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How to get good sound out of this for music only?

I recently dug two older high end systems out of my brother-in-law’s basement and garage that he did not want (and had never used). One very high end system which is now in my home where I am really enjoying it even though I’ve never been an audiophile before now.

The second system may be hifi, might be mid-fi, I don’t know. It was clearly once used as a home theater system. Cosmetically everything is pretty beat up but it all works.

It consists of:

Rotel RSP-1066 Surround Sound Processor
Rotel RMB-1075 Five Channel Amplifier
Two Bowers and Wilkins CDM-9NT tower speakers
One B&W AW 650 powered subwoofer
One B&W CDM SNT speaker which I think was used for the center channel

I’ve got it all hooked up in my living room just to see if it will all work. See below (and I know none of it is positioned correctly yet):

https://images.nikonians.org/galleries/data/3564/IMG_1049.jpg

I’ll admit straight up that I have the manuals but have not read them.

Bottom line is, I’m not sure what settings I should be using on this home theater system for simple music. When I set it on two channel it sounds okay. The B&W tower speakers do not have the mid range clarity and brightness of my higher end system. The bass is not as tight.  When I use one of the other modes, with the center channel speaker and subwoofer (at low volume) it begins to sound pretty good. Again, I’ve made no attempt to position any of this since I don’t know where it is going to go. It might end up in my cabin or back in his basement. I’m going to try to get it sounding good enough to make his wife want to put it in their home....but that probably isn’t going to happen.

My question, without reading a manual full of stuff about video integration and surround sound modes, how should I set this up to sound good, it doesn’t have to be awesome, for just listening to music? Thanks for indulging my laziness.

George
n80
10 responses Add your response
n80 OP
2,116 posts
 
Answer my own question, probably incorrectly, but for whatever reason the DTS 'Music' setting sounds best to me. This is with center speaker going and subwoofer barely on.

But, coming back to the room with the better system there is no comparison.
erik_squires
16,056 posts
 
Hey N80 : 

Is that the Neo6 Music mode? It's pretty good about creating a credible presence. 

If you really don't care about movies, my advice  is to sell all but the speakers, and get a nice stereo integrated amp. 
n80 OP
2,116 posts
 
Yes, it is Neo6 Music mode. For whatever reason the two tower speakers just don't sound all that good to me by themselves in 2 channel mode but with the center and sub on DTS Neo6 it all sounds reasonably good.

I do not care about movies or home theater but this stuff isn't technically mine to sell. I'll let my brother-in-law know that though. Unfortunately this stuff looks a little rough cosmetically so I don't think it would bring much cash.

It does sound better than most everything else he and I were used to before I started getting into this though. If I can simplify operation he might want it in his home but probably not. Otherwise I'll consider it for my cabin but with two towers, center, sub, amp and pre-amp it is not a compact set up.



soix
9,456 posts
 
I'd think this system would sound at least pretty good in 2-channel.  I looked through the 1066 manual and it looks like the stereo setting should be a pure, unadulterated signal.  What's you're 2-channel source component and is it hooked up to analog or digital input on the 1066?

It's worth taking some time to peruse the manual just to see what settings might be affecting sound.  Although I don't think they'd impact the stereo setting, things like if front speakers are set to small or large, is neo 6 in cinema or music mode, etc.  Unfortunately the devil is often in the details when it comes to stuff like this, especially when you have no idea how the former owner had things set up. 
n80 OP
2,116 posts
 
Thanks, I did finally look at the manual regarding the different modes. It was hard for me to sort out the various modes since it only gave hints as to what they were supposed to sound like and when they were supposed to be used.

I’ll read some more but have to say I was fairly satisfied with the Neo6 ’Music’ mode. I’m sure it wouldn’t suit a 2 channel purist.

I don’t know why the two towers or the two towers plus sub doesn’t sound all that good. It seems like a mid-range issue which is not supposed to be an issue with these towers according to reviews. But they are beat up and haven’t been run in several years. The cone one of the little wart tweeters is caved in although I don’t hear much of anything coming from either of those.

I’m also comparing them to my other system (Aerial Acoustic 7B towers, Proceed HPA2 amp and AR LS16 pre-amp) which they could probably never compete with. I could hook the B&W towers into that system but it really isn’t worth the trouble at this point.

Will dig a little deeper in the manual because ideally I’d like to ditch the center and sub if this system is going in my cabin (space constrained). Thanks again.
n80 OP
2,116 posts
 
The source component was not ideal: Tidal hifi but through laptop headphone jack.

I'll test with CD player tonight.
bondmanp
1,810 posts
 

If you are careful, you can use masking tape to fix the dented tweeter.  Gently apply the tape to the dent, and gently pull it
away.  When the dent pops out, peel, rather than pull, the tape off.  It is possible that the speakers need to be re-broken in if they sat so long.  Adhesives and other components i the speaker may have stiffened.  Putting some hours on the speakers could help.


Also consider improving your source.  Even a low-priced USB DAC (there are thousands of them out there) will be a step up over the audio output jack of your laptop.  And if you are using cheap cables, consider a small investment in some entry level audiophile cables and speaker wires (Morrow,  Audioquest, Pangea, etc.).  They also can make a difference, IME.


The B&Ws will usually sound better with help from a subwoofer, used in moderation, as will most speakers, IMHO. 


IIRC, the Rotel has some adjustability of audio parameters, like bass and treble controls.  You can use these to smooth out the sound a bit.  But, heck, if you prefer one of the surround music modes like Neo6, go for it.


Finally, a little time spent positioning the speakers could help the sound as well, even if the processor is set correctly for the various speaker distances.

n80 OP
2,116 posts
 
Thanks bondmanp. I will work on that tweeter and see what I can do. The dome has a metallic appearance and seems sort of stiff so not sure if tape will do it but I'm going to try.

I think some use should definitely help with the speakers.

Cables are a decent brand, Transparent, but definitely one of their lower lines. 

As to source, I did hook a CD player up last night and there is definitely SQ improvement over the laptop but even with the bass and treble controls just can't get the SQ I'm looking for via 2 channel + sub. I'll continue to fiddle with it. Speaker position is not good but this system is not going to stay in this room so will work with that wherever it ends up and that will probably require going through all the same tweaks and modes again....but there are worse ways to spend an hour or two. ;-)
Post removed 
n80 OP
2,116 posts
 
I did. They sounded better but still do not compare with the Aerial Acoustics.
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