Ok, I really couldn't figure out how to word the ****le (apparently some sort of content filter takes the t1t out of t1tle, so that looks weird...) of this without it turning out goofy, which I think it did ... anyway, my question is in regards to DVD-A/SACD playback with the 422s. I realize that they aren't the ideal speakers for this, and I bought them primarily for movie/HDTV viewing with the possibility of listening to some 5.1 audio. I've been looking into DVD-A/SACD players and the best out there appear to be Denon (specifically the DVD-1920 or 2200), EXCEPT that they have a fixed cutoff of 80Hz for the bass management, meaning that everything below that point gets routed to the subs and everything above goes to the satellites (I'm sure I didn't have to define that for everyone, but I figured I might as well). From what I've read the 422 sats don't do well with anything under 100Hz, so is this basically a dealbreaker? Will I be ruining my speakers if I allow the 80-100Hz range to pass through to them? I realize that I'll basically be missing that range, since it won't go to the Sub, which sucks, but the options aren't very good. Other options appear to be Pioneer, which has a 100Hz fixed cutoff, but I hear their bass management just flat out doesn't work with some discs ... and Yamaha is the best of all with adjustable cutoff from 80-140Hz (in increments of 20), but it only works on SACD, not DVD-A! Exhausted from reading this yet? I've become exhausted reading about all of this! This dual format business is madenning, but the fact of the matter is that some of the stuff I want is on SACD and some on DVD-A ... isn't the record industry a ***? I hope HD-DVD doesn't go this same route... So basically my question is whether this will be very detrimental in terms of speaker life & sound reproduction? Does anyone have any good recommendations for a reasonably (<$500) priced dual-format player with good bass management that will pair well with the 420s? I'm no audiophile, but I do think I'll appreciate DVD-A/SACD, if only mostly for their 5.1 sound... Thanks! (one final PS - my receiver, the Panasonic SA-XR55 specifically disables bass management for the 6 channel input, so that isn't an option unfortunately)

I have the 422's and a Denon 2200. Do yourself a favor and get an Outlaw Audio ICBM. You'll be able to control all the crossovers for each speaker. Sounds great!!

Unfortunately I just don't think I can justify the expense of the ICBM ... It seems like the ideal solution, I just can't see myself listening to 5.1 audio often enough to make it worth it.

I feel your pain, none but the highest-end Denon's have good bass management, I like my DVD2900 so much that I bough a new pre/pro to help with this.  The Anthem AVM30 allows me to have analog 6 channel inputs but still apply DSP to them, it helps greatly.

 

 

Wow, Matt, the AV30, that's definitely a more expensive solution than the ICBM ;-) Congrats though, I hear that thing is amazing. I guess I'll just have to take my chances with a Pioneer or something, I'm sure SACD/DVD-A listening will be <1% of what I use my speakers for. Although I do quite like the Denons ... can anyone tell me definitively if it would be damaging to the 420s to use a Denon with the 80Hz cutoff? Thanks!

I've gotta ask again, with a disclaimer that I know it's not ideal to be missing the 80Hz-100Hz range, but not being an audiophile I need to know: 1) how bad will it make the music sound? 2) will it damage my poor little 422s? Thanks!

Hi Stefan. At normal listening volumes, you won't do any damage to the 422's. And if the source material is light on the low bass, you can even get away with turning up the volume to a louder level.

As far as the crossover is concerned, you will miss some of the 80 - 100 Hz bass, but not much. The 422's will relay some information below 100, albeit not a lot. Since the bass management crossover on your receiver and/or DVD player has a slope (usually it's about 12dB/octave), some bass information above 80 (not a lot) will make it to the sub. So make sure and turn the crossover on the sub all the way up. That way you in essence by-pass the sub's internal crossover, which will give you a little bit more information from the source.

 

Thanks Ben! Just to fill you in, I don't have a DVD player yet, just the Denon is the one I have my eye on. It's so hard to find one that isn't extravagantly expensive that fits my qualifications: 1) Black (everything is silver these days! UGH!) 2) Plays SACD & DVD-A 3) Has a somewhat decent bass-management feature that works on BOTH formats 4) Region Free! Seriously, between the Onkyos and Yamahas that only do bass management for SACD, and Pioneers with their undisclosed cutoffs (which I've heard reports are 200Hz for DVD-A), I've really had trouble finding one that fits the bill. The Denons seem the best, but of course the crossover is fixed at 80Hz unless I get the ~$2000 one, which I just can't afford. So thanks for quelling my fears, I think I might go for the Denon after all...

I was surfin thru som ol posts and found this....it has me thinking, Im not up on all the hi tech terms and gibber....so I'd need this explained so I can figure it out too. I own the 422 system as well (lov it)and I'm looking into a new dvd player...I want to make a solid purchase so I dont have to run out ina year or so and buy another...My systems main duty will be movies..so a high quality pic is a must and the casual cd listening will go on thru the weekends while we're bouncin thru the house or jus hangin in the pool room. I run a NAD T743 a/v receiver and I grabbed a Toshiba SD 5980 w/ HDMI for now....and the Samsung 30 widescreen Slimfit. I also have an older Onkyo Integra DX-C909 6 disc changer that still plays well.....and was couriuos if it would be worth hookin to the NAD, then buying a nice dvd player....but with all this new SACD....DVD-A and so on Im not sure what to do or if my 422 system will handle all the new formats...like mentioned above...I jus dont understand what it all means. Please Help

Oh...I was lookin into the Denon DVD-1920...good choice?

Ok, so this discussion is about DVD players that also play DVD-Audio (DVD-A) and Super Audio CD (SACD) discs. These are new formats that have higher sound quality than traditional CDs and allow for surround audio discs. The problem is that most music is not recorded with the typical home theater in mind, which is generally a 5.1 setup (meaning 5 small, mid-to-high range speakers like the 422s and a sub to handle the lows). Audio is generally geared toward people who have full-range speakers, and a lot of DVD-A/SACD enthusiasts have a set of 4 or 5 full-range speakers so that they don't need a sub, and bass can come from all of them. The purpose of bass management in a receiver is for a crossover frequency that you set (100Hz is the lowest the 422s will produce, so that is the ideal crossover), it will redirect everything from any of the 5 channels to the .1 channel (the sub) because it can produce 100Hz and below and bass is pretty non-directional (you can't tell where it's coming from). Anyway, the problem is that most receivers that have the 6 channel analog input for DVD-A/SACD (there is no standard digital connection for them ... yet) do not do this bass management on this input, because it would require re-converting to digital and redirecting the bass, and also at a much higher sound quality than traditional CDs or DVDs, which of course is more work. Because of this most DVD-A/SACD players do the bass management internally, in the digital domain, but most do not do it well. They either support DVD-A or SACD, or like the Denon, do it for both, but it isn't adjustable like it is on pretty much all receivers. Sadly, I looked and your NAD is not one of the few out there that will do bass management on the 6 channel analog inputs (of course with a loss of quality). To summarize, the Denon is a great DVD player, but if you're looking for bass management for Hi-Res audio that matches well with the 422s, you may be missing some of the 80Hz-100Hz range (there is a slope to the crossover, which helps, but doesn't get rid of the issue).

Also, can anybody tell me how important the 80-100Hz range is? Is that where typical male voices are or anything ... I have no idea what falls into what frequency ranges.

Ok....with all that in mind....where should my next move be?   Will hookin up the older Onkyo worth while if music is jus for background and will the sats miss anything that my ears will pick up?

If Im looking for jus a dvd player that offers hi quality pic will I need to spend upward of $500 or will the Denon 1920 do the trick?

Has any1 had 1st hand experiance with the NAD dvd players?

So many choices....

In terms of video, the Denon 1920 is a great choice. Of course NAD players will be excellent but $$$. I don't see why you need to spend that much when it's a 30" display.

I'm planning on a larger screen soon.....I think the 30" is a great size...it fits my room well considering the way we have things configured...when we go larger we'll move some things around so we wont need to be as close...Im looking into the 50" range but Im sure for most of you out there this too will be small.

Thanks for the help.......i think.

Mine is a 42" and I still consider it on the small end. I was really referring to people who have like 100"+ projection screens where small quality flaws really stand out. Denon DVD players are top notch ... plus this has pure digital out which eliminates most digital-to-analog quality issues, so if you get a set with HDMI (most have it now) you can bypass component video connections for even higher, pure-digital quality.