Too many speakers in the room!!!
jon s
Posts: 905
At least that what's my wife said... (huh?). Actually, I was testing all the speakers with different amp combinations... I currently have a DEnon AVR-3802 hooked up but wanted to try some others to see what would sound better... This was during my setup with a Marantz SA-8260 CD/SACD player and a Marantz PM-7200 Integrated Amplifier with Class-A or -AB output.
To be perfectly frank, i could not really tell the difference between the Class-A or Class-AB mode in this amp. But there was some slight improvement in the sound overall from the Denon AVR-3802 and Denon DVD3930CI combination.
My next combination is going to be a Sony TA-F808ES MOS-FET integrated amp with a Sony CDP-779ES player.
1. All the pretty speakers lined up for the kill...
2. different angle
3. the right side
4. Polk Monitor 5A with the Peerless tweeter... my next cap upgrade...
5. closer look at the refinished Polk Monitor 10B and the modded LSi15...
To be perfectly frank, i could not really tell the difference between the Class-A or Class-AB mode in this amp. But there was some slight improvement in the sound overall from the Denon AVR-3802 and Denon DVD3930CI combination.
My next combination is going to be a Sony TA-F808ES MOS-FET integrated amp with a Sony CDP-779ES player.
1. All the pretty speakers lined up for the kill...
2. different angle
3. the right side
4. Polk Monitor 5A with the Peerless tweeter... my next cap upgrade...
5. closer look at the refinished Polk Monitor 10B and the modded LSi15...
Post edited by jon s on
Comments
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OMG i think you should have a party but may get some tickets though. WOW now thats some speakers.HT setup
Panasonic 50" TH-50PZ80U
Denon DBP-1610
Monster HTS 1650
Carver A400X :cool:
MIT Exp 3 Speaker Wire
Kef 104/2
URC MX-780 Remote
Sonos Play 1
Living Room
63 inch Samsung PN63C800YF
Polk Surroundbar 3000
Samsung BD-C7900 -
Wow!
That is soooo sexy!"Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." Bob Seger -
here are another bunch of pictures...
1. Polk Monitor 5a
2. the Marantz combo
3. Polk Monitor 10B
4. the modded Polk Monitor RTA-12C
5. the modded crossover on the RTA-12C
I did not hook up the PSW300 subwoofer the Marantz's were sitting on. I was actually quite surprised at how decent the Monitor 5As sounded. I will need to find new drivers for the 5A, both mid-woofers show visible tears in the dustcaps.
After listening to the (all modded) Monitor 10Bs, Monitor RTA-12Cs and the LSI15... I like the RTA-12Cs the best. At first, the speakers had a pronounced echo in the sound after the caps were replaced. After awhile, the artifact faded away. These speakers had the best imaging of the group but had a slight dip in the upper bass or lower midrange so sounded somewhat thin. moving the speakers back to the wall balanced the sound but a slight loss in imaging.
The Monitor 10Bs came in second for sound but was definitely lacking in bass. Stereo Review reported that the speaker LF level tapered off at about 60Hz and it shows. The RDO194 were extremely smooth and the Sonicap upgrade really made the top end sweet.
The LSi15s got new Sonicaps in the HF circuit only as there were no room to put bigger caps in the midrange. The top end became a tad more open and extended but only slightly. Imaging also was slightly improved as well as a little better detail in the extreme top end.
I was given the Monitor 5As last week and the cabs are pretty bad on the bottom. i may refinish them as well. I also have a few more Polk speakers (a set of RTi55s in the theater), also a pair of Sony SS-M9 speakers which was designed by Dan Anagnos, a former Polk engineer. The speakers were highly regarded by Stereophile magazine and was a Class-B recommended component. They look like this except they do not have the domed super-tweeter on top... this picture is of the SS-M9ED, the newer version.
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Time for a new wife
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Thats a really cool pic
You know one of these days I am going to have to take a picture like that here.
And on Monday I am adding a pair of these ....and the only place they will fit is in the DINING room. I told the wife they were really thin little black speakers
The first rule of Fight Club is you don't talk about Fight Club -
SON you are in trouble:eek:Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
Thanks
Ben -
yup, them a whole lotta speakers.
Just curious, out of that lineup, which are your favourite?
MikeModwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
Consonance cd120T
Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
Usher CP 6311
Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote -
I like the RTA-12Cs the best... the top end is smooth and open. The LSi15 is smoother on top but does not seem to be as extended as the RTA-12C. The bottom end of the LSi15 is better than the RTA-12C, there is more detail in the midrange of the RTA-12C compared to the LSi15... probably because the RTA-12C was modded with all Sonicaps and the LSi15 only had the HF circuit modded. I think if the LSi15 midrange was modded it would come out on top...
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What are you waiting for?I think if the LSi15 midrange was modded it would come out on top... "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
Nice job on the 12C crossover--looks good(all of them) I know that you are proud of those--nice work indeed.JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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I can see why your wife is pissed. Thats alot of speakers for such a nice space. My suggestion would be to dedicate a single room in your house to home theater/music. Where you have them now is just too refined of a space for all those speakers. Just my opinion.
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What are you waiting for?
was seriously looking into it but the way the LSi15 crossover boards are built, there is not enough physical space to put new caps in there... there is only 1.5" clearance between the binding plate and the crossover board. luckily the HF caps were next to the inductors on the bottom. the midrange caps are in the middle of everything are the replacement sonicaps are too big to fit in there... -
Ben's not kidding...neither is John. Every room in his house is stacked with speakers, gear and/or projects. Those Carvers look Amazing...better put an easy chair in the dining room...if you've got any spaceSON you are in trouble:eek:
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Combo rig:
Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
PB13Ultra RO
BW Silvers
Oppo BDP-83SE -
There's plenty of wall space for hanging some more or inwalls.
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Is there room to remotely mount it on top of the tweeter caps?was seriously looking into it but the way the LSi15 crossover boards are built, there is not enough physical space to put new caps in there... there is only 1.5" clearance between the binding plate and the crossover board. luckily the HF caps were next to the inductors on the bottom. the midrange caps are in the middle of everything are the replacement sonicaps are too big to fit in there..."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
the problem with remotely mounting the caps above the tweeter caps is the clearance between the crossover and the side mounted woofer... the required components would be a 10uf, 38uf and a 130uf cap for the midrange... the 130uf value is the killer.
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Spent the whole day evaluating all sort of amps/receivers with the Polk RTA-12Cs... the end results was surprising...
1. Marantz SA-8260 and Marantz PM7200 was the winner. Could not tell much between the Class-A and -AB mode, but this system had slightly better depth than the others. Bottom end was pretty good. Power reserves was good.
2. Acurus DIA-100 came in a close second. If not for the slightly elevated treble, it might have won. Very good power reserves, this amp could drive the speakers the loudest without complaint.
3. Denon AVR-3802 & DVD3930CI. the receiver was the weak point. Very flat and sterile. the DVD player was very good, but surprisingly, not as good as the Marantz CD player. Using other speakers, i had thought that the Denon was better, but with this setup, no. This amp ran out of gas rather quickly, distortion stepped in pretty quickly.
4. Sony TA-F808ES MOS-FET and CDP779ES CD player. I really had high hopes for this combo. This was a $3000 combo and it came in dead last, more surprising since it had an all MOS-FET pre-amp and amp stage. It was bright and had terrible focus and detail. What it did have was gobs of power reserves. This amp could play louder than any of the above, sounded very clean but just did not sound right.
My next test is going to be a real dark horse. I bought an Onkyo TX-NR906 A/V receiver. This receiver puts out 145wpc/8 ohms into seven channels. While the front channels can be bridged, it is not recommended with low impedance speakers. What it does have is a humongous toroidal transformer for the amp and separate transformers for the rest of the circuitry, the latest Burr-Brown DACs with a wide range Darlington amp stage. This puppy is HEAVY... about 55 lbs and it's all in the power supplies. Unfortunately the receiver is not quite here yet (release is supposedly end of this month) so until then...
And yes... i will be using the Onkyo strictly as a two channel setup. My wife insists on a receiver since she listens to FM a lot and there are no good stereo receivers made anymore. For the price of ~$2000, I cannot find any decent setup that matches this receiver in performance and value... -
was seriously looking into it but the way the LSi15 crossover boards are built, there is not enough physical space to put new caps in there... there is only 1.5" clearance between the binding plate and the crossover board. luckily the HF caps were next to the inductors on the bottom. the midrange caps are in the middle of everything are the replacement sonicaps are too big to fit in there...
Can you use fiber washers as shims, with longer screws? That would give you more clearance between the board and binding plate. Or is there not enough clearance from the board to the woofer? -
Jon, very nice set of Polks! Very impressive! Like George said, the crossover work on the RTA's is spectacular. Those Monitor 5's are so cool looking. I've never listened to a pair of those.
Good reviews on the electronics. Marantz products are really coming back. Their consumer and high end stuff is very, very good. It's good to see this company still around after the changes it went through. I'm really glad it didn't go the way of Fisher or HH Scott. McIntosh makes some nice stuff. The build quality is superb. I think the sound is a little over rated. Some of my AK friends will kill me for that statement. Nobody could ever take my McIntosh MR-71 tuner away from me. I would like to own a MX-110 tuner/preamp combo someday. Sorry, I'm just audio babbling
Congrats on the super system! Only one question, no SDA's
Carl -
I had a pair of SDA-1Bs... My wife insisted that they go... way to big and bulky. I also did not like the sonic artifacts that the SDA-1B had. Music had too much ambiance or echoey effect. It also made music from the center weaker than the music on the side.
