Questions on audio quailty

[PancakeN00dle]

Hi guys as you can tell im new to this forum and audio as a whole. over the last few years i've been naive and fallen prey to marketing more than once. I am however quite good at computers and regularly question the market and the lies company's try to sell so i'm getting better with audio.

so i have a few questions about a good audio setup because i cant seem to get rid of the hissing when i turn the volume past -50db

my current setup is:

Receiver: Panasoinc SA-BX500
Front Speakers: Polka Monitor50 (Bi-wired)
Back and Center Speakers: Athena Audition Series
and a Athena Sub

so a started with a 2003 yahama A/V before HDMI was around (i knew nothing about audio and the more it cost the better i thought i was). which died in 2009 than i saw the Panasonic receiver on sale for $300 so i bought it and it sounded much better right off the bat. i moved from some super cheap wire to another crappy company but at lest the wire didnt turn green after a few months. But that wasn't enough it was hissing really bad still so i moved to some Monster Xp wire (it was on sale for $30 100ft) and it sounds better but still bugs me because i am close enough to the back speakers to still hear it but its gone in the front for the most part.

enough of the back story..right now i have the Xp wire is place (16G) and i have banana plugs that i got. will the quality of the audio go down using banana plugs because it does hiss more in the front with the plugs but still the same amount in the back. is it just my imagination and i'm angry that this sound hasn't gone away yet and its been years?. i don't know. could someone first tell me in my setup is good, great, already, crappy, etc. because i have no idea. second how can i remove the hissing with the volume high?

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi guys as you can tell im new to this forum and audio as a whole. over the last few years i've been naive and fallen prey to marketing more than once. I am however quite good at computers and regularly question the market and the lies company's try to sell so i'm getting better with audio.

so i have a few questions about a good audio setup because i cant seem to get rid of the hissing when i turn the volume past -50db

my current setup is:

Receiver: Panasoinc SA-BX500
Front Speakers: Polka Monitor50 (Bi-wired)
Back and Center Speakers: Athena Audition Series
and a Athena Sub

so a started with a 2003 yahama A/V before HDMI was around (i knew nothing about audio and the more it cost the better i thought i was). which died in 2009 than i saw the Panasonic receiver on sale for $300 so i bought it and it sounded much better right off the bat. i moved from some super cheap wire to another crappy company but at lest the wire didnt turn green after a few months. But that wasn't enough it was hissing really bad still so i moved to some Monster Xp wire (it was on sale for $30 100ft) and it sounds better but still bugs me because i am close enough to the back speakers to still hear it but its gone in the front for the most part.

enough of the back story..right now i have the Xp wire is place (16G) and i have banana plugs that i got. will the quality of the audio go down using banana plugs because it does hiss more in the front with the plugs but still the same amount in the back. is it just my imagination and i'm angry that this sound hasn't gone away yet and its been years?. i don't know. could someone first tell me in my setup is good, great, already, crappy, etc. because i have no idea. second how can i remove the hissing with the volume high?

Obviously, the Panasonic unit is a POS.

 

[PancakeN00dle]

could you expand on that? i mean other than the reviews saying it was overpriced it supposedly covers all the bases of good sound. it sounds better than my yahama laying here next to me so thats a plus and it cost more too! (at the time).

for $300 A/V receiver what would be the best out right now?

 

[TLS Guy]

could you expand on that? i mean other than the reviews saying it was overpriced it supposedly covers all the bases of good sound. it sounds better than my yahama laying here next to me so thats a plus and it cost more too! (at the time).

for $300 A/V receiver what would be the best out right now?

Wires can't make hiss. They are passive.

Only an active component can make hiss. If you can hear the hiss easily from your rig, then it is the Panasonic unit generating it. The ratio of sound to noise is called the signal to noise ratio. 100 db or better is where it should be, but yours Panasonic is obviously way below that.

So you will only solve the problem, by replacing that Panasonic unit.

I'm not getting into receiver recommendations. I'm no receiver fan and don't use them.

Others my chime in. Some like Onkyo, others Denon, Marantz or Yamaha and some HK.

I would say do not buy at the bottom of the lines, you need to be well or a little above the midrange in the price range, no matter who you buy from.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Bi-Wiring is pointless and useless, Bi-Amping is almost as useless.

Cables should be 12 or 14 Gauge unless very short runs - about 15ft, and monoprice is the place to get any cables or cords

None of your speakers are worth upgrading to expensive receiver.

Like TLS said, your hiss comes from active components, if it's not the panasonic AVR (try to isolate it from all sources) then it could be one of your sources...

If it is the AVR - get the cheapest 5.1 refub from ac4l like this one:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTXSR508/Onkyo/TX-SR508-7.1-Channel-3-D-Ready-Home-Theater-Receiver/1.html

and start budgeting for speakers/subwoofer upgrade

 

[PancakeN00dle]

thanks for your help! i'll continue to do research on this topic but it points me in the right direction.

 

[avnetguy]

You don't mention (unless I missed it) where your audio source is coming from when you hear this hissing?

I haven't listened to any Polks recently but the athena audition series is fine, I used to use them a while back and still do for my surround speakers. For a frame of reference I don't hear *any* hissing unless my volume is cranked waaay up, well beyond my loudest listening levels.

Steve

 

[PancakeN00dle]

i guess i didn't explain well. the hiss/buzzing is coming the most from the back left speaker and i switch them around to make sure it wasn't just the speaker. I replaced the cable also.

i'm starting to think it is the receiver since the second it turn on without a source it start it make the static sound but it goes away as long as some sort of audio is playing, than it comes back afterwords.

is this making sense? it bugs me a lot. and for kicks when i mute the receiver it's gone also. i even went as far to turn everything off and unplug things to see if it was some interference causing it. nope.

i might just have to live with it since i'm not going to spend $500-800 for another receiver that most likely won't solve the issue since my old yahama did the same thing.

 

[TLS Guy]

i guess i didn't explain well. the hiss/buzzing is coming the most from the back left speaker and i switch them around to make sure it wasn't just the speaker. I replaced the cable also.

i'm starting to think it is the receiver since the second it turn on without a source it start it make the static sound but it goes away as long as some sort of audio is playing, than it comes back afterwords.

is this making sense? it bugs me a lot. and for kicks when i mute the receiver it's gone also. i even went as far to turn everything off and unplug things to see if it was some interference causing it. nope.

i might just have to live with it since i'm not going to spend $500-800 for another receiver that most likely won't solve the issue since my old yahama did the same thing.

Your receiver is a POS like I told you. Get a decent receiver.

 

[GranteedEV]

i might just have to live with it since i'm not going to spend $500-800 for another receiver that most likely won't solve the issue since my old yahama did the same thing.

Uh..it most likely WILL solve the problem. $350 for an SR5004:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR5004/Marantz/SR5004-90w-X-7ch-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

Is the least you can do for yourself. Brands like Sony, Panasonic, and Samsung aren't interested in bringing you sound quality, they just make products which they know will sell based on brand recognition.

 

[PancakeN00dle]

oh man i was drooling over that receiver, i think im going to pick it up, i'm so sick of this one.

i usually enjoy panasonic everything. my bluray player, tv, camera, you name it is panasonic if i can get my hands on it. but i'm not against out with old in with the new. just like computers, company's quality control will drop and you'll have to move on.

so is this Audyssey chip i keep reading about the golden egg of audio?