of the
sat/sub arrays that use very tiny, inconspicuous satellites and a hidden sub. Some of
these can be very good indeed. If your wife needs convincing, you might be able to
persuade a dealer to lend you a system so she can see that it wouldn't be too disruptive
of her decor.
...Ian G. Masters
I find the 16:9 format of some of the new television shows
quite annoying. Will the new digital televisions automatically bring the picture up to
fill the whole screen if the television isn't a widescreen model? Also, do widescreen
models do this?
...Dennis Ganann
Even now, there are 4:3 sets that let you zoom in to
fill the screen, although at some sacrifice of vertical resolution and picture
information. At least that gets rid of the annoying black bars. Widescreen sets are all
16:9, so the pictures generated for HDTV (whether or not viewed in HD mode) will fit
perfectly. Most movies will still have black bands, but smaller ones than today. Movies
are shot in several different aspect ratios, none of them 16:9.
...Ian G. Masters
I have thoroughly enjoyed your discussion on blind
listening tests at the National Research Council. I am very interested in further
exploration of this topic. Specifically I am looking for information on the attributes
tested for in the blind listening sessions -- what is important to look for in a speaker
and how to define it -- and a list of recordings used and what attributes they are used to
test.
...Arvind Kohli
Huge question, and beyond the scope of this page. We
listen for numerous things. Bass extension, for instance: the speaker should reach down to
the lowest frequencies but not be boomy, which usually means an over-prominent upper bass
but no really low lows. The treble shouldn't be muffled -- cymbals are often a good test
for that. We spend a lot of time listening to the midrange to see if it sounds hollow (a
sag in the response) or too bright (a peak in the mids, often called the "presence
peak"). And on and on. As for recordings, we have never had anything like a
standardized list. The only criteria are that they be good recordings and that they cover
a wide variety of music styles.
...Ian G. Masters
Where could I go to learn the basics of home theater? I
would like to attend some classes and/or tutorials. I live in Toronto, Ontario. I have
been looking all over the Web and cannot find any courses or weekend seminars for this.
They have to be out there somewhere I would think.
...Kevin Oye
Such events do occur fairly frequently, usually
conducted by a representative of one of the audio manufacturers and held at a dealer's
store. These may not be absolutely unbiased, but they can contain lots of good
information. Check out the ads for the better audio specialty shops (in Toronto, it's
often Bay Bloor Radio, but there are others.) It's long been a pet project of mine to
mount a series of such day-long seminars myself, but so far that hasn't happened. Maybe
this year....
...Ian G. Masters
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