Swaping out an older Ultra Center for a new one....

[fast fred]

I have had an Ultra center as part of an SVS system (Primes, SBU16) since last year and love the sound of the vocals from it paired with Prime Books (The center has opened up nicely)

The newest Ultra Center I got for the lower level media room is flat and dead sounding! paired with the Prime Pinnacles (can barely hear the voices in movies)

I do understand that it needs time to loosen or whatever, but in the mean time do you think I can swap the good (older) Ultra for the new one until the new one ages and gets better?

Will this not be good as the Newest Primes and Ultra paired together need to be together as new system? (match new for new, etc)
Thanks

 

[lovinthehd]

Well you could swap the speakers and see if the issue follows, doubt "break-in" is the issue, tho.

 

[ryanosaur]

Speaker break in is not a thing. It is a myth that needs to die.

Are you certain it is set up properly in the AVR, and positioned advantageously in relation to boundaries and other surfaces...

 

[Pogre]

Different rooms, different positioning, different acoustics... I think you're underestimating how much the room and placement can have an effect on sound quality.

Try what HD suggested and make sure there isn't actually something wrong, but I don't think it's the speaker.

 

[NINaudio]

until the new one ages and gets better?

Are we talking about wine or speakers? I forget....

 

[MDK210]

Or figure out a way to get Ultra Towers and/or bookshelfs with no center channel instead. Night and day between the Prime series.

 

[ryanosaur]

Are we talking about wine or speakers? I forget....

I heard you can quicken the aging of Speakers by submerging them in the ocean for about 9 mos, which has the equivalent effect of cellaring your Speakers for about 3 yrs.This is a new and promising developement for fine sounds!

To really enjoy your wine sooner and save on aging, I definitely agree one needs to run a 2.83v pink noise signal through your bottles for a minimum of 100 hours prior to attempted enjoyment.

Sh!t.

I think I got something backwards.

FML

Oh ya! that's right. You can age wine in the ocean to great effect, but speakers still don't need to be broken in!

 

[fast fred]

Speaker break in is not a thing. It is a myth that needs to die.

Are you certain it is set up properly in the AVR, and positioned advantageously in relation to boundaries and other surfaces...

yes

 

[fast fred]

Or figure out a way to get Ultra Towers and/or bookshelfs with no center channel instead. Night and day between the Prime series.

Huh?

 

[Pogre]

I heard you can quicken the aging of Speakers by submerging them in the ocean for about 9 mos, which has the equivalent effect of cellaring your Speakers for about 3 yrs.This is a new and promising developement for fine sounds!

To really enjoy your wine sooner and save on aging, I definitely agree one needs to run a 2.83v pink noise signal through your bottles for a minimum of 100 hours prior to attempted enjoyment.

Sh!t.

I think I got something backwards.

FML

Oh ya! that's right. You can age wine in the ocean to great effect, but speakers still don't need to be broken in!

You may have commented on wine before and I forgot. What's your take on hifi wine? Isn't that a lot like cables in that it's more placebo and expectation bias? I remember reading an article about a DBT and the pros couldn't consistently tell the fancy stuff from some table wines.

I know there are wines better than others. There's some really gnarly cheap stuff out there. That's not the stuff I'm talking about tho. You know what I mean.

 

[Pogre]

Or figure out a way to get Ultra Towers and/or bookshelfs with no center channel instead. Night and day between the Prime series.

Huh?

Freddie, your usage is primarily home theater, iirc?

I think it was you. That's why you went with the Ultra center and Prime for mains. Beef up the center since it will be seeing ~70% of the program material.

 

[fast fred]

Freddie, your usage is primarily home theater, iirc?

I think it was you. That's why you went with the Ultra center and Prime for mains. Beef up the center since it will be seeing ~70% of the program material.

Yes mostly however we are hooked on the masked singer

Beef up with what?

 

[Pogre]

Yes mostly however we are hooked on the masked singer

Beef up with what?

That's what you already did. Budgeted for the beefy center for HT and got the Prime series for effects.

Or did you get Prime Pinnacles? I might have you mixed up with someone else...

 

[fast fred]

I got the Prime Pinnacles and Ultra Center - PB4000 on back order

 

[Pogre]

I got the Prime Pinnacles and Ultra Center - PB4000 on back order

Okay, I think I untangled it in my head, lol.

You're happy with the Prime books, Ultra center and SB16U in one system so you got a second Ultra center for the downstairs system to go with Prime Pinnacles and it sounds flat.

Do I have that correct? Just wanna make sure. Either way my first reply is the same. You're in different rooms with different acoustics and that's likely the differences you hear. Try to play with placement and see if it helps. Raise it up, or angle it up so the tweeter is earl level. Pull it forward. Is it in a cubby? You can also go into the settings and bump the center up a few dB.

The Prime Pinnacles are to me, still in the Ultra line. They use the same type of midrange driver and tweeter as the Ultras do. If they were available when I was buying I would have probably gotten them instead of the Ultra tower.

 

[fast fred]

Okay, I think I untangled it in my head, lol.

You're happy with the Prime books, Ultra center and SB16U in one system so you got a second Ultra center for the downstairs system to go with Prime Pinnacles and it sounds flat.

Do I have that correct? Just wanna make sure. Either way my first reply is the same. You're in different rooms with different acoustics and that's likely the differences you hear. Try to play with placement and see if it helps. Raise it up, or angle it up so the tweeter is earl level. Pull it forward. Is it in a cubby? You can also go into the settings and bump the center up a few dB.

The Prime Pinnacles are to me, still in the Ultra line. They use the same type of midrange driver and tweeter as the Ultras do. If they were available when I was buying I would have probably gotten them instead of the Ultra tower.

 

[lovinthehd]

Which room of the two is this?

 

[fast fred]

The newer room downstairs - approx area 15x24 with open half back wall

 

[Pogre]

Try pulling the center forward so it sticks out past the edge of the AV stand a little bit. It does look low too. I think raising it up would help, or at least angle it up so the tweeter points at your ears.

*PS: You should probably run room correction again after you make the changes.

 

[fast fred]

Would these help?

https://www.amazon.com/Bigfoot-Isolation-Feet-4-Pack/dp/B07QPBNKCL/ref=pd_bxgy_img_3/132-0365358-8222046?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07QPBNKCL&pd_rd_r=66b1f0a9-c532-4f0a-a9d9-568eb7427b86&pd_rd_w=En7DM&pd_rd_wg=FhBDn&pf_rd_p=f325d01c-4658-4593-be83-3e12ca663f0e&pf_rd_r=AYH3XPBV9TD4NNZQGHZ2&psc=1&refRID=AYH3XPBV9TD4NNZQGHZ2