The "New Toys" Thread

[Adunaphel]

Originally Posted by Shawn

Sadly I have no room for standing speakers. I currently have a set of Martin Logans but they're way too big. But like I said I don't want an amp so I'm probably stuck with the Sharp's speakers.

Maybe look at a set of active (aplified) speakers? they may be a tad inferior to amp-less speakers, but you don't need the amp. I know JBL has a few series of active speakers.

[mgkdk]

Originally Posted by Adunaphel

Maybe look at a set of active (aplified) speakers? they may be a tad inferior to amp-less speakers, but you don't need the amp. I know JBL has a few series of active speakers.

So does B&O but it maybe a bit pricy, if it's wallmounted I would suggest BeoLab 4000 if you like the looks of them, or maybe BeoLab 3 or 4.

(and no, I don't have any shares in B&O, yet )

[Shawn]

^ My parents have had B&Os for years, but as you say, it's very much out of my price range. I was thinking around $500 max.

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by janstett

not 100% sure as it replaced an ATI X300 bit it is the first card with the latest gen nVidia chipset. I have other machines with 8000 series nVidia cards and based on that, I can't play Ut3 or crysis decently. Also the 9600 is a dx10 card which helps.

The 8000 series cards are DX10 as well, but anything below the 8600 is pretty much crap. I've seen people buy the 8400GS thinking it was going to be awesome, only to realize that it performs about as well as a 7300GS. Some people get fooled by the numbers, thinking that an 8400 will automatically be better than a 7900, just because it's a higher number.

[B33R]

Originally Posted by jeffy777

The 8000 series cards are DX10 as well, but anything below the 8600 is pretty much crap. I've seen people buy the 8400GS thinking it was going to be awesome, only to realize that it performs about as well as a 7300GS. Some people get fooled by the numbers, thinking that an 8400 will automatically be better than a 7900, just because it's a higher number.

thats why i'm the proud owner of a 7800GTX and going to use it for at least a year...performs still amazingly well

[TechZ]

Originally Posted by B33R

thats why i'm the proud owner of a 7800GTX and going to use it for at least a year...performs still amazingly well

btw, its race not rase (your sig)

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Vette Boss

You'll need some sort of receiver or amp, to power the speakers. What style of speaker were you looking at, smaller HT speakers, bookshelves, floor standing? If you have the space, floor standers provide the best sound for the money.

Fluance makes some pretty good budget speakers.

Aren't there tons of active satellite/studio speakers out there that don't need an AMP/Receiver/Tuner or whatever?

Edit: nvm, has already been suggested, I sort of skipped a page.

[Buba]

Originally Posted by TechZ

btw, its race not rase (your sig)

And Above that it is incrdibly annoying and big! 175 px tall for sig AND text, my friend!!!

[cvrefugee]

Originally Posted by Shawn

^ My parents have had B&Os for years, but as you say, it's very much out of my price range. I was thinking around $500 max.

Klipsch Quintet is around $400 I believe, but it does not come with a subwoofer.

[Shawn]

^ Those look pretty decent, I'll read up on them when I've actually moved into my new place. I already bought the TV but for now it's just sitting there by itself.

[Vette Boss]

I found the older Klipsch Quintet II for $250. Still need to add your own sub, which can also be had for pretty cheap, less than $150.

I doubt the newer version really sounds $150 better.

[janstett]

Originally Posted by chilicoke

If they put as much effort into designing their speakers like they do in marketing, they wouldn't have to hide their horrible speakers with heavy DSP.

The other thing than annoys me about Bose is that they try to appear like they're light years ahead of other stuff with their "lifestyle" marketing but in reality they're Soviet-era crap with a slick exterior.

For example, their things that are supposed to be receivers, aptly named "lifestyle". When I first got a DVD player around 1998 (and I think around the same time I got their 5.1 speakers not knowing what I was doing) I looked at their lifestyle receivers and even then I knew they were out of their minds, with no dolby digital input for starters... It was no better than the crappy Sanyo mini-system I was replacing, and for a "high end" receiver to not have 5.1 input was insane. I also don't think it had more than one input, and certainly not component input, which was another knock.

Even today look at their wave systems, the ones that even have CDs use LED front panels straight out of 1983. They even once tried a wave system that could rip cds to MP3 a few years ago but it was, of course, years after other people tried it already, and clunkier than everybody else. I guess the image-conscious dolittles they market towards found it too confusing and it was dropped from their lineup.

My friend, who buys everything from Bose, also buys everything from Apple, and once commented he wished that the Bose and Apple stores in the mall would be joined with a Starbucks inbetween. Apple appeals to the same vanity look-at-me types. (But at lest Apple has the goods behind the snobby veneer).

Originally Posted by Viper007Bond

How's the performance compare to the $20-$40 more expensive 8800 GT?

As I said, it replaced an ATI Radeon X300 that was pretty good in its day, and got me through UT2k4 and Quake4 pretty good for a few years up until the latest round of games. I'm not overly concerned with having quad SLI and buying $1000 video cards every month. So I've just been waiting for something good enough to keep me happy on Crysis and UT3, and lo and behold the first 9000 series card comes out.

But, it looks like I didn't do enough homework -- the 8800GT outperforms it slightly on Tom's Hardware... About 10% off the mark of the 8800GT. Also I didn't know the 8800 has a 9 series chip.

Oh well, do more home work next time

Originally Posted by Viper007Bond

Your 9600 can't? Or your 8000 series can't?

The 9600 is fine.

[B33R]

Originally Posted by Buba

And Above that it is incrdibly annoying and big! 175 px tall for sig AND text, my friend!!!

well i can see that but i can find my posts at ease

well, i'll change it a bit it's the text i put in before the sig, the sig i'm not going to change...ban me for it

Edit: Done! ^^ now nobody has to complain how annoying it looks anymore

[phuckingduck]

Yay, I never knew owning a mac would automatically qualify me for the vanity club. When do I get to meet Paris?!

[DTMracer]

My new toys:







Can't wait for Windows Mobile 6.1!!!!!!

[phuckingduck]

Specs on the lappy?

[DTMracer]

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?mo...23&l3=518&l4=4

I added in another 1GB stick of Ram as well, so 2GB total.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by DTMracer

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?mo...23&l3=518&l4=4

I added in another 1GB stick of Ram as well, so 2GB total.

Display WXGA, 12.1" (16:10) active matrix TFT, 1280x800

wow, a small screen... so its definetely one of those expensive small laptops???