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Disclosures
What Equipment Do I Use, and Where Do I Use It?
This is the stuff I have chosen. Mostly my decisions have been based on what I like. But I also take into account my needs as a professional equipment reviewer. Thus I retain the Oppo Digital DV980H DVD player, even though I also have the better DV983H, because the former can output 576i/480i over HDMI, while the latter can't.
In addition to the equipment listed, I frequently have other equipment laying around which may be pressed into service.
I use:
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VAF Research loudspeakers: Signature I-93 speakers for the front stereo pair, and Signature I-91 for centre and surround channels.
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a Paradigm Servo-15 subwoofer.
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a Yamaha RX-V3900 home theatre receiver (7 x 140 watts).
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two Marantz MA-700 mono power amplifiers for the front speaker pair. These are rated at 200 watts into eight ohms, 300 into four ohms. But they actually deliver considerably more.
- an Oppo Digital DV980H DVD player, which also supports SACD and DVD Audio.
- an Oppo Digital BDP-83 Blu-ray player, which also supports SACD and DVD Audio.
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a Harman Kardon DVD 30 DVD Audio/Video player, which has the unique virtue of giving information on the progressive/interlaced flag on DVDs. When I say 'unique', I mean it.
- a Beyonwiz DP-P2 high definition PVR.
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a DVDO iScan VP50PRO video processor.
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an LP Morgan Galleria projection screen with Novares projection surface, 83.5" (2.12 metres) 16:9 diagonal.
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speaker cables which are thick, low impedance and inexpensive (~$5 per metre). Interconnects good quality, but not 'audiophile' brands. I suspect that the different sounds of interconnects appear only in the minds of their adherents.
The display is usually a full high definition home theatre projector on loan from one or another of the various distributors. At the moment (Feb 2009) it is the BenQ W5000, and previously it has been the DreamVision Dream Bee, and before that the Epson EMP-TW1000. But I often have a different projector, or panel TV, under review which I may be using instead.
The room is 6.1 metres long by 4.95 metres wide by 2.5 metres tall. The baffles of the main stereo speakers are 1.2 metres forward of the rear wall. They are toed in somewhat towards the listening position, but not pointing directly at it. The listening position is 2.7 metres from the front three speakers, 1.8 metres from surround speakers. All the speakers are placed at the industry recommended angles with respect to the listening position, with the surround speakers around 0.5 metres above the height of the listener's head.
The back wall of the room is covered in sound-absorbent foam, the left wall has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, largely filled with BDs, DVDs, CDs and books. The right wall has two windows and a flat surface, and a long, 800mm tall, bench, upon which most of the equipment resides.
Last updated: 25 September 2009