sasikumar_dv
New Member
Hi everyone, I am glad that I came across this forum. I never realized we would have so many Audiophiles in India. This is exciting.
About myself, I did my undergrad in India, Masters in USA and currently reside at Michigan, USA. I will be moving to India by the end of December this year.
My enthusiasm for audio/video comes from my Dad. He is my hero in all other things in addition to AV. Although he loved AV stuff, he never really spent good money on them because he always thought he could never stop upgrading once the ball got rolling.
My first ever TV was gifted by him when he visited USA. It was a 60inch, Samsung UN7150h, 1080p TV. After a whole month of research we narrowed down on it based on reviews online specifically rtings.com. When we went to the store, we liked it and got it.
While doing my masters (3 years back) I found a Harmon Kardon AVR240 on craigslist (a popular website in USA where anyone can sell used stuff) for $200. It was a 5.1 system which was probably 8 years old, it didnt even have HDMI inputs. I used SPDIF cables to make it work. It was a decent unit but nowhere near audiophile standards.
About 4 months back I visited BestBuy (electronics store) just for a fun demo. Boy o boy!!! I was blown away. The brands, sound quality, money! I did get a chance to listen to systems that were worth more than $8000. I decided someday, someday I would own one of these. One system, something that was somewhat within reach was the B&W 685S2 fronts, B&W HTM62 Center, Def Tech 800 surrounds and B&W ASW 610 with a Denon AVR X3300. I believe he played Skyfalls opening car chase sequence. Those B&W fronts were so clear and crisp. I loved them, they were the closest I could get to systems that are worth 3 times its price. So I went back dreaming about them.
One fine day I saw a post on craigslist, some one had posted B&W 685S2 fronts, B&W HTM62 Center, Boston Acoustics a26 surrounds and Denon AVRX2000 for $800. It was a steal. I couldnt resist and I went ahead and picked it. I loved it. The only weak link was my Subwoofer. I had been using the same subwoofer from Harmon Kardon AVR240. It was horrible on the low frequency side. After doing months of research I decided to get SVS PB2000. It made a world of difference. Excellent low frequency response. Movies that have bomb explosions, Man, it reproduces true sound. I did realize however and as described in other forums that two subwoofers are required to fill up the gaps. Someday I will get another SVS PB2000, SVS Prime Elevation Speakers and a Denon AVR x4300h or a Marantz SR6011. May be even floor standing speakers made by Def Tech or Martin Logan. All that is for the future however. At this point, I am super young and I have other things to save for.
I will be moving to Chennai by the end of this year and I am glad I have a decent setup to start with and I am glad to have so many people on this forum to share my experience with.
Also, if anyone is looking for AV stuff and want it imported from USA let me know, I will see if I can help you out and add it to my shipping list. Only one or two items though. I can feel the pain of Indians when it comes to AV stuff, for no reason sometimes quality speakers or receivers or even TVs for that matter are priced higher in our country. Hopefully this scenario changes.
Thanks everyone, Cheers!
About myself, I did my undergrad in India, Masters in USA and currently reside at Michigan, USA. I will be moving to India by the end of December this year.
My enthusiasm for audio/video comes from my Dad. He is my hero in all other things in addition to AV. Although he loved AV stuff, he never really spent good money on them because he always thought he could never stop upgrading once the ball got rolling.
My first ever TV was gifted by him when he visited USA. It was a 60inch, Samsung UN7150h, 1080p TV. After a whole month of research we narrowed down on it based on reviews online specifically rtings.com. When we went to the store, we liked it and got it.
While doing my masters (3 years back) I found a Harmon Kardon AVR240 on craigslist (a popular website in USA where anyone can sell used stuff) for $200. It was a 5.1 system which was probably 8 years old, it didnt even have HDMI inputs. I used SPDIF cables to make it work. It was a decent unit but nowhere near audiophile standards.
About 4 months back I visited BestBuy (electronics store) just for a fun demo. Boy o boy!!! I was blown away. The brands, sound quality, money! I did get a chance to listen to systems that were worth more than $8000. I decided someday, someday I would own one of these. One system, something that was somewhat within reach was the B&W 685S2 fronts, B&W HTM62 Center, Def Tech 800 surrounds and B&W ASW 610 with a Denon AVR X3300. I believe he played Skyfalls opening car chase sequence. Those B&W fronts were so clear and crisp. I loved them, they were the closest I could get to systems that are worth 3 times its price. So I went back dreaming about them.
One fine day I saw a post on craigslist, some one had posted B&W 685S2 fronts, B&W HTM62 Center, Boston Acoustics a26 surrounds and Denon AVRX2000 for $800. It was a steal. I couldnt resist and I went ahead and picked it. I loved it. The only weak link was my Subwoofer. I had been using the same subwoofer from Harmon Kardon AVR240. It was horrible on the low frequency side. After doing months of research I decided to get SVS PB2000. It made a world of difference. Excellent low frequency response. Movies that have bomb explosions, Man, it reproduces true sound. I did realize however and as described in other forums that two subwoofers are required to fill up the gaps. Someday I will get another SVS PB2000, SVS Prime Elevation Speakers and a Denon AVR x4300h or a Marantz SR6011. May be even floor standing speakers made by Def Tech or Martin Logan. All that is for the future however. At this point, I am super young and I have other things to save for.
I will be moving to Chennai by the end of this year and I am glad I have a decent setup to start with and I am glad to have so many people on this forum to share my experience with.
Also, if anyone is looking for AV stuff and want it imported from USA let me know, I will see if I can help you out and add it to my shipping list. Only one or two items though. I can feel the pain of Indians when it comes to AV stuff, for no reason sometimes quality speakers or receivers or even TVs for that matter are priced higher in our country. Hopefully this scenario changes.
Thanks everyone, Cheers!
