Electronics Thread (Television and Sound Recommendations)

JayH

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Way off topic, but I would love any recommendations on televisions and multi-room sound systems. It's been a few years since I bought a new tv, and that was before the latest developments about which I don't know much about (4k, curved screen, etc.). I am also going to be outfitting sound throughout (for the televisions and music, etc.) So far, folks have mentioned Sonos, but I haven't gotten much flavor on how good an option that is versus others. I trust ya'll for some great ideas, so figured I would drop this here.
 
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For speakers I recommend PSB. Straight up audiophile quality without the violent price tag of the really expensive stuff. Probably best value for money on the speaker market today as a company.
 
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Way off topic, but I would love any recommendations on televisions and multi-room sound systems. It's been a few years since I bought a new tv, and that was before the latest developments about which I don't know much about (4k, curved screen, etc.). I am also going to be outfitting sound throughout (for the televisions and music, etc.) So far, folks have mentioned Sonos, but I haven't gotten much flavor on how good an option that is versus others. I trust ya'll for some great ideas, so figured I would drop this here.
I have a 4k curved Samsung that I bought at Costco which I love.

Find a tv you like and see if Costco carries it since usually it's cheaper there AND they'll extend the manufacturers warranty for free.
 
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What are you looking for in a TV and what are you willing to spend? That makes all the difference. The best panels on the market right now are OLED, thus the highest prices. After that, it's just a matter of best bang for the buck because there are SO many respectable panels out there under $1,000.
 
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how's the curved TV - any advantages or disadvantages?
It's pretty subjective based on your set up but for me the curve helps in blocking out sun from hitting the screen in the evening because of our set up.

Other than that, the only other advantage is that it looks better if you're not sitting head on. So we had a big GoT viewing party and the view from the side of the room was comparable to the view head on which is nice.

It's pretty much the same otherwise, it looks cool as shit and was like $100 more so I figured why not? It also allowed me to get a bigger tv in my small call :tearsofjoy:
 
Sonos is definitely a good investment if you want the multifunctionality. They may not be the best speakers on the market (but then how many speakers can be?) but there aren't many other places that will give you the ability to control a whole-house setup from your phone quite like Sonos.

Other than that, the only other advantage is that it looks better if you're not sitting head on. So we had a big GoT viewing party and the view from the side of the room was comparable to the view head on which is nice.

See, I've not experienced this myself but I discuss this kind of thing fairly with friends of mine who are pretty heavily IT/tech-leaning and the word I always hear is that curved is only really a useful investment if you are sitting head-on - if you're watching a curved screen at an angle then it just distorts the image.
 
Sonos is definitely a good investment if you want the multifunctionality. They may not be the best speakers on the market (but then how many speakers can be?) but there aren't many other places that will give you the ability to control a whole-house setup from your phone quite like Sonos.



See, I've not experienced this myself but I discuss this kind of thing fairly with friends of mine who are pretty heavily IT/tech-leaning and the word I always hear is that curved is only really a useful investment if you are sitting head-on - if you're watching a curved screen at an angle then it just distorts the image.
Well I wouldn't know. My apartment, so I'm sitting front and center lol

But I will say, recently after moving in, being super close to the tv on a makeshift stand was amazing. I felt enveloped by the screen. Gaming was nuts.
 
JayH JayH - maybe look into some of the Amazon Echo compatible stuff. I think you can at least replicate the functionality of a sonos, but you'll have the option of customization regarding speakers.

Bonus point is that you can use existing speakers, too. If you get into home theater/surround options, I spent a lot of time researching that. I don't think you can beat Polk for the money. If you want to maximize bang for the buck, spend the $ on premium center channel and sub and your receiver. I like Marantz, myself. Had a Pioneer (which is great budget receiver option) before. The Pioneer would blast you, but the Marantz is a little cleaner. Given my apartment set-up, though, I'm not even sure I'm really getting all I could out of the Marantz. I wish I'd have gotten one with a little more power since so much sound "leaks" in that it's basically a 3 sided room. The Marantz Audyssey software does a great job accommodating the weird room set-up.
 
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Major point here: Samsung LEDs that aren't the budget models are pretty great. But their ARC HDMI handshake issues are a pain in the ass.

I have searched everywhere online and spoken with Crutchfield. The only workable solution was "just use the damn optical cable".

Which really pissed me off because I wanted the convenience of ARC so I could only run one cable from the receiver to TV instead of the bowl of spaghetti behind the furniture now.
 
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I want a simple wireless speaker to put in the kitchen, and play music. Not looking for audiophile sound quality. In fact, anything above tinny is good enough. Do not want something that listens to me, eg no Alexa, Siri, google assistant. Must connect to iTunes/Apple Music. Sonos seems the obvious choice but before I just get it are there any alternatives I should consider?

PS: Almost posted a new thread but the automatic related thread suggestion pointed me here.
 
I want a simple wireless speaker to put in the kitchen, and play music. Not looking for audiophile sound quality. In fact, anything above tinny is good enough. Do not want something that listens to me, eg no Alexa, Siri, google assistant. Must connect to iTunes/Apple Music. Sonos seems the obvious choice but before I just get it are there any alternatives I should consider?

PS: Almost posted a new thread but the automatic related thread suggestion pointed me here.
I'm planning on going with an Apple HomePod. It does have Siri that can listen to you but on Apple's other devices you can turn this off so it's only activated when you physically press a button. Can't say for sure the HomePod will let you do that as it's not quite out yet but it's likely.

I realize this isn't really what you're asking but I've been wanting to do this sort of thing for a long time and am really looking forward to trying one out.
 
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I'm planning on going with an Apple HomePod. It does have Siri that can listen to you but on Apple's other devices you can turn this off so it's only activated when you physically press a button. Can't say for sure the HomePod will let you do that as it's not quite out yet but it's likely.

I realize this isn't really what you're asking but I've been wanting to do this sort of thing for a long time and am really looking forward to trying one out.
I thought about that, actually, but it is a bit pricey for what it delivers, even by Apple standards. I wish AirPlay2 were out now, and I could just get something that works with that, because I basically want the easy iOS integration it promises. Sonos apparently has promised to update existing devices in the future to work with AP2 so I might go that way. The Sonos Play 1 is $200 less than the HomePod, so I might go that way.
 
I have the Bose SoundLink (~$100) and it's pretty solid - only use Bluetooth with it for now, but looking get Google Audio (~$35) so I can play music over wifi as well
soundlink headphones are pretty great as well
 
I thought about that, actually, but it is a bit pricey for what it delivers, even by Apple standards. I wish AirPlay2 were out now, and I could just get something that works with that, because I basically want the easy iOS integration it promises. Sonos apparently has promised to update existing devices in the future to work with AP2 so I might go that way. The Sonos Play 1 is $200 less than the HomePod, so I might go that way.
Just came across AudioBridge (basically AirPlay for Sonos). Runs on a Mac in the background, has a demo, costs all of $9.

https://audiobridge.site
 
It's pretty subjective based on your set up but for me the curve helps in blocking out sun from hitting the screen in the evening because of our set up.

Other than that, the only other advantage is that it looks better if you're not sitting head on. So we had a big GoT viewing party and the view from the side of the room was comparable to the view head on which is nice.

It's pretty much the same otherwise, it looks cool as shit and was like $100 more so I figured why not? It also allowed me to get a bigger tv in my small call :tearsofjoy:
This is the oddest post I think I've ever seen.

Curved screens are quickly going away because the viewing angle is horrible and the curve makes glare from any light source significantly worse than a flat screen.
 
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I need to replace an external hard drive on my iMac. What is the best way to go about this so when I am done the OS and individual pieces of software finds the files automatically? In the past I tried naming the new drive the same as the old drive but that did not help and I basically had to go into every piece of software and tell it that the file it is looking for that used to be on "External Drive X" is still on "External Drive X."
Is there a way to make this happen more efficiently? I cannot find any sort of tutorial or help topic to assist.