Low volume from speakers...

camp1133

So I just purchased my first set of loudspeakers. I recently got a larger place and went from having my amp and speakers in my studio to the living room around the TV. I went to a pair of M70s with a cs2 center speaker. Previously I had 2 small Boston shelf units that I planned on running as as the surround speakers in my new setup. I'm keeping my same amp (Denon 2801), and my 10" sub, also Boston. My problem is that the volume from the loudspeakers seems very low. I can turn it up a bit, but I have to turn it up quiet loud on the amp (like -15). Previously I've not hooked up my speakers through my amp, however a friend suggested that this might be a way to increase the volume I can get through my speakers, is this true? And if so, will it decrease the quality of the sound? My denon 2801 has 100w per channel. Thanks.
- Jake

Knucklehead

camp1133 wrote: »

Previously I've not hooked up my speakers through my amp

How were they connected before?

ikolbyi

Knucklehead wrote: »

How were they connected before?

In addition to how they are connected, what are the settings in the AVR? I use to own the Denon AVR-2800 (basically the same receiver) and if you have it on the wrong channel, your situation will occur. (I have experienced the same issue it sounds like and in my situations, it was user error - wrong channel).

camp1133

I have them hooked up in the FR and FL speakers. The center speaker is going to the center speaker, and the subwoofer to sub designated pre-out. My old bostons were hooked up to the FR and FL, but now I plan on moving them to the SL and SR once I get another 50' of speaker cable. When you say hooked up to the wrong channel, do you mean actually having put the speakers on a different input channel? Or do you mean having the wrong channel selected for audio? It doesn't sound hazy at low volumes, its quite clear in fact, its just that I either have to be stretching my ears or quite close. If someone else is in the room talking, forget it unless you have your amp volume way up.

Mon40CSMM10

Check the individual channel volume levels, they may be set very low if it is necessary to turn the receiver master volume very high.

ikolbyi

I agree with Mon40CSMM10, sounds like the volume settings in the actual channel within the AVR. In my post above, I was referring to the logical channels within the AVR, not the physical connections.

camp1133

First off, thanks all of you for the help. The individual channel volume was something I hadn't thought of... I had to use that to get the surround sound sounding right anything, Thanks!
Second off: I'm retarded. I wandered into my local stereo shop where I bought my amp 5 or 6 years ago and talked to one of the sales people there. He said his rule of thumb is if it starts sounding distorted, turn it down. Evidently the -Number just means that the amp itself is toning down the volume from the original recorded level... or something like that, and that 0 means its at the recorded level, and everything beyond that is the amp amping the volume from the recorded levels. The reason I never had to turn up my amp really hi with my old speakers is probably because I would have blown them.
Anyway, thanks for all the help! They sound spectacular now by the way.
- Jake