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Is KISS ever possible for sufferers of Audiophilia & Videophilia?

Posted by John C. - Aussie (A) on November 27, 2015 at 15:18:16

For me, sadly not. Something which starts out simple, inevitably ends up complex but I suppose that is the nature of this "hobby". The latest madness has occurred in my headphone system which started obeying KISS but ..... I've just put up two pics in the gallery and included one here that might make the rambling below a little clearer.
The main system has grown like Topsy into an involved collection of 12 front end items, 6 amplifiers, 9 speakers and a projector. Far too many hard earned dollars have been spent and the ultimate irony is that, now 80, my hearing has deteriorated so the high frequencies are unappreciated. That said, the vital midrange and the bottom end are still evident and important so I can still clearly distinguish between good and bad sound.
The hearing problems have steered me to headphone listening of music so I set up a "man cave" listening post in the adjoining room. It started off being relatively simple with digital feed from the music server going to a combined DAC/head amp but soon evolved into a separate DAC and headamp. It stayed that way for awhile until the thought came that it could also be used to view music videos with the addition of a player and a Dell monitor. And It did actually remain in this guise until the last few weeks with good quality audio accompanying the video coming from a modified Panasonic Blu Ray player.
But then disaster struck. The Panasonic would no longer play Blu Ray discs but would still play DVDs. First thought was that the lens needed cleaning so a specially designed cleaner for BD (with gentler action than those for DVD) was purchased from Amazon. Sadly that did not work so off to the repairer it went only to be told a week later that parts were unavailable so nothing could be done. We are rapidly approaching a throw away society
So, with age of wisdom finally set in about wasting money on expensive gear, a Google search found an inexpensive refurbished LG player. No bells and whistles but surely it would be OK for the supplementary video occasionally used? But immediately one snag arose. It had no digital audio output for the headphone system. But was relatively easily solved with an HDMI converter which could extract 2 CH audio and pass on the video. That was the first unanticipated complication.
All finally hooked up and a DVD inserted but it would not play as the LG was not region free! However the Panasonic had been doctored to play DVDs from anywhere so it was hauled back to play this medium. But that posed a further problem of two HDMI outputs but only one input on the Dell. Sigh. Ah, but I did have a converter which could take in up to 4 HDMI inputs with two possible outputs. And it was remote controlled. So, with a fair bit of messing around in the relatively confined spaces in the cabinet I made for this system, it was hooked up. But it did not work - no video. Maybe the required HDMI handshaking was too much or maybe there was an error in the connections, I'll never know because the tangle of wires and converters forced a rethink. Replace the Dell with a small TV.
Research soon revealed there are not many 24 inch models available with two HDMI inputs but a local store had a Samsung on offer on a sale which finished that weekend. So it was purchased and installed. BD quality was stunning but DVD looked very ordinary because there was no upscaling in this inexpensive TV.
Ahah, there was a solution. The VP50 PRO video processor had been taken out of the main system because the Onkyo preamp/processor did the job there just as well, and it could be used! So it was squeezed into the cabinet and hooked up. Yes it did improve the video but not quite as dramatically as hoped, but still better and worth the effort. So I can now have fun fiddling around with changes to DVD video.
However, the system now involved using 5 remotes so a spare universal remote was hauled back into use to control this increasingly crazy system.
The result of all this is an involved and complex man cave A/V system. KISS has gone out the window but then I do now have more toys there to play with. And, after all folks, isn't that the bottom line necessity for those of us suffering from A/V afflictions?

John



What can be more subjective than music? It reflects our personal tastes and preferences.

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