While my budget won't allow for the high level of equipment I see discussed in this forum, I can still appreciate good quality sound and would like to buy the best that I can afford.
I have a pair of 3-way floorstanding Marantz speakers series 50/500 with 1-3/4" tweeters, 4" midrange, and 14" woofers circa 1975. I had them reconed in the mid 1990's as they were disintegrating. The speakers appear to be in excellent condition!
Also in the mid-1990s I purchased a Marantz SR-66 AV receiver which was working well until the last three years or so when speaker channel A stopped working along with video 1, and occasionally the sound from the amp cuts out completely and then returns moments later.
Based on high ratings from Consumer Reports I just purchased a Sony STR-DG820 with all of the proper HTML connections for my kids PS3, my Sony Bravia HDTV, my digital cable box, and analog connections for my JVC L-A31 turntable with creek phono preamp.
I have configured the receiver for a 2.0 speaker configuration since I am using only my Marantz speakers for music. I have also configured the receiver to pass the audio through to the the TVs speakers for dialogue clarity while watching TV and movies.
Everything seems to work as advertised except... playing music sounds terrible! The sound is flat: the highs and the lows are weak. The mid range sounds muddled and unfocused. I can boost the high and low frequencies with the receivers EQ however it seems to add an unnatural brightness which is uncomfortable to my ears. Playing music actually sounds better when I turn on the TV speakers.
Is the problem that the receiver is not good enough to produce the sound that I would like? Or are the speakers beyond their years and just can't do the job? I suppose another possibility is that both pieces of equipment are fine, however are somehow not compatible with each other? Where do I go from here?
I have a pair of 3-way floorstanding Marantz speakers series 50/500 with 1-3/4" tweeters, 4" midrange, and 14" woofers circa 1975. I had them reconed in the mid 1990's as they were disintegrating. The speakers appear to be in excellent condition!
Also in the mid-1990s I purchased a Marantz SR-66 AV receiver which was working well until the last three years or so when speaker channel A stopped working along with video 1, and occasionally the sound from the amp cuts out completely and then returns moments later.
Based on high ratings from Consumer Reports I just purchased a Sony STR-DG820 with all of the proper HTML connections for my kids PS3, my Sony Bravia HDTV, my digital cable box, and analog connections for my JVC L-A31 turntable with creek phono preamp.
I have configured the receiver for a 2.0 speaker configuration since I am using only my Marantz speakers for music. I have also configured the receiver to pass the audio through to the the TVs speakers for dialogue clarity while watching TV and movies.
Everything seems to work as advertised except... playing music sounds terrible! The sound is flat: the highs and the lows are weak. The mid range sounds muddled and unfocused. I can boost the high and low frequencies with the receivers EQ however it seems to add an unnatural brightness which is uncomfortable to my ears. Playing music actually sounds better when I turn on the TV speakers.
Is the problem that the receiver is not good enough to produce the sound that I would like? Or are the speakers beyond their years and just can't do the job? I suppose another possibility is that both pieces of equipment are fine, however are somehow not compatible with each other? Where do I go from here?
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