Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Brite
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
WIBIMMERS logo

WIBIMMERS

  1. Home
  2. Off-Topic Discussion
  3. General Off-Topic
  4. chit chat thread

chit chat thread

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General Off-Topic
7.1k Posts 73 Posters 1 Views 1 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • HipMFH
    HipMFH
    HipMF
    wrote on last edited by
    #5454

    SteelBlue said:

    check out Sound World when you're back at the shop next, cool to browse around. Have a sales person demo their $30,000 system they have set up.

    I bought a phono cartridge there many years ago. Got it for way below list price, and the staff seemed pretty knowledgeable.  Their "used" section has some cool stuff in it sometimes too.

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • YoungCRY
      YoungCRY
      YoungCR
      wrote on last edited by
      #5455

      SteelBlue said:

      Have you found a noticeable difference between FLAC and 320? I've read there is almost no discernible difference between 320 and 256. 256 is what the Apple TV outputs to my receiver.

      My little experience with FLAC was years ago, I haven't touched my actual music library in a while. Because I've always lived with roommates I didn't have a private place for a proper setup. Now the wife and I spend most of our time watching TV and movies. Short term goal is to get some atomos uppers to put my Sony STR DN1080 to work, then I'll replace the rest of the basic yahmaha home theater speakers when I can. All my music listening is through streaming services while I'm driving as that's mainly when I have time.

      Chris Young
      BMWCCA #458972
      1986 528e/5  | 1994 530i/5 | 1995 540i/6 | 2013 X5 35d | 1998 C1500 Suburban | 1995 K2500 Suburban

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • HipMFH
        HipMFH
        HipMF
        wrote on last edited by
        #5456

        Pre-facelift Rega Brio. Bought it off ebay for $260-ish? This thing has been satisfying all of my amplifying needs for maybe 15 years now? It's got an input selector and a volume knob. All the features you need, and none that you don't. #purist

        vyqlmcxxEcgAM3wv5qT4w16oTAnCK7fdYqx0b3

        Also swapped out the Polks for a pair of Mission M71s that I wanted back in the day. Not much different really, just better looking.

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • straight6pwrS
          straight6pwrS
          straight6pwr
          wrote on last edited by
          #5457

          my home audio comes out of a pair of sony bluetooth battery powered speakers. sounds great to me. 

          *flamesuit on*

          Dan
          yajsYRL.jpg.e5f350b4dfe961d76ac8b32efce2e1a6.jpg

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • EarlE
            EarlE
            Earl
            wrote on last edited by
            #5458

            My home audio comes out of the back of my television😲

            museum sig 2earl.jpg

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • SteelBlueS
              SteelBlueS
              SteelBlue
              wrote on last edited by
              #5459

              straight6pwr said:

              my home audio comes out of a pair of sony bluetooth battery powered speakers. sounds great to me. 

              *flamesuit on* 

              Earl said:

              My home audio comes out of the back of my television😲

              I would strongly recommend look into getting a a receiver and two front speakers. The difference between a bluetooth or TV speakers and dedicated speakers is staggering.

              There are a ton of options for speakers in the $100-$200 range that perform extremely well for their price point.

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • straight6pwrS
                straight6pwrS
                straight6pwr
                wrote on last edited by
                #5460

                If i decided to spend $200 on a receiver and some speakers for a small basement game room TV, what brand would you point me to?

                Dan
                yajsYRL.jpg.e5f350b4dfe961d76ac8b32efce2e1a6.jpg

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • GunMetalGreyG
                  GunMetalGreyG
                  GunMetalGrey
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #5461

                  Earl said:

                  My home audio comes out of the back of my television😲

                  This is a real travesty, even most cost effective sound bars these days blow stock tv speakers out of the water.
                  My old 5.1 channel stuff bit the dust so I grabbed an ATS-1080 bar and have been quite pleased with it. Compact and very clear audio. 

                  @HipMF that rega looks sweet, I enjoy the simplicity of it.

                  ...

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • SteelBlueS
                    SteelBlueS
                    SteelBlue
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #5462

                    straight6pwr said:

                    If i decided to spend $200 on a receiver and some speakers for a small basement game room TV, what brand would you point me to?

                    You'd be hard pressed to find both for that combined price.

                    Your receiver will handle both your audio and video. If you want to go budget, you could go with this receiver and these speakers.

                    If you wanted a little more oompf and better sound, these speakers would be a good upgrade.

                    Just like with cars, there is a ton of manufactures that all have their different spin on things. I would just search Amazon for "bookshelf speakers" and see what fits your price and read reviews. Also doing google searches of "best bookshelf speaker for $XXX" is a good way to get an idea of whats out there.

                    Receivers that handle audio and video you won't find a ton of wiggle room in the price. Differences will be number out video inputs and outputs, power to each speaker(not really that big of a concern for smaller speakers), and other features like bluetooth, wifi, Chromecast, etc.

                    But you can get into something that will be significant step up from your current setup for ~$300-$400. Feel free to PM with any other questions.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • P_RoloffP
                      P_RoloffP
                      P_Roloff
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #5463

                      I’d agree with @SteelBlue that the Denon is a good choice, we have an older version and it’s been great, lots of features and pretty easy to use and set up. I personally went used when buying my receiver, but I did a lot of looking before I found one that I liked. HDMI comparability was the biggest thing for me, along with some sort of wireless connectivity to my phone (AirPlay in the case of the receiver I picked up, a Harman Kardon AVR-1700). While it’s not the best money can buy, for $100 I’ve been pleased with it and it allowed me to spend the extra money on better speakers where I feel that money is better spent, at least for now. 

                      TL;DR: Don’t be afraid to buy used, just do your research first and make sure it’s actually what you want and isn’t going to stop working within a month.

                      SteelBlue said:

                      Wharfedale Diamonds? I bought a $90 Yamaha center channel that has worked pretty well for what I wanted out of it. Definitely plan to upgrade in the future based on how much audio is pushed out of it.

                      Yeah, the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1’s. For what it’s worth, I way prefer the Chane’s. The mids in the Wharfedale’s seem to be more recessed and veiled, and they just don’t sound as fun/aren’t as enjoyable to listen to. They’ve been excellent surrounds though, especially for the $125 I paid for them.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • GunMetalGreyG
                        GunMetalGreyG
                        GunMetalGrey
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #5464

                        It's amusing to think that all end users can have different takeaways when it comes to audio equipment.

                        ...

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        1
                        • ChrisOC
                          ChrisOC
                          ChrisO
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #5465

                          I knew it was cold this morning because the screen on the cluster in my Passat was frozen. Never seen anything like it. Took about 30mins of heat for it to come back from the dead.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          1
                          • P_RoloffP
                            P_RoloffP
                            P_Roloff
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #5466

                            @straight6pwr also had some interesting experiences with his gauge cluster this morning per his Instagram. I for one have not set foot outside my building and don't plan to until 3:00 tomorrow when I have class.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            1
                            • RekpointR
                              RekpointR
                              Rekpoint
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #5467

                              Yeah no class from Monday till Friday for me. Woot Woot

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • ChrisOC
                                ChrisOC
                                ChrisO
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #5468

                                P_Roloff said:

                                @straight6pwr also had some interesting experiences with his gauge cluster this morning per his Instagram. I for one have not set foot outside my building and don't plan to until 3:00 tomorrow when I have class.

                                Damn they didn’t cancel class? uwec was canceled today and tomorrow. Where do ya go?

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • straight6pwrS
                                  straight6pwrS
                                  straight6pwr
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #5469

                                  LOL, yeah my cluster was freakin. but the car started, so that was a miracle. 

                                  gas gauge = non op

                                  temp gauge = non op

                                  OBC display = said "Code?"

                                  tach = pinging back and forth like it had ripped some coke

                                  also, my 5 speed refused to stay in 2nd or 4th gear until it got warmed up. i had to hold the lever until i shifted to the next gear.

                                  power steering was struggling, too. the load it put on the car when i backed out from my parking spot dipped the rpms so much it killed the motor 

                                  coldest day I have ever experienced.

                                  Dan
                                  yajsYRL.jpg.e5f350b4dfe961d76ac8b32efce2e1a6.jpg

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  1
                                  • jc43089J
                                    jc43089J
                                    jc43089
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #5470

                                    I didn't try starting my e36 today.  I did start my Sienna and it puked a bunch of oil out around the oil filter for about 30 seconds and sounded really angry that I woke it up.  It wouldn't shift into gear until I let it warm up for several minutes. 

                                    I like this being a teacher thing, cancelled Monday, Wednesday, Thursday this week.  I was super helpful because one of our gilts had piglets on Sunday afternoon so I have been able to care for the animals better with the frigid temps.  She is doing great and the piglets seem to be doing good buried in the straw bedding.

                                    Tomorrow I will see how the BMW does when I have to go do some work for my father in law.

                                    2/94 325i Sedan, Arctic Gray: UUC LTW FW, EVO 3 and DSSR, +.020 Maxsil pistons, ASC delete, Eibach shocks/springs, 16" contour reps 238k
                                    3/93 325i Coupe, Schwarz 2, Sketchy stance action, ebay turbo, 300k
                                    '89 325i Vert, Alpine White: 5spd swapped, sold.

                                    '04 Toyota Sienna: 24V to 24V swap in progress

                                    '05 Volvo V70R, 6spd.  200k
                                    '85 Toyota LandCruiser: Lifted, gas hog. 205k
                                    '99 Nissan Maxima: 5spd, Rusty but trusty winter beater. 252k RIP.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • HipMFH
                                      HipMFH
                                      HipMF
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #5471

                                      straight6pwr said:

                                      If i decided to spend $200 on a receiver and some speakers for a small basement game room TV, what brand would you point me to?

                                      Find the best hand-me-down receiver/amp that you can get for $20 or less and spend the rest of your budget on speakers.

                                      A decent sounding amplifier can be built at just about any price range. My old bookshelf speakers are connected to my computer with a $30 plastic amplifier that's designed to run on AAs (og Tripath T-Amp) and it sounds almost as good to my ears as my Brio which retailed for $595 back in the 90s. You just need to find something that was designed by someone who cared enough to put in an off-the-shelf amplifier circuit and follow the recommendations in the application note. I'm not trying to say it's easy to build amps, just that a good one can be built cheaply if you don't need a lot of power. If you're powering bookshelf speakers at any reasonable volume level, you don't need a lot of power, so a cheap amp will work as long as it's reasonably well designed.

                                      Speakers on the other hand require a large material and labor cost to build, and are probably more difficult to engineer. Choosing/designing multiple drivers that, together, can get you a reasonably flat frequency response curve, designing a box that doesn't vibrate, but also doesn't cost a lot to manufacture... probably a fair amount of testing and revisions on the engineering side to get something that actually sounds good. It's pretty rare that I'm pleasenty surprised by the sound of cheap speakers...

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • patsbimmer1P
                                        patsbimmer1P
                                        patsbimmer1
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #5472

                                        My wife got me a Yamaha rx-v377 receiver and speaker combo package for Christmas a few years ago and it's served my video game/movie purposes very well.  I don't know anything about it other than I plug things in, noise comes out.

                                        2011 e90 M3 - DCT, Borla exhaust, BMW Performance Black Grille, ECS Painted Corners, Ziza Angel Eyes

                                        07 335i Stella - sport package, BMS DCI, zhp knob, TMS cf parking brake lever, VRSF downpipes, MHD tune, H&R race springs, other stuff *SOLD*

                                        97 328i Lola - sport package, m50 intake manifold, m50 manifold.com install kit, custom CAI, K&N filter, Borla exhaust, FK silverline coilovers, 25.5mm front sway bar, Powerflex front sway bushings, Turner Radiator, fan delete *sold*
                                        95 325is *sold*
                                        93 nissan 240sx KA-T *sold*

                                        BMWCCA #473306

                                        Instagram @patsbimmer1

                                        AKA- HALLWAY PAT

                                        "burnouts bring babes and babes dont have time for bushings" - Kaiser Rolls

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • HipMFH
                                          HipMFH
                                          HipMF
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #5473

                                          As far as on-topic updates go, my OBC temp read-out was more accurate today than it's ever been, because it's said -40F as long as I've had the car (no sensor hooked up)

                                          1 Reply Last reply
                                          4

                                          Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.

                                          Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.

                                          With your input, this post could be even better 💗

                                          Register Login
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Don't have an account? Register

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          Powered by NodeBB Contributors
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups