Am I missing anything??

[LSUGuy]

Good morning guys,

I’ve recently begun updating my system. I wanted to share with you all what I am running today in order to get any feedback on bottleneck issues or potential next upgrades. Please feel free to share with me any issues or recommendations going forward. Overall, I am very happy with my system. However, is there anything I can do to help get some more out of it that I may be missing out on? I’ve attached a layout of my room. Would adding an amp to run the towers help much?

Receiver: Denon X4100

Towers: Ascend Sierra with RAAL (Typical 14g wire with banana plugs)

Center: Ascend Sierra 2 (Typical 14g wire with banana plugs)

Surround: Polk FXiA4 (Typical 14g wire with banana plugs)

Sub: Rythmik FV15HP (Blue Jeans Sub Cable)

TT: UTurn Orbit (Blue Jeans RCA into AVR)

 

[KEW]

Pretty nice system!
I would be looking at a second sub. You already have xt 32 to handle dual subs.
Don't know much about your Polk surrounds, but unless you listen to unusual content, I don't think surrounds are significant enough to upgrade if you already have surrounds that "aren't bad"!
New speakers is probably the next step after sub 2. But, to get speakers that significantly outperform your Sierra RAALs won't come cheap.

In the future, you may do better to start another thread titled "Help! Static from TT" and delete that portion of your post.

 

[Swerd]

I’ve recently begun updating my system. I wanted to share with you all what I am running today in order to get any feedback on bottleneck issues or potential next upgrades. Please feel free to share with me any issues or recommendations going forward. Overall, I am very happy with my system. However, is there anything I can do to help get some more out of it that I may be missing out on? I’ve attached a layout of my room. Would adding an amp to run the towers help much?

Probably not. Your Denon receiver, rated at 125 wpc, 2 channels driven, yada yada yada, is powerful enough to easily drive your speakers. To make a noticeable difference you would have to add an amp with at least triple your present power. Even for a 2-channel amp that becomes expensive. And there is no guarantee of a major improvement. Your speakers are good – I assume you like them, right?

On a side note, the closer I place the TT to where all of my electronics are the more static I get. Is there something I can do to eliminate this? Also, I have to turn the AVR volume way up in order to get acceptable volume from this source. I can adjust the source level in the settings, however the higher I put it the more static I get. I’ve ensured the needle is clean and all connections are tight.

I don't keep up with new turntables and the UTurn Orbit is new to me. A few questions (some may be dumb sounding ):

• Did it come with a moving magnet pick up cartridge and interconnect cables about 3-4 feet long?
• Do you connect it to the phono inputs on your AVR?
• Or does it come with a built-in phono pre amp?

You said the static problem is related to distance, closer to your AVR and the other electronic gear produces more static . I've heard interference from longer distances, but I've never encountered your problem.

• How far away do you have the turntable? If you are using the cables that came with the turntable, you are limited to no more than 3-4 feet.
  
• The output of a moving magnet pick up is in the range of 5 mV or less. Don't extend the interconnect cables longer than 3-4 feet without adding an external phono pre amp between the turntable and the AVR. That boosts the signal to about 100-200 mV. If you do that, you may use longer cables between the phono pre amp and the AVR. Also, be sure to use any input plug on the AVR other than the phono input plugs.
  
• Can you identify what might be the source of static by turning off all the other gear besides the AVR, one by one? If you're lucky the interference source might be the TV. No turntable I've known has a video interface with user menus . Does yours?
  
• Do you use lighting with dimmer switches? Try turning them off.
  
• Some modern LED light bulbs produce noise. Do have them?

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I would say your speakers and receiver are good. Like said another sub would be nice upgrade.

 

[LSUGuy]

Thanks for the replies guys! I've removed the TT question, and I will start a separate thread on that, but I will try the advice given.

I do really love my sierras. However, I've seen multiple people running them with a separate power amp so I was just curious if I would be missing out on anything by not doing it that way. I guess I'm just checking to see if there is anything I can do that might bring more life out of them or if I truly am at their sweet spot.

 

[KEW]

How much leeway do you have with positioning your speakers?
Have you played with toe-in much?
What about adjusting distance from the walls?
A lot of time we (as in me) sets up the system and start enjoying it right away. That makes sense, but often it is months later before I think to start playing with the position of the mains.
You might also want to take a photo of your room and post your room layout for suggestions on rearranging things...both here and email to Ascend for suggestions.