my new setup and some decisions to make

[fattyboombah85]

So I recieved my new 2.1 system made up of

H/K 3480 reciever,
onix ref 1.5's
onix mlw-10
and my trust squeezebox.

My initial impressions:

The squeezebox is really amazing. Perhaps it may not have the greatest sound quality ever, but it is pretty darn good. That really isn't even the point though, it is so damn nifty. I'm in love with my source.

The ref 1.5's are very sweet too. At the price I got them I am very happy.
I was a little disappointed at first, but then I realized I was being far too critical and there were many other factors that went into the sound besides my speakers. The thing I perhaps did not realize is how cost grows exponentially in the audio world and sometimes practicality just outweighs that miniscule amount of fidelity. I can now understand the reason for bookshelves over towers, for instance.

The subwoofer I have had a little trouble with calibrating where it blends in right. It is either too loud, or played at such a low crossover as to where I can't feel it really is used much. The thing that bums me out is that it really hardly sounds better then my ref 1.5's alone. perhaps its because it is retailed at 500 and the speakers 1600. In any case, I am thinking about returning it unless you can give me some great suggestions on how to get the most out of it.... or whether you can tell me that it will be better to buy a more performing woofer. Needless to say, I feel I can't get the damn thing calibrated and integrated with my 1.5's well.

The whole ghost card in this is my reciever. I really have no reference as to what it is doing. I haven't swapped any other sources or listened to my gear with anything else so I'm a bit puzzled about it. I guess I don't have much of an opinion about it.

Now, I have a few questions.
1. If I were to invest more into this setup, which would be the first piece of equipment to upgrade? If it is the subwoofer, great, I can still return it. If its the reciever... ehhh I don't think I can return that one, but I could use it for a soundsystem in another room. If it's my speakers or source... well, i'll listen, and to any other suggestions.
2. I sometimes hear a slight fuzzyness... what could this be? How can i fix it? A track that it is most apparent on is 'another one bites the dust' as there is silence between the drum beats and brings attention to itself. *note, this may have been my source before I got the squeezebox,(a shitty cheapo dvd player) I haven't listened to the song with the squeeze yet.
3. I find that the more I get into this audiophile ****, the less I let myself enjoy the music, maybe it is because I am young and poor and spending three weeks work on my new stereo has made me a bit salty. Do you find this also?

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this!

 

[biz97]

Hey,

You have a really nice sounding list of gear. One thing I have learned though is that just because a piece is nice by itself, doesn't mean it will be the greatest with all the other pieces you have bought. I can't really comment on each piece but setup is going to be key. From making sure you position your setup in the best way you can, all the way to making your sub blend as much as possible. If placement and speaker calibration has been done and you still aren't satisfied, I would look into changes in gear. With the speakers you mentioned you may find that using a "better" amp will give you a benefit. Others recommend going for DACs to add to a squeezebox setup.
I have used the HK amp and while it was great for what it cost me, there were some things I didn't like: Background Hiss and Fixed crossover for the sub output. The one receiver I have heard good things about is the Outlaw RR2150 (not sure if that is the correct number). But you could always try it to see if it makes a worthwhile improvement over your current amp.

 

[fattyboombah85]

well, I found out I CAN return my reciever. So now that I have this option, who can suggest a decent integrated, pre/pro combo, or reciever? Outlaw RR2150 looks pretty nice. I also was wondering, because I am trying to save my money, where are the good places to shop online for audio gear? I known of audiogon and underwood, any others? Also perhaps a suggestion of a fairly affordable DAC. Thanks, I am learning a lot.

 

[jcPanny]

2 channel setup

For a high end 2 channel setup, you might consider the Onix SP3 Tube amp connected to your squeezebox.

Before returning the receiver or sub, you might try the high level connections to the sub and experiment with the subs crossover setting for the best integration with the Ref 1.5's.

 

[garthr]

I have the RR2150 and the HK3480 . Their tonal signature is very similar, but the Outlaw is a little more dynamic , better built, and has a much lower noise floor. I often use headphones, and the HK is unusable for me(high background noise), while the Outlaw is dead quiet and sweet. I know use the RR2150 all the time and have trickled my 3480 down to other family members. The more I use it, the more I want to use it It's quite nice..... not perfect ..... but well worth it.

Wether or not this is worth it is up to your tastes.... and you usually can't find this out without trying them both.

 

[Seth=L]

The Outlaw has bass management I believe.