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May 22, 2013, 3:01pm

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Topic: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER (Read 1,297 times)

ematthews
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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #20 on Apr 7, 2012, 9:30am »

Here is my set up in the room.
I have used both high pass and now I am on full range with the sub as well.
Thanks

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #21 on Apr 7, 2012, 9:33am »

Well, first of all get those speakers out of those corners and you absolutely will not need that much toe-in, if you need any at all. Move then about 12" from the wall and straighten them up!

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #22 on Apr 7, 2012, 10:35am »

OK. So I set them straight and they are now about 18 in from both front and side walls.

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #23 on Apr 7, 2012, 10:37am »

See my sub in the left area of the pic. Any suggestions on that?

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #24 on Apr 7, 2012, 10:51am »

I also think it's your room. I have experienced a similar thing as well and my office/bedroom sounds a bit better as far as 'fullness' and just balanced sound. My living room where my main system is sounds good too, but it's just different. The office has a lot more absorbation material and its packed full of crap, and they living room has more open space, more reflections. Both rooms have zero room treatments.

I would try placing the sub in the corner. Do you hear a improvement with moving the speakers closer to the components and straight?

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fsubales
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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #25 on Apr 7, 2012, 12:14pm »

I did not know RF82II where cheap speakers.. at 1200$ wow... Maybe you are just a HORN guy...

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #26 on Apr 7, 2012, 1:32pm »

Apr 7, 2012, 12:14pm, fsubales wrote:

I did not know RF82II where cheap speakers.. at 1200$ wow... Maybe you are just a HORN guy...

HA...I bought them from Sound Advice when they went out of business here in Florida. I went into the store every week for the last month. On the last day they had two sets left. I got the set for 600.00..
I also got my ML Grotto sub for 700....

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #27 on Apr 7, 2012, 2:30pm »

Apr 7, 2012, 10:35am, ematthews wrote:

OK. So I set them straight and they are now about 18 in from both front and side walls.

How's it sound?

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #28 on Apr 7, 2012, 2:33pm »

Apr 7, 2012, 12:14pm, fsubales wrote:

Maybe you are just a HORN guy...

Well of course he is! Why do you think N8 suggested the room full of hookers.

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #29 on Apr 9, 2012, 6:21pm »

Apr 6, 2012, 3:29pm, ematthews wrote:

This just seems crazy to me. I know that it has to do with the room but listen to this. Maybe something just isn't correct.

My main system is the following in a 15x12 room with wood floors. Throw rug and couch along with a big desk.. So it's not a room that has a lot of echos.
Marantz CD6004
Emotiva USP-1 and XDA pre amp
Emotiva XPA-2 amp
Polk LSi-15 speakers modified with Polk DB840 subs
Martin Logan Grotto sub

System sounds really good.

My second system is in a carpeted master bedroom

Harmon Kardon HK3490
Old Pioneer DVD player that is also a SACD CD player don't know the model number
Klipsch RF82'S

This system sounds fantastic.... I can't place my finger on it. It has to be the room. There is a better balanced sound. Good highs and nice deep lows.... I replaced all this gear from different systems in different rooms over time. I just threw this together since it was extra gear.

Thoughts

We nearly got the same system including speakers. If you put this on your master bedroom you will hear less reflection and echo thus resulting good sound. The problem I am seeing here is that the sound signature of your second system. The sound signature known to be warm because of harmon kardon. Many people prefer the sound of warm because they are being emphasis in upper bass and midrange resulting in rich and powerful sound. When I had my Marantz preamp, I find it to be rich and full than the emotiva. When I switch to emotiva, it became dull at first because it doesn't sound full and laid back like Marantz, but emotiva blow Marantz in transparency, and treble extension which I prefer. USP-1 doesn't sound laid back or forward sound. I bet if you put Harmon kardon to the main system you will like it since you have warm sounding preamp. Maybe you prefer warm sound over neutral. I had Polk Lsi15 since it came out and experiment all kinds of position. Toe-in is bad for these speakers. They sound better facing straight because the way the ring radiator tweeter were design and radiate its sound. Dome tweeter are great in toe in.

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #30 on Apr 9, 2012, 10:00pm »

MMm those polks look great. Also, try to get stuff out of the way of the path of all your speakers drivers and your body (except for the sidefiring one, you have little option there). That might help a little. I always found the sound stage was better presented (instruments placed better) this way. However, judging by your room, that's going to be tough to do with the dresser and couch. So, it might be something you just have to live with.

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #31 on Apr 9, 2012, 10:05pm »

Question for everybody reading this: I have a small-medium size rectangular living room. My axiom m80 reach down low and are about a foot away from each of the walls. It's just like emathews setup but about 2/3'ds bigger, and my speakers are put on the long side of the rectangle rather than the short ones.

If I pull the axioms father away from the wall towards the center of the room will I lose low bass extension because the bass waves have less distance to travel to the opposite wall? Or is low bass extension dependent on the size of the room, rather than the distance to the farthest wall?

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hamp568
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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #32 on Apr 10, 2012, 1:17am »

Wow, this same situation I talked about on another forum, but slightly different.

My bedroom setup does not sound better then my main setup, but without a doubt, my bedroom setup sound far better then it did at my previous place and even when I first installed it into my bedroom.

In the other forum, I joke about I now have some type of room acoustics treatment. My treatment is my wife cloths all over the room....

As much as I joke about it, It did make a difference. Lol

If it made that type of a difference with some Klipsch synergy line, then by me putting up some acoustics panels in my main room should do wonders.

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #33 on Apr 10, 2012, 9:02am »

An old saying: proper room treatments allow you to hear more of the system and less of the room.

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garycook
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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #34 on Apr 10, 2012, 10:32pm »

I find the 3 C's works for me, carpet (wall to wall), curtains (floor to ceiling) and cushions (appropriately placed). Higher WAF than "treatments".

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #35 on Apr 15, 2012, 2:05pm »

Room has a lot to do with it. I gave my parents some cast off gear, and it sounds so good in their room that I wish that I had kept it.

I'm in the same boat as you. In my den system my squeezebox sb3 sounds better through the analog than my Xda-1. That shouldn't be the case.

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #36 on Apr 23, 2012, 8:22am »

I have to agree that the room has the greatest impact, especially the carpeting. Of course, the speakers are going to be different, but you can't test it properly unless you set both pairs of speakers up in one room or the other on an A/B switch. You also need to have them as close to the same position as possible in relation to your ears. My bet is that the Polk's will sound significantly better in your bedroom than in the other room. This will also give you a really good opportunity to pick up on the various nuances of each set, no matter which room you decide to use for comparison.

Electronic store auditioning rooms are fully carpeted, and acoustically neutralized for good reason. Movie theaters are likewise furnished with ceiling to floor curtains all the way around, and are fully carpeted for good reason. It is my view, that while there are equally variables in finding the "perfect" setup for the home, acoustics are a huge factor, and not enough emphasis is given to it, myself included. At the end of the day, even with really good room correction in place, and really good speakers, etc., an acoustically neutral room is going to yield the best results, albeit an expensive endeavor.

This is just something you're are going to have to play with, but be careful about tearing everything completely apart right out of the gate. True testing involves small steps at a time, and documenting your observations through each step. Only then will you be able to isolate significant differences, and learn from them for future reference. Take your time, but try to have fun too.

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #37 on Apr 23, 2012, 8:32am »

Nice to you see you taking the forum recommendations literally ;-) re the hookers. Never tried it myself, my room doesn't have those kind of problems

Agree the speakers are way too close to the sides and the rear wall and toe in is way to much...they shouldn't be straight either...they should be pointed at your ears, in your listening position.

Want a good book on setup try get better sound.. The website is www.getbettersound.com

I got the book and the dvd's and its always interesting to go back and reread and watch.

« Last Edit: Apr 23, 2012, 8:42am by wizardofoz »

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I have a pile of stuff that pushes out squiggly waveforms from smaller squiggly waveforms that sometimes come from 1's and 0's.

It's wonderful to behold as long as you don't let the magic smoke out.

For the most part it just all works...when it doesn't then it's time to rub a few brain cells together and soon enough it's all good to go again.

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #38 on Apr 23, 2012, 11:05am »

Haven't we all been here? (Ummm...except the hookers part) ::)

Part of it, is that with less expensive gear, the expectations are set lower, thus those expectations are more easily met.

The other, and perhaps biggest part (as others have adequately pointed out) is that the ROOM IS EVERYTHING! I've had rooms that SHOULD have been great, yet stunk to high heavens no matter what sort of gear was piled in them. Conversely, I've had rooms that gave no indication they'd "sound good"....but do! I'm sitting in one now.

Good Post....excellent food for thought.

Good Luck in your efforts to get it all sorted out.

-Fly

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Re: why DOES MY CHEAP STUFF SOUND BETTER
« Reply #39 on Apr 23, 2012, 3:13pm »

Below is a link that you should find very useful in obtaining the best sound from your speakers.

http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/index....2&page=1#309921

The first two posts in that thread contain a wealth of information. Absorb as much of this as you can and bookmark it for further study.

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