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Opinions about my setup

Cujo18

Cujo18

New Member
Ok, here it goes, I’m new to Ak so I hope I’m going about this the correct way. First let’s start with my gear, Speakers; Klipsch RF-7’s, fed by an Adcom GFA-5800, Pre/Pro; Anthem Statement d2, Oppo BDP-105D, the center (Klipsch RC-62) sur/rears are powered by a Sunfire cinema grand 5ch. And 2 Velodyne DPS-12’s.

Until recently I had a Rotel-1066 pre/pro and was very pleased with the sound of it, but it is outdated.

I had an opportunity to purchase the d2 reasonably, so I did. I made all the connections to the d2, turned it on and it was an immediate noticeable difference (for the better for sure) but for some reason at high volume levels it gets harsh. Lower volume levels it sounds wonderful.

My original thought was the Adcom amp. My thinking was that the d2 brought out the worst in the Adcom. So, I purchased a Krell KAV-250-a/3 nice enough unit and with the Krell name it was sure to be a performer, not to mention I could use it for the two fronts and center for HT mode. Win/win right? Much to my surprise upon hooking up the Krell and letting it warm up for about a half hour, it didn’t impress me. The bass may have been a bit tighter a little bit more midrange detail but not a OMG difference, not to mention the top end was still a bit harsh.

The question I have is, does anybody have experience with a combination that will play nice together? I really like the d2 but if it’s the problem a suggestion on a pre/pro that does 2ch well?

Any help would be much appreciated!!
 
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Welcome to AK.
I started reading that but it all ran together so I gave up.
Based on the first sentence looks like you have a good start.
 
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goodolpg said:
Welcome to AK.
I started reading that but it all ran together so I gave up.
Based on the first sentence looks like you have a good start.
Click to expand...
After rereading that I agree! I made a few changes, I hope it improved the readability. Thanks
 
Let's try this

Cujo18 said:
I’m new to Ak so let’s start with my gear Klipsch RF-7’s, Adcom GFA-5800, Pre/Pro; Anthem Statement d2, Oppo BDP-105D, the center (Klipsch RC-62) sur/rears are powered by a Sunfire cinema grand 5ch and 2 Velodyne DPS-12’s.

I had an opportunity to purchase the d2 reasonably, so I did. I made all the connections to the d2, turned it on and it was an immediate noticeable difference (for the better for sure) but for some reason at high volume levels it gets harsh. Lower volume levels it sounds wonderful.

My original thought was the Adcom and that the d2 brought out the worst in the Adcom so I purchased a Krell KAV-250-a/3. Much to my surprise upon hooking up the Krell and letting it warm up for about a half hour, it didn’t impress me. The bass may have been a bit tighter, a little bit more midrange detail but not a OMG difference, not to mention the top end was still a bit harsh.

Now for the question; does anybody have experience with a combination that will play nice together? I really like the d2 but if it’s the problem a suggestion on a pre/pro that does 2ch well?

Any help would be much appreciated!!
Click to expand...
 
Welcome to AK . I was able to read through that painful run on (suggestion, break it up into paragraphs). Anyway I used to own the 105d and my question to you is when your I. The setup section where it shows all your speakers , so you have the levels for your front speakers set to 0? Also when listening in two channel do you have your speakers In setup set to that? and with movies set to 5chor 7ch?.

I found that if you set the volume level to high with the oppo you will cause it to clip or distort , so maybe check there first before you go out and buy more gear .

Audiofreak71
 
My observations:

1. Try connecting the RF-7s to the Cinema Grand to see if you like the sound from them.
2. Krell is certainly a high end brand, but they are generally known for a very neutral sound. The KAV series is their more economical line. In other words, mating them with a horn speaker is probably not my first choice. I would probably go for something a bit warmer/forgiving, hence my recommendation to try the Sunfire.
3. I don't see why the D2 should become harsh at high volumes based on it's specs. You might look around and see what amps folks have liked with the D2.
4. Are your RF-7s the original versions? Not IIs or IIIs?

Jeff
 
Lol, it’s like I failed English or something. I guess I was thinking I had a character limit or something.
 
The setup section where it shows all your speakers , so you have the levels for your front speakers set to 0? Also when listening in two channel do you have your speakers In setup set to that? and with movies set to 5chor 7ch?.

I found that if you set the volume level to high with the oppo you will cause it to clip or distort , so maybe check there first before you go out and buy more gear .

Audiofreak71[/QUOTE]
I know I had set the input gain on the d2 to compensate for the high output of the Oppo but I was pretty sure it had a fixed out option.
I will double check when I get home.
 
It seems like you have "good" ears, good enough to hear the differences when you make a change.
This is just a wild guess, you mentioned harshness at higher volume levels, I wonder if that is because of the Klipsch's horns.
Some people like horns, some don't. They (Klipsch's) seem to be a consistent part of your system so far and the last two combos you've mentioned the harshness. Again, just a possibility. It's been 40 *gasp* years since I've had speakers with horns.
Thanks for breaking up the first post, much easier to read!
 
goodolpg said:
I wonder if that is because of the Klipsch's horns.
Click to expand...

The way I read it, the harshness didn't exist when the Rotel was in the chain. When he added the Anthem, he found the harshness and tried the Krell. You may be right though. I have heard the RSP-1066 (many years ago now), but I thought it had a forgiving top end. It may have covered up the rising top end of the Klipsch.
 
The Anthem, and Krell gear are definitely top notch pieces. Plus, that series of Adcom amps are not bright. So, I'd tend to think the better front end equipment is exposing the weaknesses of the Klipsch speakers. I've listened to them extensively, as I sold the brand, when I worked retail. The larger titanium domes in that upper line of Klipsch speakers can get very bright, to me. They are not a speaker that I could own, and listen to on a daily basis.
 
I didn't see a vinyl source in that list ..
If you're not using vinyl, and don't need digital signal processing, you could try a passive preamp ..
You can likely tune out a bit of the harshness/ brightness by messing with speaker cables and interconnects ..
I'm agreeing with the guess that the Rotel was masking the speaker's tendencies ..If you have more detail with the Krell, then it's time to experiment with cabling ..
What cables are you using ??
Best source for cables is Amazon .. you can try them, and return them if they're not right ..
 
My son has the original RF-7's and he uses a big Nad receiver and cranks up with no sign of strain or distress. Now RF-7 are not my favorite Klipsch, I am more a Heritage Fan. Forte and Cornwall. But that said unless you are really over powering the speaker I am afraid you have a wood chuck in the wood pile some where else. I wouldn't call a Krell amp neutral either. They can be a little to antiseptic for me. I am not a tube bloom fan or an autoformer fan either, so I just stick with my direct coupled Mac amps with power guard that you can try to over drive and they just stay calm and neutral.
 
Going through the replies, I would also question the Klipsch RF-7 effect on your new pre-amp. IME, compression drivers don't pair well with powerful solid state and I get the result you found, i.e. harshness at medium to high volume. Either switch back to your old preamp or find gear that is less transparent. Or, switch speakers which would be my first suspect.
 
Schiit Saga is the best inexpensive passive pre I've run. Certainly worth a try. :)

EDIT: Completely agree with @Akustic regarding experimenting with different cables. The most evenhanded I've used is high purity Litz copper for RCA's, though Duelund DCA is my favorite speaker cable though. Does something quite special and cheaper than Litz.
 
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If you need some help with cables, pm me and I'll offer what help I can ..
I've experimented with them a fair amount over the years ..
There really isn't a one size fits all answer .. you pretty much have to try a few in your system to find the right balance.
 
Cujo18 said:
...it was an immediate noticeable difference (for the better for sure) but for some reason at high volume levels it gets harsh
Click to expand...
To me, this combination suggests that room treatments may be in order. Have you treated your first reflection points?
 
It's the Klipsch. Whoever noted that you were using amplifiers that masked the issue was likely correct. When pushed, they get a bit shrill. An amp that isn't kind of soft on the top end is going to make it very obvious. I haven't listened to the later generation but the first two fit this problem.
A cheap thing to try is adjusting toe-in. The tweeters are in a waveguide controlling dispersion. While this solves some issues, creates new ones. You will likely find a position that softens the sound at the seating position. But it may not be enough.
Resolution is a double edged sword.
 
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