LCR Speakers Sound Different

[mossman77]

I was running the test tone on my front speakers and noticed each speaker sounds different. The center sounds much different. Is this because it is oriented horizontally? It's pretty significant. These speakers are designed to be used both horizontally and vertically so they should sound the same.

20200305_221003.mp4

drive.google.com

 

[lovinthehd]

Can't view your attachment (yet?). They're in different positions so somewhat they may sound different in a single seating position....but a speaker laid on its side, intended for vertical positioning, could well sound different. Can you be more specific in the speakers and positioning?

 

[mossman77]

Sorry about that. Looks like it is still processing. The left and right speakers are mounted vertically on either side of the TV and the center channel ia mounted horizontally under the TV and a half inch off the fireplace mantel. The speakers are designed to be used in either orientation. The center channel has a higher pitch and sounds more hollow. Maybe its because the sound is reflecting off the mantel. I'll put a towel underneath temporarily see if that changes the tone.

 

[Movie2099]

Sorry about that. Looks like it is still processing. The left and right speakers are mounted vertically on either side of the TV and the center channel ia mounted horizontally under the TV and a half inch off the fireplace mantel. The speakers are designed to be used in either orientation. The center channel has a higher pitch and sounds more hollow. Maybe its because the sound is reflecting off the mantel. I'll put a towel underneath temporarily see if that changes the tone.

Get yourself a cheap db meter, sit in your favorite spot and make sure all your speakers are to set to zero db. Turn on the test speaker function on AVR and see what each speaker is putting out. Do this at normal listening levels. Adjust accordingly so that all speakers are at the same db reading. Should fix the issue.

 

[mossman77]

Get yourself a cheap db meter, sit in your favorite spot and make sure all your speakers are to set to zero db. Turn on the test speaker function on AVR and see what each speaker is putting out. Do this at normal listening levels. Adjust accordingly so that all speakers are at the same db reading. Should fix the issue.

I adjusted the levels and it made no difference. Plus, Audyssey takes care of that for me. It isn't a loudness thing, it's tonal.

 

[Movie2099]

I adjusted the levels and it made no difference. Plus, Audyssey takes care of that for me. It isn't a loudness thing, it's tonal.

What speakers are you using?

 

[mossman77]

What speakers are you using?

DefTech Mythos Nine. Concern is why the center sounds so much different than the L/R. These were refurbished speakers and were repaired a second time by the manufacturer, which told me they replaced two tweeters and one crossover. I only sent two back because the third sounded fine. I'm not sure which one I kept. Maybe I kept the center channel and that's why it sounds different. They'd probably send me a new tweeter and/or crossover if I asked. Placing a towel underneath to absorb reflections made no difference.

 

[Movie2099]

DefTech Mythos Nine. Concern is why the center sounds so much different than the L/R. These were refurbished speakers and were repaired a second time by the manufacturer, which told me they replaced two tweeters and one crossover. I only sent two back because the third sounded fine. I'm not sure which one I kept. Maybe I kept the center channel and that's why it sounds different. They'd probably send me a new tweeter and/or crossover if I asked. Placing a towel underneath to absorb reflections made no difference.

Hmm, if you've tried everything else and nothing seems to work I'm thinking it's the speakers themselves. I would return them or just sell them and go with something else. I know that's the easy route, but it doesn't sound like you're going to get the issue fixed anytime soon and you'll just end up replacing things all the time to try and fix things. I would scrap it and start over with something else. Just my opinion. Lots of good deals on speakers out there. You wouldn't have to spend the nines on speakers. You should check out SVS speakers. Great speakers, good deals and you get a 45 day return window. So you can test the speakers and see how they work and if you don't like them you can return them. You can also do that with Magnolia(Best Buy) as well. They don't usually tell you that, but the people I've worked with at Magnolia have always said if I didn't like anything I could easily return them and get my money back within the 60 day window. Just an idea.

 

[mossman77]

Hmm, if you've tried everything else and nothing seems to work I'm thinking it's the speakers themselves. I would return them or just sell them and go with something else. I know that's the easy route, but it doesn't sound like you're going to get the issue fixed anytime soon and you'll just end up replacing things all the time to try and fix things. I would scrap it and start over with something else. Just my opinion. Lots of good deals on speakers out there. You wouldn't have to spend the nines on speakers. You should check out SVS speakers. Great speakers, good deals and you get a 45 day return window. So you can test the speakers and see how they work and if you don't like them you can return them. You can also do that with Magnolia(Best Buy) as well. They don't usually tell you that, but the people I've worked with at Magnolia have always said if I didn't like anything I could easily return them and get my money back within the 60 day window. Just an idea.

You make it sound like selling speakers is easy. Haha. I've had a set of Paradigm LCRs and a Klipsch sub on Craigslist and eBay for months and haven't been contacted even once. I'd practically have to give them away, which I'm not going to do. I just got them a few months ago and they sound great. DefTech customer service has been great, and I'm sure they'd help me out. They serviced the two I sent back for repair at no cost to me, and even sent me prepaid shipping labels. I sent them an email moments ago. I'll see what they say and go from there. In the meantime, I'll shuffle the speakers around to ensure it isn't the receiver causing this.

 

[Movie2099]

You make it sound like selling speakers is easy. Haha. I've had a set of Paradigm LCRs and a Klipsch sub on Craigslist and eBay for months and haven't been contacted even once. I'd practically have to give them away, which I'm not going to do. I just got them a few months ago and they sound great. DefTech customer service has been great, and I'm sure they'd help me out. They serviced the two I sent back for repair at no cost to me, and even sent me prepaid shipping labels. I sent them an email moments ago. I'll see what they say and go from there. In the meantime, I'll shuffle the speakers around to ensure it isn't the receiver causing this.

Yeah, hard to sell on Craigslist. I would try selling on this site or try Audiogon or ebay. I've sold speakers on ebay. I've had good luck on there. To be honest you probably won't get what you want. You'll have to sell for less than what you would want, to actually get them sold and then have to worry about shipping costs. It can be a pain in the arse sometimes. Good luck to you.

 

[Pogre]

Is it a drastic difference? How does it sound with program material? When I scroll the pink noise test tones my speakers don't all sound exactly the same from one to the next. I always assumed the different locations and relative seating position to each one accounted for that. Having one turned on its side might make your sweet spot smaller. Do you have your center at roughly ear height?

 

[NINaudio]

Since all three speakers are the same, why don't you swap one with the center and see if it still sounds different. If it does it down to the placement of the speaker. Different orientation can effect how it sounds because it probably has different vertical vs horizontal dispersion patterns. Lobing will be more of an issue as well with it in a horizontal placement. I'm also going to guess that having the mantle on one side of it and the TV on the other aren't helping you out either. The TV surface itself is also pretty acoustically reflective and if you have it angled down to your viewing position since it's mounted high over the mantle that is going to exacerbate the issue.

 

[mossman77]

Is it a drastic difference? How does it sound with program material? When I scroll the pink noise test tones my speakers don't all sound exactly the same from one to the next. I always assumed the different locations and relative seating position to each one accounted for that. Having one turned on its side might make your sweet spot smaller. Do you have your center at roughly ear height?

Yes, I'd say it's relatively drastic. I'm standing directly in front of the speakers while playing the test tones. The center sounds the same regardless of where I am standing (left/right/up/down). It is also noticeable when playing music. When I switch from 2-channel stereo to multi-channel stereo things sound a little "hollow". I'll pull the center channel off the wall this evening and away from the wall/TV, orient it vertically, etc, to see if that changes anything. I'll also switch the output on the receiver to see if it follows the speaker.

Is the video still not viewable (post#1)? I can share again if needed.

The left and right also sound a tad different from each other, but not nearly as different as the center.

 

[mossman77]

Since all three speakers are the same, why don't you swap one with the center and see if it still sounds different. If it does it down to the placement of the speaker. Different orientation can effect how it sounds because it probably has different vertical vs horizontal dispersion patterns. Lobing will be more of an issue as well with it in a horizontal placement. I'm also going to guess that having the mantle on one side of it and the TV on the other aren't helping you out either. The TV surface itself is also pretty acoustically reflective and if you have it angled down to your viewing position since it's mounted high over the mantle that is going to exacerbate the issue.

I plan on doing that this evening to see if it follows the speaker. The speakers are designed to be used either vertically or horizontally, so I wouldn't think it would sound this different based on orientation. The TV is not angled and the TV and speakers are roughly on the same plane.

 

[shadyJ]

Since all three speakers are the same, why don't you swap one with the center and see if it still sounds different. If it does it down to the placement of the speaker. Different orientation can effect how it sounds because it probably has different vertical vs horizontal dispersion patterns. Lobing will be more of an issue as well with it in a horizontal placement. I'm also going to guess that having the mantle on one side of it and the TV on the other aren't helping you out either. The TV surface itself is also pretty acoustically reflective and if you have it angled down to your viewing position since it's mounted high over the mantle that is going to exacerbate the issue.

Some good points here. Depending on the crossover points and slopes, off-axis lobing could potentially be fierce on this speaker when it is horizontally situated. In effect, it becomes an entirely different speaker when it is turned on its side. It's hard to say what it is doing without measurements. To be honest, I am curious to see how it measures. I wish someone had one locally that I could borrow so I can see what it is doing!

 

[2channel lover]

Yes, I'd say it's relatively drastic. I'm standing directly in front of the speakers while playing the test tones. The center sounds the same regardless of where I am standing (left/right/up/down). It is also noticeable when playing music. When I switch from 2-channel stereo to multi-channel stereo things sound a little "hollow". I'll pull the center channel off the wall this evening and away from the wall/TV, orient it vertically, etc, to see if that changes anything. I'll also switch the output on the receiver to see if it follows the speaker.

Is the video still not viewable (post#1)? I can share again if needed.

The left and right also sound a tad different from each other, but not nearly as different as the center.

It might not sound exactly the same as the mains, but it shouldn't be drastically different. I'm assuming it hasn't always sounded different.

After reading thru the thread, it has to be the signal or the speaker...I would put my money on it being a speaker issue.

 

[mossman77]

It might not sound exactly the same as the mains, but it shouldn't be drastically different. I'm assuming it hasn't always sounded different.

After reading thru the thread, it has to be the signal or the speaker...I would put my money on it being a speaker issue.

It's not even close to the same, and I haven't really paid close attention until the other day. I've only had these speakers a few months and two of them were sent back for new tweeters and at least one of them had the crossover replaced. I'm also betting it is the speaker.

 

[SwedishChef]

Unless it's out of phase issues or off-axis issues, it's probably the room. Remember that you're hearing more of the room than the source at many frequencies. (i.e., Of the total amount of sound arriving at your listening position, more of it is reflected than direct.) I think every channel sounds tonally different to me during Audessey sweeps even when they're all the same type of speaker. I don't think I've ever had that NOT happen to me.

However, if the difference is extreme enough that it's standing out to you during music playback, perhaps something has gone wrong - driver failure in a speaker or something. Can you put each speaker in one central location in front of you, each in turn, driven by the same single amp channel? And then driven by their own amp channel? If you can control for location, distance, and amp then you can just start going down the list - speaker, cable, amp channel, distance, position....

 

[Pogre]

Yes, I'd say it's relatively drastic. I'm standing directly in front of the speakers while playing the test tones. The center sounds the same regardless of where I am standing (left/right/up/down). It is also noticeable when playing music. When I switch from 2-channel stereo to multi-channel stereo things sound a little "hollow". I'll pull the center channel off the wall this evening and away from the wall/TV, orient it vertically, etc, to see if that changes anything. I'll also switch the output on the receiver to see if it follows the speaker.

Is the video still not viewable (post#1)? I can share again if needed.

The left and right also sound a tad different from each other, but not nearly as different as the center.

Wait, standing?

 

[mossman77]

Wait, standing?

I meant I am standing directly in front of the speakers so I can be sure it isn't the room acoustics causing the center to sound different. My speakers are mounted over my fireplace, so they are higher up than I'd like them to be, but IIWII.