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Calibrating low power speakers with Audyssey
Hi,
I have (finally) upgraded my old Onkyo LR D50 receiver with a new Marantz 1609 receiver. I bought Marantz Slimline model as it fit my current budget and the space available, and is future proof at least for a few years. The seller suggested me to keep the current set of speakers (5.1 onkyo speakers, 6 ohm, 30W) for the time being and go for an upgrade if they don't sound good.
Now the question is:
If I run the room calibration with Audyssey MultiEQ, is it likely to send more power to the speakers (83 db/W/m sensitivity) for achieving the calibration level (75 db in audyssey?) causing a damage to the speakers? Is there any way I can control that? Or should I try manual calibration only?
Your knowledgeable inputs appreciated!
Thanks,
Niranjan
I have (finally) upgraded my old Onkyo LR D50 receiver with a new Marantz 1609 receiver. I bought Marantz Slimline model as it fit my current budget and the space available, and is future proof at least for a few years. The seller suggested me to keep the current set of speakers (5.1 onkyo speakers, 6 ohm, 30W) for the time being and go for an upgrade if they don't sound good.
Now the question is:
If I run the room calibration with Audyssey MultiEQ, is it likely to send more power to the speakers (83 db/W/m sensitivity) for achieving the calibration level (75 db in audyssey?) causing a damage to the speakers? Is there any way I can control that? Or should I try manual calibration only?
Your knowledgeable inputs appreciated!
Thanks,
Niranjan
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
Generally speaking, the receiver won't damage your speakers by running Audyssey and testing out your calibrated receiver. I am not sure what model speakers you have, perhaps if they are all very small speakers from a home theater in a box that are designed to run on a much weaker amplifier, you might over power them.
Just make sure to turn your volume down after calibrating and turn it up slowly while testing. If you hear a lot of distortion, then your speakers are not a good match and you should immediately turn the volume back down. I assume you will be okay, most speakers can take a little bit of a beating before they fail, and the marantz slim line receivers are not very powerful.
I recommend reading through one of the Audyssey threads around here, they are full of useful information.
Just make sure to turn your volume down after calibrating and turn it up slowly while testing. If you hear a lot of distortion, then your speakers are not a good match and you should immediately turn the volume back down. I assume you will be okay, most speakers can take a little bit of a beating before they fail, and the marantz slim line receivers are not very powerful.
I recommend reading through one of the Audyssey threads around here, they are full of useful information.
Appreciate your quick response and the helpful information!Generally speaking, the receiver won't damage your speakers by running Audyssey and testing out your calibrated receiver. I am not sure what model speakers you have, perhaps if they are all very small speakers from a home theater in a box that are designed to run on a much weaker amplifier, you might over power them.
Just make sure to turn your volume down after calibrating and turn it up slowly while testing. If you hear a lot of distortion, then your speakers are not a good match and you should immediately turn the volume back down. I assume you will be okay, most speakers can take a little bit of a beating before they fail, and the marantz slim line receivers are not very powerful.
I recommend reading through one of the Audyssey threads around here, they are full of useful information.
For the sake of completeness, here are the speakers' specs:
Satellites (5 speakers):
Rated impedance 6ohm
The maximum input 30W
Output sound pressure level 83dB/W/m
Frequency characteristic 125Hz - 25kHz
Cabinet internal volume 0.6L
Dimensions Width 85x height 120x depth of 112mm
Weight 0.7kg
Other info:
Input sensitivity/impedance 500mV / 50kohm (L/R/C/SL/SR/SW)
Practical use maximum output 30Wx5ch (front L/R, a center, surround L/R, 1kHz, 6 ohms, EIAJ)
50W (a subWoofer, 100Hz, 12 ohms, EIAJ)
SubWoofer frequency characteristic 30Hz - 150Hz
Thanks,
Niranjan
I recommend that you keep the volume on the lower side, those speakers don't seem like they can take a lot of power. From the looks of the specs those speakers were part of a home theater in a box and aren't designed for a different receiver than the one they came with. As long as you keep the volume of your marantz receiver low, you should not blow the speakers.
Somewhere down the road you'll want to upgrade to better speakers with a higher sensitivity than 83db and 30W power handling.
Thanks so much for the warning.I recommend that you keep the volume on the lower side, those speakers don't seem like they can take a lot of power. From the looks of the specs those speakers were part of a home theater in a box and aren't designed for a different receiver than the one they came with. As long as you keep the volume of your marantz receiver low, you should not blow the speakers.
Looks like, I will soon upgrade to one of these:
Polk TL 1600 5.1 - about 520 USD (converted price from INR) - Looks compact and affordable.
OR
Elac Cinema 5 - similar price and specs.
Any other suggestions for speakers would be welcome for Marantz 1609.
On a side note, will the current subwoofer be useful (at least as a second sub)?
Thanks,
Niranjan
I believe that subwoofer will only be useful while you are using the current speakers, it probably does not have enough output to match more efficient speakers, like the Polks you are looking at. I would consider saving up and buying a new one when you are able.Thanks so much for the warning.
On a side note, will the current subwoofer be useful (at least as a second sub)?
Appreciate the advice. Truly grateful.I believe that subwoofer will only be useful while you are using the current speakers, it probably does not have enough output to match more efficient speakers, like the Polks you are looking at. I would consider saving up and buying a new one when you are able.
Please do mention if there are any other speakers I should look at in the same price range (~400 $).
Thanks,
Niranjan
Going from 3" satellites from one brand to 3" satellites from a different brand really won't be much of an improvement. Save up some money for full size (5.25" drivers or larger) bookshelf speakers. You can add the center and sub one piece at a time after that. You're off to a good start with that very good Marantz AVR.Thanks so much for the warning.
Looks like, I will soon upgrade to one of these:
Polk TL 1600 5.1 - about 520 USD (converted price from INR) - Looks compact and affordable.
OR
Elac Cinema 5 - similar price and specs.
Any other suggestions for speakers would be welcome for Marantz 1609.
On a side note, will the current subwoofer be useful (at least as a second sub)?
Thanks,
Niranjan
Thanks!Going from 3" satellites from one brand to 3" satellites from a different brand really won't be much of an improvement. Save up some money for full size (5.25" drivers or larger) bookshelf speakers. You can add the center and sub one piece at a time after that. You're off to a good start with that very good Marantz AVR.
Would something like these fit the bill?
Taga Harmony 606 v3 - 420 $ (converted from INR)
(https://www.tagaharmony.com/en/product/799/tav-606-v-3)
Pure Acoustics Spark - 580 $ (converted from INR)
(https://avstore.in/collections/5-1-speakers-packages/products/pure-acoustics-spark)
Thanks,
Niranjan
It would be a quantum leap from HTIB speakers, however don't expect excellent sound quality. The will play loud, but keep in mind they're built very cheaply to meet a price point. You are getting quantity over quality, but better than what you have now.Thanks!
Would something like these fit the bill?
Taga Harmony 606 v3 - 420 $ (converted from INR)
(https://www.tagaharmony.com/en/product/799/tav-606-v-3)
Pure Acoustics Spark - 580 $ (converted from INR)
(https://avstore.in/collections/5-1-speakers-packages/products/pure-acoustics-spark)
Thanks,
Niranjan
Tradeoffs everywhereIt would be a quantum leap from HTIB speakers, however don't expect excellent sound quality. The will play loud, but keep in mind they're built very cheaply to meet a price point. You are getting quantity over quality, but better than what you have now.
Thanks for the input. Will probably try to build the system patiently as finances arise!
Thanks,
Niranjan
Hi,
Thanks for all the assistance.
Would like to report the Audyssey calibration.
First, I tried calubrating the system the old way with my Radio Shack SPL metre. The sound was much better than anything that my Onkyo receiver gave me earlier. It was crisp and felt worth listening to. The highs were clear without distortion, the dialogue crisp and the bass was adequate. Even at a low volume, it felt good to listen to.
Then I ran Audyssey (albeit with fingers crossed), which ran smoothly, without any damage to the speakers (as per my original query). The corrected sound seemed to lack in bass, though the 5.1 sound sounded better balanced.
Have read a lot of material about how this can be remedied. Will try to implement.
Will also try to upgrade things one by one as per the forum's advice, as components are on the expensive side in India and blockbuster deals rare.
Thanks,
Niranjan
Thanks for all the assistance.
Would like to report the Audyssey calibration.
First, I tried calubrating the system the old way with my Radio Shack SPL metre. The sound was much better than anything that my Onkyo receiver gave me earlier. It was crisp and felt worth listening to. The highs were clear without distortion, the dialogue crisp and the bass was adequate. Even at a low volume, it felt good to listen to.
Then I ran Audyssey (albeit with fingers crossed), which ran smoothly, without any damage to the speakers (as per my original query). The corrected sound seemed to lack in bass, though the 5.1 sound sounded better balanced.
Have read a lot of material about how this can be remedied. Will try to implement.
Will also try to upgrade things one by one as per the forum's advice, as components are on the expensive side in India and blockbuster deals rare.
Thanks,
Niranjan
That's ultimately what you should want: a system that sounds balanced.Then I ran Audyssey (albeit with fingers crossed), which ran smoothly, without any damage to the speakers (as per my original query). The corrected sound seemed to lack in bass, though the 5.1 sound sounded better balanced.
Tried running the Audyssey setup again.
Realised that I was keeping the volume rather low while listening. When I listened with a louder volume, the Audyssey calibration sounded really nice! Maybe the bass was what I was expecting to hear and it shouldn't have been that much in the first place for most of the normal scenes. I tried a few star Trek scenes and everything sounded well balanced. Lot of bass heard, but sparingly and perhaps at the right times.
Realised that I was keeping the volume rather low while listening. When I listened with a louder volume, the Audyssey calibration sounded really nice! Maybe the bass was what I was expecting to hear and it shouldn't have been that much in the first place for most of the normal scenes. I tried a few star Trek scenes and everything sounded well balanced. Lot of bass heard, but sparingly and perhaps at the right times.
If I were to try a meagre upgrade of sorts (
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
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