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Just moved - sound destroyed

Hi guys,

Some might remember me from having complained about the sound quality i was getting with a bedroom setup i had while living with a (jerk) roommate (didn't want to leave the system in the living room for fear of what might happen to it). I used to complain about lack of clarity, bass bloat etc. , which i deemed to be a result of the room in which the system was placed.

Recently, I moved to a new condo. I thought that i would really, finally be able to enjoy my system, but I'm soooo utterly disappointed it's not even funny.

This new place is open concept (albeit quite small) and is carpeted (whereas the other room was not... although the other setup had a huge bed as the 'seating position' in the previous room, which stifled a lot of the sound).

The positioning is as follows: room is approx 10x15... system is on a nine foot wide wall, which divides the living room and bedroom. To the right are windows which are covered in vertical blinds. To the left, the room is open. Speakers are positioned so the ports are able to use the rear wall as reinforcement. I've pulled the speakers out about 20 inches or so from the wall.

here's what i get: Muddy, undefined bass or rather, bass without punch (i can still hear the differentiation of bass notes, but there's just no 'wallup' to it). Vocals are veiled in a big way...even the best recordings I have sound mediocre...The highs go from being dull to being too hard...The speakers have lost their 'boogie factor'. Further, the sound has no real depth and can be described as a 'wall of sound'... which i believe is inherent to my speakers anyway.

Further, when i plug my Blue Circle power line pillow into any of the outlets on the same line, it trips the breaker! I don't know why that is... perhaps my system is not getting the proper current required.

Any ideas from anyone? The guy who sold me the speakers is going to swing by at some point to have a look (he's particularly good w/ setup).

i'm sooooooooo disappointed. I need you all to console me.

system:

unico (stock)
neat mystiques
Rotel rcd 971 w/ link DAC III half nelson
Ecosse speaker cables
loose
yr44
57 posts
 
Just a suggestion, maybe good, maybe not:
Try positioning the speakers parallel to the diagonal of the room, so that when you draw a direct line from L spkr to R spkr, the middle of that direct line intersects w/ its perpendicular line drawn from the corner of the room.
This way, at least the reflection plane will be less uniform and angled differently. In my prev smallish living room (15x17) this positioning gave better result.
What Dodgealum said makes a lot of sense, too.
BTW, I think 20" is too close.
drjjpdc
80 posts
 
Loose, can you put some weight on your speakers? Muddy bass can be tightened with some weight. 25 lb bags of lead shot are cheap (about $15.00 in NJ) and available at your local gun shop.
milo
58 posts
 
Loose - Good advice from all above. Your room may be overdamped but the first thing I'd do is work on speaker placement. Don't get frustrated....this may take you hours or even days until you're happy with the sound.

First, work on speaker spacing from the front wall (the wall behind the speakers). Place the speakers 8' apart and right up against the wall. What happens? If you get exagerated bass, pull the speakers at least 3-4 feet out into the room. Continue with this until you optimize the bass response.

Second, work on distance from the side walls. You may be getting some of the bass problem from the side walls so moving the speakers away should help.

Third, work on toeing the speakers in until you get a stable center image (make sure to use a good recording).

The thing that gets most frustrating about speaker placement is that fractions of an inch can make a difference. If you originally liked the speakers (you bought them so I guess you must have liked them) it's worth it to put in the extra effort and time to place them just right.

Good luck.
Dave
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
I think it may be a combination of rear port bass aswell as your quality of power, could you demo a higher quality power conditioner perhaps? front ports would help big time IMO and some mass to your speakers may help aswell, I hope you find what makes you happy...sorry to see a move has hampered your music enjoyment.
loose OP
239 posts
 
Thanks tons for your suggestions, guys... i'm going to print this thread out for my dealer to have a 'one-over'. Again, he will be coming over to my place at some point in the near future... he assures me it's all a setup issue. At some point, he demoed the importance of the equipment rack in the equation - and what a HUGE difference equipment racks make!!! i would NEVER have believed it...but setup and tweaking are DEFINITELY the most important factors to good sound (aside from the room).

with respect to what some of you said about rear ports - i am certainly not a fan of rear ported speakers (or ported speakers at all, for that matter), but the mystiques are made for little english dens... i don't think the room's size is the problem. It's my belief that there are many factors involved, but believe me - i'm going to try different speakers in there too!

As far as furniture arrangement goes, the layout is such that I can only put the speakers on that particular wall (yes, the living area is THAT small)

I'm going to try not to worry about it for now, but I am certainly looking forward to having the store owner come over for a look-see.

thanks tons, guys. This hobby is definitely a love-hate thing. You'd think i'd have gotten tired it after so many years... but no such luck!! hahah
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