Weak link in system for 804S's

[Pez]

Finally got a chance to listen some CD's with the new speakers and there is definately a weak link in the system. The biggest issue is bass is sort of boomy. I was suprissed by this as at one time my roommate had a pair of Def Tech BP2000tl's with 500 watt 15 inch subs built-in and it was never boomy. I have a Denon cd changer, the least expensive model and I know that is part or all of the problem. So I tried a cd in my 2910 DVD player and it was only a little better. I bought the cd changer mostly for zone 2 applications which gets very little use. I would like better 2 channel sound but since I dont listen to that much music (95% of the use is movies) I am not that keen on spending a lot for a cd player. I was wondering if some other factors were at play:

1) the speakers have not been played that much yet so break-in time could be adding to the problem.

2) I use a Denon AVR-3805 as a pre-amp for the front three speakers with an Earthquake 3 channel amp. I know a few people use the Earthquake amp with great results so I am wondering if the Denon is adding to the problem. Its a solid unit so I cant believe its that.

3) Would the foam plugs that came with the speakers help with boomy bass? I took them out when I un-boxed the 804's.

4) The speakers are about 18 inches from the back wall, the right one has no side walls near and the left is about 18 inches from the side wall. Thats about as far as I can pull them out.

5) Any ideas would be welcome. FWIW I use AudioQuest sidewinder cables for audio connections.

[sikoniko]

I can tell you that upgrading from a rotel-1055 to the sherwood P-965 made a big difference so I am sure that the Denon 3805 is part of the problem.

I would highly recommend getting sound anchor stands for your 804's. The really tighten the bass and increase the depth.

Just to let you know what I had success with, when I had the N804's, my setup was:

Sherwood P-965
Audioquest diamondback interconnects
cinnenova grande 5
MIT Terminator2 Bi-wire speaker cables
N804's
sound anchor stands
panasonic rp-62 recently upgraded to onkyo sp-1000

this combination made for great sound. the p-965 made the highs a little forward over the rotel-1055 but much crisper and cleaner. after I upgraded to the N802's everything is nuetral and very dynamic.

[Phil Rose]

Boomy bass is most likely caused by positioning not your electronics.

With the speakers 18 inches from the back wall you're going to get renforcement and with the left 18 inches from the side it's that much worse being in a corner. Experiment and pull the speakers out away from the wall more. Try 2-3 feet just to get a feel for the change in sound. Also try to get the speakers off the floor. Try putting them on a cinder block, or something else, as a quick check to see the effect of elevating them. This should cut the renforcement from the floor. And yes, experiment with the foam plug.

It's not often that you can just plop a set of speakers into a room and have them operate optimally. You need to spend time positioning them for best performance. If environmental or other factors prevent optimal placement then sometimes you can make adjustments with furniture to improve things but, you may just have to live with what you've got. The room is the biggest component in a sound system.

Here's a link to a site that may give you some tips on setting up your speakers. http://www.cardas.com/content.php?ar...ing=Room+Setup

[Pez]

Thanks for tips so far! I want to wait a week or two for the speakers to break in before I get to aggressive with tweaks. I would love to upgrade to a pre/pro but with the speaker purchase it will be some time before funds are available. What i plan to do in the short term is get 2 marble slabs from a friend and put those under the speakers. I know my room is not the best but many brands of speakers have passed through my living room that sounded great. Something else I want to do is have my friend bring over his Rotel 1072 and see what difference that makes.

At least I can hear the potential of the speakers. I love the top end and the fullness to the sound. For my use (mostly movies) some may think I dont need something of this caliber but I for whatever reason my ears are more critcal for them compared to music. Normally I would think the opposite would be true.

[sikoniko]

As the 804's break in, they will open up more. They are very sensitive and every change I made yeilded some gain. I highly recommend sound anchors. I can't comment on marble slabs, but I hope they yeild similar results, as they made a significant difference.