2. speakers
  3. 181608-89924

I have NOVA V's and I am not happy

I have a Mark Levinson 585 and a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica Nova V's and although I admittedly have some room acoustic issues that I am working on I am not happy with the sound. 

I listen to music LOUD. This Pairing thru a pair of Kimber Cable 8TC's gets bright in what I think is the 2 to 4 khz range and the sonus faber nova's seem to mute the lower end of female vocals, artist like Macy Gray or Tina Turner dont seem to have the same drive in the lower octaves. At the same time the upper end of vocals like Sheryl Crow can get too bright and cause fatigue (I am assuming this is in the 2 to 4khz range) I have tried every speaker placement you can think of, toe in, toe out. distance from front wall and I am adding acoustic treatments as fast as they can be shipped. 

Here is my question, I had Mark Levinson 436 Mono Blocks in the past connected to a pair of B&W Nautilus 802's thru a pair of MIT Shotgun bi-wire speaker cables and I never noticed that system to be bright. Granted that system was in a different room in a different house. Everyone is telling me that B&W is a brighter sounding  speaker by far over Sonus Faber. If I decide after all my room treatments that I am not a fan of the Sonus Faber sound where should I turn for my replacement speaker? Or is it Mark Levinson's Fault? I want Rich Lush Loud Musical sound. I like a decent sound stage, I also really love it when when you hear decay from the instruments. I don't really care if that's what is neutral or not that's what I like :) 

Where did I go wrong and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks Lee

Ag insider logo xs@2xrlross3
wlutke
716 posts
 

“I have tried every speaker placement you can think of, toe in, toe out. distance from front wall and I am adding acoustic treatments as fast as they can be shipped. “  “If I decide after all my room treatments that I am not a fan of the Sonus Faber sound where should I turn for my replacement speaker? Or is it Mark Levinson's Fault?”

It doesn’t sound like he’s not got a clue to me.  His old speakers were ok, his new ones are not.  He’s asking about room, speakers and amp.  WTF else should he be asking?  Good work,I say.

 

 

Ag insider logo xs@2x
samzx12
1,218 posts
 

@ieales It’s the nature of the business. Many components are designed for looks / SPL and not accurate sound reproduction.

And this is your opinion of Sonus Faber?

danoroo
239 posts
 

All this talk of changing speaker wires and amps is interesting (and somewhat comical) while @audiotroy  asked the question that possibly could lead to a simple and effective solution to the OP's problem, and he never got an answer. 

What is your source?

If your source is digital, you might very well be able to use your playback software, or a product like Dirac Live to EQ the system to your liking.  Another reasonable approach has already been mentioned and that's to place some rugs on the floor between the speakers and your listening position.

Ag insider logo xs@2x
samzx12
1,218 posts
 

@wlutke  he should be working with his room first and also change amps. Obviously the Levinson isn't a good match plus it's much easier to change amps than speakers. If I were buying speakers and liked my amp,  I definitely would be trying to match which speakers sound best with Levinson.  

westborn
146 posts
 

Keep your amp and speakers.

Ditch the Kimber 8TC.

Get some MIT Matrix 38 or 60 (HD or Rev) speaker cables.

Retain/improve the detail, add just a tiny bit of warmth, and lose the glare.

More to discover