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Advice would be great for my new speakers (legacy focus hd)

post #1 of 7
2/2/13 at 5:21pm
Thread Starter 
Hello all,

If I'm not posting this in the proper thread I'm sorry

So I purchased a used pair of Legacy Focus HDs and put my rookie PSBs in the basement. These are my first "real" speakers" and I'm really happy. The wife and kid went to the in-laws yesterday and I've just been on the couch the majority of the past 24 hours without listening fatigue! woo hoo. Anyway, I currently have these powered by a Denon AVR-3805 that I've had for about 10 years..is that possible? I had a PSB sub which also went in the basement and also quickly realized I could disconnect the center channel for movies. This purchase was solely with music in mind and while it sounds great I of course am asking myself the same question we all ask ourselves "could it sound better [in my budget] ?" I'm guessing I could and would love a tube preamp without going over 1k, <750 would be even better having just blown my wad (I chose the wrong line of work).

Additional info: My Sonos is connected to my Denon via optical with solely FLACs. The positioning is golden as is my imaging. There is a large rug in between the sweeeet spot and said speakers and I don't see any other treatments possible given the room

So, in lieu of upgrading my receiver what else could I do to get a little more sparkle?

advice is greatly appreciated.

thank you gentleman
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post #2 of 7
2/6/13 at 5:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by avas69 View Post

Hello all,

If I'm not posting this in the proper thread I'm sorry

So I purchased a used pair of Legacy Focus HDs and put my rookie PSBs in the basement. These are my first "real" speakers" and I'm really happy. The wife and kid went to the in-laws yesterday and I've just been on the couch the majority of the past 24 hours without listening fatigue! woo hoo. Anyway, I currently have these powered by a Denon AVR-3805 that I've had for about 10 years..is that possible? I had a PSB sub which also went in the basement and also quickly realized I could disconnect the center channel for movies. This purchase was solely with music in mind and while it sounds great I of course am asking myself the same question we all ask ourselves "could it sound better [in my budget] ?" I'm guessing I could and would love a tube preamp without going over 1k, <750 would be even better having just blown my wad (I chose the wrong line of work).

Additional info: My Sonos is connected to my Denon via optical with solely FLACs. The positioning is golden as is my imaging. There is a large rug in between the sweeeet spot and said speakers and I don't see any other treatments possible given the room

So, in lieu of upgrading my receiver what else could I do to get a little more sparkle?

According to http://ec1.images-amazon.com/media/i3d/01/A/man-migrate/MANUAL000051291.pdf , starting around page 22 your receiver has both manual and automatic equalizer settings.

If you can find the mic that came with it or replace it, you can use the automatic equalization feature to potentially alleviate the lack of sparkle that you hear.

Alternatively you can use your AVR's manual eq (described starting page 27) to manually tune your AVR to better match your speakers. I'd recommend with starting out with a 3 dB boost to the front channels at the highest frequency supported which seems to be 8 KHz.
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post #3 of 7
2/9/13 at 8:44am
I would suggest a Harmon-Kardon AV 3490 receiver for a marked improvement in sound quality.

You suggested the possibility of getting a preamp, but then what would you be using for a power amplifier?

Most good tube preamps cost several thousand dollars, but there IS one decent one for under $1000; the Vincent SA-31.

You might also consider looking around for a used Audio Research SP-9 or LS-7 preamp, which might cost under $1000 if you get lucky. Actually, I see on E-bay that someone has an LS-7 which looks nice for an asking price of $999. You might make an offer there.

I don't usually recommend buying used, but Audio Research gear is an exception due to its superior build quality and reliability.
Edited by commsysman - 2/9/13 at 8:51am
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post #4 of 7
2/9/13 at 9:11am
Thread Starter 
I have Mic, I never lost it. I've played around with the room eq and I prefer it off, I'll try boosting as you suggest.

What would I use as a amp? I figured I could use the denon for a short time as I probably get both at once. Ill look into your suggestions, thank you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
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post #5 of 7
2/10/13 at 5:52am
Thread Starter 
In lieu of starting another topic let me ask this:

Is it too much to ask for a class a/b amp and matching pre-amp, most likely used for around 2500? My only request is that the pre-amp have 4 optical ins.

I don't need hdmi inputs. I'm not running a sub or center, just fronts and rears. 100-150 w per channel


edited to add I just learned of a 4 port optical switch. glad it's getting a bit easier.


thank you gentleman
Edited by avas69 - 2/10/13 at 6:12am
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post #6 of 7
2/10/13 at 9:38am
Most dedicated preamps do not have optical inputs, because most people prefer to use analog inputs.

I suggest that you consider the Harman-Kardon 3490 receiver, which has an excellent 120 watt amplifier section, and an optical input. It is really quite amazing for its price of under $500.

You could get the excellent Vincent preamp and amplifier for around $2000, and get a good DAC for less than $500.

I am a bit confused by your reference to 4 speakers.

This IS the 2-channel audio forum.

If you want to run four channels, than the HT RECEIVER you might want to look at would be the Harmon-Kardon AVR 3650. It will give you 110 watts per channel.
Edited by commsysman - 2/10/13 at 9:45am
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post #7 of 7
2/10/13 at 11:30am
Thread Starter 
Sorry about the 4 speaker reference and.my ignorance. So I would use the rca jacks? I.guess I thought they were inferior.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
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