Al Griffin

Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date
Ask S&V
Should I Upgrade My Amplifier or AV Processor?
Al Griffin  |  Dec 14, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I was planning to replace my 225Wpc Anthem Statement A2 amplifier with a 300Wpc McIntosh MC302 amp to improve my system. It was suggested that I would get more bang-for-the-buck by instead replacing my Integra DHC 80.3 surround preamp/processor with a new McIntosh MX122 surround preamp/processor. The reason given was that upgrading to a marginally more powerful amp wouldn’t result in a significant difference in my system, but a state-of-the-art processor would. Do you agree with that viewpoint? The speakers I am using are Definitive Technology Mythos STS Super Towers with a Mythos center channel and surrounds. — KJ King

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Should I Upgrade My System for 4K Blu-ray?
Al Griffin  |  Apr 14, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I own about 300 DVDs, but only 20 Blu-ray discs. Should I stop buying regular Blu-rays and move on to 4K Blu-ray now that the new format is out? I’m worried that 4K Blu-ray will just be for new movies and they won’t put out older titles as they did with regular Blu-ray. —Don Fowler

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Should I Use an Analog Connection to Tap Into My Blu-ray Player’s DACs?
Al Griffin  |  Dec 30, 2013
Q My Panasonic DMP-BDT500 Blu-ray player has four 192-kHz/32-bit Burr-Brown DACs. To take full advantage of these, should I use analog RCA cables to connect the player to my Denon AV receiver? I would only use an analog connection to the receiver’s CD input for music and would still use an HDMI hookup so that the Denon could decode high-resolution soundtracks on Blu-ray.—Paolo Fiorentino via e-mail
Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Should I Use an HDMI Audio Converter With my Apple TV?
Al Griffin  |  May 17, 2018
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I’m currently using an Apple TV 4K box that’s connected to my HDTV with an HDMI cable. For sound, I run a cable from the HDTV’s optical digital output to an external DAC connected to my stereo system. Here’s my question: Would it be a useful upgrade to buy an HDMI audio converter so I could connect to my stereo system directly without first routing the signal through the TV? —Kristóf Kollár

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Should I Use Ceiling Speakers in a 5.1.2 Atmos Setup?
Al Griffin  |  Jun 30, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

A A recent firmware update for my Onkyo receiver added Dolby Atmos processing, but the receiver only accommodates two height speakers. Is it worth cutting into my ceiling for such a minimal setup? If so, where should the speakers be positioned? —Peter Noris / via e-mail

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Should I Use My Oppo Player to Upconvert to 4K?
Al Griffin  |  Dec 05, 2019
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I use an Oppo UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray player and an Apple TV as sources, with the signals fed through a Marantz SR7011 AV receiver to an Epson Home Cinema 5050UB projector. From what I understand, the player, projector and receiver can all upconvert standard- and high-def signals to 4K. Which one should I let do the upconversion? —Michael Antoniello, via email

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Should I Use My Subwoofer’s LFE or Line Input Connections?
Al Griffin  |  Jun 09, 2020
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I have a Yamaha RX-A880 A/V receiver and a Polk Audio HTS-10 subwoofer. Can I connect the AVR's dual subwoofer outputs to the sub’s left/right Line In inputs instead of using its LFE input? Also, is there any benefit to connecting both the AVR’s subwoofer outputs to the HTS-10's LFE input using a Y-cable? —Power Bass / via email

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Should I Use My Turntable’s Quartz Lock Feature?
Al Griffin  |  Nov 23, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Should I use the quartz lock feature on my Audio-Technica AT-LP120 turntable? I don't see or hear any difference when I press the quartz lock button. Same thing when I press the +10 /+20 pitch control button. FYI, I usually play records with the +10 pitch option selected. —Josh Rosenthal

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Should I Use the Coax or HDMI Output On My BD Player for Hi-Res Audio?
Al Griffin  |  Jan 16, 2020
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I have a new Sony UBP-X1100ES Ultra HD Blu-ray player and Denon receiver. I know I can use a coaxial digital connection between the player and receiver for playback of regular CDs. Can I use the same connection to pass high-res audio formats like SACD and DVD-Audio to the receiver, or do I need an HDMI cable for that? —John Huxhold, Manchester, MO

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Should I Worry About Aging Speaker Wire?
Al Griffin  |  Aug 18, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I assembled my surround sound setup back in 2002. It still sounds awesome, but I'm wondering about the speaker wires. I spent good money for nice 12-gauge speaker wire, the ends of which are bare. Every time I break the system down to move, I see the bare wire and worry that corrosion or some other devious detractor is attacking it. Is that something I should worry about? Should I consider clipping and re-stripping at some point? —Scott M.

Continue Reading >

Pages

X