rousseau173
New Member
We just picked up a "B-stock" Onkyo TX-8140 receiver on the strength of the great reviews we've seen, but are confused at how thin and harsh it sounds, especially in comparison with how warm our 30-year-old (but now on the fritz) Denon PMA-360 amplifier was and the Harman Kardon HK3700 receiver we'd been using temporarily, borrowed from a friend.
Are we really hearing what we're hearing? Is this all totally subjective? Could it be that this particular "B-stock" receiver is just a bad apple that somehow got damaged? The store we bought it from buys "recertified" returns from Best Buy to resell to the public. We thought we were getting a great deal.
We have a pair of 30-year-old Elac EL 60 speakers that have always served us well, so we don't think it's the speakers. Though the impedance is 4 ohm, and the default setting on the receiver is 6 ohm. Here's the label on the back of the speakers:
Made in West Germany! My wife bought them in Taiwan before I met her. I haven't adjusted the impedance on the Onkyo to 4 ohm yet to try it out. Should I? Would this affect sound quality?
I guess, ultimately, our question is: In a very subjective way, do some brands simply sound warmer to some people's ears than others? Are we simply "Denon or Harman Kardon people"? Or is there something we're doing wrong with the Onkyo?
Are we really hearing what we're hearing? Is this all totally subjective? Could it be that this particular "B-stock" receiver is just a bad apple that somehow got damaged? The store we bought it from buys "recertified" returns from Best Buy to resell to the public. We thought we were getting a great deal.
We have a pair of 30-year-old Elac EL 60 speakers that have always served us well, so we don't think it's the speakers. Though the impedance is 4 ohm, and the default setting on the receiver is 6 ohm. Here's the label on the back of the speakers:
Made in West Germany! My wife bought them in Taiwan before I met her. I haven't adjusted the impedance on the Onkyo to 4 ohm yet to try it out. Should I? Would this affect sound quality?
I guess, ultimately, our question is: In a very subjective way, do some brands simply sound warmer to some people's ears than others? Are we simply "Denon or Harman Kardon people"? Or is there something we're doing wrong with the Onkyo?