|   What to do? | Rory
Jul 24, 2001 1:25 PM | | Well I am running a Denon AVR-3801, Polk RT-800i speakers, and a Velodyne CT-120 sub. The sub sits on a granite slab with home made feet. I Bi wired everything with good speaker wire. And I have a decent 400-disk Sony changer. I am using the digital out on the CD player hopping for the best quality, but basically I want to know what I can do you make my system sound better? I was thinking on getting a separate power amp and using the Denon as a pre? Is this not a good idea? A lot of people think I need new fronts because Polk sucks, and my receiver is not good for just a 2-channel setup. Basically I dont want to upgrade any of my already decent stuff but want to work with what I have. Any suggestions? |
| re: What to do? | Azuth
Jul 24, 2001 1:37 PM | | Is the Sony changer an ES model? I noticed a pretty big improvement going from my old Sony 300 disc changer to a new Sony SCD-333ES. Then again, the biggest difference you can make in almost any system is a speaker upgrade. If I were you I'd invest in two very nice bookshelf type speakers from a company like ACI, Norh, Paradigm, or B&W. |
| re: What to do? | Rory
Jul 24, 2001 1:46 PM | | ya i know...but have you ever heard the polks? I would think not, because they have a nice sound stage and are very powerfull imaging speakers in my opinion. |
| re: What to do? | paulbl
Jul 24, 2001 2:22 PM | | Spend some time experimenting with speaker placement. Moving a speaker by even 1" can have an effect on the sound. Experiment with distance from front walls, side walls, distance between mains, toe-in, etc. Experiment with sub placement as well, sub location can have even more dramatic effect on overall sound than main speaker placement. |
| re: What to do? | Woochifer
Jul 24, 2001 3:05 PM | | Between the Denon and the Polk, I think that the speakers are more of a candidate for upgrading. But, as someone else noted, try moving the speakers around first. Just getting them away from the walls or corners can make a noticeable improvement by tightening up the bass. Also, don't be afraid of messing with the tone controls! If you can get closer to the sound you want without buying new equipment, all the better. Other things you can try include hanging a tapestry or other sound absorbing object on the wall. And if you don't have carpeting, you can try rugs or moving furniture, etc. I guess the tweaking depends on how you want to change the sound that you currently get.
With the Polk RT800s, I thought they had some of the same weaknesses that other floorstanding speakers in this price class have. If you decide to upgrade, try out a high quality bookshelf speaker. Since you already have a subwoofer, the bookshelfs will give you a cleaner and tighter sound since you don't need to worry about sending the low frequencies their way. But, if you want to make due with what you have, there are lots of tweaks you can do. |
| Just a suggestion... | Debra
Jul 24, 2001 5:04 PM | | It sounds like you have good stuff. But, it also sounds like you do not have much confidence in your speakers (which are the most subjective element and make the biggest difference in any system).See if you can borrow some quality speakers from a friend for a day or two to see if they make a difference to you.Listen (A-B)with noone around to taint your opinion. If they do not make that much of a difference, I would suggest you consider ignoring "a lot of people who think Polk sucks, since there are a lot of other people who think what those people own suck too. Human nature being what it is, there is always a tendency to second guess yourself based on what other people think, when in fact those "other people" are second guessing themselves about what they own. |
| re: What to do? | Electro
Jul 25, 2001 4:36 AM | | Rory
I am running a pair of polk bookshelfs that were purchased over 15 years ago. Thought they were my weakest link so got a pair of b & w nautilus 805 to audition. Very little differenc and the fact is we liked the polk on my system better. Decided to try an ext amp. Oh what a difference. Was using a Denon avr 2800 and added a bryston 3b. Could finally maintain dynamics at low spl and everything became more clear. Sound had been muffled and muddie. Now the highs are clear, lows are controlled and real, placement of instruments is some better but in a ht can't expect perfect. Your mileage may vary with this upgrade but I would suggest a home demo with a quality amp and see how you feel. I heard for years that speakers were the weakest link in most systems and have now decided that receivers are generally overated untill you get to the upper end where I have not gone. Lower end receivers (not that the 3801 is low end) have to compromise somewhere and many it seems compromise the amp section. Look for a quality used amp. Can always get your money back if it doesn't meet your expectations. Give it a try and let us know how it goes.
Steve |
| re: What to do? | JoshK
Jul 25, 2001 1:16 PM | | My $.02....
I agree with everyone above, all good advice. First play with placement, then cheap room acoustic treatments (rugs, art, drapes, etc), then borrow speakers, maybe even try out an amp. When you've gone through the list then consider upgrading. I personally worked with placement, big dividends, then with acoustics, some benefit, then decided to upgrade my amp with the intention of upgrading speakers in the future. A great amp with mediocre speakers isn't going to help a lot, imo, but it can help tremendously with really good speakers. I used to hate my speakers, but after replacing my amp I now think they aren't bad but still getting replaced.
Word of caution as your system is only as good as its weakest link (usually the room) the upgrade path can be a vicious addiction. When you get very good components they tend to reveal weaknesses in your lesser components. You can easily find yourself following up your $2000 amp upgrade with $3000 speaker upgrade, $3000 pre amp, $1600 cd player, etc, etc, you get the picture. Its the catch 22 that makes a lot of people become "audiophiles" (read audio equipment-aholics). I know I got the bug but I temper it with my frugality. |
| |
