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First time poster:Constructive criticism (Frankenstein set up)

M50'sMike

M50'sMike

Member
Hi there, this is my first time posting anything and my first day as a member of audiokarma but I've been an audiophile sense I was 14, now 21. Started with headphones, got into home theater and/or home listening and (I don't know the proper terminology) But enough boring background. I was just curious as to what the community thinks of my system and what i could do to improve. I have a Yamaha RX - v573 receiver and two JBL l166 horizons front speakers, a bic-Venturi formula 3 fr my center speaker and 2 Bose 301 series iii's for the surround, and 2 Kenwood JL-1001AV's for the surround rear. And a Klipsch R-112sw to to it all off IMO I haven't heard a better set up but yet again I don't have very many audiophile comrades sadly:(. And I live in a 1100-1200 sq ft. Loft for acoustics. I just love sound and music and want to keep improving and am curious about a set of woofer speakers or a way to set up my sub to where when I use a turntable it doesn't Rumble or have some other loudspeakers that have good low resonance ( check terminology). Any help or response is appreciated:)
 
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Hi Mike, welcome to AK!

What is your priority, music or movies? For music, I would suggest focusing on two-channel, using your existing JBL speakers. Look for a better quality integrated amplifier, and it will make a pretty big positive difference. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get good sound, but you do have to spend smart. And we can help you do that. If your priority is movies my only suggestion would be to have matching speakers all around. The same principle applies with speakers; spend smart.

Enjoy!!! :thumbsup:
 
I agree. If music is what you are after, go with a 2-channel system. AV receivers overall don't play music well.

Welcome to AK :)
 
Mike, what area do you love in? That can be helpful for finding good deals on gear, and finding like minded enthusiasts.
 
I second the other guys, start with an integrated amplifier (stereo) and if you like the JBL'S, it's a very good start. What music do you listen to?
 
Whoa, I did not expect so many responses so fast :-). I live around Olympia Washington, and I feel like I should have written more before I posted the thread just because I feel like there's more that I need to say in the sense of my opinion of my sound system and what I want it to do I use it for gaming movies and music don't really need it that much for the gaming because headsets are a thing, for some reason and trying to get the best of both worlds using the 7.1 surround with all these vintage speakers I'm keeping the l166 is forever I was reading the other day about a l122 woofer swap for an upgrade because the original woofers are not in them :( they were gifted to me by my girlfriends dad he bought them brand new in 77 but grandkids and such ruined the wolfers and poked the cones. and I just ordered a new midrange for the left one because it has a hole in it and I thought there was sound coming out of it for a while but the other day I got real close and realized there was no sound coming from it. that should be here on the 6th I am planning on waiting a little while on the l122 woofer swap. I kind of like where it's at in the sense of listening to FLAC files off of my computer through an HDMI cable I feel like the stage presence or staging whatever you call it is fairly decent the Bose 301 series threes pick up the high end and the nuances in the "perimeter"of the sound. I listen to a lot of Supertramp ELO Styx Queen Aerosmith Frampton floyd all the classic rock and a lot of EDM, Monstercat to be more precise. I was thinking of having a set up to where I could use some of the same speakers 4 each listening style so like when I want to listen to music I will have this setup and when I want to watch movies I will have a different set up but still able to integrate the same speakers and maybe just change a receiver because I'm getting into vinyl I've had some turntables for a while but very entry level and I just got a preamp so I can actually listen to my records without using a 1976nikko can't power my speakers enough for the size of my apartment and I'm looking to get that thumb and those really good resonance in the lower end. And part of my problem is I don't know when I'm asking too much
 
And I listen to a lot of tech n9ne and logic, j.cole, etc. Sorry I should've spaced out the last post so it's not as fatiguing to read lol
 
And I'm willing to trade off my punching overwhelming base for clean pure Bass with little punch for my vinyl listening but not for the other genrescomma because personally I feel like the subwoofer brings in a lot of nuances and other things that you missed out on but I have an extreme Rumble issue even when the crossover is at 40 Hertz
 
JoeESP9 said:
Welcome! Exactly what are you asking. Your posts haven't made that clear.
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I've just been wanting to get other people's opinions I know that's kind of hard without having them have a listen but just want to hear what the community has to say in the sense of what they would do to get the full sound concert like Experience, fully engrossing. And ways to improve the sound staging. And to see if anyone has a similar set up and to see if the AK elders have opinions. And I guess one of my main issues right now is having lots of Rumble with my having lots of Rumble with my Technics sl - qd33 once I get past-13 decibels depending on what I listen to it is -15db. I have a little Pyle pp999 pre amp but I'm definer looking for a better turntable with a u-mount tone arm.
 
There are few if any AV type receivers that are well accepted for two channel music on AK. Also, Pyle is a brand that doesn't get much love. IMO it doesn't deserve much.

If you're experiencing rumble problems from your TT a picture and/or a good description of your setup will help with diagnosing a problem.

Did you use YPAO to set up your system?
 
First off, your JBL speakers are the highlight of your current system. I would forget about 5.1 or 7.1 until you have your stereo (2-channel) working well. If the jbl's are properly working, you should be able to get an involving sound stage with good bass (except for EDM). They are worth restoring right. Also, you have a subwoofer to pick up the low end. Run that for a little while, and then you will have a baseline by which to gauge what you feel you is missing. Make sure to have the Yamaha receiver in 2-channel stereo mode, with all surround and processing modes turned OFF.

And, punctuation is your friend. :D
 
Hi Mike, a few thoughts...

First, welcome to AK.
Second, I always liked the Oly area. I lived on the west side for a few years as a youth. Nice area.

Concerning speakers in a HT setup: Regardless of which brand or exact model speakers you use it will pay dividends to have them all of the same brand and similar model, or at least with very similar drivers. At a minimum the fronts and center should have similar voicing. Example; I have an all Canton speaker setup for home theatre. They are not all the same model but all have the "Canton house sound" and voice very similar to each other. This makes for a very homogeneous sound field, very important as sounds/people move around the room.

Concerning using an AV amp as a stereo source: I also have a Yamaha AV amp (love the Yamaha house sound) and a Yamaha integrated amp. I found that while the AV amp was capable of making some quality music where if failed in comparison to a 2-channel integrated was in sound field/sound stage and imaging. The AV amp has less channel separation. When I use the same speakers (in the same positioning) there is a much wider sound stage using the 2-channel amp. Hooking them to the AV amp the music is there but becomes somewhat squeezed towards the center, it becomes more in the direction of mono. In the end I found that I needed 2 dedicated systems to stay happy, one for music and one for HT.

Cheers,
James
 
My
jhoyt said:
First off, your JBL speakers are the highlight of your current system. I would forget about 5.1 or 7.1 until you have your stereo (2-channel) working well. If the jbl's are properly working, you should be able to get an involving sound stage with good bass (except for EDM). They are worth restoring right. Also, you have a subwoofer to pick up the low end. Run that for a little while, and then you will have a baseline by which to gauge what you feel you is missing. Make sure to have the Yamaha receiver in 2-channel stereo mode, with all surround and processing modes turned OFF.

And, punctuation is your friend. :D
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My apologies on the punctuation. I've been very busy and using talk to text.. Haha. I will do that and shed light on the subject. :)
 
Ditch all the surround stuff. Get a good vintage receiver and a pair of AK approved speakers. Sit back and enjoy the silky smooth virtues of unmuddled coherent music.
 
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