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Help: why the speaker sound is so low?

I recently set up my first system:

NAD C521i CD player,
Arcam A65 plus integrated amplifier (4-16 ohm, 40 wpc),
Tannoy Saturn S8LR speakers (10-120 Watts),
Radio Shack interconnect cable and speaker wire (16 gauge).

The problem is the speakers sound extremely low and thin, which I believe is anything but normal. I have tried using a pair of old AWAI speakers, and they sounds normal. When I connected the Tannoys to a AWAI receiver to hear TV, they again sounds very low and thin. I also tried 12-gauge speaker wire from RadioShack, it does not change anything. All wire connections have been double checked or triple checked. There should be no problem about the wiring.

I am wondering if this could be a problem of the speakers? Although the sound is low, the two speakers sound symmetrically. Are there any settings on the speaker or amplifier I missed?

Your input is highly appriciated.

Yi
ywing0751
cdc
1,783 posts
 
Sounds like it's your speakers. But it's strange that both sound bad. Can you take out the Tannoy speaker's drivers and check the internal wiring, drivers, or crossover?
There are no settings on amp or speakers tht I'm aware of.
Good luck.
ctran60
4 posts
 
Yi, It's called breakin-in, don't worry. Give the speakers about a hundred hour or so and they'll bloom. If nothing happens after the break-in, then take two aspirins and call the manufacturer. Hope this help.
theo's avatar
theo
2,684 posts
 
You mention when you listen to the TV through the AWAI but what about the Arcam? Is it only when monitoring TV? Also make sure not even one strand of the speaker cable is shorting out. I really don't think the Tannoys need that much of a break in, what does your dealer say?
ywing0751 OP
1 posts
 
The Tannoys were bought second-handly from A-gon so the break-in should not be an issue. I have measured the impedances of both speakers and found they are extremely high, at the order of mega ohms, way higher than the nominal 8 ohm. I believe something wrong inside and have already returned them to the seller.

Thank you for your reponse.

Yi
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