Concerns with my 261s

[maximumshow]

Hey all.

I have just got one of my Exodus 261s operational. I still have to finish the cabinet for #2. I still have yet to get a good amp for the pair, so in my anxiousness to test them out I hooked them up to an old Sansui 441 Stereo receiver.

My first results were less than stellar... . The highs seemed a little dull and the sound stage seemed smallish (I know it'll be better with 2).

Now instantly I figured that it was the amp, as it is low low grade. My question is, can the amp really have that much effect on the quality of the music, and not just the volume?

I KNOW it should sound better, as they get excellent reviews, and Adire is an A1 company :T, but I don't have access to a hifi amp right now.

Could there be other issues that may be causing my problems? I am pretty sure the crossover wiring is correct.

Am I worrying to much? (probably)

Thanks

[morbo]

IMO there is nothing wrong with old Sansui amps, unless they are defective somehow. Certianly better than most mass market receivers today. But with only 1 speaker running, it is impossible to have a 'soundstage', since that requires stereo. As for the soft top end, are you sure that it is not a case of the strong bottom end overpowering the highs? What size room are you in, and how far out from the walls is the speaker?

[Evil Twin]

Room placement, room acoustics, Source components, source material, all have their effects. I wouldn't worry about things until you've got your system more sorted out. You also may be used to a prior speaker that has a pronounced tilt toward the top end, and this well make a relatively flat response speaker sound dull.

All possible issues....

[Interious]

Is driver break-in a possible issue, or a myth?

Almost every speakers I came to love I hated initially. I wonder if brain break-in
is much more profound than is commonly recognized?

[Kyle Richardson]

The speakers will break in a bit but you just cant judge a speaker with only one running. Wait until you have the second speaker built and positioned properly in the room, give them some running time, and I'm sure you'll be pleased.

[morbo]

"I wonder if brain break-in
is much more profound than is commonly recognized?"

I think it is more the case that 'user' break in is more profound than commonly recognized, people get used to a certain sound and it often takes time to get used to a new one, epsecially if it is less 'euphonic' and more accurate.

[maximumshow]

Thanks for the ideas all. I know I am too anxious and probably worrying over nothing . I am still convinced that the amp is having a detremental effect on the speaker, even at low volumes. I'm sure things will be much better once I have everything setup properly... I shouldn't be concerned untill I have everything setup as it should be.

I was worried that the crossover may have been assembled improperly, or the drivers were out of phase, and wanted to get info on the symptoms of such mistakes.

I have someone bringing over a better (but still not great) amp, with more headroom, tonight to test it out. I will report any changes. Thanks again!

[Interious]

Morbo,
Yes--User break-in, Brain break-in, same thing.
Dave

[Kyle Richardson]

Yes--User break-in, Brain break-in, same thing.

In some cases yes, but not all the time. When I first built my Kit281's they were so bright when I first hooked them up I thought I had made a huge mistake by selling my previous speakers first. This was fairly late at night so I only had about 10 minutes to listen to them and had to shut them down for the night. The next morning I put 5 CD's in the changer, turned up the volume, and let it play all day when I was at work. When I came home I listened to the same music I had listened to the previous night and it was MUCH better. The highs had mellowed considerably and I immediately fell in love with the speakers.

[morbo]

Interious - sorry, I didnt read your earlier post carefully enough, seems we were talking about the same thing after all.

[maximumshow]

well good news! The different amp definately sounded MUCH better. I also used a thicker speaker cable, at 12AWG. Still running only one speaker, and the position/room treatments have a lot to be desired. I can't wait to get #2 up!

For reference, the room is ~22'x12'x8' so it's pretty large. I knew something was wrong with my initial setup, just happy it was the amp. I will continue with work on #2 and report my progress. Thanks for all your help.

[Arctophile]

A friend of mine replaced all the caps in his old Sansui and it sounded 100% better - just a thought.


//Adam F