Is My HT System set up improperly?
seehunt
Posts: 2
I have an older (1981) stereo system with a Yamaha R700 Receiver and a pair of Polk 7B's in my den. Although the receiver switches have to be fiddles with a bit, the system still sounds great to me. In my home theater setup in the family room, I had installed a Plk RM-3000 system on a Yamaha Rx-V850 receiver. Since I had hit my limit at the time, I used Radio Shack Minimus 7's as the rear surrounds. It always sounded pretty good to me. I am starting to upgrade the system starting with trying to get a bit more 'punch". I found a great deal on the Polk R-50's at Fry's and they really did the job on movies.
The problem is that when listening to CD's the system still sounds "hollow" compared to my upstairs stereo system. It improves markedly when I cut out the rear speakers but still not like those 7B's. I checked the wiring, seems OK, though the complexity of the wiring to the subwoofer has me baffled, I have not located the original wiring instructions, but the sub is wired through the two front speakers. It has plenty of base, but I am wondering if wiring it this way somehow contributes to the hollowness I am sensing. There is a separate sub out on the receiver that remains unused.
Is it just that the newer speakers are not as good as the 7B's or is there some suggestion to improve performance. I plan on upgrading the receiver and some other components in the next year or so, so I am open to suggestions here too.
The problem is that when listening to CD's the system still sounds "hollow" compared to my upstairs stereo system. It improves markedly when I cut out the rear speakers but still not like those 7B's. I checked the wiring, seems OK, though the complexity of the wiring to the subwoofer has me baffled, I have not located the original wiring instructions, but the sub is wired through the two front speakers. It has plenty of base, but I am wondering if wiring it this way somehow contributes to the hollowness I am sensing. There is a separate sub out on the receiver that remains unused.
Is it just that the newer speakers are not as good as the 7B's or is there some suggestion to improve performance. I plan on upgrading the receiver and some other components in the next year or so, so I am open to suggestions here too.
Post edited by seehunt on
Comments
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The speakers sound MUCH better when I turned off all of the digital effects on the Yamaha. Apparently, unless you are listening to a movie or a concert video designed to be used with these effects, the music sounds much cleaner and less "muddy" and "hollow" when these effects are turned off. The Monitor 50's still don't mach the clarity and sound field of my old Monitor 7's but they are still new and from what I hear they will get beter when "broken in" over the next few months. Even if not, they are quite satisfying, particularly considering the price.
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The less processing tricks that are engaged, the better IMO. At least for music anyhoo.Sharp Elite 70
Anthem D2V 3D
Parasound 5250
Parasound HCA 1000 A
Parasound HCA 1000
Oppo BDP 95
Von Schweikert VR4 Jr R/L Fronts
Von Schweikert LCR 4 Center
Totem Mask Surrounds X4
Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive Subwoofers
Sony PS3
Squeezebox Touch
Polk Atrium 7s on the patio just to keep my foot in the door. -
wingnut4772 wrote: »the less processing tricks that are engaged, the better imo. At least for music anyhoo.
+1....
