Yes, and no offense.
Drums through my speakers don't sound like drums
- Thread starter super128
- Start date
Yes, and no offense.
Putterman
Super Member
I have to say Onkyo makes some of the best home theater systems, but their electronics are better than their speakers.
HOWEVER, there are things you can do to improve your bass response. Some cost nothing. Others do.
1st - Check what the low pass setting on on the receiver. There are 2 ways of setting the subwoofer. You can set it on the receiver or you can set it on the sub. It's usually easier to set it by the receiver because it give exact numbers. If you do it that way, set the sub at its highest setting. As others have suggested, you might want to experiment with the low pass settings.
2nd - Have you run the Audyssey 2Eq setup? While it doesn't calibrate the sub, it does change the frequency response of other speakers and 'should' improve your bass.
3rd - You might want to check to see if the front and center speakers are working correctly. They and the sub contribute the most to the sound.
4th - You can also experiment with the location of the sub. The recommended procedure is to locate the sub in the listening position and to move around the room while a bass heavy selection is playing. Where it sounds best is where you should locate the sub. (In the interest of full disclosure, I've never done this. WAF aka wife approval factor tends to limit ideal locations and it is a PIA.
Now some suggestions that will cost money.
One is to add a sub. www.harman.com/EN.../multsubs.pdf shows the results of adding extra sub(s). The bottom line is that while 4 subs in corners or midwall gave the best results, 2 subs placed opposite each other gave almost as good results. You'll need a splitter to do this.
The other, as has already mentioned, is to buy better speakers and move your front speakers to the back. You'll get a million suggestions on this, but one is to check out the Andrew Jones Pioneer line which can be found as Best Buy among other places.
Upgrading your AV receiver would probably give the least improvement and the sub, while not the best ever made, is also decent.
HOWEVER, there are things you can do to improve your bass response. Some cost nothing. Others do.
1st - Check what the low pass setting on on the receiver. There are 2 ways of setting the subwoofer. You can set it on the receiver or you can set it on the sub. It's usually easier to set it by the receiver because it give exact numbers. If you do it that way, set the sub at its highest setting. As others have suggested, you might want to experiment with the low pass settings.
2nd - Have you run the Audyssey 2Eq setup? While it doesn't calibrate the sub, it does change the frequency response of other speakers and 'should' improve your bass.
3rd - You might want to check to see if the front and center speakers are working correctly. They and the sub contribute the most to the sound.
4th - You can also experiment with the location of the sub. The recommended procedure is to locate the sub in the listening position and to move around the room while a bass heavy selection is playing. Where it sounds best is where you should locate the sub. (In the interest of full disclosure, I've never done this. WAF aka wife approval factor tends to limit ideal locations and it is a PIA.
Now some suggestions that will cost money.
One is to add a sub. www.harman.com/EN.../multsubs.pdf shows the results of adding extra sub(s). The bottom line is that while 4 subs in corners or midwall gave the best results, 2 subs placed opposite each other gave almost as good results. You'll need a splitter to do this.
The other, as has already mentioned, is to buy better speakers and move your front speakers to the back. You'll get a million suggestions on this, but one is to check out the Andrew Jones Pioneer line which can be found as Best Buy among other places.
Upgrading your AV receiver would probably give the least improvement and the sub, while not the best ever made, is also decent.
getright99
least likely to succeed
That isn't necessarily true IMO. A lot of the remastered stuff is more headphone friendly, especially the drums.
sKiZo
Hates received: 92644 43.20°N 85.50°W
I've got a nice little Onkyo package system on the tv ...
That said ... like they said. I think it does a very fine job for what I paid for it ... and for what I use it for, which is strictly video and movie playback. For that, I don't expect audiophile grade sound reproduction. I got a whole nuther system for that.
That said ... like they said. I think it does a very fine job for what I paid for it ... and for what I use it for, which is strictly video and movie playback. For that, I don't expect audiophile grade sound reproduction. I got a whole nuther system for that.
TerryB123
Active Member
In my experience, a real reproduced drum sound I grew up with a drummer brother) requires good to great-quality speakers with real low end and solid, clip-free amplification. It's this snare cracks that are the most demanding in my opinion. It doesn't cost a mint to get there, but you'll need to step each component up to get there.
Snoober
Dysthymic
Kinda weird that bass is a problem in a HT setup. I know drum thwacks can produce sound from low treble all the way down to midbass. So, rolled off treble can lessen the apparent attack. On the other hand, if the system produces slow, under-damped, one-note bass that can explain things too. I assumed that one-note bass got left behind with the 90s, but maybe not.
Peculiar.
Peculiar.
M'kay. Any recommendations for speakers that fit this discription?
Kingshead
Professor
Band pass subs are still alive and kicking in the mobile world, just listen as the cars drive by thumping, thumping, thumping. It seems that the manufacturers have taken this to heart and are giving the kids what they want, loud booming bass, even at home, it's what they expect from their systems. My helper at work was worried he wouldn't have enough bass in his car system as it only had two 18's, yes that's two 18" subs. "Shakes head repeatedly while making the last statement."
johnda
Addicted Member
I looked up your Onkyo home theater system on the web. Looking at the customer reviews, there were lots of folks who enjoyed the system, but a problem was noted by a number of users with the wiring. In a number of cases the cable to the sub-woofer was faulty causing the sub to not perform properly. Others said the speaker wire had problems. Someone suggested replacing the RCA cable to the sub and getting new 16 gauge wire for the speakers. That sounds like an inexpensive fix and may solve your problems. Radio Shack has the cable and wire and for around $25 that may do the trick.
river25
Super Member
I tend to agree and disagree on this. HT receivers, like their stereo counterparts, come in all flavours, styles and performance levels.
The higher end models can play very good stereo. They have tone bypass and dedicated stereo mode. On digital media, like CDs, they can sound as good as any stereo. Analog, for those units which have a phono input, are not on par with the dedicated stereo systems.
HT receivers often have many parameters you can configure, but if you have it set up to make movie soundtracks and sounds rich and vibrant, it will sound too coloured for stereo. You need to configure it for stereo for the best music audio sound, but often this is a chore - which means some people listen to movies and music on the "movie" settings.
And, having said that, let me say this... I mostly play music on my stereo equipment because I enjoy LPs and I find the stereo better for vinyl.... and means I can leave the HT receiver set for "in your face" movie mode.
I looked at the receiver portion of your system and it looks decent. I think with a bit of a speaker upgrade you might enjoy your system a lot more when listening to music. You said that you were tapped out financially for now, but when you can you might want to pick up a pair of the Andrew Jones Pioneer speakers. I have a pair hooked to a TPA3116 amp that I built and they sound great. Amazon frequently has them on sale for $99.00 a pair and Best Buy will price match that. Here's a link. http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS...1400834754&sr=8-1&keywords=pioneer+sp-bs22-lr Also, what sound mode did you use to listen to the Beatles CDs? If the receiver has a "pure direct" mode where all speakers but the two fronts are shut off that might be worth a shot.
Snoober
Dysthymic
Oh dear, dual 18" subs, huh? I'm ashamed to say that might have impressed me in my youth. I'm glad I grew up!
My receiver doesn't have a "pure direct" mode but it has a "studio mix" mode. Is that the same thing?
Edit: Wait, I discovered a "direct" mode. I'll try that.
What question are you answering?
frankbooth
Super Member
I have Onkyo HT and the best stereo sound you would get is the "all channel stereo".
This lets all the speakers work in stereo mode. The 'pure direct" will only have the front L/R and the sub working which will not sound as impactful.
Play around with the modes and see which one sounds best for music and stick with it.
This lets all the speakers work in stereo mode. The 'pure direct" will only have the front L/R and the sub working which will not sound as impactful.
Play around with the modes and see which one sounds best for music and stick with it.
Mpreza
I know the pieces fit.
I have an Onkyo AVR with 'all channel stereo' as well. While that may be more impactful, It's not STEREO.
If you're listening to music recorded in 2 channels than you only need L/R with the sub to fill in the bottom.
Right?