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Cheap A/V receivers
So I want to get 5.1 sound back again. Harvey Norman has this Yamaha receiver for $247:
http://www.harveynorman.com.au/homepage/yamaha-htr-3066b-5-1-channel-av-receiver.html
From what I can figure out the only thing "wrong" with it is that the power supply is a bit gutless, with all channels driven the power spec drops from 100 down to something like 20. But that's OK, we don't listen very loud anyway.
I keep planning to build a nice 5.1 amp but it's not happening...
So I wonder how bad (murky etc) it can be. Apparently it used to be ~$600.
Comments
Build a bodzio 5.1 system instead
If it has pre-outs for each channel then it can be used to drive a multi-channel amp in the future…so the gutless PS matters not much. If it's just to improve on your new TVs awful built in speakers then it matters even less…
One of the major reasons I fear the death of our old CRT is the fact that no new flat screen TV sounds like anything more than an overdriven pair of headphones…so we'd need more audio gadgets just to watch the ABC news…
By the by I've never heard a muddy sounding Yamaha amp (motorbike, yes) so provided you use a decently efficient speaker set…you'll be fine.
Hah hah, who was it said something about this year being the one for completing projects?
It doesn't. But I wouldn't expect it to for that price. The box does have a $549 sticker on it so it seems like a good deal. I don't think I can build an amp for that price. I guess I'll be finding out how it sounds ... B-)
Some of these new gizmos have a thing called ARC - audio return channel. It means that you can send audio back down the HDMI so that the receiver (or bluray/dvd player), which should hopefully be connected to something better, can play the TV audio. Anyway I'll let you know if I can make it work...
Well, I can't make the ARC function work. But it sounds fine for movies.
P'raps you need one of these then:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/6/5281744/sony-wedge-tv-design-4k-streaming
"Sony says that the speakers will deliver better bass, a wider sonic range, and clearer vocals than a common pair of TV speakers"
That might work...except they are massive. Smallest is 150 cm. The absolute biggest we can go is 100 cm but 80 cm is better. We only sit about 2.5 metres from the TV and we can't go further back.
Oh c'mon, you don't need that wall behind you...!
Well, I have to say I'm impressed by what you can get for a measly $247 these days. I was messing around with the crossover on the front speakers and remeasuring them. Put on a CD and thought... gosh! this sounds pretty good. Then I got up to go to the kitchen and realized that sound was coming from the left surround speaker... Oh, I had forgotten I had turned on one of the surround decoder modes. I actually quite like the extra ambience, although I haven't found a mode yet that doesn't occasionally put something distracting into one of the rear channels.