Something doesn't sound right

binarycool

So yesterday I hooked up my TSi500s, CS2, and rear speakers up to a Pioneer VSX-23TXH.

I can't put my finger on what but something doesn't sound right about it. It kind of hurts my ears. The volume isn't too loud, in fact the volume only sounds right at a certain level. Anything lower or higher sounds weird. Especially during music. I've tried all the setings on the receiver. MCACC, regular, anyhing and everything.

Any ideas as to what I am doing wrong? I don't know how to desribe the way it sounds but I just know its not right. Thanks again for the help.

madmax

Is the lower treble very harsh? This could be the effect of cheap interconnects, source or dirty connectors.

binarycool

Maybe.. its hard to describe. I've heard people say things sound "muddy", this may be what I am hearing. It is harsh thats for sure.

I feel like it needs to be clearer.

Def sounds better on movies than music right now.

What can I do?

binarycool

OK so here is some more info:

It sounds better now that I have moved the speakers further apart. Whats an ideal amount of room to leave in between the towers? I have them in a pretty small room.

Also, it def sounds better at higher volume. But almost too high. Vocals seem low and unclear.
Do I need more power going to them to be enjoyed at lower volumes?

danger boy

is your treble or bass set to max? like +10 or something? or - 10 in the case of treble would cause things to sound muddy. set both to zero

ntculenuff

speaker wire reversed possibly on 1 or more speakers. worth a check

woodsman10b

Are you listening to music through all channels? If so turn the surround settings off and have a listen with just the front 2 speakers.

binarycool

Wires Ok, Treble and Bass Ok.

The problem is more noticeable in stereo. Movies sound ok, 2 channel music not. My old little Polk satellites hooked up sound better than ever with the new receiver.

binarycool

Little sound effects in music sound very pronounced but the main part of the song doesn't.

danger boy

you might have some kind of processing turned on.. such as stadium or hall or other effect set to on.. check to be sure you are listening in stereo or whatever the correct mode is you wanted.

binarycool

No processing. Tried it with and without all of them.

shack

Do you have access to a good 2 channel amplifier? Having spent some time with a pair of TSi500s hooked to some really good stereo gear this past weekend, I can tell you that it is not something inherent in the speaker...if it is working properly.

Someone who was no audio junky like the rest of us walked into the room where they were playing and her comments were ..."Wow, it sounds like the musicians are right here in the room with us". Nothing wrong with the sound on that particular pair.

The best thing to try is to isolate the speakers as much as possible...it could be a problem with the speakers but you need to find out first by changing the amplification, and see if they sound different (better or worse). If they sound ok then it's time to back up and look at everything else.

binarycool

i don't unfortunately but i am trying to find someone.

should i try bi-wiring them and see if that makes a difference?

woodsman10b

binarycool wrote: »

i don't unfortunately but i am trying to find someone.

should i try bi-wiring them and see if that makes a difference?

Yes, just to make sure the jumpers are intact.

binarycool

Is it possible they are out of phase? How could I correct this?

Should I redo the wiring?

concealer404

It's possible, but out of phase usually doesn't give crackling from my experiences. Just a bizarre sound with no bass and really dispersed highs.

kawizx9r

Keiko wrote: »

Phase is referring to polarity. Positive (usually red) to pos. Negative (black) to neg. If you have these connections crossed from your receiver/amp then things can sound out of focus.

I was just reading your post in the Wiring board, binary. If your speaker cable is old, consider getting some new cables. I posted some suggestions for you in the other thread already. In the mean time, double check your wires too make sure it's hooked up properly.

+1

Also, and this may be a dumb question but seeing as how no one's asked it....are your speakers fully broken in? Not sure how long you've had them but it was worth a try.

Another thing is, were you using a different amp/receiver to power these speakers with? What if it's a problem with the receiver? If you have either another receiver/amp hook the speakers up to that, OR if you've got another pair of speakers you're familiar with hook those up to the current avr and listen for any differences.

Edit: Are your contacts clean? Deoxit works miracles on those rca plugs/speaker contacts/fuse contacts and holders.

binarycool

Only had them a few days but still - something not sounding right. Got them from Polk eBay refurbished but bever heard of anyone having a problem before.

My old speakers hooked up to the receiver sound better than ever, and they are small polk satellites.

Out of focus might be a better way to describe the sound.

As far as i can see the positive and negative connections are right, but someone on another board suggested switching one of them anyway. Do you recommend this?

As fas as the wire I will try switching but the wire is 8 years old yes, but its very thick Monster wire and it works fine with my other speakers.

kawizx9r

Even if they were Refurbs, there's a chance they weren't broken in yet. Also, speaker placement is very critical.

Where you located? I've got a monster amp that we can hook those suckers to so we can test them out.

binarycool

I'm in NJ about 15 minutes from NYC.

Right now I have them placed to the right and left of the TV unfortunately in a small space so can't move them too much further apart.

Is it a possibility these speakers are just too big for the room or would that not make a difference?

binarycool

ok and when you say reverse the wire on one of the speakers does that mean switch it on both the speaker and receiver or just one.

And as for breaking in they have a 10 day return policy so would have to get to the bottom of it before then.

treitz3

Hello binarycool and welcome to the forum, you may want to try this. Take a tube, such as a paper towel [cardboard] core and place one end of it at your ear and the other end of it at each and every driver [woofers, tweeters, etc...] and tell us if all of the drivers each give off a fair amount of volume. Does one or more of the drivers have considerably less volume/sound as the others?

concealer404

binarycool wrote: »

ok and when you say reverse the wire on one of the speakers does that mean switch it on both the speaker and receiver or just one.

And as for breaking in they have a 10 day return policy so would have to get to the bottom of it before then.

I'd just make sure that you have positive to positive and negative to negative.

The chance that the speakers are internally wired out of phase is slim to none.

They MAY need breaking in, but even if they do, they shouldn't be making a crackling noise.

However, "out of focus" does sound like a phase issue. Double and triple check your wires, swap in another set of wires if you can.

binarycool

Another thing. When I ran the MCACC on the receiver it told me to check the wiring on my center speaker, that is might be reversed. It wasn't. And the center sounds fine.

binarycool

treitz3 wrote: »

Hello binarycool and welcome to the forum, you may want to try this. Take a tube, such as a paper towel [cardboard] core and place one end of it at your ear and the other end of it at each and every driver [woofers, tweeters, etc...] and tell us if all of the drivers each give off a fair amount of volume. Does one or more of the drivers have considerably less volume/sound as the others?

Yes I did this the other day with my ear actually. Yes some have less volume.

binarycool

concealer404 wrote: »

I'd just make sure that you have positive to positive and negative to negative.

The chance that the speakers are internally wired out of phase is slim to none.

They MAY need breaking in, but even if they do, they shouldn't be making a crackling noise.

However, "out of focus" does sound like a phase issue. Double and triple check your wires, swap in another set of wires if you can.

Never really a crackling noise. Just something off. Hurts my ears. Low volume and high volume sound bad.

treitz3

binarycool wrote: »

Yes I did this the other day with my ear actually. Yes some have less volume.

Which drivers are they and are they the same drivers on each speaker by chance?

kawizx9r

binarycool wrote: »

Yes I did this the other day with my ear actually. Yes some have less volume.

Try to narrow this down to specific drivers. Either the internal wiring may have failed/come loose/etc. and are not working or they were damaged during shipping/magnet shifts or even blown.

If they're the same set of drivers in each cabinet, I'd say double check the jumper plate or replace it with some speaker wire.

binarycool

Will check when I get home as to what drivers.
Thanks for everyones help I feel like we are getting somewhere.

treitz3

What I am expecting to hear you say is that the lower two drivers on each speaker do not have the volume that is the same as the top two drivers and tweeter of each speaker. I could be wrong, but I suspect this is the case based upon your observations.

Please note that if this is the case, you might feel the lower drivers moving. This is normal even if they are not working. Let us know when you get home if this is the case on one or both of the speakers. It will be an easy fix if this is the case.

binarycool

treitz3 wrote: »

What I am expecting to hear you say is that the lower two drivers on each speaker do not have the volume that is the same as the top two drivers and tweeter of each speaker. I could be wrong, but I suspect this is the case based upon your observations.

Please note that if this is the case, you might feel the lower drivers moving. This is normal even if they are not working. Let us know when you get home if this is the case on one or both of the speakers. It will be an easy fix if this is the case.

I think that was the case. I have to double-check when I get home. I know the tweeter sounded fine. All of the effects in songs (i listen to a lot of electronica) were very pronounced. Any vocals were not.

For example, I watched a concert and I could hear the crowd noise very loudly but the singers voice was not pronounced.