listening fatigue, need external amp?

[fuzz092888]

Could this be fixed with a crossover change?

I know Dennis Murphy has said that the polk Rti 28 were a pretty darn decent speaker and that they only needed a crossover swap and a little bit of polyfill to get their potential out of them.

 

[zieglj01]

Could this be fixed with a crossover change?

I know Dennis Murphy has said that the polk Rti 28 were a pretty darn decent speaker and that they only needed a crossover swap and a little bit of polyfill to get their potential out of them.

A crossover mod would help them - based on some of their past
models, they did put enough polyfill in them - so one could blow
their nose once or twice!

 

[fuzz092888]

Whoops, skimmed a little too fast. Mr. Murphy said "...but I also replaced the wad of poly fill in the woofer cavity with foam lining, and moved the poly up to the tweeter chamber above the brace. I think that also helped to smooth things out."

So, adjusted crossover + possibly something like the above and the A1 should be peachy

 

[zieglj01]

Whoops, skimmed a little too fast. Mr. Murphy said "...but I also replaced the wad of poly fill in the woofer cavity with foam lining, and moved the poly up to the tweeter chamber above the brace.

I know about that, and knew what you were trying to say.
When Polk came out with the RTi4, they cut cost and did not cross brace it.

 

[fuzz092888]

Good thing one of knows because sometimes (most?) I end up confusing myself.

And that sucks, stupid Polk.

 

[GranteedEV]

It's not the amp, it's not the room either. Up to at least -10 on the receiver, I see no reason your amps should be clipping. Even if your room is a bit on the reflective side, it should not be causing fatigue.

It's the speakers.

If you want to improve the experience, get speakers that won't fatigue you. Maybe some KEF Q900s or Philharmonic 1s, or EMP E55Tis.

 

[fuzz092888]

I would say the only issue is that all of the above speakers would be nearly as much as the combined cost of his front 3 speakers or more.

Believe me I know the choices you listed would be a terrific upgrade, but who knows if the OP is willing to swap out the 5.1 setup he put together to go to a 2.0 setup (assuming he doesn't want to invest more money than he already has)

 

[GranteedEV]

I would say the only issue is that all of the above speakers would be nearly as much as the combined cost of his front 3 speakers or more.

Believe me I know the choices you listed would be a terrific upgrade, but who knows if the OP is willing to swap out the 5.1 setup he put together to go to a 2.0 setup (assuming he doesn't want to invest more money than he already has)

If Op is unwilling, then maybe he doesn't mind the lostening fatigue.

Something like room treatments or amps are a band-aid/placebo when people are dissatisfied with what they have.

A crossover mod sounds great on paper but requires a lot more than just some dayton resistors from parts-express. You need the tools to measure impedance as well as acoustic response of the individual drivers. While the frequency response seems like an obvious culprit, it may be the sound power response or tweeter IMD created from a poorly damped resonant frequency. these things may not be so easily rectifiable...maybe just a small LCR to tame the top end does the trick, but there's other factors at play that may be responsible.

New speakers is less convoluted.

 

[fuzz092888]

Very true, I wasn't saying that he should go to PE and slap something together and his problems would be solved, I was merely asking ziegl if he thought the sound might be improved in this speaker like it had in the other polk monitor.

Dennis did all the measuring and figuring out with the old polk monitor so I was wondering if the same could still be true for newer polk monitors, not implying that anyone without the necessary expertise should attempt something like that at all.

Room treatments definitely are a band aid to bad speakers, but I don't think anyone wants the OP to go out and spend more money if he has no interest to doing so. Just trying to help, while minimizing cost. He liked his old polks, maybe with a band aid or two he can be happy with his new polks

If he chooses to get new speakers we'll all be here suggestions at the ready.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I'd say it's too bright. There's a concrete wall behind the speakers that they're about 2.5 feet in front of and another one opposite it. The room is long about 26 feet long by 13 feet wide. Lots of glass with some light curtains on one of the other walls as well.

It is not your receiver nor will an external amp help you. It is the speakers and the room, period. If it is too bright, use the internal EQ and cut the treble to your liking.

 

[brianedm]

Hey guys,

I experimented with moving the speakers out from the wall a bit more and having no toe in. made a drastic difference. Thanks for the help!

 

[pureiso]

If Op is unwilling, then maybe he doesn't mind the lostening fatigue.

Something like room treatments or amps are a band-aid/placebo when people are dissatisfied with what they have.

I would like to disagree. Room treatments are a band-aid for bad rooms.

Glad that the OP tried messing with the toe in and bringing them out, I usually try to get them out 3'...

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello Audioholics,

I've just done a revamp of my home theater system and am having a problem I've never had before. When i'm watching movies I get some pretty bad listening fatigue. I know my new tower speakers are pretty power hungry and I upgraded my AVR, but I get the feeling it's not enough. It sounds fine to me, besides the fatigue. I usually only have the volume around -30 on my reciever, so it's not like I'm blasting it at full volume. my current setup is...


AVR: Denon avr-3312 ci
Fronts: Polk Rti a7
Center: Polk Csi a6
Rears: Polk Rti a1

Any ideas?

Pig in a Polk!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

To person whom anonymously and cowardly left me a neg for my post in this thread: "Not helpful, just rudely dismissive."

1) #$%#$$ %#$ !

2) I stay by my opinion that most Polk speakers SUCK or cost way too much (LSI and LSIm) - And as you notice - I'm not alone.

3) While I didn't mentioned moving the speakers - yes - it's a valid, reasonable and sound suggestion - I'm glad it helped to OP

4) I (and few others) suggested re-running the auto-calibration - which OP apparently disregarded - despite having strong evidence of helpful solution in almost all cases (If done correctly)

If you still feel that I was not helpful enough -^$%^@#%@!# AND ^%&%^&^#$%@ !!

 

[Grador]

Slightly rude? Maybe. Helpful? Very.

 

[brianedm]

Oh, I reran the auto calibration as well. forgot to mention that. thanks!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Oh, I reran the auto calibration as well. forgot to mention that. thanks!

Glad to hear that
Just FIY: each time you move speakers ever a couple of inches - new calibration is needed to achieve best result

p.s: In this hubby (or addiction) there is no such thing as 100% happy with end result (ever) .
Enjoy the system you built now and don't be a stranger then upgradesis will strike you next time