2. tech-talk
  3. 1359410592

What's wrong with my system?

My admittedly budget, mid-fi system severely lacks base. And I don't know why.

It consists of:

Speakers: Tannoy Eyris DC1 bookshelf speakers on stands (they're the old version of the Tannoy Revolution Signature DC6 bookshelves with the dual concentric drivers)

Amp: Arcam A18 Amplifier
DAC: PS Audio Digital Link III DAC
Cables: Blue Jeans interconnects
Source: 256 bit rate AAC up to ALAC going to an Airport Express connected by optical to the DAC

The high end is great, voices sound amazing with the dual concentric drivers. But there's no base to speak of. And I know it's not the speakers because I once auditioned a modded Music Hall DAC which gave them a ton of low end (but eliminated the high end, which is why I didn't buy it).

Would the Arcam be the problem? I can't imagine it's the airport express or optical source to DAC because it's all digital until the DAC. And everybody loves the PS Audio DL III, so I can't see that being the problem, either.

Any ideas???
01jeremy01

Showing 2 responses by almarg

almarg's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
almarg
9,670 posts
 
I see here that the speaker has an unusual terminal configuration. Are you sure that you have them connected properly?

Assuming that you are not biwiring, and that your speaker cables are unshielded, the two red terminals should be connected together, perhaps with a metal jumper that was supplied with the speakers, as well as being connected to the red (+) output terminal of the amplifier. The two black terminals should be connected together, perhaps with a similar metal jumper, as well as being connected to the black (-) output terminal of the amplifier. The green terminal should most likely be left unconnected, assuming your speaker cables are unshielded.

If you have left one of the two red terminals and/or one of the two black terminals unconnected, it would definitely account for the problem.

Regards,
-- Al
almarg's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
almarg
9,670 posts
 
I looked through the descriptions and specs on all of the components, and the only thing I can add to Mapman's good comments is the possibility that the bass and/or treble control circuits in the Arcam are either misadjusted or malfunctioning. Have you tried its "direct mode" ("DRCT" on the remote), which removes those circuits from the signal path?

Also, like Michael (Swampwalker), I don't understand why reversing + and - to one speaker would kill the treble, but not affect the bass. In any event, to be sure that the two speakers are in phase with each other verify that a recording featuring a centered soloist results in a well focused image, centered between the speakers. As opposed to an image that is vague, diffuse, and hard to localize.

Regards,
-- Al
More to discover