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New audio system not sounding as I expected

post #1 of 11
7/10/12 at 8:58pm
Thread Starter 
I recently purchased an audio system and after hooking it all up, the sound has not been what I was expecting. I've been having trouble narrowing down exactly what is different compared to what I usually listen to, but I want to say that the lows and mids are sounding muffled. Some details on my setup:

Receiver: Denon AVR-1312
Front Speakers: Klipsch RB-41 II
Center Speaker: Klipsch RC-42 II

I did not get a chance to listen to these speakers prior to buying them (no local retailer sells Klipsch), but I have heard this series in the past and was very happy with the sound. I live in duplex with single wall construction, so I am actively avoiding getting a sub to keep the neighbors from harassing me. The room it is in is 18'x12' with the home theater in one corner at an angle. The couch is in the center of the room about 8' away from the speakers. Sources I have used are audio over HDMI and using a line-out from the dock connector on my iPod.

As a reference for the sound I'm used to hearing: in my office I have a pair of M-Audio BX5a and when I'm out I use a pair of Bose AE2s.

Does anyone have suggestions as to what I should be doing to narrow down and resolve this issue? Any recommendations for music that would be better for testing than what I usually listen to?
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post #2 of 11
7/11/12 at 6:39am
You didn't mention WHAT exactly you do not like in your setup. If you do not think that speakers are good enough and like sound of monitors, you can try to get three Beginger B2031 (their passive version) to use as front and center speakers.
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post #3 of 11
7/11/12 at 6:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddaydj View Post

I recently purchased an audio system and after hooking it all up, the sound has not been what I was expecting. I've been having trouble narrowing down exactly what is different compared to what I usually listen to, but I want to say that the lows and mids are sounding muffled. Some details on my setup:
Receiver: Denon AVR-1312
Front Speakers: Klipsch RB-41 II
Center Speaker: Klipsch RC-42 II
I did not get a chance to listen to these speakers prior to buying them (no local retailer sells Klipsch), but I have heard this series in the past and was very happy with the sound. I live in duplex with single wall construction, so I am actively avoiding getting a sub to keep the neighbors from harassing me. The room it is in is 18'x12' with the home theater in one corner at an angle. The couch is in the center of the room about 8' away from the speakers. Sources I have used are audio over HDMI and using a line-out from the dock connector on my iPod.
As a reference for the sound I'm used to hearing: in my office I have a pair of M-Audio BX5a and when I'm out I use a pair of Bose AE2s.
Does anyone have suggestions as to what I should be doing to narrow down and resolve this issue? Any recommendations for music that would be better for testing than what I usually listen to?

If you have liked certain speakers in the past (presumably in different rooms than the one you are using now) and you don't like what you hear now, the difference could easily be due to the room. In many cases the room dictates the SQ of the speakers more than the speakers themselves, given that the speakers are not generally audibly deficient.

What to do?

A quick cheap fix would be to add an equalizer to your system.

I'm under the impression that iPods have built in equalizers - have you tried to improve how it sounds when you play it on this system?
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post #4 of 11
7/11/12 at 7:57am
One thing to consider is if you are not using a sub 4" mid/woofers aren't even close to being adequate.

The bookshelf speakers are only rated down to 85hz -3db and the center 88hz -3db. So if you have them hooked up to a receiver and are telling the receiver you don't have a sub you are trying to send full range sound to them which could be why they don't sound good in the lows and mids.

I would look at at least the RB61 II and the RC62 II........ AND/OR I strongly recommend getting a sub.
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post #5 of 11
7/11/12 at 11:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddaydj View Post

I want to say that the lows and mids are sounding muffled.

Two things conspire to reduce clarity in your system:

1) If you are facing a corner while listening, then you have the opposite corner behind you. This focuses all the reflections that are bouncing around the room back toward your head, which "smears" the sound.

2) Unless you have bass traps and other absorbers in the room, even with a non-corner setup you'll lose clarity to untamed reflections. This should help:

Acoustic Basics

--Ethan
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post #6 of 11
7/11/12 at 9:27pm
Thread Starter 
I moved the speakers and receiver into my office this evening. I hooked it up to my mixer along with my regular speakers for this room and went back for between the two for a while. The Klipsch were still not sounding great. So I think I can rule out the room as the problem. I would still like to avoid getting a sub if its at all possible. I have been looking at what my other options are for speakers and as far as space and budget are concerned, I think the Klipsch RF-42 would work. I could also fit the the Klipsch RB-61 but would need to lay them on their side. Would that be an issue?

I have a friend coming over this weekend to listen to my setup and give some suggestions. The local Best Buy also carries some entry level Klipsch speakers. I'm gonna try and swing by there and compare the sound between the bookshelf and the floorstanding models to see if I just bought the wrong type of speakers.
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post #7 of 11
7/12/12 at 6:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddaydj View Post

I moved the speakers and receiver into my office this evening. I hooked it up to my mixer along with my regular speakers for this room and went back for between the two for a while. The Klipsch were still not sounding great. So I think I can rule out the room as the problem. I would still like to avoid getting a sub if its at all possible. I have been looking at what my other options are for speakers and as far as space and budget are concerned, I think the Klipsch RF-42 would work. I could also fit the the Klipsch RB-61 but would need to lay them on their side. Would that be an issue?

I have a friend coming over this weekend to listen to my setup and give some suggestions. The local Best Buy also carries some entry level Klipsch speakers. I'm gonna try and swing by there and compare the sound between the bookshelf and the floorstanding models to see if I just bought the wrong type of speakers.

I still do not understand why you are so attached to Klipsch brand. If you do jot like sound, get something else. Read speaker forum hear for a clues on what to try. There are a lot of speakers in that price range and they are very dissimilar. So you have to go to the store and listen.
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post #8 of 11
7/12/12 at 6:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by flickhtguru View Post

One thing to consider is if you are not using a sub 4" mid/woofers aren't even close to being adequate.
The bookshelf speakers are only rated down to 85hz -3db and the center 88hz -3db. So if you have them hooked up to a receiver and are telling the receiver you don't have a sub you are trying to send full range sound to them which could be why they don't sound good in the lows and mids.
I would look at at least the RB61 II and the RC62 II........ AND/OR I strongly recommend getting a sub.

Good point. Room size can make a tremendous change in the sonic balance of a speaker system.

There is a frequency below which the room actually starts boosting the bass. The larger the room, the lower this frequency is.

In a small room, this built in bass boost can help a speaker with minimal bass extension sound more balanced in the bass range.

Move the same speaker into a larger room, and the bass boost cuts in at such a low frequency that its benefits are lost.

So, it is possible that the OP enjoyed these speakers with minimal bass extension in a small room, but has now started trying to listen to them in a larger room that does not help them.

The logical change is as you say, a subwoofer.
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post #9 of 11
7/12/12 at 11:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddaydj View Post

I moved the speakers and receiver into my office this evening. I hooked it up to my mixer along with my regular speakers for this room and went back for between the two for a while. The Klipsch were still not sounding great. So I think I can rule out the room as the problem.

More likely, both rooms are muddying up the sound in the same way. biggrin.gif

--Ethan
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post #10 of 11
7/12/12 at 11:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ethan Winer View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by ddaydj View Post

I moved the speakers and receiver into my office this evening. I hooked it up to my mixer along with my regular speakers for this room and went back for between the two for a while. The Klipsch were still not sounding great. So I think I can rule out the room as the problem.

More likely, both rooms are muddying up the sound in the same way. biggrin.gif

Absolutely!

...Unless of course he happens to have one of those rooms that do not exhibit room modes and other specular anomalies! Now he just needs speakers that do not interact with the room. I think they are called "headphones"...
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post #11 of 11
7/15/12 at 6:45pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for everyone's input. I'm returning my current setup and am going to replace it with a Denon AVR-1712 (which has a built in EQ) and the Klipsch RB-61 II.
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