Music sounds terrible, help!

The Old Gaffer
The Old Gaffer Posts: 35
edited January 2004 in Electronics
Howdy Polksters! It has been awhile.

I have been using my set up for about 2 years now. 800i's fronts, cs400 center, fx5oo surrounds, SVS 39pci sub, Onkyo tx-ds696 reciever and a denon 1600 dvd-a player.
Here is the problem, for movies everthing is great but for music I find the sound to be harsh and shrill in the mids to highs even listening to dvd audio in stereo sounds shrill though slightly improved over standard cd's. I have tried large and small settings with small being better but still bad. So my question, Is this a shortcoming of the Polks or the reciever? I have been tempted to dump the Onkyo and go with either a denon reciever or the Outlaw seperates, but do not want to make a move without some more info. Has anyone noticed this with a similar set up? Been able to correct?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Gaffer
Post edited by The Old Gaffer on
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Comments

  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,538
    edited January 2004
    Are you usingthe tone controls? Primarily the treble? You should have a fairly smooth treble, given the components you have. Try backing off on the treble some.

    What type of interconnects and speaker wire are you using? Sometimes a system can be "tuned" with a change in cables. I've have great success with audioquest cables, and reduced my high-end glare perfectly.

    Something to think about...
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • The Old Gaffer
    The Old Gaffer Posts: 35
    edited January 2004
    Thanks for the response.
    I am using Monster cables and speaker wire. I have my tone control set at the center flat position though I have tried turning it lower without an overall improvement.

    Gaffer
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited January 2004
    If it sounds good for movies, but not music, double check settings on the receiver.

    What connections are you using from your source to rec, for both music and movies?

    Make sure you don't have a dsp mode engaged, check tone controls etc. Is the sub functioning in 2ch?
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited January 2004
    This subject pops up from time to time, and often times a few simple accoustic treatments can make a world of difference. Any chance you could provide more info on the room and perhaps post a few pics?
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • The Old Gaffer
    The Old Gaffer Posts: 35
    edited January 2004
    I am using an optical for cd's and dvd movies and analog for DVD audio, The Onkyo only delivers 96khz - 24 bit in stereo or direct mode and will not deliver bass to the sub. In multichannel I only get DD or DTS with this reciever (another reason I am thinking of switching)
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  • glemay
    glemay Posts: 574
    edited January 2004
    I'm noticing the same thing with my Polk Audio RTi70's. They are great for movies but harsh when it comes to music. I even tried turning down the treble -6dB on my Denon AVR-1803. Oh well, can't afford to change them.
    Main System:
    Denon AVR-2805, Polk Audio RTi70's, Polk Audio CSi40, Polk Audio FXi50, Paradigm PW-2200 v.2, Toshiba 42XV545U HDTV

    Second System:
    Denon AVR-1705, Polk Audio R40, Polk Audio CS245i, Polk Audio R15, Paradigm PS-1200a
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,784
    edited January 2004
    My RTi70's were, I put a futon in there and the harshness vanished. Have a nice day..lmao

    I run mine on -6. I also have 2 tweets per side on my front stage so its purdy bright, but I like it! The RTi70, Im swapping them silks with tri lams when I get the spare money...
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited January 2004
    You may want to look into getting a dedicated cd player for two channel music. An entry level NAD or Cambridge Audio cdp (new models out) and up from there. This way you can let the player decode and use analog interconnects (audioquest, MIT, etc) to your receiver. An outboard tube DAC is another alternative (but you will still need a transport or split the digital output from the DVD player. I don't know if I like that). This may take some experimentation and unfortunately some cost to tweak.

    As suggested above, room treatments can be fairly inexpensive depending on the circumstances. Yes a picture or more description of the sound environment would be helpful.

    Paul
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  • The Old Gaffer
    The Old Gaffer Posts: 35
    edited January 2004
    I will borrow a digital camera and get some pics up of my home theater and we will revisit this issue.

    Thanks
    Gaffer
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  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited January 2004
    I have never sensed Bright with my 800i's nor has anyone suggested that they were bright. Frank or Russ may be on it.... space or settings.

    1/4Twin
    ***WAREMTAE***
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited January 2004
    about a year ago.. i faced the same problem with to much brightness in my RT800i's. it was just extremely harsh to listen to

    What i did.. was to bi wire them but reinstalled the metal jumper between the binding posts.. yeah it's not longer biwired., that's for sure. but it did tame the highs, so they are not that harsh anymore.

    are you using your Denon DVD-audio player for CD's too? This too can have an impact on brightness from music. I was playing CD"s from my DVD player.. and wow.. to much harsh highs.. then i bought a dedicated CD player. and it helped too.

    just a few things for you to try out.

    Al
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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