Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Just got a Vp180 :grin:

"Open Range" The gunfight ! ! !

Brace yourselves gentlemen, you are in for quite a thrill.

I also liked the movie enough to buy it but the gunfight was the determinating factor. I like Annette Bening and Robert Duval, Kevin Kostner is good in a cowboy role (remember "Dances With Wolves").

I remember liking Kevin Kostner in Silverado. It was nice to see him enjoying himself in a role, before he felt the need to become a serious actor. Also, Danny Glover wasn't too old for that sh%#.

Thanks for all the suggestions I will give open range a shot. So here is a list of what I noticed so far.

1: The Vp180 will not help improper mixes, you know movies where the center volume is real low. Those are just bad mixes, cant be helped

2: The center channel really is used for a lot more than dialog. I watched Star Trek 6 times on my current system, watching with the Vp180 felt like I had plugged a hole. It may sound crazy but with the Vp150 the effect sounds just aren't there.

In the first chapter there is a moment where the ship's crew is in chaos, the camera pans and shakes and all the speakers come alive with sound. Well with the Vp150 all but the center came alive, but with the Vp180 completely different. Dialog and effects can easily be heard IMO creating a much more improved listening experience.

3: The Vp180 is not a must have but a must try, my wife thought it would improve the volume. I don't know where she got that idea . But what it really does is expand the soundscape

So that's my thoughts so far I'll let you know more tomorrow thanks

Charles I thought it was. The shootout scene was, in my opinion, just icing on the cake for what I thought was a really good movie.

Randy (Sirquack) told me about this movie a long while back.

Yet you watched it anyway?

I know, can you believe it?

Hi Griff,

Excellent present. Your comment about poor movie mixes with dialogue at too low a level made me think that perhaps you might not be aware that you can independently control the center-channel level, increasing its volume relative to the other speakers to make dialogue clearer and more intelligible for poor mixes. I run my center 3 dB or 5 dB louder, depending on the movie mix, to make sure I don't miss dialogue. You should be able to access the center-channel level from your remote control through the menu and manually increase it if you have trouble hearing dialogue.

When I did double-blind listening tests to the vp180 at the Axiom plant, I used ultra-critical opera vocals (I had never cared for the sound of male and female vocals, especially operatic, through the vp150), I was thrilled with the 180's sound quality and neutrality. I didn't know what I was listening to until after the tests, but I recall noting that male and female vocals, especially from operas, were wonderful. If you are ultra-critical of vocals, the vp180 center channel is indeed a "must-have" in my judgment.

Regards,

Alan

Maybe with other receivers, increasing/decreasing the center channel volume is easier, but with the Pioneer, you have to stop what you're watching, enter an on-screen display menu, go 2 or 3 screens deep then adjust the volume while the speaker is emitting some white noise. (I think... it's been a while since I've done this.) I usually, just turn the volume up on everything at the same time instead.

I keep the center +3db at all times.

But that defeats the advantage of having the CC info mixed at a higher level in comparison to the other channels.