Help Enhancing 2 Channel audio

Webb_03

I have a Nice entry level set up as u can see via my signature. But am somewhat lacking in 2 Channel, Just looking for advice from you guys! Im not sure if i should just start over and do a dedicated music stereo? Or can i upgrade/or make my M70's sound better?

Any suggestions are very welcome. Speaker choice, Amps, Processors/tuners etc. :cheesygrin:

leftwinger57

As most would say we would need a boatload more info.Budget is key, used or new, how powerful, size of the room you do your
main listening.Me, I love my Adcom 555 but that's 200wpc and might be to big for your needs so clarify your possible wish list then others will help w/o question.Speakers are way to subjective ,just go and listen and bring tunes you are familar w/ and then 16 gu.
wire at the least and on it goes.

Erik Tracy

Do you have the luxury of a separate room for a second music/2-channel only rig?

And do you have a budget in mind?

What do you find lacking for music playback?

Is your PS3 the only sour component you play music from?

Webb_03

Erik Tracy wrote: »

Do you have the luxury of a separate room for a second music/2-channel only rig?

And do you have a budget in mind?

What do you find lacking for music playback?

Is your PS3 the only sour component you play music from?

Well honestly thats a problem im struggling with. I, Like most people my age play all of my music though an mp3 aka an Iphone/Ipod. Now itunes Music quality isnt bad. BUT its very hard to convert mp3 to a processor with good clarity. Most cables involve a god awful 3.5 mm jack. Im currently using an rca to lightning cord. Any suggestions there would be helpful.
If i make a 2 channel stereo i will most likely buy an Oppo or something of that nature.

Also. As far as budget. Im on a pretty tight cash but have been thinking of springing for new mains. Probly something msrp under 2k, Or would i be better off upgrading in a different direction?

Webb_03

Room is a decent size...Not huge, I cant remember my sqaure footage. It is an L shaped room though. Probly 20ftx20ft but has a kitchen cut out of it (which makes it an L shaped room) Mind you this is a temporary house. Me and my wife plan to build soon. So lets just assume i have a large room.

My dad has an olddd pair of Genesis mains that are about the most amazing thing ive ever heard. Hence my jealousy and posting on here. and i kinda addressed my budget in the other post on here.

pitdogg2

Webb_03 wrote: »

I, Like most people my age play all of my music though an mp3 aka an Iphone/Ipod.

you need a better source.....Mp3's are the problem.

EndersShadow

Webb_03 wrote: »

I have a Nice entry level set up as u can see via my signature. But am somewhat lacking in 2 Channel, Just looking for advice from you guys! Im not sure if i should just start over and do a dedicated music stereo? Or can i upgrade/or make my M70's sound better?

Any suggestions are very welcome. Speaker choice, Amps, Processors/tuners etc. :cheesygrin:

Given your actual gear (not including speakers) your speakers are whats holding you back IMHO. I have the same Carver 5 channel you do, I used to run Monitor 60's as my fronts with a CS2 and Monitor 40's as surrounds. I have an Integra DTR 5.9 reciever as well.

Here is what we need to know right now to help you maximize your setup using your current gear:

1. What piece of equpiment are you using to play your music, PS3, Xbox 360 ect.
2. Are you playing digital files or CD's?
3. If digital files:
3A. Where are they located (mp3 player, iPhone, computer, ect)
3B. What bitrate are they at
4. How are you connecting your player to your Sunfire TGP (3.5mm cable, RCA's, balanced, ect) and what make/model (Monster, Monoprice, ect) cables are you using
5. What brand are you using for the RCA's connecting your Sunfire to the Carver amp?
6. Pictures of your setup if possible to ensure proper placement of the speakers.

Give us the answers to those questions and we can help you quite a bit more.

Initially I would say your either need to look at your source or your speakers. The Sunfire TGP and the Carver amp are more than adequate to take care of your processing and power needs with those speakers.

I currently run an entire LSi setup (LSi 15's, LSiC, LSi F/X) off my Carver AV-705x and it has no problem with those and they are a much harder to drive speaker than the Monitors.

EndersShadow

Webb_03 wrote: »

Room is a decent size...Not huge, I cant remember my sqaure footage. It is an L shaped room though. Probly 20ftx20ft but has a kitchen cut out of it (which makes it an L shaped room) Mind you this is a temporary house. Me and my wife plan to build soon. So lets just assume i have a large room.

My dad has an olddd pair of Genesis mains that are about the most amazing thing ive ever heard. Hence my jealousy and posting on here. and i kinda addressed my budget in the other post on here.

Its not just the speakers that are helping his setup sound amazing, I bet he is playing music through either a CD player or a Turntable both of which are better sources than your iPod.

See quote and comment below

pitdogg2 wrote: »

you need a better source.....Mp3's are the problem.

Here are your problems as I see it now. I have had both these problems myself in the past 2 years.

1. You have a 2 channel and HT setup. So if you upgrade your main Left/Right you also need to upgrade your centers and surrounds for HT. This can get costly to get the "right" speakers.

2. Your source stinks. You would be better off buying a good CD player and connecting that to the Sunfire via RCA's than your iPod. Thats probably the cheapest way provided you actually have CD's to play and havent been downloading everything from iTunes to your computer and dont have the actual CD. If you dont have the CD's then there isnt much you can do to make your setup sound better. Even new speakers will not make the music sound better and actually may make it sound worse since they will show even more how bad your source is.

If you simply improve your source your current setup will sound much better, and when/if you upgrade your speakers, ect it will sound even better.

Here is what I did which was expensive but I now have a balanced system IMHO. How you go about doing this is your call, there are other options besides Polk for HT and 2 channel (Definitive Technology comes to mind)

1. Replaced all my speakers with better speakers for music (LSi series) starting with the Left Right and Center. I purchased the matching surrounds about 6 months after the front 3 LSi speakers.
2. Replaced my bad source with high quality FLAC files. This required me to re-rip my entire CD collection to my computer using dbpoweramp (free for 21 days). FLAC files are the digital equivalent of the actual CD so you technically no longer need the CD.
3. Used my laptop to play said files through my reciever connected via HDMI (which you cant do in your case).

Here are my thoughts on how to make your setup better.

Follow my steps 1 & 2. Since you cant do #3 as your Sunfire doesnt do HDMI, purchase a device like the Squeezebox Touch or Sonos to stream those files off your computer to your Sunfire.

Webb_03

EndersShadow wrote: »

Its not just the speakers that are helping his setup sound amazing, I bet he is playing music through either a CD player or a Turntable both of which are better sources than your iPod.

See quote and comment below



Here are your problems as I see it now. I have had both these problems myself in the past 2 years.

1. You have a 2 channel and HT setup. So if you upgrade your main Left/Right you also need to upgrade your centers and surrounds for HT. This can get costly to get the "right" speakers.

2. Your source stinks. You would be better off buying a good CD player and connecting that to the Sunfire via RCA's than your iPod. Thats probably the cheapest way provided you actually have CD's to play and havent been downloading everything from iTunes to your computer and dont have the actual CD. If you dont have the CD's then there isnt much you can do to make your setup sound better. Even new speakers will not make the music sound better and actually may make it sound worse since they will show even more how bad your source is.

If you simply improve your source your current setup will sound much better, and when/if you upgrade your speakers, ect it will sound even better.

Here is what I did which was expensive but I now have a balanced system IMHO. How you go about doing this is your call, there are other options besides Polk for HT and 2 channel (Definitive Technology comes to mind)

1. Replaced all my speakers with better speakers for music (LSi series) starting with the Left Right and Center. I purchased the matching surrounds about 6 months after the front 3 LSi speakers.
2. Replaced my bad source with high quality FLAC files. This required me to re-rip my entire CD collection to my computer using dbpoweramp (free for 21 days). FLAC files are the digital equivalent of the actual CD so you technically no longer need the CD.
3. Used my laptop to play said files through my reciever connected via HDMI (which you cant do in your case).

Here are my thoughts on how to make your setup better.

Follow my steps 1 & 2. Since you cant do #3 as your Sunfire doesnt do HDMI, purchase a device like the Squeezebox Touch or Sonos to stream those files off your computer to your Sunfire.

VERY helpful. Thanks man. Squeeze box looks like it could be a nice cure for my problem.

Tbone289

EndersShadow wrote: »

Its not just the speakers that are helping his setup sound amazing, I bet he is playing music through either a CD player or a Turntable both of which are better sources than your iPod.

^^This. Upgrade your source to lossless. If that (likely dramatic) improvement isn't enough, think about upgrading mains or possibly a second, 2-channel dedicated system.

My experience is that it is less frustrating (and usually cheaper) to have separate, dedicated HT and music systems than it is to try to satisfy both needs on one system, especially if you are as budget-minded as I am.

tonyb

Buy the new Oppo, you'll get better audio and visual, better cd playback, and it has digital inputs to run your computer music into letting you use it's built in dac. You can kill alot of birds with one stone. Also, get off the MP3's, convert to a lossless format, even apple lossless.

The carver is OK, the Sunfire better, but also look into upgrading your cables if you haven't done so, many many to choose from. Also, see if there is any settings in the processor to be tweeked. If your older, like me, those tinny sounding highs can wear on ya.

nwohlford

If you are looking for better sound, the speakers are what are going to make the most difference.

A Squeezebox or Sonos are easy ways to get good quality digital to your system, but there are plenty of other ways. I have owned both Squeezebox and Sonos devices and which one I would pick would depend on the exact use, but I also would not rule out other options.

If there are files that you only have in 256k or higher formats, you should be fine. (It really varies by person whether they claim to hear a difference between 256k or higher files and lossless, and you would have to test it for yourself.) If you have the CDs, you might as well do lossless files (FLAC or ALAC). I personally listen to ALAC when it makes sense, but I don't feel like I am missing anything at 320k.

Msabot1

Dedicate your audio and video systems,if possible have your music reproduction equipment In an adjacent room,of course you will need two pair of rears in your main room. Careful wiring this up,keep all of em in phase,that's an absolute. It's a bit of a hassle,but if you do it right,you can go from one to another depending wether you want to listen or watch!

F1nut

Garbage in, garbage out...it all starts with the source and yours sucks.

Mon40CSMM10

pitdogg2 wrote: »

you need a better source.....Mp3's are the problem.

Can someone explain exactly why MP3s are a problem--even if it is lossy compression? I know that I can hear cymbal washing and warbling at 128 kbps constant bitrate or lower, but the higher bitrates really don't sound that bad.

BlueFox

Mon40CSMM10 wrote: »

Can someone explain exactly why MP3s are a problem--even if it is lossy compression?

You are kidding, right? Wht f ll th vwls wr rmvd frm wrds? Wld tht mk dffrnc?


(What if all the vowels were removed from words? Would that make a difference?)

sk88

BlueFox wrote: »

You are kidding, right? Wht f ll th vwls wr rmvd frm wrds? Wld tht mk dffrnc?


(What if all the vowels were removed from words? Would that make a difference?)

This is the greatest answer I've seen today. Since I got my help from this forum last time about fixing my source, I can hear very noticible differences just by changing from MP3 to FLAC without changing anything else.