Can a bad CD player cause your speakers to distort?

[audiojunky]

I just got a pair of B&W 804s and Krell 400Xi integrated amplifier.

Unfortunately I haven't got a CD player yet so I'm using an old $100 Toshiba DVD player as my CD source.

It doesn't sound bad but I've noticed that at slightly high volumes, there seems to be some slight distortion and a little boominess in the bass (bass is not crisp).

At low volumes it plays fine but at higher volumes, I've been noticing these issues. Is this due to my CD player or could it be due to the speaker/ integrated amp???

[jim777]

If it was the CD player, you would have the same amount of distorsion at low and high volumes, and that noise would sound pretty much the same all the time. If you get a better CD player, you will get more detail and stuff, but I don't think that it will help for your problems. You might even get more bass so more boom..

Boominess can be caused by a too small room. The speakers should also be far enough from walls. You should also try the spikes. You might even try the foam plug in the port to see what happens, but that might not be the best idea!

Good luck!!

[audiojunky]

Thanks a ton - this is indeed very helpful.

I'm a little worried about the distortion that I'm hearing - and am certainly glad that both the Krell and the B&W are under warantee ...

hmmm ... I wonder what's causing the distortion then ... this is very concerning.

I guess I should post something on the B&W forum after some more research tonight.

[gianni]

Does this happen with all CD's or just a few? Some really poorly mastered highly compressed CD's, can result in a squared off wave form - clipping.

[stantheman2]

There is also a possibility that the sound quality of the Toshiba really isn't that great, and a combination of psychoacoustic effects and speaker characteristics make any sonic deficiencies more noticeable as the volume increases.

[Alaric]

As the proud owner of a Toshiba SD-4960 multi-player ($99) I can state,without fear of correction , it sounds like a cat with hemorrhoids after a Tabasco binge... I would try almost any other CD player before casting suspicion on what appears to be a very nice amp/speaker combo. :T I spent too much on a SACD player after hearing what my trusty little Tosh did to CD playback. :E

[jim777]

As the proud owner of a Toshiba SD-4960 multi-player ($99) I can state,without fear of correction , it sounds like a cat with hemorrhoids after a Tabasco binge... I would try almost any other CD player before casting suspicion on what appears to be a very nice amp/speaker combo. :T I spent too much on a SACD player after hearing what my trusty little Tosh did to CD playback. :E

That's a usefull comment. I'm surprised because when I tried my cheapo LG DVD player for fun, it just sounded flat and lifeless. It must be rolled off in the highs or something. Seems that Toshiba doesn't "hide" it's problems at all...

One thing for sure, a good CD player (like the RCD-1072 minimum) or a DAC (like the Benchmark DAC1) is going to make a hell of a difference with that nice setup you have audiojunky.

[bleeding ears]

Is there any bass management on the Krell, besides bass and treble?

Eg can you choose to set your speakers to small or adjust crossover settings etc.

I find I sometimes get a similar bass problem however it is eliminated by choosing the small setting on my processor.

Analog bypass with no bass management available is the worst.

I assume the Krell would be pure analog with no speaker size settings?

[audiojunky]

Hi - what I found out was that it wasn't the problem with the CD player but with the speakers themselves. These were demo pairs and 1 was defective - hence the distortion. I'm returning them tomorrow. Sad, sad start to the weekend.

[bleeding ears]

Ah!, when you get them back or replaced,please let us know if it fixes the problem you were having.

[audiojunky]

Ah!, when you get them back or replaced,please let us know if it fixes the problem you were having.

Yeah, I got replacement speakers on Saturday. The previous speakers, which were store demos, were bad - yes, they were under full warantee but I didn't want to go through the pain of getting speakers that I bought less than 2 weeks ago fixed. Hence I returned them and purchased brand new speakers (had to pay the difference of course).

That absolutely fixed the problem - it was the speaker - probably a bad crossover or something. Can't pinpoint the problem but the new speakers sound amazing and absolutely no distortion at all.

Thanks for the help!

[Aussie Geoff]

Excellent...

Still - I can't recommend highly enough the benefits of getting a quality CD player for your system if you do a lot of CD listenning and a better DVD player for DVDs... The audio improvement for both is amazing and will be very noticable given the high quality of amplifier and speaker you have...

So start saving...

Geoff

[audiojunky]

Excellent...

Still - I can't recommend highly enough the benefits of getting a quality CD player for your system if you do a lot of CD listenning and a better DVD player for DVDs... The audio improvement for both is amazing and will be very noticable given the high quality of amplifier and speaker you have...

So start saving...

Geoff

Oh I totally agree! I'm just trying to sell my older system (HT) which would give me enough cash to get a nice CD player.

I'm planning on getting the Rotel RCD-1072

However I'm amazed at how good this system sounds with the worst CD player on earth!