AVSForum... what a useless place.

Nightfall

Doing some research there, as it's more HT based than here as well as just having more posts and members in general. I'm quickly coming to the realization that nobody should be doing research on that site.

AVSForum member wrote:

Anytime you hear a big difference (in sound quality) like you describe you can be sure it's in the setup, not inherent to the receiver. You have to be prepared to spend time setting it up to sound the way you like it.

Are you kidding me? You can drastically alter the sound characteristics and properties of a piece of equipment through its setup menus? So much that you can make a Yamaha sound like a Marantz and vice versa in the case of this particular post?

Same thread, a different member, responded to a question whether a person would be able to tell the difference between the RX-V series and the upper Aventage series. He said if anyone was able to tell the difference between the two it would be all in their head. The anti-vibration foot, symmetrical power amp layout, etc is all marketing talk and the only ONLY difference would have been a db or two because of the power increase.

Can anybody suggest me another site/forum where one can do HT research where the members are at least open to experiencing and hearing differences for themselves instead of just the extreme closed mind attitude that seems to perpetuate EVERY member?

polkfarmboy

We have a few HT buffs here as well as myself. You cannot dismiss a whole forum on the account of a couple of imbeciles. I have posted there a few times and one idiot was really annoying me with blanket statements. Most of the crowd over there chime as if they have had hands on experience with certain pieces of gear when they infact have none.

Dennis Gardner

I think you are misreading his statement. He said you could vary the sound with settings didn't he? I find basically a similar type of member over on AVS that is on most forums. You have hardcore members that dedicate their time educating and helping others. You have noobs that lurk forever and only post when they really can't find the answer. They have a rabid and active DIY group that searches for the best deal possible and build their HT rigs into objects of pride. You also have know-it-alls that don't have time to deal with those that don't and a lot of good folks.

There will always be those that can't hear differences in gear. those that can, and those that think they can. Same stuff as any other audio group. You have to wade through the threads to find good advice just like any other forum, since some of the stuff on the internet isn't actually true.

I found AVS to be the only place that had anyone remotely familiar with projectors when I decided to build an HT around 10 years ago. They led the march to good video, when no one else cared.

Sherardp

I use AVS quite a bit also, not so much for speakers though. More so for HT stuff, accessories, etc. Not a bad place, just sometimes there can be so much traffic that questions may get skipped over. I like it there. When in doubt buy the Pio SC model.

tonyb

I think it may just be the case of more traffic over there. The more people, the more everything gets magnified. More trolls, more who don't know what they are talking about, more internet audio supervisors, etc.

heiney9

AVS is useless for the "audiophile" part of this hobby. But it can be helpful for technical set-up tips and certain HT accessories, etc. Beyond that, it's useless. I don't go there often and most are putz's when it comes to the audiophile part.

Those that don't know, don't know they don't know

H9

tonyb

So what are you saying Brock, it's the "Big box store" of audio ?

BTW- just to be fair, someone can come here and read a few threads and walk away with the same conclusions.

Habanero Monk

It would be nice to read what you quoted in context of the thread over there.

With all the modes and EQ that AVR's can provide I'm positive you can get huge deltas in sound output. I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised they can alter the sound of their AVR through the setup menus.

Sounds like the AVSer' is spot on.

Erik Tracy

If I want to know if a bluray has good picture quality, what firmware is needed on a player, what the video settings should be for the new display - sure - AVS can have what you are looking for.

For audio? Nope. Cuz it all sounds the same and AVRs are the penultimate achievement in audio fidelity...not.

dkg999

The problem with AVS is that it is hard to keep the "wannabe's" separated from the "be's". They seem to have an extraordinary amount of wannabe's.

EndersShadow

heiney9 wrote: »

AVS is useless for the "audiophile" part of this hobby. But it can be helpful for technical set-up tips and certain HT accessories, etc. Beyond that, it's useless. I don't go there often and most are putz's when it comes to the audiophile part.

Those that don't know, don't know they don't know

H9

Yup, I've pretty much left there myself. A bunch of us started our own off topic/Polk/everything discussion board on Google plus because we started getting warnings for off topic posting, despite other members in other threads being MUCH more off topic than us. Anyway not worth discussing, but we started our own group and thats where most of us moved to.

As Brock put it (spot on I might add), its great for the technical aspect of gear and help setting things up, beyond that not gonna happen.

All amps sound the same, speaker/hdmi/interconnect/speaker connectors & cables are overpriced unless sourced from Monoprice.

polrbehr

+1, can't throw too many rocks their way, I found a lot of good info on my Denon over there (fixed my handshake issue
between my PS3->3312ci quite nicely, thank you).

Face

Lots of great DIY info. I don't really stumble out of that section though...

Polkie2009

I've found the AVS site quite useful over the years. It's a huge site with lots of categories dealing with just about every aspect of audio and video. There's a very nice section on acoustic treatments, lots of info there from the likes of RealTraps, GIK Acoustics etc. There are also a number subwoofer designers ,manufacturers who post there in the Subwoofer section. When I bought my Oppo 103 , there were already many pages about the unit posted that were helpful to other new owners setting up their gear. Same goes for setting up just about any other new piece of gear. As for sections dealing with ultra high end audiophile equipment, since I don't own any and can't afford it, I've never gone to that section of the forum.

devani

I am in the same boat as H9....I get the cal settings on the TV from AVS forum...

pretzelfisch

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/90-receivers-amps-processors/1415108-official-yamaha-aventage-rx-a1020-rx-a2020-rx-a3020-thread-27.html#post23345382
What is being said is that the yamaha eq and calibrated differently then the other avr. So their advice is to play with the eq setting to get the sound the way you would like to hear it. I don't think that is wrong or misleading.

agfrost

tonyb wrote: »

So what are you saying Brock, it's the "Big box store" of audio ?

BTW- just to be fair, someone can come here and read a few threads and walk away with the same conclusions.

Unless I've posted in the thread. Then they'd come to the conclusion that this must be the best site on the internet.

Emlyn

heiney9 wrote: »

AVS is useless for the "audiophile" part of this hobby. But it can be helpful for technical set-up tips and certain HT accessories, etc. Beyond that, it's useless. I don't go there often and most are putz's when it comes to the audiophile part.

Those that don't know, don't know they don't know

H9

Agree. The site is a valuable source of information for the video part of the hobby.

teekay0007

polkfarmboy wrote: »

You cannot dismiss a whole forum on the account of a couple of imbeciles.

True dat!

Habanero Monk

Face wrote: »

Lots of great DIY info. I don't really stumble out of that section though...

Polkie2009 wrote: »

There are also a number subwoofer designers ,manufacturers who post there in the Subwoofer section.

I have to say their DIY section is awesome. Speaking of subwoofer designs I can't imagine a better return on the $$ spent then my dual opposed setup. They even have DIY room section.

Being able to speak directly with the designers is nice.

tonyb

Over the years I've visited them on many occasions. Yes, their DIY/Video sections are outstanding as well as their base knowledge on avr's. Outside that....eh.

Problem with that sight for me is it's too big. You post one controversial subject and you have to answer 50 different characters. What we have here....this is family. You can turn ninja and disappear for 5 years and come back to open arms. Other sites, if you took off for 5 years and came back nobody would know you....the landscape has changed.

Hermitism

I've always planned to leave here after 1000 posts. By then, you will have spent all my money. Damn you people.

jon s

There's nothing really wrong with the AVS Forum... If anything, the big problem is people who post questions that have already been asked by others. You constantly see the same questions over and over again. People don't search for threads. As the forum gets bigger, you see a lot more of the same stuff.

Nightfall

Hermitism wrote: »

I've always planned to leave here after 1000 posts. By then, you will have spent all my money. Damn you people.

But if you were a member of AVS Forum instead of Club Polk, an AVR that has the features you want is all you need. There is nothing to be gained by buying a more expensive AVR or a 2 channel pre with HT Bypass. All amps are the same and a coat hanger is an acceptable medium to transfer sound from your receiver or amp to your speakers.

For whatever reason, the same does not apply to video.

halo71

polkfarmboy wrote: »

You cannot dismiss a whole forum on the account of a couple of imbeciles.

How utterly ironic that you post that! lol

j/k

Thorton

I disagree that it is useless. Different forums offer different specialties. There are knowledgeable people on that site. But it is a very big site with a vast range of experience (like many forum sites) and you have to weed through the bozo comments. I found the thread and set-up guide on REW excellent. It got me running on what to buy and how to utilize it fast. I sought REW for 2-channel music enhancement. To assist improving my speaker placement and also to help with acoustic panel selection and placement. This has made a world of difference in my system enjoyment. With that said, club polk is the site I read daily, post on and have learned the most from.

ALSATIAN in USA

I love AVS, if I want a receiver, old(used on EBAY) or new, a Blueray player, i'am sure to find at least 100-2000posts on the product!!! Yes, the DIY is super!

Nightfall

I sort of see some of your points in that the forum is just really big. The problem must be, then, that new members (that are also new to audio) see everyone perpetuating some of these things (all amps are the same) and adopt the philosophy without hearing and coming to their own opinion. They see it so often that it becomes the truth to them and they defend the opinion with no experience.

Maybe that's more the issue.

There are certainly knowledgeable posts there.

Nightfall

DSkip wrote: »

The ideas and experiences our members have are more difficult to grasp at first. You have to experiment and figure it out for yourself, otherwise you either downright deny the possibility or hold an internal debate. Nobody is ever 'convinced' until they try it on their own.

Visual cues are much easier to pick up on since its our most used sense. You are taught at a young age to identify colors, put puzzles together, find hidden objects, and look at everything closely to find an error, etc. Training in audio is not taught to the general public - it has to be sought out and practiced at, much like learning a second language, in order to become experienced enough to hold a conversation about it.

AVS systems are almost always V first, A second. Even then, the biggest part of the A I hear about is often the sub - get a good one, then the speakers should be able to handle the rest. "You want the full frequency range, and once you get that, you're there". That is the biggest mindset I see when it comes to the A in AVS.

Spot on.

I know people that can't tell the difference between 128kbps MP3 and a CD. No amount of "Seriously, you can't hear it?!" will change it.

George Grand

I'd bet if you went to a model RR convention you wouldn't be able to tell the gems from the junkers by looking at them or watching them run. Neither would I. It doesn't mean I don't "get it" though.

polkfarmboy

AVS totally rocks for video equipment such as bdp's and displays. When ever I wana get into buying a new projector I find that those bunch of videophiles know every pro and con and it makes decision making easy when buying sight unseen. I have enjoyed the HT preamp threads as well as the subwoofer threads. However if us guys were to go there and mention the cables we have in our rigs we would get ridiculed.