Hello everyone,

http://www.niro1.com/us/product/system/600

An acquaintance told me about it. Said it's surround sound. I'm interested in sound technologies, but, can't evaluate it myself because of my hearing loss.

Any comments?

Regards, Norm

Well, it might imitate a surround sound type of performance, but it is really a farse. It will depend on the location in the room, and the size of the room as well. It appears it just focuses sound at an angle in which it will reflect off the wall and "hit" you where you would expect a physical speaker to be. In your case, where you already have a hearing loss, you may not notice the difference, and in that case, it seems to be a good buy for the money. When it comes to home theater, I like to use name brands, or professional brands with a good reputation. It may cost a little more, but knowing that it is a quality product is well worth it IMO. I havent heard of niro, but that doesnt mean its bad. The technology is sound, but I wonder if the sound quality suffers. Hope this helps!

Andrew

Everybody is deceived by brand names....and they should be, but not in this case.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakamichi

Niro Nakamichi, one of the nakamichi brothers, who ran the brand name....Nakamichi, what a coincidence. Nakamichi is certainly not low quality stuff.

TOC Admin
Brando

Think about it - you've only got 2 ears. The only way you can tell if something is behind you is the tone, pitch and balance of a sound between your own two ears. Why can technology not fool it with only 2 sound focal points? Have you seen the new Bose home theatre that has only a centre unit to place on your TV?

Sound is a cool thing, and its getting much more complicated lately with all these new technologies. Dolby digital, in 7.1 now instead of just 5 speakers... Cool stuff. I just bought a Dolby Digital live sound card, so I am encoding dolby digital over optical output in real time for games. It is SWEET!!!

The revciever in question looks to be a sweet little unit. A bit overpriced for my taste (I survive with a KOSS 6.1 surround sound package dealy)

7.1... I went to a presentation at my university with a 14.1 setup... It was freaking cool! He had a multitude of effects, and you could feel it go 360 degrees around. It was actually like an out of body experience... But anyway, this may be my personal view, but I really dislike Bose. I dont really think their stuff sounds that great. That Niro unit seems to be of quality, and the company has a helluva reputation, but I think the true test is how it sounds in person. My roommate just got the sub listed here:
http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-cyl-pcultra.cfm

The thing is the size of a middle schooler! SVS is a big brand in home theater, but it isnt mainstream. I guess thats what I meant by "name brand". (ie not bose, klipsch, sony, pioneer, etc.) Not saying these are bad, but there are things that sound much better. This is a really roundabout way of saying it, sorry for the confusion. On a side note, I have no clue where we are gonna put that woofer in our room...

That said, I would go to a home theater store, and try out different things, like the equipment in question. Regardless of what others may think of it, if it pleases your ears, full functioning or not, that is all that matters. Hope this helps out!

Andrew

I've seen people build subwoofers like the one you posted above...pretty sweet.

TOC Admin
Brando

Hi all,

Thanks for the informative responses. Posted that particular link because he told me it sounds like 5 properly placed enclosures, and I'm always skeptical of things I don't understand.

Mine is a total loss in one ear and I cannot tell what direction any sound comes from. Started this thread to learn about tech changes I'm not able to hear for myself.

Not unfamiliar with sound systems, just not up to date with the electronics. Lost interest in quality sound reproduction while I lost my ability to hear it in stereo.


Looks like I was correct in thinking electronics cannot, yet, replace rear speakers.


That is the way I understand it. Same way it notes the difference between what your two eyes see, and translates it into your perception of distance.


AFAIK, it cannot be recognized as coming from the rear, unless it is.


Perhaps because Bose philosophy has always leaned toward a natural sound, and isn't "base heavy" as many people prefer.


And heard in a close aproximation of the environment where it will be used.


For me, subs are a non issue. Their only purpose is to save space.

Regards, Norm

Not so much that, I prefer a neutral sound myself. I dislike Bose mainly because that their reputation precedes them IMO. After listening to some higher end home theater stuff, Bose sounds like a tin box to me. I think there is stuff that is way better out there... like B&W for example. Anyway, I digress...

BTW, we got that subwoofer all hooked up, and it is very mild, much to my surprise... It can be very loud if you crank up the bass, but it has a mellow sound. I have no idea what possesed my roomie to blow 1200 bucks on a sub, but I guess its his money... (Sorry, had to finish my hijack)

Andrew

Hi andrewk, all,


Tell me about their reputation and how it might affect the sound quality of the product.


That would be a given, since Bose hasn't been considered "high end" since the '60s. 901s were, at one time, an excellent "reference speaker" as they were part of most listening rooms.


$1200+ would have bought a lot of beer.

Regards, Norm

Well, at least where I am from, Bose is "so awesome" and is revered as some fantasitc product. The people that think they are audiophiles are always talking about bose this, and bose that. Their reputation as such fools many into believing that what they are hearing is how it should be, or better than any other speaker. Obviously this isnt the case.

Yes, 1200 would have bought alot of beer... I think ill rub that in!

It would seem that with this system, you would need to adjust the room to fit the needs of the system. With a typical 5.1 system, you adjust the placement of the speakers, equalization, and maybe even time alignment to fit the room.

So what'll it be? Adjust the room or the speakers?

TOC Admin
Brando

Hi Brando, all,


The image that's worth ten thousand words.

Regards, Norm