New receiver with vintage speakers sounds terrible

[ctc]

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?

[Johnloudb]

I'm not a multi channel guy, but you may have your receiver set up wrong. Maybe double check the setup instructions?

Or get a nice 2 channel integrated amp.

[Kevin P]

My hunch is it's the receiver. 110W x 7 in a $400 home theater receiver, I'm guessing it's not going to be a stellar 2-channel performer. Many lower-priced receivers have very optimistic specifications (by stating the power rating at 1 KHz, rather than at 20-20Khz), because when they cut corners to make it inexpensive, it's the amplifiers and power supply they're cutting the corners in. I'd be surprised if that Sony can manage 30 watts x 7 without distorting.

If 2-channel music performance is important, you'll need to look at higher-end gear, or at least a good 2-channel amp to drive those speakers with.

If you go Sony, look into their ES line. It's much higher-end than their regular stuff. The STR-DA1500ES, for example is a $500 2-channel receiver that will likely run circles around that HT receiver for 2-channel purposes.

[David G]

Ctc, I have found that most receivers under $1000 or so sound like a piece of junk. 2-dimensional, lifeless and just plain wrong.
If you can't afford a high end unit, I would look at the 2nd hand market or stick to a 2-channel system.

[ctc]

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay!

I hear it loud and clear, you get what you pay for.

I made a visit to the local hi-fi shop Van L Speakerworks, the guy who re-coned my Marantz speakers way back when, and told him about my predicament. He lent me a JoLida JX10 to try out with my system. Boy oh boy, does that make a difference! Since it is simply a two channel amp I will have to rethink how I connect all of my video components, perhaps all to the TV, and then the audio out of the TV into the JX10 for movies and such.

Now I can clearly hear the limitations of my speakers. With an amplifier like this in a living room [14'x16'x9'] which is open on the short end to a dining room , what kind of speakers can you suggest? Smaller than my old Marantz, my wife hopes.

[David Meek]

Ctc, what budget are you comfortable with for the speakers? That'll give us an operable point to start recommendations.

Don't feel like you have to set a higher bar than you can get to. All most all of us start out dealing with tight budgets....

[ctc]

Thanks.

An update on the room size which I think may be important. The living room, performance area, and dining room are open to each other and form one large room in the shape of an "L" in plan which totals about 700 ft.². The living room which I previously dimensioned for you is in one leg of that "L".

My hope is that I can make the JoLida JX10 work for me which is a $450 integrated amp, or if needed one step up to their $650 amp. I guess my budget for speakers would be somewhere in the $600 to $800 range.

[Johnloudb]

The JX10 is a 10 watt amp, so you want very sensitive speakers!

That usually means Klipsch. This one looks interesting.

http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/wf-34-specifications/

Some nice, high sensitivity small speakers with a sub could work really well for you too.

Given the large room though, you might want to consider an amp with more power, if you play music very loud.