rate my equipment

[mortonconst]

hey guys, i am fairly new to all of this HT stuff. i would like to get your input on the equipment that i have purchased so far and any suggestions for upgrades. below is what i have....

yamaha rx v661 (processor only 5.1 config)
emotiva xpa 5 (on the way... should be here 12-7-10)
definitive tech BP7006 (front left and right)
definitive CLR 2300 (center)
definitive UIW BPA (left and right rear)

my concerns....
currently i am running the rxv661 as a receiver... i have a nice amount of low end signal coming from my front 3 at volumes up to -15 but at higher volumes (-5) it seems that the low end signals decrease and the high end over powers the low end. for example.... at -15 the pictures shake and at -5 they do not. any thoughts??? my first thoughts was that the volume was too high and my receiver was getting drained for power, but the speakers all have built in 300watt amps powering the subs????

i am hoping that with the addition of the xpa 5 i will be able to get the high end volume that i enjoy without loosing the low end punch that i need.

 

[zumbo]

The amp will certainly clean things up at higher levels, but I don't think 4" drivers are gonna like 300W.

Personally, I am not a fan of DT. I am also not a fan of powered subs in towers. I prefer a stand alone. Sounds like you have cancellation/placement issues with the low-end.

Other DT or sub in tower owners may be able to help, but I just don't see how to position subs that are attached to a fixed position. You may try moving your front stage to a different wall.

 

[zumbo]

The amp will certainly clean things up at higher levels, but I don't think 4" drivers are gonna like 300W.

I see it has one passive 8, and two powered. My bad. Amp should clean the high-end right up.

 

[GlocksRock]

I see it has one passive 8, and two powered. My bad. Amp should clean the high-end right up.

It has one active and two passive radiators, and that amp will push the speakers just fine, but it is overkill as those speakers are pretty efficient, 91db if I remember correctly.

 

[zumbo]

It has one active and two passive radiators, and that amp will push the speakers just fine, but it is overkill as those speakers are pretty efficeing, 91db if I remember correctly.

Oh! Then I stand by my original response. If the speakers are counting on the 4" drivers to handle the upper-end of things, there quiet possibly is a x-over point issue. I wouldn't send anything below 90(max) to them. And, they better be d@mn good 4's for that. He may want to start @100.

I would work with placement also, and watch volume levels once the amp arrives.

 

[GlocksRock]

Oh! Then I stand by my original response. If the speakers are counting on the 4" drivers to handle the upper-end of things, there quiet possibly is a x-over point issue. I wouldn't send anything below 90(max) to them. And, they better be d@mn good 4's for that. He may want to start @100.

I would work with placement also, and watch volume levels once the amp arrives.

I have my CLR2300 and BP7006 towers set to full range, and have a 105x2 amp pushing the towers, and my RX-V663 pushes the center and BP2X surrounds, but that setup is in my bedroom which isn't very large, and doesn't require tons of power to get very loud. But it does sound very good, and the SVS 20-39 PC+ is crossed over at 80 hz. But having that big amp is not a problem, and I would still get it in case he ever gets bigger or different speakers in the future, but for now it just means plenty of headroom.

 

[GranteedEV]

looks pretty awesome. I'd upgrade the receiver to a modern pre though... you want HD lossless surround codecs don't you?

And you need some subs.

 

[zumbo]

I have my CLR2300 and BP7006 towers set to full range, and have a 105x2 amp pushing the towers, and my RX-V663 pushes the center and BP2X surrounds, but that setup is in my bedroom which isn't very large, and doesn't require tons of power to get very loud. But it does sound very good, and the SVS 20-39 PC+ is crossed over at 80 hz. But having that big amp is not a problem, and I would still get it in case he ever gets bigger or different speakers in the future, but for now it just means plenty of headroom.

So you don't use the x-over in the receiver?

 

[GlocksRock]

So you don't use the x-over in the receiver?

Yes, I use the crossover in the receiver for the surrounds and the subwoofer. 80 hz.

 

[zumbo]

Yes, I use the crossover in the receiver for the surrounds and the subwoofer. 80 hz.

Then your towers are crossed-over @80, and not playing "full range". Correct?

I have my CLR2300 and BP7006 towers set to full rangee,

 

[mortonconst]

from what i have learned from DT, the 300 watt amp is only feeding the sub.
ultimately what would make me happy would be that the xpa 5 would add enough power to bring the high end signals up to where they sound as loud at a volume of -15 (bass shaking the pictures) as my system does without the amp at a volume of -5....

also, both emotiva tech and DT tech stated that the addition of the amp would give me a little more "punch" in the low end....how is that possible if the subs are powered by the internal amp of the speaker?

 

[mortonconst]

looks pretty awesome. I'd upgrade the receiver to a modern pre though... you want HD lossless surround codecs don't you?

And you need some subs.

what is HD lossless?

 

[zumbo]

from what i have learned from DT, the 300 watt amp is only feeding the sub.
ultimately what would make me happy would be that the xpa 5 would add enough power to bring the high end signals up to where they sound as loud at a volume of -15 (bass shaking the pictures) as my system does without the amp at a volume of -5....

Adding an amp is not going to make anything louder. It is going to give the ability to remain cleaner at higher levels, and the ability to crank it louder before clipping occurs. Balancing the level between the high-end and low-end of your system should be done within your set-up menu of your receiver by either using an auto set-up feature, or a spl meter. And/or, if equipped, with the gain on the subs amps.

also, both emotiva tech and DT tech stated that the addition of the amp would give me a little more "punch" in the low end....how is that possible if the subs are powered by the internal amp of the speaker?

I guess they meant the low-end of the upper frequencies.

 

[bmurphy2121]

Mortonconst,
First question how far are your 7006 away from the walls? Next try to set your mid's and highs higher meaning like round 100 or so. If that dosent work try to send the LLF cable to the amp and then on amp settings set all the speakers to small. Try both of them and see what seems better for you. The other thing is placement, that really means alot for those 7006 speakers and the mids and highs in them are great and they will produce, but the subs in them are good but not as good as a stand alone sub tho. I have the BP 7002 left and right clr 2002 for center BPX for rears and a Supercube I. The subs in my speakers sound great but having that stand alone sub makes the it sound even better.

 

[zumbo]

Mortonconst,
First question how far are your 7006 away from the walls? Next try to set your mid's and highs higher meaning like round 100 or so. If that dosent work try to send the LLF cable to the amp and then on amp settings set all the speakers to small. Try both of them and see what seems better for you. The other thing is placement, that really means alot for those 7006 speakers and the mids and highs in them are great and they will produce, but the subs in them are good but not as good as a stand alone sub tho. I have the BP 7002 left and right clr 2002 for center BPX for rears and a Supercube I. The subs in my speakers sound great but having that stand alone sub makes the it sound even better.

Perfectly said. Took a lot less words than I.

 

[GlocksRock]

Then your towers are crossed-over @80, and not playing "full range". Correct?

No, the towers are playing full range since the fronts and center are set to large in the receiver... They are crossed over internally at whatever frequency Def Tech determines best for the particular speakers. LFE is set to both, as in both the fronts and the sub, but the actual LFE channel doesn't seem to play through the built in subs unless I connect a cable to their LFE inputs.

 

[mortonconst]

Mortonconst,
First question how far are your 7006 away from the walls? Next try to set your mid's and highs higher meaning like round 100 or so. If that dosent work try to send the LLF cable to the amp and then on amp settings set all the speakers to small. Try both of them and see what seems better for you. The other thing is placement, that really means alot for those 7006 speakers and the mids and highs in them are great and they will produce, but the subs in them are good but not as good as a stand alone sub tho. I have the BP 7002 left and right clr 2002 for center BPX for rears and a Supercube I. The subs in my speakers sound great but having that stand alone sub makes the it sound even better.

i wish that i could upload my layout sketch. the BP7006's are placed 12" in front of wall and 15' from the nearest side wall. (unique layout) cant change it. sketch shows why.

 

[jostenmeat]

looks pretty awesome. I'd upgrade the receiver to a modern pre though... you want HD lossless surround codecs don't you?

And you need some subs.

I thought the 661 can handle mch pcm. If so, just decode at the player. Ok, I'm pretty certain it will be fine. I think the 661 is actually superior to later gens like the 663, because it has better amplification (I think, though I guess it's moot here anyways), and it will pass BTB/WTW video correctly. Since it's a 5.1 system, he won't miss out on certain post processing abilities. Yeah, it's a bit long in the tooth, but it will work. Hm. If this is being bought new, well, I could see getting something else. I assume the price on this unit is a bargain.

OP, you could* save some money on the HDMI cable, maybe half, at Monoprice. You could also go cheaper with URC. However, I do believe you got to put a bit of food on the installers' tables for their work/planning/research.

 

[zumbo]

No, the towers are playing full range since the fronts and center are set to large in the receiver... They are crossed over internally at whatever frequency Def Tech determines best for the particular speakers. LFE is set to both, as in both the fronts and the sub, but the actual LFE channel doesn't seem to play through the built in subs unless I connect a cable to their LFE inputs.

Setting the speakers to LARGE makes a x-over setting of 80 pointless. With your current setting, only LFE signals are sent to your sub. A x-over is not employed.

I suggest setting ALL of your speakers to SMALL, and then play with your x-over. Full-range is just too much for 4" drivers.

When you set a crossover point of 80 in your receiver, and set your speakers to SMALL, not only is the LFE information sent to the sub, but other LF below the set point as well.

In other words, when listening to 2-channel music, the frequencies below the x-over point will be sent to the sub/s for proper reproduction.

Mostly on page 81 of your manual.

 

[ski2xblack]

Full-range is just too much for 4" drivers.

This is a misconception about this particular model. The 4" drivers only go down to about 120hz or so. Below that the impedance ramps up greatly, asking very little of your amp/receiver, and also providing some degree of safety when using more powerful amps. Plus, the 4" drivers are in their own individual sealed sub-enclosures, with the acoustic suspension/sealed alignment adding even more insurance against over-excursion of the drivers. Even with much greater power, the demands placed on the 4" drivers is not excessive.

I've thrown lots of power at mine (NAD C372, plenty of headroom, couple hundred watts or so, full range, two channel system in a large room) and never had any issues. It definitely sounded more effortless than a Yamaha receiver of similar power to the OP's. Mortonconst is on the right track with the Emo amp. Also, the 7006's impedance is below 6 ohms for the most part, with a couple dips to 3 ohms or so, so despite their high sensitivity rating (92db/w/m) they seem to like higher current amplifiers.