Speaker's Natural Sound vs using an EQ? (B&W 604 s3)

D

Doggmatic

Audiophyte
So, I picked up a pair of B&W 604 s3's over the weekend. Obviously quality enough. The problem is, I think the mids are way too forward and pronounced and I can't say I'm happy with clarity of the high end. The bass is killing it, though - I love that aspect of it. I would pair a sub with these to round out the lows.

For reference, I already own a pair of 602 s2 and 601 s2. I am very happy with the clarity of the highs on these speakers, in fact the clarity of the 602s is much better than the 601s. Unfortunately, I didn't find the same treble clarity with the 604 s3's (this was surprising.)

So, my AVR is a Denon AVR-1913. 90w continuous. I know this is underpowering the speakers, but I don't know if it explains the forward mids and even if I were to upgrade to a much more powerful amp whether that would fix that problem.

Should I get an EQ to balance these things out?

Or should I just chalk it up to this line not being for me and that I should be happy with a speaker's native tone out of the box w/o needing an EQ to "manage it"?
 
WaynePflughaupt

WaynePflughaupt

Audioholic Samurai
AVRs do not have the Tape Monitor loops of decades past, which means you can’t use an outboard equalizer unless you also get an outboard amplifier. Not that it matters in your case, your receiver doesn’t have the line outputs that would be required to accommodate such a scenario. Thus, you’ll have to be content to use whatever EQ the Denon has onboard.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
 
D

Doggmatic

Audiophyte
So the options are:
  • Get a new amp and/or AVR for greater power and flexibility, or
  • Sell the speakers and find something else
Sound about right or are there other ideas?
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
IMO, the way to go would be to get the Denon AVR-X3500H AVR which is at present heavily discounted: Crutchfield and Amazon sell it for $549.
Because the impedance of the 604 speakers goes down to 3 ohms or so, the new AVR would most likely be struggling to handle it, and you would benefit from external amplification.
You can get an external 3 channel power amp to drive the front channels, while the AVR would handle the surround speakers. There are several options such as a 3 channel Monolith, 3 Outlaw Monoblocks etc. Another good choice would be pro audio power amps such as QSC Digital Cinema Series DCA 1222, or the Crown XLS 1002.
 
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everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
I'll just note that saying the B&Ws are "obviously" quality enough isn't a true statement. That series has always been hot in the midrange and jagged in the treble. You can adjust the treble down to help a bit or play with the speakers angle to the listening position.
 
WaynePflughaupt

WaynePflughaupt

Audioholic Samurai
So the options are:
  • Get a new amp and/or AVR for greater power and flexibility, or
  • Sell the speakers and find something else
Sound about right or are there other ideas?
Since it isn't in the list, I guess that means your receiver has no on-board EQ that could address the problem?

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
His receiver does have a graphic equalizer built in (altho if he's using Audyssey it wouldn't work simultaneously).
 
D

Doggmatic

Audiophyte
I'll just note that saying the B&Ws are "obviously" quality enough isn't a true statement. That series has always been hot in the midrange and jagged in the treble. You can adjust the treble down to help a bit or play with the speakers angle to the listening position.
Fair enough, too much assumption on my part. I don't think I will be happy with these speakers.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
It is well documented that there are many flaws in the 600- and 700-series of their speakers, not least of which is the impedance vs phase angle. Much better speakers can be had for the ducats those cost. Return them, sell them, replace them... I think you will be happier.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I looked for the graphic eq even w/o Audyssey, but didn't find it.
I found it in your manual discussed on page 102/103. Probably need to change your Audyssey setting to graphic eq for it to be enabled....how it works on my newer Denon (using the setup menu from the remote to the audio menu).
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
So the options are:
  • Get a new amp and/or AVR for greater power and flexibility, or
  • Sell the speakers and find something else
Sound about right or are there other ideas?
I'd look at other speakers. I think the 800 series B&W speakers are among the best I've heard but their lower entries leave a lot to be desired imo.

*Edit: Also, 90 watts may be plenty for your speakers. Swapping out power supplies often results in a lateral move with no improvement to sound quality. Speakers and room interaction is where you'll find that. Here's a cool little tool I like to share with folks that can give you a good idea of your power requirements. Just fill in the fields and click calculate. Most of us rarely use more than a couple of watts.
 
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Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
*Edit: Also, 90 watts may be plenty for your speakers. Swapping out power supplies often results in a lateral move with no improvement to sound quality.
If the OP decided to keep the 604's, IMO most any AVR will not be able to adequately handle their low impedance combined with their phase angle response. The best option is to get rid of them and get speakers which are easier to drive.
 
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