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Just Modernized; Now Disappointed? - Page 3

post #61 of 99
4/17/12 at 3:16am
You know, I have not heard the Ohm speakers in question, but I wouldn't be surprised if their bass ability was far better then the Polks. Back in the day speakers that were labeled full range had to at least try to tackle the full range, as subwoofers were just not around. The Polks, on the other hand, are probably designed with sub use in mind, whatever their claimed extension. A lot of vintage speakers had boomy bass, but at least they had bass. The modern entry level towers I have heard have sounded pretty anemic in comparison.

To rule out the Polk speakers as the culprit, the OP needs to switch the amps and speakers, see how the Polks sound on the Luxman and see how the Ohms sound on the Yamaha. I'm betting the Yamaha can make the Ohms sing, whereas the Luxman will do relatively little to improve the Polk's shortcomings.
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post #62 of 99
4/17/12 at 9:03am
Maybe...just maybe the speakers need to break in? My def tech clr2002 were bass shy for the first 30 or so hours until I cranked them up
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post #63 of 99
4/17/12 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 
I had tried the Ohm's on the Yamaha before I changed the setting to Large speakers and they sounded awful. I will have to switch them, right now I have too many things going on to have a play day experimenting. At my age, you know, it takes me a long time to walk across the living room with a cane or my walker...
Come to think of it, maybe the Ohm's sounded better because I remembered to turn on my hearing aid when I was listening to them.



I'm surprised at all the replies I got on this post, it looks like most of you other guys have a lot of time on your hands as well. At this point, also, maybe the post belongs in the receiver forum vs the speaker forum, but I guess it really is somewhere in-between.

As far as the comment on older speakers being more full range, the C2's were plenty full range, believe me. I had to keep the low cut switch on the Luxman depressed when playing cd's into the Ohm's, otherwise the speaker excursion on low frequencies might be damaging. I did have the foams on the woofers change some years ago, but Ohm now offers an improved replacement woofer, as written below.

I just looked at the Ohm website for some more info which is partially excerpted below, it turns out that the nominal impedance of the C2's is 6 ohms, so strictly speaking, I would have to go into the Yamaha menu and change the impedance setting.

Actually from what I can tell, the design and execution of the C2 beats the crap out of most speakers, and the Polk 70's are probably far more low end compared to the C2's. I remember when I bought them, I had listened to a ton of speakers, and when I listened to them, I said my god, this is something else (or maybe more colorful language used in the 80's)

http://www.ohmspeakers.com/store_ite...=4171213369485


SPECIFICATIONS
Production Period 1977 - 1982
Nationally Advertised Price originally $695 per pair
Dimensions 25
Amplifiers Recommended 15 - 120 watts
Impedance (typical) 6 ohms
Frequency Response 37 - 20,000 Hz
Sensitivity @ 2.8 Volts 88 dB
Recommended Room Sizes 160 - 500 sq.ft.


The C2 is a 3-way, large ''bookshelf'' speaker with a 10'' woofer, low tweeter and dome super tweeter plus a vent on the front panel. There are two (sometimes only one) controls on the back for the tweeters. The cabinet is finshed on five sides in real walnut veneer and black formica on the rear.

This was the most popular of Ohm large bookself designs and it was known for being detailed and properly balanced at both soft and high listening levels.



Upgrade Options:

The C2 can be upgraded with our current model woofer which has the following improvements: the poly-cone gives a smoother transition to the tweeter for more natural vocal reproduction, the liquid cooled voice coil offers greater transient ability which handles the dynamic range of CDs and DVDs, Thet SubBass Activator reduces distortion, extends deepest bass, increases dynamic range and provides a self-resetting protection circuit to allow 200 watt amplifiers, the new foam surround has a projected 20-30 year lifespan.

The high tweeter can be replaced with our new 3/4'' metal dome tweeter for better dispersion of the upper treble which allows for more ''air'' when you are sitting off-axis.

Good Listening!
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post #64 of 99
4/17/12 at 9:41am
[quote=67jason;21911489]try running the ypao auto set up on the yammie.[/QUOTE

this is crucial
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post #65 of 99
4/17/12 at 10:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 67jason View Post

try running the ypao auto set up on the yammie.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lou99 View Post

this is crucial


I disagree. For assessing how the speakers (and AVR, I suppose) sound running full-range, in plain stereo, this shouldn't be necessary and is actually probably undesirable, IMO. I think it is important at this stage (assessment) to hear how things sound running 'flat', initially. YPAO can be used once the whole system (sub, center, & surrounds) is ready to be used. At this point, though, it just adds another variable. And I am assuming that the AVR defaults to 'flat', initially. If not, the Pure Direct mode should bypass the equalization.

Regardless of whether you agree or not, YPAO shouldn't make such a big difference in the OP's impressions. If things sound THAT bad in full-range stereo, running 'flat', then either the OP's expectations are too high or something is wrong with the setup.
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post #66 of 99
4/17/12 at 12:39pm
When I use my Yamaha 667 - I run it in stereo with out the Ypao
and no tone controls. It takes care of 87 db sensitive bookshelf
speakers just fine - and the high, mids and lows are good. I wish
that I was in that area to check the problem. It may or may not
be a receiver problem (faulty).
And, I am wondering about this statement >

"Come to think of it, maybe the Ohm's sounded better because I remembered
to turn on my hearing aid when I was listening to them."
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post #67 of 99
4/17/12 at 1:45pm
Thread Starter 
Or maybe it was because I forgot to use my ear trumpet when listening to the Ohm's.....

http://www.wackystock.com/id/17624


Say Jim, would you like to buy a bridge in Manhattan, real cheap???
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post #68 of 99
4/17/12 at 2:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlestek View Post

At my age, you know, it takes me a long time to walk across the living room with a cane or my walker...
Come to think of it, maybe the Ohm's sounded better because I remembered to turn on my hearing aid when I was listening to them.

Hilarious, especially after three pages!
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post #69 of 99
4/17/12 at 2:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlestek View Post

Or maybe it was because I forgot to use my ear trumpet when listening to the Ohm's.....
http://www.wackystock.com/id/17624

Say Jim, would you like to buy a bridge in Manhattan, real cheap???

I will consider it, if some good speakers come with it.
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post #70 of 99
4/17/12 at 3:04pm
Luxman R1050
Ohm C2
Polk Monitor 70
Yamaha RX-A800

When applied within specified tolerances both the Yamaha and Polks, when not broken, should be able to reproduce a signal without modifying the original source. This may end up sounding analytical, cold, or flat when compared to a box or combination of boxes that are modifying the signal in some way.

Here are some possibilities.

1. The Luxman is introducing harmonic distortion and making things sound better. Did you put the Polk 70s on the Luxman for comparison to the C2s?

2. The Ohms are bass happy and make things sound better. This isn't really testable without a measuring stick, like the Radio Shack SPL meter.

3. The Yamaha is broken.

4. The Polks are broken.
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post #71 of 99
4/17/12 at 4:49pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, I will test the different scenarios, but I'm still finishing the speaker stands
for the rear Monitor 60's (raise them a little). I'm not a carpenter, so this is going rather painfully.

Regarding the Ohm's, here is a description from someone else who advertised a pair on AudioGon:


The C2 is a 3-way, large ''bookshelf'' speaker with a 10'' woofer, low tweeter and dome super tweeter plus a vent on the front panel. There are two controls on the back for the tweeters. The cabinet is finished on five sides in real walnut veneer and black formica on the rear. This was the most popular of Ohm large bookself designs and it was known for being detailed and properly balanced at both soft and high listening levels. These speakers are in excellent shape. The cabinets and the grills are a 8 out of 10. All drivers are excellent. When I acquired these speakers they had been refoamed. The woofers have different dust caps as you can see.

When I put them into use the bass was a little too much for me. I called John Strohbeen at Ohm and discussed it with him. He suggested putting some sound absorption material in the cabinets and lengthening the bass reflex tube. I did this and got the results I wanted. The speakers have the following specs:
37hz - 20,000 khz
15-120 watts
88dB
These speakers have wonderful midrange and nice highs and bass. The tweeter controls on the back allow you to fine tune the response to suit you. I did install 5-way speaker binding posts for better cable attachment.
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post #72 of 99
4/17/12 at 4:59pm
Hearing aid, cane, walker, laid off, new speakers,.....hilarious

If this all is true, I admire your enthusiasm.
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post #73 of 99
4/17/12 at 5:32pm
Thread Starter 
I was kidding about the cane and walker and hearing aid. The people on this post are calling me OP, short for "Old Person", so I was trying to live up to that name.

I was indeed laid-off, though.

The truth is that probably most people on this forum were in diapers or not even conceived when I bought the Ohms and the Luxman.

As I now happened to search through the high end audio for sale forums, I see that there may be some Ohm C2's in good condition out there.

I just went on a site and found that the Total inflation from March 1980 to March 2012 is 186.38%

Since the Ohm's sold for about $700 per pair in 1980, it means they would sell for around $1300 today.

Since I bought the Polk Mon 70's per pair for about $340 and they list for around $800 per pair, it sort of means that the Ohm's are almost twice as expensive as the Polk's, or rather the Polk's are twice as cheap as the Ohms.

It does appear that twice as cheap is being clearly evident.
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post #74 of 99
4/17/12 at 5:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlestek View Post

No the Lux and the Ohm's were in the same room.

Just to clarify, are the luxman, ohm, pioneer, and Polk all in the same room?

The reason we're asking is that with this configuration:
Room A with old system
Room B with new system

...it might be that Room B sounds bad, not the new system.

-Max
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post #75 of 99
4/17/12 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 
Yes everything was in the living room, though the Lux is upstairs right now.

I am taking a business analysis course and doing job hunting and have other work plus building a center speaker stand/cabinet and now raised stands for the rear Mon 60's so I'm short on time to do a full blown test comparison today. I will get to it, probably by Thurs.
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post #76 of 99
4/17/12 at 5:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlestek View Post

The people on this post are calling me OP, short for "Old Person", so I was trying to live up to that name.

LOL

OP stands for "original poster."
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post #77 of 99
4/17/12 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
Well,

In the context of this forum, it could also stand for "Old Person" trying new equipment!
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post #78 of 99
4/17/12 at 7:54pm
It has been my experience with Yamaha and Polk Monitor 50's that the combination comes off as bright and lacking in bass. Yamaha is not what it was a decade ago with regards to their amplifier section, and quite honestly, I just don't care for them, unless we jump up to the RX-z line.

I prefer the combination of Pioneer or Denon with the Monitor series. They have a warmer character to them and better amplification to go along with being easier to use. Pioneer Elites with ICE power should be a pretty good match for the Polks.
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post #79 of 99
4/17/12 at 8:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlestek View Post

I did set the fronts to large. Yes I will eventually be using the subwoofer. Right now I want to see if the receiver can feed the Polks or the C2's with a full frequency range and have them sound reasonably close to my old setup, so I can feel that technology has made progress in 30 years. Looks like that may not be true......

And you are probably right, I should use the C2's. I bought 5 Polks because they were fairly cheap at Newegg and I thought that having a 5 speaker matched set would work better. Now I see that was a mistake. (The poor C2's do need a cabinet veneer redo, as I did not keep the cabinet well. I did have the woofer foam changed in the C2's awhile ago, otherwise they work fine as the day I bought them, which was a summer's day at Tech HiFi in 1980)
I should see if I can pick up a pair of used C2's for the rears, but they are hard to come by at a reasonable price (was laid off in the fall, am trying to change careers right now, so money is tight).


And reading the instructions would help, except that there are probably 500 settings in the damn machine and being a savant or having prior experience with a late model Yamaha receive would help.

Yamaha has a Knowledge Base note on this:

http://faq.yamaha.com/us/en/article/...__u/5119/5973/



No Subwoofer output in 2 Channel Stereo when using Large front speakers.

Last Update: 04/08/2011

My Front Speakers are set to Large and there is no Bass output to the attached Subwoofer in 2 Channel Stereo mode. (The receiver would be functioning normally.) The incoming 2 Channel signals are sent to the front speakers and unless there is a .1 LFE Bass signal the sub will remain silient. If the listener desires more Bass the Extra Bass setting can be turned on in the Manual Setup Menu, Speaker Configuration. This allows the Front Channel low frequency to be output via the Subwoofer output and the Front Speakers simultaniously.

Extra Bass can be used to enhance the Bass signals in all sound modes and speaker setups. (2.1, 3.1,5.1 up to 7.1.) Just as long as the Front Speakers are set to Large and Subwoofer is set to Yes.

Please Note: If the option for Extra Bass is greyed out then your front speakers are not set to Large or the Sub Out is set to None/Front.

Your new equipment is "sensitive". When you're in the same room, you have to talk nice, like some people do with their plants. Be kind, and you will be rewarded with splendid sounding music, but not compressed FM!
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post #80 of 99
4/18/12 at 8:33am
His Yammy isn't anywhere near the quality of his old Luxman. Luxamn was a very well respected home stereo producer back in the 80's that was right there on par with McIntosh. That may be part of the issue.
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post #81 of 99
4/18/12 at 9:26am
Thread Starter 
Yeah,

I was sort of guessing that. Luxman is still around, but they strangely only sell two channel amps:

http://www.luxman.co.jp/global/

http://www.onahighernote.com/luxman/

Luxman R-1050 (1977). A knowledgable source reports that the rosewood-veneered R-1050 was the most popular of the 1000 series receivers. It is essentially an amalgamation of the L-80 amplifier and a simplified version of their Reference series 5T10 tuner. It has a 4-gang variable capacitor for FM and 3 gangs for AM, followed by careful IF processing using a combination of ceramic and regular passive LC filters. A Dolby-FM upgrade module was also available. There is a built-in ferrite rod antenna for AM, plus an extra AM antenna input, as well as 75- and 300-Ohm FM antenna inputs. There are separate controls for stereo/mono switching and muting, and signal strength and center-tuning meters. There is also an internal control for 75 µS/50 µS FM de-emphasis.

Our source adds: "The amp section, rated at 50 WPC into 8 Ohms, includes a then very novel feature: an LED peak meter, calibrated in dB, with two ranges. The receiver includes a well-appointed preamp section with 5 inputs: phono 1 and 2, aux and tape 1 and 2. The standard bass and treble controls are included, as well as a high and low cut filter, loudness and mono mode switch (which is also used for the tuner mode). Tape monitoring and dubbing are handled by separate controls. The balance control is hiding in the top row of buttons. The R-1050 inherits a huge transformer and 20000 µF worth of filter caps from the L-80, as well as 95% of the power amp circuit, including the massive inboard heatsink. The amp features full overcurrent, DC and temperature protection, as well as a delayed speaker turn-on, with a front panel indicator next to the power button, that flashes during the delay and goes on permanently if there is a fault condition. The preamp is somewhat simplified compared to the L-80, but still very well appointed. The phono preamp is situated right on the input terminals, for best noise rejection."


1. General
System: Transistor Receiver (AM/FM)
Colour: 1=Silver, 2=Black: 1; 2
Power consumption: 270 W @ 120/240 V

Pre Amplifier
Quadro: no
Inp. Sensitivity High Level: 150 mV
Signal/Noise High Level: >86 dB db
Inp. Sensitivity Phono MM: 2.5 mV
Signal/Noise Phono MM: >66 dB db
Outputs: PRE OUT; REC OUT

Equalizer
Tone Controls: Bass; Treble
Frequencies: Bass: ±10 dB/ 100 Hz; Treble: ±10 dB/ 10 kHz
Filters: LOW (70 Hz/6dB/oct.); HIGH (70 kHz/6dB/oct.)
Loudness: yes

Power Amplifier
Continuous Power 4Ω: 70 + 70 (IHF); 90 + 90 (DIN) Watts
Continuous power 8Ω: 55 + 55 (IHF); 65 + 65 (DIN) Watts
Frequency Response: 10-50,000 (-1 dB) HZ
Damping factor: > 60 (8 Ω) Ώ
Harmonic Distortion: <0.05 (8 Ω, 55 W) % at rated output

Tuner
Display: analog
Station Preset: 0
Signal Strength Meter: LED : 0=NO, 1=YES
Center Tuning Meter: 1 : 0=NO, 1=YES
Inp. Sensitivity Mono: 0.9 μV
Inp. Sensitivity Stereo: 2.3 μV
Harmonic Distortion: 0.2 / 0.2 / 0.4 (Stereo 65 dBf 100Hz/ 1kHz/ 6kHz); 0.1/ 0.1/ 0.3 (Mono 100Hz/ 1kHz/ 6kHz) % at rated output
Signal/Noise Mono: 74 (65 dBf) db
Signal/Noise Stereo: 70 (65 dBf) db
Crosstalk: 52 (AM) db
IF Rejection: > 85 (Mono) db

Lux Corporation was founded in Japan on June 1925, by T. Hayakawa & his brother K. Yoshikawa. It began as the radio equipment department of Kinsuido Picture Frame Store in Osaka, an importer of picture frames. Lux was the among the first manufacturers in Japan of electronic components, and already famous at that time for their output transformers & switches.

In 1984 Lux was acquired by Alps and inherited the Alpine home hi-fi division and the Alpage brands and this created a lot of confusion since the product lines of the Alpine factory started appearing with the Luxman brand on it, and in some cases there were more than one distributor in each country distributing Luxman branded products, one for the product lines and designs from the old Alpine factory and one for the products from Luxman proper. Alpine's consumer oriented product lines clashed terribly in the marketplace with the perfectionist Luxman brand and confusion reigned. Alps retired Luxman's original distribution network from N. America & Europe shortly after and tried to sell both brands through their existing Alpine dealer network, unfortunately to the detriment of Luxman, when Alps stopped selling Luxman completely in the United States & Europe since the late 1980s. Luxman changed hands again in the 1994 when Samsung, Korea, took a majority stake in Lux Corp.'s stock. In 2000 Lux Corp became LUXMAN Corporation when it reverted back into private Japanese ownership. Under the new management, they invested heavily in R&D for their high-end 80th Anniversary Commemoration models which were released in 2005 in order to reposition LUXMAN globally once again as a luxury, high-end audio brand.

LUXMAN hold many patents for audio engineering; amongst them is the application of Global Negative Feedback to the output stage, which they developed in 1955. While widely used throughout the audio industry today, they no longer use it themselves.

LUXMAN nowadays use a distortion reduction technique called Only Distortion Negative Feedback (ODNF). This system works by isolating noise & distortion at the output from the music signal and sparingly applying negative feedback to suppress them. Conventional negative feedback systems can have an adverse effect on the music, introducing phase distortion. "The circuit features such an ultra-wide range, ultra- high slew rate and ultra low distortion that it does not use phase compensation for the music signal amplifying circuits." This new technology also ensures that need for a DC servo circuit is alleviated, again improving sound quality.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Lux was the only major Japanese audio manufacturer to continue producing vacuum tube audio amplifiers.

Since 1925, LUXMAN has crafted audio products in Japan. LUXMAN products are designed in Japan; each part is carefully tested and evaluated with many custom-made parts, thus making the Luxman designs unique, special and one of a kind. Apart from the shared Power Supply, the amplifier designs are usually dual mono. The transformers are made in Japan to their specifications. LUXMAN even hand select the color paint used on the resistors to identify value and tolerance based on extensive listening tests. The chassis are carefully tuned with both vibration and resonance being very carefully controlled to make them perform like a musical instrument. Finally assembly and testing are carried out in Japan. LUXMAN's attention to detail is second to none.
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post #82 of 99
4/18/12 at 10:03am
Nothing that strange about it actually. I derive much more satisfaction from two channel listening than from multi-channel. I would go as far to say that were it not for the HT craze, two channel would still be king. I was among the first adopters of whatwas then AC-3, and had a Yamaha RX-v2090 with the external decoder, and a Pioneer Elite LDP back in the day. DVD's still cannot rival a LaserDisc for audio playback. BluRay can however... anyway, I am dating myself here.

I suggest driving the Polks with your Luxman first and see if you get sound to your liking from them. If you do, return the Yammi(I would do this anyway) and get a Pioneer ELITE SC series, or the Denon equivalent to it. Yamaha can be very good as well, but from my experience with them, I would go with the RX-z7.
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post #83 of 99
4/18/12 at 10:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadyJ View Post

You know, I have not heard the Ohm speakers in question, but I wouldn't be surprised if their bass ability was far better then the Polks. Back in the day speakers that were labeled full range had to at least try to tackle the full range, as subwoofers were just not around. The Polks, on the other hand, are probably designed with sub use in mind, whatever their claimed extension. A lot of vintage speakers had boomy bass, but at least they had bass. The modern entry level towers I have heard have sounded pretty anemic in comparison.

To rule out the Polk speakers as the culprit, the OP needs to switch the amps and speakers, see how the Polks sound on the Luxman and see how the Ohms sound on the Yamaha. I'm betting the Yamaha can make the Ohms sing, whereas the Luxman will do relatively little to improve the Polk's shortcomings.

As I recollect, the OHM'S are a 4 ohm speaker. That Yamaha will not have the gas in the tank to handle them.
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post #84 of 99
4/18/12 at 10:19am
The OHM C2 is 6ohms
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post #85 of 99
4/18/12 at 12:06pm
I think part of the reason you're disappointed is that you're not comparing like things. The Ohms were (and are, if still functional) excellent two channel speakers. The Monitor 70's are good for now, but are not in the same ballpark for overall output (10" woofers / I believe 6 " midrange) versus the two 6.5" woofers on the Monitor 70's.

I don't think current speakers (unless you're talking Philadelphias or some other more powerful speakers $$$$ ) can hold their own in pure volume.

The lower reach of the Monitor 70's is supposedly rated at 30 Hz, but the rolloff for -3db is hit at 40 Hz, so you are really looking at speakers that are not as powerful in volume, and don't reach down as low as the Ohms.

The design criteria for speakers is not the same. The world was two channel then, now it is at least 2.1 in my view. I think the 70's will probably be Ok, but they need a subwoofer, and at least a 10 inch, probably more likely a 12" to compete at all in music or movies with the Ohms.

You also noted that you didn't want precision. Then you don't want modern speakers, since they have compromised sheer power for precision at the budget that you're looking at. I'm very happy with my music setup, but I run a 7.2 system in an apartment using Energy speakers all around (RC50s, a large center RC-LCR, good sized surrounds (RC-10's) and two 8 inch subwoofers). That is what I think a current good system is, and I never run two channel music without the subs involved. Otherwise I'd be just as unsatisfied as you are.

From an old two channel guy, the transition requires getting used to, but ultimately good. The subs will dig down lower than the Ohms, and if you get the right sub(s), will be more powerful.

I think you may be able to pick up more Ohms for surrounds, and that may work best for you without at sub, but you're sacrificing some real low end without a sub, especially on movies.
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post #86 of 99
4/18/12 at 12:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hernanu View Post

I think part of the reason you're disappointed is that you're not comparing like things. The Ohms were (and are, if still functional) excellent two channel speakers. The Monitor 70's are good for now, but are not in the same ballpark for overall output (10" woofers / I believe 6 " midrange) versus the two 6.5" woofers on the Monitor 70's.

I don't think current speakers (unless you're talking Philadelphias or some other more powerful speakers $$$$ ) can hold their own in pure volume.

The lower reach of the Monitor 70's is supposedly rated at 30 Hz, but the rolloff for -3db is hit at 40 Hz, so you are really looking at speakers that are not as powerful in volume, and don't reach down as low as the Ohms.

The design criteria for speakers is not the same. The world was two channel then, now it is at least 2.1 in my view. I think the 70's will probably be Ok, but they need a subwoofer, and at least a 10 inch, probably more likely a 12" to compete at all in music or movies with the Ohms.

You also noted that you didn't want precision. Then you don't want modern speakers, since they have compromised sheer power for precision at the budget that you're looking at. I'm very happy with my music setup, but I run a 7.2 system in an apartment using Energy speakers all around (RC50s, a large center RC-LCR, good sized surrounds (RC-10's) and two 8 inch subwoofers). That is what I think a current good system is, and I never run two channel music without the subs involved. Otherwise I'd be just as unsatisfied as you are.

From an old two channel guy, the transition requires getting used to, but ultimately good. The subs will dig down lower than the Ohms, and if you get the right sub(s), will be more powerful.

I think you may be able to pick up more Ohms for surrounds, and that may work best for you without at sub, but you're sacrificing some real low end without a sub, especially on movies.

Just wanted to point out the monitor 70's are a 2.5 way, not a 3-way. That means all four 6.5" woofers handle bass, but only the top two woofers handle midrange. That's a surface area of approximately 500 cm2, that puts them in the same range as a 12" woofer. Excursion capabilities of woofers has also greatly increased in the past 20 years, but there's no way of knowing the xmax of any of the drivers in question. It's safe to say the Polks have greater bass capabilities then the Ohms. As I've mentioned previously there's something going on if these speakers lack bass.
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post #87 of 99
4/19/12 at 5:12am
i purchased new speakers in march, & went with polk only cuz they seemed right for the price as i'm not employed either & wanted something more than what i had as i listen to music more than tv or movies, so... got Monitor 70s the CS2 center & M40s for surrounds, already had a BIC F12 sub but will replace that eventually as well with a Rythmik FV12. i love these monitors, even if they are bottom of the barrel in terms of audiophile quality or whatever. my first setup was in the late 70s with components & Fisher 3 way speakers & i could rock the house back then, no probs. so when i started looking to recapture that 70s sound, took me a while to figure out that i wasn't necessarily going to find it with "todays" components unless i wanted to shell out some big bucks which i wasn't. i got what i considered to be a decent avr, onkyo ht-rc180 & ordered mordaunt-short carnival series speakers. they were fine for about 6 months but just didn't have the depth or volume in music that i'd been searching to recapture. go figure huh. when i first set up the avr, it was a challenge only because i'd never owned one before & had no idea what i was doing or how it was supposed to go, but through reading various threads & the manual, eventually worked it out. just takes time (months)! took me several tries to just get someone to tell me how to access the server function on the onkyo so i could stream music from my pc but finally did & that info wasn't in the manual!! have to push the "net" button twice lol. i've tweaked, ran audyssey til i'm blue in the face & have just about got the sound to where i want it as best as the equipment i have will produce given it's not high end stuff, so i'm perfectly happy with my setup. it would've been much nicer if i'd had a stereo friend or somebody familiar with this stuff to guide me all along, but half the fun was the journey & learning something new!! my cds & lps are breathing new life once again & who knew i'd like blu ray so much Ha! i'm 56 this month & the one thing i have learned is that nuttin ain't as easy as it used to be 30 years ago so deal with it, learn it & enjoy it while you can cuz time truly is short lol. the only stupid question is the one that you didn't ask it's not as simple as plugging speaker wire into the back or rca cables & plugging the thing in anymore lol.
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post #88 of 99
4/19/12 at 9:38am
What kind of rationalization does it take to buy a completely superfluous product when you don't have a job? I guess the aristocracy don't have jobs. Are you an aristocrat?
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post #89 of 99
4/19/12 at 11:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmichaelf View Post

What kind of rationalization does it take to buy a completely superfluous product when you don't have a job? I guess the aristocracy don't have jobs. Are you an aristocrat?

I would not ask that question.
But then why would the posters be willing to reveal that they are out of a job and on a buying spree??

I guess I just think differently
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post #90 of 99
4/19/12 at 12:43pm
I may have missed the answer to this very basic question:

Does the Yamaha know, via the setup menu, that there are only two speakers connected? What's being described seems suspiciously like what you'd get from the only the mains in a system that thinks it's feeding five speakers.
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