Finally got my Ascends

[Quinn]

Wow! Is there anything on that thread actually related to the Panny besides your OP?

[Eddie]

> Wow! Is there anything on that thread actually related to the Panny besides your OP?

Gotta sift through all the digressions, Chris...surely you know that by now about ecoustics.

Maybe 20% subject matter, 80% random tangents and verbal abuse, LOL.

[Lou-the-dog]

Yeah I've visited that forum a couple of times and noticed that there does seem to be a handful of members that really go at each others throats. Entertaining...for awhile. Anyhow, good info in your posts over there Eddie.

Randy

[Jonnyozero3]

Wow, that one rivals some AVS threads I've seen

[Jorge59]

I was owing you guys some conclusive information on my new system. After a few months getting used to it and breaking it in, I can tell I'm loving it. thats for everybody who helped and encouraged me to configure the settings.

I found that the "Sub out" of the Marantz is OK and each day I love more the STF-2. What a great sub! It sounds soft (but not boomy) and precise for music; thundering and realistic for movies. The bass is very natural and blends seamlessly to the CBM-170.

I got used to the 170 and even like the tweeter well now. It's great to hear the Marantz in stereo 2.1. Even my FM (with simple indoor anthena) sounds great.

The 340center is another wonder. I sometimes only regret not to have it all across the front. Or dream about 340SE mains... No need to say how good it performs on movies.

I wish I could've brought a pair of HTM-200 for surrounds, but I already had excess luggage. I'll try that asap.

With this system I increased the use of the HT for movies. But my pleasure with DVD concerts and music CDs decreased.

Then I tested a dedicated CD player (an old Pioneer 603) and it sounded very good. The definition was better, bass tighter and stronger, sound not tiring. So, I confirmed my suspicions that my DVD player is really crappy junk s*@t. and understood why I was prefering analog FM to digital CD/DVD.

Now, I need to add a good universal player or a good CD player and a honest DVDP. I'm looking for suggestions.

As to the comparison between the SR 8400 and my old Yamaha RX-V520, of course, they are in different leagues. The Yammi just sounds more "open" and brilliant while the 8400 is warmer and more refined.

Regards

[Eddie]

Jorge,

happy to hear that you're enjoying your system more and more every day.

I'm curious, what is your current CD or DVD player?

Are you going to be in the US again anytime soon? I had great luck with a Marantz 4300 cd player and it was a steal, I bought it here:

http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/MARCC4300

Made a huge improvement over my old Sony ES player.

[Lou-the-dog]

Mmm! That Marantz looks tempting. I have a XCD-88 which is a fine player but a carousel is very tempting. The older and lazy'er I get the less I like getting up to put in new CD's.

Randy

[Eddie]

Mmm! That Marantz looks tempting. I have a XCD-88 which is a fine player but a carousel is very tempting. The older and lazy'er I get the less I like getting up to put in new CD's.

Randy

too bad you live in Iowa, or I'd trade you...I love the Marantz's SQ but find changing between 5 disks, remembering which one is what #, is a pain in the butt. I would've bought the cc5400 but was told that it's plagued by QC issues and has equal or worse SQ.

[Jorge59]

I have a LG DZ 9311N player.

My 1st was another LG, that failed with 2 years use. Then, I bought a Sony but though the sound was OK, the image was dark, so I chnaged by this LG, which is probably the worst.

I saw great offers of refurbished Marantz on acessories4less. Maybe I'll have a friend going to US soon. But I intended to ask for the HTM-200 too.

[Jorge59]

Hi guys,

Today, I got my pair of HTM-200 surrounds, through a friend who traveled to US. I'm very impressed with them. I tested them in 2-channels with my old Yammie (playing CD) and they sounded great. Maybe the neutral sound of Ascends shows out a little better through Yamaha (bright, open) than Marantz (too warm, almost laid back). Of course, the Yammie is not as refined and musical as the Marantz but, anyway, the Ascends sound very nice through both.

Apart from the receivers issue, I found the HTM-200 very much dynamic (more than the CBM-170, though the 170's sound is heavier...) and with amazing imaging (very good dispersion). The tweeter appears more present (maybe because the speaker works in the upper frequencies), but I was also very impressed with the bass (very tight and clean, though missing the very bottom of course...). The middles are perfect. A very impressive small speaker that would make no shame in an all across/around HT set up.

I must also thank Dave for all the support with my order and congrat him on this amazing speaker. Now I'm a happy owner of 340c, 170 fronts and 200 surrounds.

Next plan is a pair of 340SE for stereo in the other room....