Audio Amplifier for home theater system - Suggestions plz

[Hope455]

I want to thank you all for your help.

Excuse me if I dint provide enough information in my inital post.

Here is my existing setup
Projector - Epson Home Cinema 2045 LCD Projector White
Receiver - Denon x3300
Speakers:
Front Tower - Polk Audio RTI A7
Center - Polk Audio CSi A6
Surround - Polk Audio FXIA6
Rear - Polk Audio T15
Sub - Polk Audio PSW505
Wiring - 14AWG 2-Conductor Speaker Wire

Room Size - 9.75x11 feet
distance between front tower speakers to couch - 9 feet
distance between surround speakers to couch - 5 feet

Receiver volume setting - more than 70% up but sound is not clean or loud enough

 

[Leemix]

Have you set up audyssey and do you use adyssey, dynamic EQ or dynamic volume?


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[lovinthehd]

I want to thank you all for your help.

Excuse me if I dint provide enough information in my inital post.

Here is my existing setup
Projector - Epson Home Cinema 2045 LCD Projector White
Receiver - Denon x3300
Speakers:
Front Tower - Polk Audio RTI A7
Center - Polk Audio CSi A6
Surround - Polk Audio FXIA6
Rear - Polk Audio T15
Sub - Polk Audio PSW505
Wiring - 14AWG 2-Conductor Speaker Wire

Room Size - 9.75x11 feet
distance between front tower speakers to couch - 9 feet
distance between surround speakers to couch - 5 feet

Receiver volume setting - more than 70% up but sound is not clean or loud enough

What do you mean 70%? The volume scale is either absolute or relative in dB....https://ca-denon.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/136/~/relative-and-absolute-volume-ranges

 

[PENG]

I want to thank you all for your help.

Excuse me if I dint provide enough information in my inital post.

Here is my existing setup
Projector - Epson Home Cinema 2045 LCD Projector White
Receiver - Denon x3300
Speakers:
Front Tower - Polk Audio RTI A7
Center - Polk Audio CSi A6
Surround - Polk Audio FXIA6
Rear - Polk Audio T15
Sub - Polk Audio PSW505
Wiring - 14AWG 2-Conductor Speaker Wire

Room Size - 9.75x11 feet
distance between front tower speakers to couch - 9 feet
distance between surround speakers to couch - 5 feet

Receiver volume setting - more than 70% up but sound is not clean or loud enough

In such a small room and sitting 9 ft from the mains, you should be able to hit THX reference level with a little room to spare. If the sound is not clean, it is most likely the quality of your media source, media player, or both, but not the AVR.

I have had the X3400H (basically an updated X3300H) in my two channel system for two weeks. Compared to my separate preamp/power amps there really wasn't any clearly audible difference. You can go ahead and add a power amp, but don't expect night and day kind of improvements. In fact, you may or may not hear a difference at all if you keep everything else the same. No offence, some people are more prone to Placebo effect than others, but it could also be true that some can hear subtle differences while others cannot. It is the claim of night and day difference simply by adding an external amp, that I feel are not credible, or they define night and day differently.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Room Size - 9.75x11 feet
distance between front tower speakers to couch - 9 feet
distance between surround speakers to couch - 5 feet

Assuming you don't listen to crazy loud level, don't need an external amp if you are sitting 9 ft or less from the speakers.

 

[Hope455]

I did the audyssey setup again and here are the setup details

 

[Leemix]

I did the audyssey setup again and here are the setup details

How is your room, its not big but do you have a lot in it or is it very uncluttered/bare walls etc.?
Im not an expert but you might have severe room problems. Have you tried to run at very low volume and listen if its much clearer, maybe go closer/half way to center and listen.


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[Hope455]

How is your room, its not big but do you have a lot in it or is it very uncluttered/bare walls etc.?
Im not an expert but you might have severe room problems. Have you tried to run at very low volume and listen if its much clearer, maybe go closer/half way to center and listen.


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Yes, its very uncluttered nothing in room except audio equipment,projector,sofa and a giant screen. It my renovated basement room.

 

[Hope455]

I did the audyssey setup again and here are the setup details

What does -db means in levels, can someone recommend me any manual setting for speakers and sub?

 

[Leemix]

Yes, its very uncluttered nothing in room except audio equipment,projector,sofa and a giant screen. It my renovated basement room.

Check the very low volume. Room is probably very echoy and causing problems for the calibration. Hard to hear what other people are saying in it and kids and dogs dont like to be in there?


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[Leemix]

What does -db means in levels, can someone recommend me any manual setting for speakers and sub?

-dB only says that the calbration lowers the volume instead of increasing it to achieve the ‘right’ volume at a reference main volume level. Very low numbers like that is usually due to very effective speakers and/or close distance (both normal) but standing waves and peak room nodes can also come into play (not good and can make the sound muddy).


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[Hope455]

-dB only says that the calbration lowers the volume instead of increasing it to achieve the ‘right’ volume at a reference main volume level. Very low numbers like that is usually due to very effective speakers and/or close distance (both normal) but standing waves and peak room nodes can also come into play (not good and can make the sound muddy).


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standing waves and peak room nodes can also come into play (not good and can make the sound muddy). Can you please explain and what can I do to fix it.

 

[Leemix]

standing waves and peak room nodes can also come into play (not good and can make the sound muddy). Can you please explain and what can I do to fix it.

First off try listening at low volume and hear if its clearer or not. This can give an indication of what is wrong.


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[EBN]

I did the audyssey setup again and here are the setup details

Although you have good size speakers all around i would make some changes cause this won`t cost you anything to try..

- Set all speakers as Small, now you have mains + center as full range
- Set crossovers for front three to 80hz, surround sides from 60hz to 80hz-100hz and keep the surround backs at 100hz as you don´t want to go lower what Audussey detects.
- Subwoofer level is -7db which is fine, you can tweak this number to example -4db or lower if you feel you need more bass. That is if you haven`t turned the gain/volume knob after Audussey run.

There is many similar stories and with these changes many has found the system sounds better. More stuff should be directed to your subwoofer which should take some weight off from X3300. I would assume especially center channel sounding much clearer. Report back!

 

[lovinthehd]

I did the audyssey setup again and here are the setup details

That is a very odd set of results IMO on speaker levels. I have a couple Audyssey avrs and they both will set mains close to zero and add (go into positive range) or substract (go into negative range) for the other speakers and somewhat follow the sensitivity/distance relationships for the surrounds. Sub level should be independent and just based on your gain settings on the sub. Just how did you place the mic and what pattern did you use for other than the first mic position (assuming that first position was set at ear height and in your primary listening position)?

 

[PENG]

What does -db means in levels, can someone recommend me any manual setting for speakers and sub?

If you did it right by following instructions, those -11 to -12 dB level settings indicates that your receiver is capable of giving your speakers much more than they need. Adding an external amp in this case won't make any difference.

 

[lovinthehd]

The thing that worries me about the -12 is that is its max setting in that direction (negative),. or does this avr have a level spread of +/- 15? My Denon 4520 is 12.

 

[PENG]

The thing that worries me about the -12 is that is its max setting in that direction (negative),. or does this avr have a level spread of +/- 15? My Denon 4520 is 12.

From my oldest 3805 to newest 4400, it has been -12 to +12 for channel levels. Either the OP did not do it right (not following the auto setup to the letter), or the speakers are too closed to the wall, sensitivities on the very high end of the norm, or all of those..

As @ADTG mentioned in post#25, in a 9.75X11 ft, his main mic position would like be 9 ft at them most, Audyssey indicated 10.1 ft that is reasonably accurate for those medium size towers if placed close to the wall/corners. I am not surprised the X3300H is being forced to lower the levels to their limits in order to achieve reference level at the mic position.