Is My Room too small for Amazing Plats?

punk-roc

So I'm mostly just thinking out-loud, but I was curious what some other people thought.

I have a long, narrow (rectangular, about 12feet wide and 35feet long, hardwood floors) floor space and I want to get my 2-channel setup to sound right up there. I mostly sit fairly far back in the room, 20-30 feet back from my Amazing Platinums. They are forced onto the narrow end of my 12x35 foot space and don't have a lot of wiggle room. They certainly aren't the several feet away from each wall like they should be. I've played with their placement a little bit, but I can't seem to get them to sound quite right.

I only have one Carver TFM-42 powering them at the moment and I think that may be a big part of the problem (and i'm currently looking for another amp), but I was curious what you guys thought about the Amazings in that kind of space.. should I consider trying some different bookshelf or floor-standers?? Are there speakers out there that would do well pinned up against the back of the room like mine will be?

I listen mostly to Rock music (indie rock and progressive rock and some harder 90s rock), with hip-hop and random other stuff mixed in.

I love the bass with the Amazings and obviously think they are a great speaker, but I'm wondering if i should look for something else until I can find a larger space for them..

I like the Amazings in the room, but others have commented that they seem a little large and out of place.. and they are definitely pinned too close to the walls (really like 1.5 feet from the back wall and 5inches from side wall, and about 4 feet a part).

Thanks for anyone and everyone's expertise/experience/opinion they are willing to contribute

Jason

erniejade

Actually if you look in the amazing manual, they say it can be placed against the back wall. Have you tried them like that?

erniejade

I should edit this a bit. The book does say they can be placed on the back wall. I have mine on a 24 foot wall, 2.5 feet from the corner 6" on the wall tilted in

punk-roc

hmmm, the manual i have says at least 3 feet away from back wall, 18 inches from side walls and 6 feet from each other...

I'll try pushing them back closer to the wall and see what happens

Jason

nooshinjohn

The tfm 42 may not be powerful enough to do them justice.

punk-roc

nooshinjohn wrote: »

The tfm 42 may not be powerful enough to do them justice.

thats what i'm thinking too... I am trying to find another TFM 42 or 45 so can bridge them. before i do anything drastic i want to try more power.. but i thought i'd ask in case someone had other ideas

Jason

erniejade

Weird i thought my manual said they can be placed against a wall. BUT mine are the original not plats... I will look when I get home later.

punk-roc

So, I happened to order some AudioQuest Black Mamba II's from AudioAdvisor and they arrived today. I plugged them in between my Peachtree and Carver TFM (replacing some Analog 2 Signal cable IC's) and I was blown away..

Everything was more detailed, sounded better at lower volumes, and the bottom-end was far more pronounced..

I'm really shocked at how much of a difference switching these cables had.. I didn't move my speakers at all since my post this morning and far more satisfied with the sound I'm getting out of the Amazings..

Anyway, I think i'm happy for now until i can get another carver amp to give them the power they crave.

Jason (newest member of cables DEFINITELY matter crew)

hearingimpared

When RT1 had his Amazings in his "woodshed" which was quite a small room he had his setup with the ribbons on the outside. They sounded awesome however he was using a big **** ole BAT amp that had plenty of high current to power them.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=83220

Scroll down a bit till you see the picture with the title "Can you say Amazing." You'll see what I mean. They were rather close together, and close to side and rear walls but still sounded, well, Amazing!

punk-roc

Hahaha, awesome. You are two-for-two in my threads today Hearingimpaired. Thanks again!

Jason

punk-roc

Yeah RT1's are definitely more cramped than mine were and George's Amazings were behind them and the wall... It looks like i just need more power.. and maybe try swapping the ribbons to outside as well

Thanks again

Jason

reeltrouble1

would you like to hear a story about 220 watts, Amazings, and the William Tell Overture.......Rock on, I would highly recommend a BAT amp as synergistic with the Carvers.....get one with the bat pak if you decide on it, also, move your listening chair up a bit, sort of a triangle thing with the speaks to begin with and adjust from there, Amazings can be dialed in with inches of adjustment the ribbon on the outside did the trick for me.

ahhhhh the Woodshed......may she RIP, of course the Rabbit Hole is quite an audio experience.

RT1

hearingimpared

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

would you like to hear a story about 220 watts, Amazings, and the William Tell Overture.......Rock on, I would highly recommend a BAT amp as synergistic with the Carvers.....get one with the bat pak if you decide on it, also, move your listening chair up a bit, sort of a triangle thing with the speaks to begin with and adjust from there, Amazings can be dialed in with inches of adjustment the ribbon on the outside did the trick for me.

ahhhhh the Woodshed......may she RIP, of course the Rabbit Hole is quite an audio experience.

RT1

One of the all time coziest audio rooms I've ever been in.:)

F1nut

I listen mostly to Rock music (indie rock and progressive rock and some harder 90s rock), with hip-hop and random other stuff mixed in.

From my experience with them, I'd have to say the Amazing's are not the best choice for your musical tastes. I also think the SDA's are not the best choice for classical.

hearingimpared

F1nut wrote: »

From my experience with them, I'd have to say the Amazing's are not the best choice for your musical tastes. I also think the SDA's are not the best choice for classical.

Jess after all the tweaking and modding of the 1.2 TLs I've done I would have to disagree with that statement. I've heard several high end speakers at Quest for Sound and the 1.2TLs do justice to classical music. Ted's Amazings were astounding with Stavinski's Firebird . . . it had me and Bruce in tears.

Didn't I play that direct to disc Shefield Labs copy I have of Wagner's "Ride of the Valyre" for you? Ed Savinon, Carl, Richie and Billy were blown away at how it sounded on the 1.2 TLs.

punk-roc

F1nut wrote: »

From my experience with them, I'd have to say the Amazing's are not the best choice for your musical tastes. I also think the SDA's are not the best choice for classical.

Out of curiousity, would there be speakers you'd recommend then? I'm pretty happy with the Amazings presently, but would always be interested in taking a listen to other speakers

Jason

hearingimpared

punk-roc wrote: »

Out of curiousity, would there be speakers you'd recommend then? I'm pretty happy with the Amazings presently, but would always be interested in taking a listen to other speakers

Jason

If music like Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" is typically what you listen to, when Ted played it and several other rock music selections on his Amazings I was very moved. I don't know how they sound with hip-hop and to be honest I don't listen to hip-hop so I couldn't recomend a speaker. Jesse might be able to make a recommendation.

punk-roc

Seems like i'm gonna have to save my pennies for a BAT amp.. maybe just ride out this TFM-42 for a while until I can afford/find a BAT VK-500..

I see one on Audiogon now for 2150 with a BAT Pak; I can't afford it now, but is that an average price for one? So i know how much to start saving

Jason

george daniel

these guys are giving you some great information based upon experience,,I was a Ted's and did not want to ever leave the room with the amazings,(Woodshed),it was that good.Do yourself a favor and pop a man sized amp in there before you decide anything.Good luck,,have fun and enjoy the ride.

punk-roc

thanks George That seems like the most prudent plan.. I've liked audio equipment most of my (short) life and been buying polks for 5 or so years, but i've finally caught "the bug" and am having fun wandering "the road"! haha

Jason

engtaz

Pick up a Carver PT2400. It should do nicely.

hearingimpared

george daniel wrote: »

these guys are giving you some great information based upon experience,,I was a Ted's and did not want to ever leave the room with the amazings,(Woodshed),it was that good.Do yourself a favor and pop a man sized amp in there before you decide anything.Good luck,,have fun and enjoy the ride.

IIRC your wife was so moved by the music in the "Woodshed" that day, especially when Janis Joplan was playing should couldn't help herself but to jump up and start dancing . . . it was that good!;)

george daniel

hearingimpared wrote: »

IIRC your wife was so moved by the music in the "Woodshed" that day, especially when Janis Joplan was playing should couldn't help herself but to jump up and start dancing . . . it was that good!;)

yep,, she did,,he,he,, there were two in the room ,,,my wife Janice,,and Janis J,, the sound was that good,,and it was our first polk fest as well,,,don't think I'll ever forget that one--:)

There you have it punc-rok-- if you wanna get chicks to dance,, get a big A$$ BAT for those amazings :cool:

punk-roc

hahah, point made. next step is getting the speakers to blow their clothes off

reeltrouble1

the vk-500 with bat pak hover around 2 large for one with no issues and no major cosmetic issues. FYI BAT rivals Polk for customer service. Of course there are other hi-end amps, before the vk-500 I used carver silver 9t, they were nice, but not near as refined as the BAT, I evetually sold it to a fellow who said it crushed his Krells, I moved on to BAT tube amps.

RT1

punk-roc

ok, thanks for that RT1. After talking with everyone here, I was thinking of the BAT amps or the carver silver's.. I'll see what i can find when the money is accumulated. I appreciated the info.. Its easy to read reviews, but harder to find those with similar setups and experiences

Jason

punk-roc

P.S. I've been googling and searching various forums, but I'm severely deficient when it comes to electrical issues...

Would it be a terrible idea to use two TFM-42's bridged mono to run the Amazing Platinums? Terrible meaning dangerous to the components involved. Polkersince85 was mentioning that i shouldn't in my other thread, but i'm just confused as to why.

The TFM-42's are stable at 4 and 8ohm's; but halving the impedence load due to being bridged (plus i think the Amazing Plat Mark IV's can drop below 4ohm's at times right?) would mean that the TFM-42 would not be able to handle them?

I know I should just get a BAT or comparable amp long term, but i have two TFM-42's lying around and thought it might be worth exploring the "Bridged" option.

Thanks again guys!

Jason

george daniel

you can certainly try it,,but it;s been the experience of others and myself that bridging amps,,specifically the tfm42's,,will not get you the sound that you are seeking. If you want loud,,then by all means,go for it,however if you are wanting music with some air,great detail,a good soundstage and imaging, then you will be better off with something like the BAT.BTW,,what is the rest of your rig like? Pre and front end? Just trying to help you steer clear of of the "potholes". Have fun

punk-roc

I've got a Denon 2910 for my SACD/CDs and I'm using a Peachtree Nova Integrated for my DAC (and streaming FLACs from my PC).

Just using one TFM-42 now and it sounds pretty darn good since I upgraded my interconnect between the TFM and Peachtree (i now have AQ black mamba II's from AudioAdvisor).

hearingimpared

Just an example. Way back when, I had purchased two NAD 2200 PE power amps. I loved the rich warm NAD house sound, however, when I bridged them mono, I noticed a lot of distortion and that house sound was gone. Just one example of my experience with bridging amps mono.

punk-roc

hearingimpared wrote: »

Just an example. Way back when, I had purchased two NAD 2200 PE power amps. I loved the rich warm NAD house sound, however, when I bridged them mono, I noticed a lot of distortion and that house sound was gone. Just one example of my experience with bridging amps mono.

Fair enough. I'm not interested in "louder" was just hoping for more improvement in depth/separation/detail, etc. But if that won't or isn't likely to happen with two TFM-42's versus one; i'll take everyone's advice and bypass that spot on my audio journey =P

Jason