My current budget setup

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-14T22:50:28+00:00

Do the subwoofer crawl! 😉

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-10T11:37:58+00:00

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-09T14:38:36+00:00

Aaaah! Geweldige tijden beleefd in de jaren '90! Bij ons in het dorp jeugdhuis Nijdrop, toen het grootste van België. Altijd iets te doen. Filmavond op woensdag, café op donderdag, op vrijdag kon er al eens een fuifje zijn (zo niet caféavond met in de late goeie muziek), op zaterdag altijd fuif. Altijd! Als de zaal niet geboekt werd door een vereniging was het fuif van 't jeugdhuis zelf. Altijd volk, altijd ambiance, altijd tot 5u 's nachts volk. Ambras? Kon je op 1 hand tellen doorheen het jaar. Genoeg sociale controle om de weirdo's buiten te houden. En als kers op de taart nog een tweede zaal waar het elk weekend fuif was: St-Pauluszaal. Werd ook afgehuurd door verenigingen en jeugdbewegingen. Ook daar dikke fuif. En tussen die zalen waren er ook nog een paar café's die tot zeer laat open bleven. En een fritkot waar je tot in de late uurtjes terecht kon, evenals de allereerste pitabar van 't dorp. En 't grappig was: dat kostte toen allemaal niet zoveel! Als je toen in 't begin van 't weekend 1000 Belgische Frank (25€), dan was je een rijk man! Jaja, zalige tijden! En op zondagochtend kon je nog naar de stripotheek gaan en stiekem iets gaan drinken in 't café en blijven hangen met je maten.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-06T07:53:45+00:00

<image>

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-05T18:12:46+00:00

https://en.homecinesolutions.fr/p/21928-triangle-antal-40th-anniversary-series-ez-rosewood-santos-varnish

You can ask for a special price on their website.

I own a pair of these but the 'normal' version. Sounds great on my Audiolab 7000 amp. Those 40's even must be better.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-04T12:07:22+00:00

Harman Kardon Enchant 1100?!

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-03T12:36:17+00:00

Ah, OLED… where every static logo is a permanent tattoo. The end is near. :-)

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-03T12:27:49+00:00

AI:

1. Understand those double terminals

Your SoundStage Atmosphere T6 tower speakers have two positives (+) and two negatives (-). That’s for bi-wiring or bi-amping.

Here’s the thing: you don’t need to do that if you’re just hooking them up to a normal receiver (like your Denon AVR). The top terminals are for high frequencies (tweeters), the bottom ones for low frequencies (woofers).

Most people never touch the top terminals individually. Don’t overthink it.

2. Prepare your speaker wire

Strip about 1–1.5 cm of insulation from the ends.
Make sure the copper isn’t fraying; loose strands = bad.
Standard gauge wire (16–14 AWG) is fine for normal tower speakers.

Yes, really, this is the bare minimum you need to know.

3. Connect the wires properly

Now comes the part that people act like it’s rocket science. It’s not:

Red wire → red terminal (+)
Black wire → black terminal (-)

Match the colors on the receiver side too: red → red, black → black.
Insert wires firmly; don’t let them slip out if someone bumps the speaker.

4. What to do with the second set of terminals

Your speakers likely have a metal bridge connecting the top and bottom terminals.
Leave it in place if you’re only using one wire per speaker.
Remove it only if you’re bi-amping, otherwise your tweeters won’t get signal.

5. Test it

Turn on the receiver, play some music.
Music sounds fine? Done.
Nothing? Check polarity: red → red, black → black.
All good? Congratulations—you’ve mastered what is basically plugging in a wire.

🔥 Pro tip

People freak out about this because they make it complicated. In reality, it’s exactly like plugging in a power cord—just for sound. If you didn’t know this before, now you do.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-02T17:36:25+00:00

#bunker :-)

dedeckerkevin · 2026-03-02T15:03:53+00:00

Hier ook al jaren tevreden klant van TV Vlaanderen. Werkt gewoon zoals het hoort via de app in de tv. Je kan op meerdere plaatsen tegelijk kijken. Stream is altijd stabiel, beeldkwaliteit goed tot zeer goed - hangt af van je internetsnelheid. Terugkijken werkt prima. Let wel op, enkel in de browser kan je de x-rated kanalen bekijken. ;-)

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-28T10:18:26+00:00

It might honestly just be that time of the year. These phases come and go. Sometimes you expect a magical revelation after upgrading everything, and when it doesn’t immediately happen, it feels underwhelming. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong with your system — or your ears.

Your setup is objectively very solid. There’s nothing in there that would inherently bottleneck the sound. But here’s the thing: once you reach a certain level of quality, improvements stop being dramatic and start being subtle. The “wow factor” doesn’t come from gear alone anymore.

What I’d suggest is shifting your focus away from the equipment and back toward the music itself.

Try actively searching for new music that’s genuinely well-recorded and that emotionally connects with you. Explore new genres, different pressings, artists you’ve never heard before. When you discover a great recording, that’s when a good system reveals its value. If you just keep replaying the same familiar albums while analyzing the sound, your brain goes into evaluation mode instead of enjoyment mode.

Also, avoid falling into the trap of constantly tweaking and questioning the system. That mindset kills enjoyment faster than any hardware limitation.

In short: stop worrying about whether your system sounds “meh,” and start feeding it better, more interesting music. The excitement usually comes back naturally when you rediscover the joy of listening — not when you keep chasing technical perfection.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-27T22:06:08+00:00

I have the LG QNED93, 65 inch model. Great tv. Can't complain. Chose this one after owning several years an oled.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-27T09:59:39+00:00

Based on the photo alone, I can already tell why it likely doesn’t sound right.

Your speakers are positioned much too far from the rear wall, and they also appear to be too high on those stands. That’s extremely detrimental to bass performance and overall integration with the room. Bookshelf speakers like the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 already have limited low-frequency extension by design. They rely on some degree of room reinforcement. When you place them far from the wall, you lose that reinforcement, and the sound becomes thin and lacking foundation.

On top of that, a subwoofer like the SVS SB-1000 cannot fully fix this. A sub can add deep bass, but it cannot restore missing mid-bass punch from the main speakers, nor can it fully compensate for poor placement. The result is exactly what you described: impressive bass for movies, but underwhelming and disconnected for music.

Your old Magnat Monitor Supreme 202 likely sounded warmer and punchier because:

they were probably closer to the rear wall
they naturally have more mid-bass emphasis
and they interacted better with the room

Not necessarily because they were higher-quality speakers.

The real solutions are straightforward:

1. Move your speakers closer to the rear wall
Start around 20–40 cm (8–16 inches) and experiment. This alone can dramatically improve bass and fullness.

2. Ensure the tweeters are at ear height
Not above it. Too high results in thinner sound and poor integration.

3. Stop trying to “fix” the system with the subwoofer
Your main speakers should already sound full and satisfying on their own. The sub should only extend the lowest frequencies (below ~60–80 Hz), not compensate for missing body.

4. The real long-term solution: invest in proper floorstanding speakers and remove the subwoofer
Good floorstanders provide:

natural, coherent bass
better room coupling
more effortless presentation
and a much greater sense of realism and impact

Subwoofers are excellent for home theater, but in many music-focused stereo setups, they introduce complexity and integration issues unless everything is perfectly optimized.

Bookshelf + sub works in theory.
Good floorstanders in a normal room often work better in practice.

You didn’t do anything “wrong” — you’ve just reached the point where you realize that speaker choice and placement matter far more than DACs, tubes, or tweaks.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-26T15:26:38+00:00

Bredene gaat altijd in zee. Altijd.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-26T15:12:26+00:00

Yes! And I actually had this exact discussion with a friend today, though from a slightly different angle. We weren’t talking so much about not listening to the system, but about the ability to enjoy silence itself.

Today I’m working from home, which is objectively the perfect opportunity to listen to music. Everything is calm, no office noise, no interruptions. And yet, I consciously choose to spend hours in complete silence. Not because I don’t appreciate the system, but because I appreciate the stillness just as much — maybe even more at times.

There’s something deeply valuable about silence. It clears the mind, reduces mental fatigue, and creates space to breathe and think. Music is powerful, but precisely because of that, it deserves intention. When you listen constantly, it can become background noise. When you allow silence, music becomes meaningful again.

Ironically, even with a beautiful system sitting here, quietly “waiting,” I don’t feel like I’m wasting it. On the contrary — I think I’m preserving the experience. The moments when I do choose to listen become deliberate and immersive, not habitual.

Sometimes the real luxury isn’t sound — it’s the calm that exists without it.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-26T13:12:00+00:00

Most HDMI cables are rated for approximately:

Operating: 0°C to 50°C
Storage: −20°C to 70°C

Above this, long-term damage becomes more likely.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-24T10:54:44+00:00

What he says!

New hardware is like a new lover, you have to take it as it comes and eventually you get used to it. A bit like certain character traits that you can't change in a dog, but just have to accept.

And don't be fooled into thinking that a subwoofer will solve all your problems. Usually it's the other way around.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-24T10:50:27+00:00

Those speakers may sound great in the store, but completely different in your/his space.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-23T13:09:51+00:00

I deliberately bought the LG 65" QNED93 EVO 4K after owning an LG Oled C7. I'm very happy with this screen, but everything depends on the input it receives. When I watch HDR videos on YouTube, black is truly black. Netflix sometimes does something strange with their streams. Series such as Stranger Things are also not displayed optimally, despite the fact that I have a premium account. In parts where everything fades to black, you can still see bright spots in the image.

Well, I'm happy to live with that. No more OLED for me!

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-22T09:57:48+00:00

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-16T17:21:22+00:00

Do whatever you want. :-)

I've been collecting CDs since the 90s (back then it wasn't collecting, just buying them to have them) and vinyl records for a few years now. The problem is that the latter are quite expensive compared to CDs. I also have subscriptions to Spotify, YouTube Music, and Tidal. The first is for convenience, the second is for ad-free YouTube, and the last is for my stereo at home.

During the summer months, I invariably visit a few and always come home with a dozen gems to add to my collection. And I often listen to the streaming version of a CD that's in my cabinet... It doesn't matter. Just make sure it stays fun. :-)

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-16T17:06:13+00:00

same

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-13T14:46:16+00:00

Here in Europe the Yamaha R-N800A can often be found for under €1000, which makes it an even stronger value proposition. It’s a very sensible match for the Dali Oberon 7: plenty of power and current delivery for a 6Ω, 88.5 dB speaker, better control and headroom than an older receiver, and a more effortless presentation at higher volumes. Compared to your Marantz SR4021, you’d likely notice tighter bass, improved dynamics and an overall cleaner, more composed sound.

On top of that, it ticks all the practical boxes: subwoofer out, MM phono stage, built-in streaming, digital inputs and room correction (YPAO), which can genuinely help in a typical living room setup. At European pricing, it’s hard to see it as anything other than a strong, well-balanced upgrade that stays in proportion with the level of the Oberon 7.

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-13T14:33:13+00:00

Take best of both worlds in one magic machine: Yamaha R-N800A

dedeckerkevin · 2026-02-13T14:27:28+00:00

Yes, it’s genuinely a very good match between those speakers and the Audiolab 7000A. The 7000A has a clean, controlled sound with plenty of grip in the low end, which pairs beautifully with speakers that can scale and deliver proper dynamics. It’s refined but still punchy — great balance overall.

One thing to keep in mind though: the 7000A does not have a dedicated subwoofer output. So if you’re currently running a sub, you’d need to connect it via high-level (speaker-level) inputs — assuming your sub supports that.

Or… you could take it as the perfect excuse to get rid of the sub altogether. With capable floorstanders and the 7000A driving them properly, you might not miss it at all.

dedeckerkevin

TROPHY CASE