Pioneer Elite sounds awesome

[Polkfan]

I've read several articles about electronic modifications that claim to improve the sound of an amplifier. The primary factor seems to be the filter capacitors. Higher quality caps (with higher uF) really seem to add bass and warm up the sound. Also, the Pioneer amp design is a MOSFET system which *may* induce a significant difference in sound compared to other systems. I would think the quality of electronic components used in a system could affect its sound considerably.

The general consensus on many a forum seems to be that if it costs more and has more power, then any amp that displaces a previous amp sounds better. But is that really true? Or is it more along the lines of the person has spent alot of money, so of course it sound better? But I've always thought it was the speakers and room acoustics that affected the sound more than anything else.

This link, while rather technical, is pretty informative:

http://sound.westhost.com/amp-sound.htm

And I quote from the article:

"Speaker - Amplifier Interface

Many is the claim that the ear is one of the most finely tuned and sensitive measuring instrument known. I am not going to dispute this - not so that I will not offend anyone (I seem to have done this many times already), but because in some respects it is true. Having said that, I must also point out that although extremely sensitive, the ear (or to be more correct, the brain) is also easily fooled. We can imagine that we can hear things that absolutely do not exist, and can just as easily imagine that one amplifier sounds better than another, only to discover that the reverse is true under different circumstances.

Could it be the influence of speaker cables, or even loudspeakers themselves? This is quite possible, since when amps are reviewed it is generally with the reviewer's favourite speaker and lead combination. This might suit one amplifier perfectly, while the capacitance and inductance of the cable might cause minute instabilities in other otherwise perfectly good amplifiers. Although it a fine theory to suggest that a speaker lead should not affect the performance of a well designed amplifier, there are likely to be some combinations of cable characteristics that simply freak out some amps. Likewise, some amps just might not like the impedance presented by some loudspeakers - this is an area that has been the subject of many studies, and entire amplifiers have been designed specifically to combat these very problems [1]. "

 

[b_panther_g]

I’ve read that article (http://sound.westhost.com/amp-sound.htm) and agree with a lot of what he says about amps. Here’s a quote from the same article.

“Clipping Distortion

How can one amplifier's clipping distortion sound different from that of another? Most of the hi-fi fraternity will tend to think that clipping is undesirable in any form at any time. While this is undeniably true, many of the amps used in a typical high end setup will be found to be clipping during normal programme sessions. I'm not referring to gross overload - this is quite unmistakable and invariably sounds awful - regardless of the amplifier.

There are subtle differences between the way amplifiers clip, that can make a very great impact on the sound.”

That was what I was referring to in my earlier post.

Here is a quote from another article about amps and clipping (http://www.rane.com/pdf/note128.pdf). It’s from the Rane website.

“Today’s newer higher quality amplifiers have greater dynamic range and sound better when clipped with musical transients than older amplifier designs. So it is more likely for a user to overdrive and clip newer amplifiers on low frequency dynamic peaks because of lower audible distortion. This results in compression of the dynamics of the music. The high frequencies get louder but the low frequencies can’t.

This may be heard as an increase in brightness of the sound. Some may simply interpret it as louder with no change in tonal balance.”

Later,
B

 

[izub]

osd on the 54TX

Question I got the 54tx also Is the on screen display only applicable to the setup mode? I don't see anything when i change volume, dsp's etc. Did I wire incorrecty? Thanks for any replies.

 

[rgriffin25]

With my 53TX it is only for the setup, not volume. I am sure it is the same with your model.

Hope this helps.

 

[hopjohn]

Or is it more along the lines of the person has spent alot of money, so of course it sound better? But I've always thought it was the speakers and room acoustics that affected the sound more than anything else.

I wish more people thought the way you do. Stop and think how many times you'v seen a post asking "Which receiver should I buy?" , and think again how many times have you seen "Which accoustic panels should I buy?"

People need to better educate themselves about room acoustics, which I fully admit is marred by technical confusion, though it needn't be. There are many effective means to improve sound quality in rectangular rooms built with drywall that can be somewhat generalized about, but you rarely see articles about how to go about it.

I think the reason is that it's not a sexy topic. A lot of people would like to think they can compensate for a poor sounding room with better sounding components, a very expensive and ineffective way of going about it.

If anyone knows of any good links to quality reading material that doesn't over complicate the process of acoustically treating a room, I think posting it here would help many, many people.

 

[Falp]

I heard the Canton Karat M60dc as fronts and S8dc as rears with marantz sr7400 and sounded awesome with any music at any volume level.

I'm considering M30dc fronts, CM40 center and S1 rears.

What do you think of the m30 DC?

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

If anyone knows of any good links to quality reading material that doesn't over complicate the process of acoustically treating a room, I think posting it here would help many, many people.

Well, the new Acoustics forum here, and the Audioholics articles by Rives on the subject, might be good places to start!

The book "Master Handbook of Acoustics" by F. Alton Everest is worth the $28 or so investment. It goes into depth but is still written for laypeople.

Searching the Web for articles will work, but Like every other aspect of audio this area has its share of misinformation and outright snake oil. Caveat lector.

Auralex Acoustics has good articles on the subject on their site. They're mainly aimed at recording studios but can offer insights for home listening rooms. Infinity has white papers written by Dr. Floyd Toole in .pdf format that are very good and not technical.

Other reputable vendors of acoustic treatment products include:

Echo Busters

RPG Inc.

They may also have helpful info on their sites.

I haven't mentioned Rives because they wrote the Audioholics articles so they're already "known" here.

 

[Unregistered]

any impressions on 56txi? Vs Marantz 8400>?