JohnA Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 It's an integrated amp. The problem I have at the moment is not so much clipping at loud volumes, it's just that it sounds very boomy, which is not good. I would guess it's primarily the speakers that are causing this. The room is small - about 12ft square, and not much furniture to cause uneven surfaces. Is the room a cube? That is the worst case for boominess. Are the speakers located in corners? That increases boominess. Are they sitting directly on the floor? Maybe spikes would help. You may want to try tilting them upwards slightly - without pictures it's hard to say though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 maybe try some deep shagpile carpet and egg boxes glued to the wall Yeah, these are typical ways of dealing with floor and wall reflections. They could make the room very dead though, everything in moderation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 The speakers are the least important link in the chain, believe it or not. I have to say I disagree. Speakers are the number 1 most important part of a system. No other single component can completely change the sound of a system so drastically. No matter how good your speakers, they won't make up for a crap source, in fact quite the opposite - better speakers on a bad system just show up how bad it is! No matter how good the speakers, they won't sound good in a bad acoustic environment. most people believe the same. I think it's more fair to say that - for the ideal sound package .. the whole ensemble is needed. Room, speakers, source ... eh ? Which is pretty much what Chilli said. Imagine the chain as a river that starts as a spring up in the mountains. The source is where the snows melt, the speakers are downhill where you drink the stuff. If someone pees upstream, is it ever possible to undo the damage downstream? Think about it and you'll see why the closer you are to the source the more important the link. You cannot add resolution that isn't there and you cannot undo distortion that has been introduced already. Downstream you can only mask the flaws (at best). Avoidance is much better. I understand your metaphor. But I don't understand how you are applying it in the real world. Sorry, John - imo - that is saying alot .. but in actual fact saying very little. (Puzzled) What do you mean closer to the source ? I understand what you said about undo-ing distortion. But what is the meaning of resolution ? Is that just another fancy way of saying of tweaking the sound with a Graphic from x Hz to x Khz ? I'm not being funny at all - just the way you put things is .. odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 I found adding a good stone plinth to each speaker base transformed the bass when I had wooden floors in the house. I used 60mm slate. All in all a cheap way to upgrade my speakers that had lost the edge when I moved house! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 My speakers are on spikes - on a laminate floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 My speakers are on spikes - on a laminate floor. If the base of the floor under the laminate is wooden then stone plinths could help, even with the spikes. Mine are on spikes on the slabs of slate. The bass is tighter and more defined, not louder. also if your speakers are ported then a bung can help. If you have some sponge place it in the port and it will slow down the air movement and reduce the bass effect from the cabinet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 I was gonna say buy mine but I guess you don't wanna spend that much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 I was gonna say buy mine but I guess you don't wanna spend that much Impress me - what are they? (Are they part of the stereo, and it's got a handle? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francis Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 All of the above will have an effect on the sound, the source, amplification, room acoustics, isolation (slate for speakers, equipment stand), interconnects, power cables, mains supply, etc. Many people do believe in source first to the extent that I've heard of people running a Naim CDS3 (8k CD player) with a Naim Nait 1 (1980s mini-integrated amp) with Linn Kans. Personally I think taking it to that extent is silly, but to a certain level it does ring true. Once you reach a decent level of amplification and have a good quality source, changing speakers can make a huge difference to the sound. When I first had my Nautilus 803s I was using a Nakamichi AV-10 (integrated surround receiver) with a cheap DVD player (using the Nak's DAC) and moving from B&W CDM7s to 803's completely transformed my system. That said, I then went on the Naim route, which was initially fairly unfulfilling until I made the jump up to a NAC82 with two HICAP powre supplies and NAP135 monoblock amplifiers which again transformed the system and it really was a high end and enjoyable sound. I think your A3 and source (?) should be a decent basis for a speaker upgrade, but you'll no doubt catch the bug and want to upgrade the rest... There's certainly no harm in doing it in stages, that's what I find so fun about it... and if you buy second hand you can usually recoup most of your outlay if you buy wisely. Cheers, Francis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Impress me - what are they? (Are they part of the stereo, and it's got a handle? ) I have 2 sets of Lumley speakers, can't remember the model off the top of my head. They are a few years old now though, so you could pick some up dirt cheap if you could find them second hand. They originally retailed for 6k per pair IIRC. I have them as part of a 6.1 cinema set up, so I also have centre front, rear and sub. Plus front effects but I have done away with them for now. However they do sound really good. I demo'd loads and really liked them running on the kit I had. It's all getting a bit old now though TBH, but it won't be upgraded for a long time. Still whoops ass however Bass is adjustable at a speaker level too. Mine are spiked, through carpet but I have concrete floors underneath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 I have 2 sets of Lumley speakers, can't remember the model off the top of my head. They are a few years old now though, so you could pick some up dirt cheap if you could find them second hand. They originally retailed for 6k per pair IIRC. I have them as part of a 6.1 cinema set up, so I also have centre front, rear and sub. Plus front effects but I have done away with them for now. However they do sound really good. I demo'd loads and really liked them running on the kit I had. It's all getting a bit old now though TBH, but it won't be upgraded for a long time. Still whoops ass however Bass is adjustable at a speaker level too. Mine are spiked, through carpet but I have concrete floors underneath. A sports car, decent hi-fi and surround sound? Well, hellooooooo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 A sports car, decent hi-fi and surround sound? Well, hellooooooo You would have to buy me a pony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 I have 2 sets of Lumley speakers, can't remember the model off the top of my head. I've heard them. They do sound lumley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 I've heard them. They do sound lumley Pretty sure Ian C remembers them somewhat too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 You would have to buy me a pony Ah. My ex g/f had a horse (and come to think of it, so did a previous ex). I think I might be editing my earlier post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 I understand your metaphor. But I don't understand how you are applying it in the real world. Sorry, John - imo - that is saying alot .. but in actual fact saying very little. (Puzzled) It says that not all links of the chain have equal weight - the closer to the source the more important they are. Source is the recording itself, then you have your decoding (CD transport, DAC) then line-level processing (preamps) then power amplifiers and then speakers. On top of that, the interaction of the room itself with the system can be more important than anything else - that's why listening through a pair of good headphones can be so revealing: you eliminate room interactions and quite a bit of electronics. What do you mean closer to the source ? I understand what you said about undo-ing distortion. But what is the meaning of resolution ? Is that just another fancy way of saying of tweaking the sound with a Graphic from x Hz to x Khz ? Resolution is just that: a heavily-compressed MP3 will have very low resolution, a relatively uncompressed MP3 will be a fraction of 'CD quality', a SACD or a DVD-A will be a few times higher than 'CD' resolution. We're talking bits, bytes and sampling frequencies. Just as the best Photoshop expert won't make miracles out of a low-res picture ---> the best HiFi in the world cannot add missing information or readjust distortions. Once they're in, they stay and the better the system the more audible (and annoying) they'll be. Quick example: Same room, same amps, same listening position, same musical material Case1: shoite mp3 player hooked to excellent speakers Case2: State of the art CD player hooked to el-cheapo speakers Case2 will sound better every time;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Ah. My ex g/f had a horse (and come to think of it, so did a previous ex). I think I might be editing my earlier post! lol Ahh ponies are lovely I think I will get another one soon, hense the comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now