What is wrong with my setup?

Posted by: NJB on 04 December 2018

Actually, several things are wrong but where is the main issue?

I replaced an all in one Sony set up with a Sony DN840 AV receiver and Kef 1005.2 speaker set. It worked ok, but no punchy wow factor. I used an old pair of Totem dreamcatchers as the front left and right speakers. It was better, and then got a deal on a Focal centre speaker. It got better in some ways but feels unbalanced. 

The Focal centre is very dominant even after trying the Sony auto speaker setup program or trying it manually. The rear surround speakers are too quiet but probably lack depth more than anything. 

My guess is

1.  Mixing speakers is a problem because the receiver has common settings to all, and I have speakers that want different bass and treble balances. 

The cure is:

1.   Get a receiver with more adjustments. 

2.  Replace the remaining Kef 1005.2 speakers (still used as rear 4 in my 7.1 arrangement) with something a little more substantial. 

Unless someone has any other great ideas. 

Posted on: 05 December 2018 by Bert Schurink

I wouldn’t 100 percent agree that mixing of speakers is a problem in an AV setup. I also have my big Verity Audios in the front combine don’t with much smaller Linn’s In the background. It’s most probably a matter of personally adapting the setting of the set, so manual installation. When my set was installed it was also done like that to ensure a perfect balance in the surround. Perhaps an AV expert on the forum can give you better ideas.

Posted on: 05 December 2018 by NJB

Thanks for the feedback. I have been re-reading the original reviews for my receiver and am picking up some comments that I probably ignored at the time. Compared to the larger DN1040 (the next model up the range at the time), my DN840 was quoted as needing careful partnering with speakers, having the potential to sound a bit thin and lacking to sonic punch of the 1040. It could be that I have managed to activate all those warnings with my set up. 

As I want a Bluetooth headphones function, perhaps a DN1080 would fix a lot of my issues

Posted on: 05 December 2018 by Adam Zielinski

Generally - you've answered your own question

Front L, R and Centre speakers should be pretty much identical. A centre speaker carries up to 60% of a movie's soundtrack - dialogues, music, etc. L and R must match it, to reproduce the scale, music, effects, etc.
Surround can be a bit smaller, but preferably from the same manufacturer (coherence of a sound signature).

 

Posted on: 05 December 2018 by NJB
Adam Zielinski posted:

Generally - you've answered your own question

Front L, R and Centre speakers should be pretty much identical. A centre speaker carries up to 60% of a movie's soundtrack - dialogues, music, etc. L and R must match it, to reproduce the scale, music, effects, etc.
Surround can be a bit smaller, but preferably from the same manufacturer (coherence of a sound signature).

 

Thanks. I might end up doing a two part upgrade here. I would like the added functionality of a new receiver and the added punch might mitigate the speaker issue. However, a speaker fix in 2019 could be in order!

Posted on: 05 December 2018 by NJB
NJB posted:
Adam Zielinski posted:

Generally - you've answered your own question

Front L, R and Centre speakers should be pretty much identical. A centre speaker carries up to 60% of a movie's soundtrack - dialogues, music, etc. L and R must match it, to reproduce the scale, music, effects, etc.
Surround can be a bit smaller, but preferably from the same manufacturer (coherence of a sound signature).

 

Thanks. I might end up doing a two part upgrade here. I would like the added functionality of a new receiver and the added punch might mitigate the speaker issue. However, a speaker fix in 2019 could be in order!

And noted that the Dreamcatcher at 4 ohm and 86dB is not a great match to the 8 ohm and 91dB centre. I am wondering if matching sensitivity and load would help too

Posted on: 05 December 2018 by NJB

I have noticed that the Sony DN1080 quotes performance for speakers down to 6 ohms. Will 4 ohm speakers cause issues?

Posted on: 05 December 2018 by Adam Zielinski

Ideally you should choose speakers of the same imperance to make life easier for the AV amp. 

The lower the impedance, the more difficult things become. 

Posted on: 05 December 2018 by NJB
Adam Zielinski posted:

Ideally you should choose speakers of the same imperance to make life easier for the AV amp. 

The lower the impedance, the more difficult things become. 

I know, it is one of those basic things that I have missed by getting a mixed bag of speakers and using some old ones from the loft.  A quick look around shows that many people are having the same issue as there seem to be a few 4 ohm speakers around for the home theatre kit.  Of course, you can wind individual speakers up and down to balance out the volume levels, but people do comment that the Sony 1080 runs warm under normal loads and forcing it to cope with low impedance speakers is a recipe for extra heat.  I just need to readjust my thinking a bit, either get a receiver that is more tolerant of variable impedances, or get some new speakers!

 

Posted on: 05 December 2018 by Adam Zielinski

Well... let’s put it this way... I run a bit of a beast of an AV setup - Yamaha Aventage 5000 series, with a separate pre and power amps. And even that one has a recommended load of 8 ohms. 

So I’d suggest starting with dedicated home-theatre speakers.