RTi A9 not working as they should be?

Hello guys, I need some help.

Bought RTi A9. Connected to receiver Yamaha HTR - 4069 (temporarily, I'm going to buy preamp+amp soon). Bi - amp mode.
Midrange woofers works really hard and they are providing too hard bass for them. With higher volume levels I hear a distortion and midrange woofers are vibrating really hard!

But 3 low woofers looks very lazy and they are not providing a good bass (midrange works even harder).

I'm using a subwoofer, SBWR ON. Fronts are set as "large", crossover 160hz, extra bass is ON (since subwoofer won't start to work with large speakers without that function).

How to fix it? Why midrange woofers provides frequancy ever with 63hz (tested by using equalizer)? Unfortunately, I can't set different crossover settings for every channel (only global crossover), since my receiver doesn't have this function.

Thanks.

P.S. Also, is it a good set preamp Rotel RC-1590 + amp Rotel RB-1590 to let RTi A9 rocks as it should be? :)

Comments

  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,477
    edited August 2017
    Have you tried turning off bi-amp and extra bass modes off? I see you also have an eq in the chain....
    Try running them straight stereo

    When you say running them really hard what does that mean?
    Most receivers do not have near the current capabilities to run large speaker like these. The distortion you could be hearing is the receiver running out of gas and clipping the signal.
  • Akedon
    Akedon Posts: 24
    edited August 2017
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    Have you tried turning off bi-amp and extra bass modes off? I see you also have an eq in the chain....
    Try running them straight stereo

    EQ is just for test, I raised up 63hz and midrange woofers works more and more. I'm not using EQ or Tone Controls.
    With Extra Bass OFF my subwoofer just won't work (even with setting SUBWOOFER ON).
    I'm listening in Straight mode, so it's stereo.
    Without bi-amp I got the same issue :(
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    When you say running them really hard what does that mean?
    Most receivers do not have near the current capabilities to run large speaker like these. The distortion you could be hearing is the receiver running out of gas and clipping the signal.

    I mean they are moving really hard, like they are going to jump to the street lol.

  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,477
    edited August 2017
    You could run them as small and set for all signals below 80hz goes to sub. See what happens.
    Your receiver is rated @ 100 with one channel driven at 1khz

    To be honest it's maybe 60wpc in stereo. Those speakers don't have a chance
  • Akedon
    Akedon Posts: 24
    edited August 2017
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    You could run them as small and set for all signals below 80hz goes to sub. See what happens.

    Ok, I will try it today, thanks! I remeber when I set speakers to small my subwoofer was working even without extra bass function, so I think maybe extra bass is my problem too.
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    Your receiver is rated @ 100 with one channel driven at 1khz

    To be honest it's maybe 60wpc in stereo. Those speakers don't have a chance

    I agree, thats why I'm going to upgrade for preamp+amp. One guy recommended me preamp Rotel RC-1590 (since I'm playing lossless music from USB and my wife don't care about sound quality and listening from Bluetooth) + amp Rotel RB-1590 (350 watts per channel), so I think there will be a good pump for RTi A9 =)
    Post edited by Akedon on
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    If your crossover is set at 160, that's way too high. Set around 60-70 and see if they come to life.

    Also, take the receiver out of bi-amp mode, your not doing anything positive that way.
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  • Akedon
    Akedon Posts: 24
    tonyb wrote: »
    If your crossover is set at 160, that's way too high. Set around 60-70 and see if they come to life.

    Also, take the receiver out of bi-amp mode, your not doing anything positive that way.

    Ok, I will try it!

    Is bi-amping not working properly on my receiver? I have found that sound became more clear, but maybe it's my placebo : /
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    You're not bi-amping with an AVR, period.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    Welcome Akedon.

    You would need two amps to biamp, since you only have one weak one in your receiver, all you are doing is putting more strain on your receiver. Just use one set of wires, set the speakers to small, and crossover at 80, watch the volume and enjoy until you can get the Rotel gear.

    Rotel makes outstanding gear, that you can't go wrong with.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
  • Akedon
    Akedon Posts: 24
    cfrizz wrote: »
    Welcome Akedon.

    You would need two amps to biamp, since you only have one weak one in your receiver, all you are doing is putting more strain on your receiver. Just use one set of wires, set the speakers to small, and crossover at 80, watch the volume and enjoy until you can get the Rotel gear.

    Rotel makes outstanding gear, that you can't go wrong with.

    Thank you.

    I have found that the problem was in extra bass, with small speakers, crossover at 80 and disabling Extra Bass midrange speakers moving really easy, so I don't have to care about them. Bass woofers just don't want to pump with my bad receiver, so I will just wait for new amplifier.
  • Well they are actually subwoofers and only handle 100hz and below. Rather than having one large thumping subwoofer those towers divide the work into three. They will likely never move too much.

    And you're clipping your receiver; be prepared to replace the tweets and crossovers if you keep it up....you need more power, enjoy
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
  • Akedon
    Akedon Posts: 24
    Well they are actually subwoofers and only handle 100hz and below. Rather than having one large thumping subwoofer those towers divide the work into three. They will likely never move too much.

    And you're clipping your receiver; be prepared to replace the tweets and crossovers if you keep it up....you need more power, enjoy

    I just disabled low woofers intill I get new amplifier, since they are not playing well with my receiver anyway (bass is playing from subwoofer), so right now playing only 4 speakers. After that move, I don't have any problems with sound - he is really clear, no distortion.
    So I think I can just wait for new amplifier and don't worry about soundness of tweets and crossovers, right?
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    How exactly did you disable the lower woofers ?
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  • Akedon
    Akedon Posts: 24
    edited August 2017
    tonyb wrote: »
    How exactly did you disable the lower woofers ?

    Speakers connected to 5.1 receiver. Low speakers connected to SURROUND outputs, midrange woofers connected to front left and right outputs (manual of receiver named this connection as BI-AMP, but it's just bi-wiring as I understand). I just changed BI-AMP mode to Front L/R mode on settings of receiver, so connected to SURROUND output low woofers just don't play.

    After that I noticed, that a quality of sound from midrange speakers started to be really clear.
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,477
    edited August 2017
    Akedon wrote: »
    tonyb wrote: »
    How exactly did you disable the lower woofers ?

    Speakers connected to 5.1 receiver. Low speakers connected to SURROUND outputs, midrange woofers connected to front left and right outputs (manual of receiver named this connection as BI-AMP, but it's just bi-wiring as I understand). I just changed BI-AMP mode to Front L/R mode on settings of receiver, so connected to SURROUND output low woofers just don't play.

    After that I noticed, that a quality of sound from midrange speakers started to be really clear.

    Just connect them properly and they will work better. This info would of been tremendously helpful HAD you of stated this in your VERY first post.

    THIS IS MONKEY BUSINESS MARKETING. They should of never been hooked up like that on a receiver with as little power as yours, OR any receiver for that matter.
  • Akedon
    Akedon Posts: 24
    edited August 2017
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    Akedon wrote: »
    tonyb wrote: »
    How exactly did you disable the lower woofers ?

    Speakers connected to 5.1 receiver. Low speakers connected to SURROUND outputs, midrange woofers connected to front left and right outputs (manual of receiver named this connection as BI-AMP, but it's just bi-wiring as I understand). I just changed BI-AMP mode to Front L/R mode on settings of receiver, so connected to SURROUND output low woofers just don't play.

    After that I noticed, that a quality of sound from midrange speakers started to be really clear.

    Just connect them properly and they will work better. This info would of been tremendously helpful HAD you of stated this in your VERY first post.

    THIS IS MONKEY BUSINESS MARKETING. They should of never been hooked up like that on a receiver with as little power as yours, OR any receiver for that matter.

    First time I connected speakers with jumper to front left and right outputs. After that I changed connection to this bi-wiring and didn't noticed any changes in sound (including same distortions with ~75% of volume, so I was forced to listen with lower volume level) and I'm was like "well, manual says this is good connection, okay, so be it".

    Right now only midrange speakers and tweets are playing just from front l/r outputs, sound is clear and no distortions, bass coming from subwoofer, so here is less load to receiver without 6 lower woofers, is it not safe for them?

    I understand that my receiver is weak for RTi A9, so I'm just waiting for amp Rotel RB-1590 (coming in ~10 days) and then I will get clear sound with good bass from speakers. Actually, I'm not listening music every day, maybe for 3 times weekly for ~2 hours each.

    Anyway, I will connect speakers as usual with jumper then.

    But what about that Rotel amp? It has 2x2 RCA, is bi-amp connection will be good with this amplifier? Or I should use usual connection here too?
    Post edited by Akedon on
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Use a regular connection with the amp. One set of RCA interconnects from the receivers front left and right preouts to the amps left and right inputs. Speaker wire to the bottom posts of the rtia9's, with the jumpers in place to the top posts of the speakers.

    That said, 75% of volume as you stated from a receiver is going to introduce distortion, especially a low powered receiver. Take it easy on the volume dial. You also might want to look into some better speaker wire and quality RCA interconnects, makes a difference in the quality of the sound you'll hear.

    .....and just an fyi, adding an amp doesn't mean you can bury the volume dial either. The amp allows for more dynamics, clarity, better lower volume listening rather than just loudness.
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  • Nickrpt
    Nickrpt Posts: 2
    Hello from Australia guys !
    I have pretty much the same problem , but is not a real problem :-)
    At the moment i run the speakers by an Emotiva a-300 amplifier , in bi wire setup with some good cables .
    I can see that the upper stage moves a lot and the lower stage nearly nothing !
    The bass is pretty good , but if that is the case the speakers are not even close to their rated power !
    I have order the Emotiva XPA2 to feed them properly and it's on the way .
    I'll keep you updated how they goes with the big power amp .

    Cheers.
  • Nickrpt
    Nickrpt Posts: 2
    And yes i agree with the above comments that the midrange plays very low frequencies that is very strange .
    It feels like they move even from 50 hz .
  • mlistens03
    mlistens03 Posts: 2,767
    with the three woofers, the drivers probably will not have to move in order to produce good bass. If you had 2 or 1 woofer in each speaker, then it would move a lot, but with the three it just isnt necessary. I think that if they all moved a lot, it would no longer be enjoyable anyway.
    Micah