2. misc-audio
  3. 182900-178267

Comparing One System to Another - A + B

System A -

I just recently upgraded my home stereo system.  It includes a NAD C 399 Amp with MDC2 BluOS-D, 2 Bowers and Wilkins 607 speakers, and a T/5X REL subwoofer.  The speakers are mounted on upper corners of a wall in our living room 22' X 16'.  Seating is about 20' away from the speakers.  Sound sources out of a MacBook Pro going into the MDC2 BluOS-D are Tidal and QoBuz.  The dealer just came and completed a Direct Live process for the room.

System B -

I also have a home studio with a pair of Tannoy 802 Studio Monitors which have 1/8" stereo inputs with monitor links for connection to another MacBook Pro connected to the headphone audio out of the Mac.  The sound sources are from the same playlists of Tidal and QoBuz.  The studio is 16' x 12'.   In the studio I'm sitting about 8 feet from the monitors and they are at ear level.

Both systems sound good.  However, I've noticed more clarity out of the studio system than the living room system.  I realize I'm comparing apples and oranges here.  But considering how much more I've spent for the living room system, I'm a little confused as to what appears to be a lack of relative clarity in the living room compared to the studio sound.  Certain sounds in the studio sound more clear and crisp while the same sounds in the living room are more subdued or muffled.  Could this be something adjusted more with Dirac?

Please let me know any suggestions you might have.  Thanks!

pacificm

Showing 1 response by mike_in_nc

mike_in_nc
1,124 posts
 

The TL;DR version: Positioning the speakers and listener is critical to getting good sound. And perhaps you need to work on that in your LR system.

You can get help from Jim Smith's book and video, Get Better Sound.

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>> The speakers are mounted on upper corners of a wall in our living room 22’ X 16’. <<

Do you mean up towards the ceiling? Mounting speakers on the wall is not recommended for good sound, but putting them above ear level is really not going to sound good. You will not hear any direct treble. Just as bad, Dirac may try to correct that by boosting the treble.

And sound from 20 ft away will inevitably be more blended and less "crisp" (as you put it) than sound in the near field.

Though you may need larger speakers for that room, I think the NAD should do well. It has Hypex amp modules, which can sound great. And 180 wpc should be OK for moderate volume listening.

The dealer may have run Dirac, but it will pay you dividends to learn how to operate it yourself and make changes as needed. If you haven’t already, pay the $99 for the full-range version.

And do get the speakers off the wall, onto stands, and look on the Web or in Jim Smith’s book for advice on positioning them and the listeners.

 

 

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