Carver Htr-880 Home Theater Receiver Manual
Q&A - #6 -April 3, 1997
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QInreading your review of the Sunfire Subwoofer, I found somethingthat just doesn't sound right. Your power calculation. If you use120 volts for the voltage input to the amp, this is already anrms equivalent. The peak voltage from the AC line is approx.169V. Also, there is no duty cycle associated with the linevoltage, it is simply 120V rms x 3.5A = 420W. If efficiency is90% (power out/power in), then the resulting output power = 378W.Please clarify this if I have overlooked something, it seemsstraight forward.
AThe effective rms value for the 120 line voltageis not 120 V in the power supply of the Sunfire Subwoofer. Lookat a diagram [click here]which represents the situation in the Sunfire. There is a 1/5duty cycle at B+ and B-, so the calculation of the effective rmsvalue (Vrms) is 120 x 1.414 = 169.68; Vrms = Square root of(169.68 squared/5) = 75.88 Vrms.
Q Hello:I think I just found a wonderful web location. I need help. I amconsidering purchasing Klipschorn speakers. What do you think.They sound wonderful in the store. They were powered by a Caryamp. I can't afford Cary. The vendor said a Carver HTR-880Receiver would power the Klipschorns and five smaller sets ofwall speakers I have in other rooms in my house at the same time.Is that true? As you know the Klipschorn speakers are built tofit snugly into wall corners. The way my house is constructed onespeaker would be one inch from the wall on both sides; the otherspeaker would be one inch from one wall and 2 inches from theother wall. Will that placement significantly affect soundquality? If the 880 Receiver is not adequate, what do yourecommend. Another person recommended a separate amplifier with200 watts per side. I am a novice and I need help. I am not rich!However, I did like the Klipschorns very much. I am thinking ofan amp in the range of $1,000-$1,500 (please don't laugh). Thankyou for your help.
A Even though the Klipsch are efficient, it seemsthat you might be using more than one set of speakers at the sametime. This places large current demands on the amplifier.Therefore, I would suggest that you get separates, since amps inreceivers are usually not built for heavy current requirements.On the other hand, as long as the receiver has pre-out RCA jacks,you can connect more powerful amplifiers to the receiver andaccomplish the same thing. You may want to add surround soundlater on, so get a receiver (or preamp/processor) that hassurround sound decoding, and just use the stereo channels for thetime being. Carver has good products. I also saw a Yamaha 2090now on sale for $1,000, which is a bargain. It has the 5.1 set ofinputs that will keep you forward compatible (AC-3 and DTS).
Q Ihave two issues that I am confused about and I was hoping thatyou could help me. The first question has to do with amplifierpower. My receiver is a Pioneer VSX-503. It is not supposed to beable to drive 4 ohm loads but in the back of the manual it givesa dynamic power. The values are 2 ohms = 265 watts, 4 ohms = 240watts, and 8 ohms = 170 watts. What does this mean? The receiveris supposed to only output 110 watts into 8 ohms. Could you clearthis up for me? Also, on most new components I have noticed thecomponent control connections. According to the manuals thesesystems help components of the same brand communicate to makeoperation easier. What exactly do these features do and are anyof the different brands compatible? A few examples of thesesystems are: the Pioneer control jacks or the Kenwood CCRSsystem. Thanks for your help!
A Dynamic power is a term used by the mass marketcomponent manufacturers. It means the power that an amplifier candeliver on a short term basis (a transient peak, such as a gunshot or snare drum crack) into the speaker load. The 110 w/chrating of your receiver is the rms rating, that is, continuouspower into the 8 Ohm speaker load. It will also deliver 170 w/chinto 8 Ohms, 240 w/ch into 4 Ohms, and 265 w/ch into 2 Ohms forthe short (transient) peaks. An 8 Ohm speaker is not 8 Ohmsacross its entire audio spectrum, but rather, it averages 8 Ohms.At any one frequency, the impedance might be 5 Ohms, 8 Ohms, 11Ohms, etc. A 4 Ohm speaker might go down to 3 Ohms and up to 10Ohms. For any typical mass market receiver, it is best to stickwith 8 Ohm speakers.
The component control connections are a way of getting separatesto behave like an integrated system. I have seen severaldifferent connectors on the back of various brands of components.They are not all necessarily compatible, but are actuallydesigned so that you are more likely to buy the same brand of CDplayer, FM Tuner, Amplifier, etc.
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Q Whatdo you folks recommend for cleaning speaker cabinet veneers?
A Much of what looks like wood veneer is actuallyvinyl. It can be cleaned with just about anything that is notharsh. Otherwise, some of the dye can come off. However, we useLemon Pledge (Johnson Wax) for all speaker cabinets. Wood veneersare usually finished with lacquer rather than the more durablepolyurethane. A good quality furniture polish works well. Forelectronic components, we clean with a damp cloth rather than anychemical or wax.
Q Ihave a quick question. If I hook up a straight DTS decoder thatsends 5 full bandwidth channels, and the .1 sub to a THX speakersystem and 6 channel amp, will I get a loss of bass below 80 Hz?In other words, do you think a THX system will sound bassdeficient as compared to standard THX/Pro Logic?
A THX is a set of standards that operates on topof Pro Logic and other decoding formats. It is not a format initself. As more and more processing gets piled on top of eachother, you could end up with sending the < 80 Hz to one ormore of the other channels by mistake, but it would not get lost.It would just be coming out of a speaker that you did not intendit for. It would not sound bass-deficient unless you accidentallyhad the .1 bass sent to small front left/right speakers. We havehad that problem here from time to time when a new processorcomes in for review. We just fiddle with the controls untileverything is coming out of the appropriate speakers and thenwrite down the settings. THX subwoofers require a switch thatremoves volume control and crossover from the circuit.
Q Inyour News Flash #5, were the Pioneer DVL-700s and DVL-90spre-production units, or post production units that werepurchased on the street? Was the DVD portion that awful? How wasthe LD section - I have heard very positive things about the LDand audio but questions on the DVD (software or hardware)?
A All of the units tested were 'PostProduction' units. One DVL-90 and one DVL-700 were from onestore. Another DVL-700 was from a different store, and the otherswere units provided by people who have purchased them. I believethe problems were that bad. A DVD player and an LD player are twodifferent creatures all together, and they should not be sharingthe same parts. It appeared that the DVD was using the same highfrequency roll-off that the LD player used, and this should notbe the case. Again, the copy of Video Essentials was averaging 8Mb per second (the average DVD movie disc will be around 4-5 Mbper second), and was only a test pressing. Now that real softwareis out I will try to take a look at the Pioneer and see if theseproblems are as obvious. We did not compare the LD part of theplayer, the actual transport of a CLD-79.
Q Iwould like to know more about DVD . As I am doing a report onthis for my project , I would like to ask you how DVD isencrypted (how it is protected from pirating). Secondly how aredata stored on DVD? Is it done differently from LD & CD?
A This is a very complex subject and is too muchto cover technically here. I will try to make it as simple aspossible. The protection scheme is called Macrovision. It hasbeen used on video tapes for many years now, most notably Disneytitles.
There is a circuit in your VCR called automatic gain control(AGC), which is used to compensate for changes in video levels.This helps your VCR make the best possible recording. TVs alsohave AGC, but it works differently than your VCR. WhatMacrovision does is trick the AGC circuit into thinking the videolevel has changed drastically, and the AGC then amplifies orattenuates the brightness to compensate for the change. Thisresults in an incredibly dark or bright picture that isunwatchable. It is done on the luminance (Y) part of the signal.
DVD mastering is done with modified CD pressing plants. UnlikeCD, DVD is stored in a compressed format called MPEG 2. MPEG 2 isa variable bit rate, with the minimum rate being 3.5 Mb persecond and the maximum rate 10.08 Mb per second. This rateincludes both the audio and video material. The more audio soundtracks and subtitles you have, the less space you have for theactual picture!
Q Hasyour organization ever thought of having a face off between theYamaha 3090, Dennon 5600 and Onkyo 939? All of these representflagship AV Receivers and cost a significant amount of money. Ido not believe a magazine like Home Theater (which usually hasproduct face-offs) would do such a thing because it could losepotential advertising dollars based on declaring a winner? Ithink other magazines would also shy away from determining a'Best' AV receiver of the three. Your web magazineseems to tell it like it is. For example, the News Flash onPioneer Combi player's poor DVD performance (both Audio and HomeTheater explained they were pretty good units but did not reallycompare DVD performance against others.) I appreciate the candor.
This said, since many people do not have the opportunity tolisten to these units side by side, could we get a 'This ishow it really is' review? These units are hard to get(availability) and represent a large chunk of change - this typeof review would be extremely valuable and help many of us withour decision process.
Also, any other comments on the Pioneer Combi Players? I wasgoing to purchase one until I saw your news flash. Now I am goingto buy a Pioneer LD and wait and see on DVDs.
A The problem with faceoffs is that they take alot more time to do. By the time the manuscript would be readyfor publication, the manufacturers have changed the models!Insofar as the top end receivers go, we have found that many ofthem have AC-3 built-in, but no set of 5.1 discrete inputs. DTSis a wonderful addition to the home theater possibilities, and wecannot, in good conscience, recommend any receiver that is notforward compatible with new surround formats (without a set of5.1 inputs, an outboard DTS decoder cannot be connected). So, werecommend shopping for a receiver that has the 5.1 inputs,regardless of whether AC-3 is built-in or not. There are a coupleof receivers that have AC-3 AND DTS built-in. Those I might becomfortable with, but they are few and far between at present.Our first DTS decoder review is coming shortly, and we think justabout everyone with a home theater will want to have it.
Q I'veonly just desovered your fantastic page! Well done! It is thebest publication I've seen. All issues are on-line! Nice to beable to instantly refer to older editions for reviews, etc. Ilike the DIY section. I'll keep my eye on this section since I'mnot loaded with a few thousand to spend on entertainmentequipment (sure would like to). I can't justify my expenditure asit is on this stuff! The quality of the information in general isexcellent. This is the main factor for me.
A Thanks! *******************************
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Carver Htr 880 Receiver
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Carver Htr 880
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