703 or 804s

[vernonl]

Got my 804S's and Rotel

So I went last weekend and got the system after listening for much of the day. I've compromised a bit for longevity sake but I'm pretty happy.

I listened to the 804S and I really liked them, so much so that I pretty much decided that the 700 series wasn't for me. I HAD to have the 800s ops:

Listening to the Rotel 1570 w/ the new amp (can't remember the model) and comparing to the 1560 there wasn't a REALLY noticable difference, which really surprised me. There was a little more bass and depth to the sound but it was marginal to my ears.

I decided at that point that in order to afford the 804Ss I'd have to compromise for now and get the 1560. Surprisingly the salesman after hearing the 804S's on the 1560 agreed with me. I can look at a larger amp down the line when I have a bit more money but will have the speakers I want off the bat.

I walked out there with my 804S's and the Rotel 1560 and in my setup at home they sound fantastic. I'm finding that the highs are a little harsh but I'm not sure if that's the speakers or the receiver. Any ideas?

I can run my speakers at 70 to 80 on the receiver for good listening.

Interested to see what ppl here think.

[ray5]

So I went last weekend and got the system after listening for much of the day. I've compromised a bit for longevity sake but I'm pretty happy.

I listened to the 804S and I really liked them, so much so that I pretty much decided that the 700 series wasn't for me. I HAD to have the 800s ops:

Listening to the Rotel 1570 w/ the new amp (can't remember the model) and comparing to the 1560 there wasn't a REALLY noticable difference, which really surprised me. There was a little more bass and depth to the sound but it was marginal to my ears.

I decided at that point that in order to afford the 804Ss I'd have to compromise for now and get the 1560. Surprisingly the salesman after hearing the 804S's on the 1560 agreed with me. I can look at a larger amp down the line when I have a bit more money but will have the speakers I want off the bat.

I walked out there with my 804S's and the Rotel 1560 and in my setup at home they sound fantastic. I'm finding that the highs are a little harsh but I'm not sure if that's the speakers or the receiver. Any ideas?

I can run my speakers at 70 to 80 on the receiver for good listening.

Interested to see what ppl here think.

Congratulations on your purchase! I haven't had the time yet to do the same. But I have a question for you. Were you able to set everything yourslef or did you have it installed? What are you using as surrounds, center etc?

[vernonl]

Thanks!

I set it up myself. It's becoming quite the obsession with me. I'm finding out how much speaker placement and toe in really has an effect on the sound image and it's been fun trying different setups every night.

I didn't order a center yet as I'm still trying to decide if I want another 804S as a center (I have an AT PJ screen) or just get the 800 series center so I have the center being redirected to the sides. I can tell you though that they do a great job at emulating a center as it is.

For rears I'm using DS7s which I've found I ended up setting to monopole anyway because I prefer the sound it produces so it's made me wonder if I should dump them and just get the 805s.

The sub I'm using is an ASW-750 and I'm very happy with it. I tried the Mustang chase scene in Gone in 60 Seconds on it last night. OMG that car sound phenomenal on this setup. I haven't heard the soundtrack sound so good since I saw the movie in the theatre.

The only thing I'm finding is that the 100hz crossover doesn't seem to be working too well for bass applications as there seems to be a gap in some bass tracks. You'll laugh, but one example is the base "thump" at the end of Rock Band on my 360 only catches the very lowest frequencies of the sound while trying to send the rest to my fronts and it ends up sounding like the Sub distorted due to picking up what I can only call half of the sound that was meant to be played.

Can anyone here suggest what the best crossover setting should be for an ASW-750 w/ 805S?

The other learning curve is setting up the 1560... that's been fun... in a good way and a frustrating way... but mostly good

[Ken49r]

I walked out there with my 804S's and the Rotel 1560 and in my setup at home they sound fantastic. I'm finding that the highs are a little harsh but I'm not sure if that's the speakers or the receiver. Any ideas?

I can run my speakers at 70 to 80 on the receiver for good listening.

Interested to see what ppl here think.

Are the 804's new? Sounds like the mid/lower drivers may not be broken in yet.
Also if you post photos of your setup and room we can offer ideas to better your accoustics.

[vernonl]

Are the 804's new? Sounds like the mid/lower drivers may not be broken in yet.
Also if you post photos of your setup and room we can offer ideas to better your accoustics.

The speakers are actually 6 month old demos which they wanted to recycle so I managed to get 20% off retail for them as well, so they should be run in.

I'll look to get some photos. The setup is still in transit so I have cabling all over the place so forgive that when I post ops: