Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater What to buy first Speaker or good reciever

New to HT. please be kind. Thanks

What should i purchase first? Should i purchase a good reciever first or shall i purchase The M40ti first? My current reciever is just a Dolby Surround Pro Logic with NO optical inputs/outputs. so exactly what does that mean? I thought i had to have optical input for it to decode and seperate all the sounds to different speaker if i'm watching a movie on a dvd player? How does it do this when the Inputs into the Receiver are just by a pair of L/R RCA wires? i'm confused. Thanks

Welcome to the forum! I'll try to keep my respose short and to the point.

The first thing I would buy is new speakers. (You didn't say what kind you currently have.) They should immediately improve the sound of your system more than buying a new receiver will. Are you set on the M40ti?

Also, I think you're confusing optical inputs with digital inputs. There are two kinds of digital inputs: optical and coaxial. Neither of them is inherently better than the other, so you should use whatever is available. You DO need to use a digital audio connection if you want to hear Dolby Digital or DTS soundtracks.

Dolby Pro Logic can be encoded on L/R stereo tracks. That's why you don't need a digital connection to hear it.

currently i'm using an old Pioneer 5 way speaker that probly weighs 50lbs each. Its old and one of them just recelty got messed up(took off grill one day to do some cleaning and forgot to put it back on, nephew came and pushed the speaker in hard(crushed the cone) and now when i lightly press that speaker in it makes a scratch noise, the good speaker does not, it moves in and out smoothly).

I'm pretty sold on the M40ti, not only for the sound quality but also that its a tower speaker and i will not be buying a subwoofer at the time so would like a little bass since i will be using the HT for about 80% movies. Also the M40ti will give me some headroom for future upgrades and i won't have to replace them.

My current reciever is an older model Kenwood 1070vr, It only has RCA inputs in the back, no digital or coxial. I want to be able to watch a movie and have it sound very good.

Can you please, kindly, go over BASICALLY the difference between Dolbly Digital, DTS, THX, Dolby Pro Logic, and ect. for me? I'm sorry for all the dumb questions just started really getting interested in HT and would like to do it right the first time and not waste money. Thank you again.

Dolby Digital has 5, 6 (or 7, guys?) different full range channels, with a dedicated low frequency channel. DTS has the same; it just uses a different method of encoding. Both of these utilize digital inputs (see pmbuko's post). THX is a marketing ploy. Dolby Pro Logic has 4 different full range channels (Front left, front center, front right, and surround) with no dedicated low frequency out. It decodes these from the basic Left/Right analog signal. It won't be a waste of money to get the speakers first. Besides, that's what it sounds like you need to replace, first. I had to replace the receiver first, so I went the other route (speakers would not help with a dead left channel). A reciever will not help you with a busted cone.

In reply to:

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Dolby Digital has 5, 6 (or 7, guys?) different full range channels, with a dedicated low frequency channel. DTS has the same; it just uses a different method of encoding.

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Sort of.

Dolby Digital has 5 channels and a low frequency pseudo-channel. Dolby Digital EX has a matrixed sixth channel, but it isn't a real, discrete channel. Basically, the receiver interpolates what belongs in the rear speaker from the surround channel data. DTS is also five channels. DTS ES is a matrixed sixth channel like Dolby Digital EX. DTS ES Discrete is a true 6.1 signal with a real sixth channel of discrete data encoded in the bitstream. There really isn't a true 7.1 format out there yet, but THX Ultra post processing can interpolate two rear channels from the surround and rear channels.

Yup, that was the stuff I wasn't sure about. Thanks!

Do you prefer detailed, crisp, what some call "forward" sounding speakers, or more mellow, "laid back" sounding speakers?

I ask because Axiom's tower speakers have two different sounds. The M40 and M50 are more "laid" back, where as the M60 and M80's are cleaner, and more detailed. Most of us here (not all) prefer the sound of the M60's and M80's.

Buy speakers first, they are the most important and critical part of your system bar none. Unless your receiver is really bad, will you immediately hear a huge difference. Putting a crappy pair of speakers behind even a $50,000.00 audio system will still sound crappy.

Hey jmai22,

I would definitely go the speaker route first. Like everyone has said, you'll get the best impact this way since the one speaker you have is messed up. Also, I would bet that the Axiom's will out-perform your Pioneer's. Also take heed to what spiffnme has said. Make sure you pick the right speaker as even within Axiom, their speakers will have different characteristics.

The next step should be your receiver (and center speaker if you can), followed by your surrounds and then the sub.