.. was my Neo-like reaction when I got the new shit hooked up and fired it up.
The setup was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. In fact, it was probably more work removing the old equipment and the tangled mass of cabling with it. The new amp and PS3 was a breeze.. just hooked up the speakers, connected the 3 HDMI cables, and hit the power button. The amp tuned itself using the mic, and the PS3 detected everything fine. It's all basically automatic.
We were using an ancient Sony amp and I frequently had problems understanding dialog and such. The improvement in sound now is amazing. In fact, I think it's better than a movie theatre. The speakers are a Boston Acoustics reference set, very high end, and the old amp just didn't do them justice. It's all very crystal clear and quite powerful now.
So now, apparently, I need to install a wireless network to get the PS3 online. I wouldn't mind leaving it offline when it's hooked up to the main system, but I can't even update it nor move some MP3s over to it because I don't have a display to hook it up to in the study. Why they didn't include at least a VGA connection is beyond me.
We watched half of Max Payne last night, on blue.. and the sound and video were terrific. We only watched half because the movie is really bad. Marky Mark just wanders around with the same stern look on his face, boring the shit out of everything.. It literally put me to sleep. But as far as the sound and visuals go, it's super impressive.
Kor & Nolm, you guys use sound fields?
8 comments:
I normally just use straight through instead of a sound field. Studios spend millions of dollars mixing and balancing so I like to hear the genuine result. You can just whack a standard RJ45 into the back of the PS3 to update it, just grab an extra long cable and run it from your router.
Failing that you can pick up an HDMI to DVI converter cable and just take the PS3 to your PC room and just plug it in there. Dont know what firmware version theyre shipping the PS3 with these days but i'd recommend it if the PS3 isnt BD-Live enabled yet.
Much like Kor I just use straight through.
If I play some really old material that's not in surround or I just have music playing while I do stuff around the house... once in a while I have to press the '7ch Stereo' button so it uses all the speakers. But beyond that yeah... I just leave it on 'Surround Decode'.
PS Re: Previous post... wanting to spend time with male buddies makes you 'less gay' than wanting the company of a girl?
P.S
"The improvement in sound now is amazing. In fact, I think it's better than a movie theatre"
Good quality Home Theatre audio has been ahead of cinema's for years. The current audio formats on Blu-Ray surpass audio track quality you get at most cinemas (normally Dolby Digital and standard DTS).
Just out of curiosity, have you taken the time to Bi-AMP your front left and right speakers?
Preferring to go out with your male buddies, rather than your gf, makes you gay. In otherwords.. that's why it's far better to be gay.
I think most guys are only with women because of the sex.. not because you actually like them. That's why divorce rates are so high.
...
I looked briefly at bi-amp'ing the front speakers. I think that's something I should do. It puts out a good amount of power now, but I think an extra kick might be good.
I watched a blue ray in straight though mode today, and it sounded good.. I think I just need to play around with the different sound fields to see what I like best.
Bi-amping is good stuff, more power is good but it also eliminates cross talk at certain frequencies so you get a cleaner over all sound.
As for gay/straight relationships... I'm sure I dont understand the gay side of it anymore than you understand the straight side, I guess its mostly instinctive.
I find that when I hang around with my guy buddies excessively, the machoism escalates quickly and severely.
A lot of my close social friends are female and I feel very comfortable around gay guys whilst remaining very confident that I'm hetro.
I like gay nightclubs for example because apart from the fact the music is awesome... there's not the macho 1upmanship going on all night. I am much less likely to have some little jerk come pick a fight with me, and - based on experience - far more likely to hit it off with a girl in a gay bar than a regular nightclub full of jocks and sluts.
I have some vague hypothesis about why this is the case....
Anyway... how we got onto that from amps and speakers I don't know.
For reference bi-amping doesn't give you any more 'power'. Each speaker driver will still only draw its specified load. What it does do is split the hi and low range signals. You'll get better clarity and certainly your ears may interpret this as more power.
Still a positive tho.
I found the biggest difference wasn't watching movies - coz the emphasis there is your centre - but with music cranked way up during a party. The sound, even a few rooms away on the back patio - was very nice.
God, what a blog full of geeks...I LOVE you all! Love the one(s) you are with. :-)
Watched another blue ray movie last night, and when I put the disc in, the PS3 asked me if I wanted to update it's software. It's on 2.5 now.. which seems to be fine. I'll get it on a wireless before long.
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