Why Does My Gear Sound Like This?

[viper jazz]

Hi in advance, guys--I'm sure you get a lot of newbies 'round here w/ similar and/or vague questions, but I'm at the end of my rope, so please bear w/ me.

I'm a musician and work for an instrument-manufacturing company, so I'm fairly confident in my ears. Nothing fantastic, but I think I have decent aural taste, as it were.

Up until now, I've always had an all-in-one/bookshelf stereo. Recently, I've attempted to make the switch to a component system. After thorough scanning of Craig'sList and Ebay, I have what I think is a decent system built around a Cambridge Audio A500 amp and a pair of Infinity rs325 speakers. I got everything hooked up, and was pleased that I actually got sound coming out, but of course, it sounds "off".

I thought it might be the CD player (it's a cheapie), but this hollow/muddy quality is also present when I use my turntable and tape deck. I used fairly cheap speaker wire (16 gauge from Rat Shack), but I don't think that could be the problem?

Something's definitely going on here--anyone have any troubleshooting advice? Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[JVC]

Double check and make sure your speakers are wired in phase.

(In case you don't know):
On your speaker wire leads, one of them may have a thin white line? If the lead with the white line on it, is hooked to the positive side of the input, on the receiver, it should also be on the positive side of the input on the speaker.
If there's no white line, maybe one lead is silver colored, and the other is copper colored? Maybe, when you pull the two leads apart, one side has a raised ridge running down it, instead of a white line?

Maybe your ears just don't like the Infinity speakers? Maybe the room needs some acoustic treatments added? Maybe this is why it was for sale online, instead of still being used, by the original owner?
Good luck!

 

[jonnythan]

What you're hearing is a relatively flat frequency response. I went through the same thing when I went from a bookshelf system to a "real" system. The new stuff just didn't have the peaky sound centered around upper end bass and treble.

It took me a couple of weeks to adjust to the new speakers.

 

[viper jazz]

Yeah, I thought the speakers were out of phase at first--that was the first thing I checked, and everything was kosher.

I guess is COULD be that I'm not used to the sound, but my wife kind of wrinkled her nose at it, too. Just sounds off. I'll keep trying, to be sure!

Thanks to the two of you, and if anyone else has any other ideas, keep 'em coming!

 

[jonnythan]

It could be the total lack of bass. Most bookshelf systems are heavily equalized to boost the mid-bass to mask the fact that the system can't really produce much bass at all. Perhaps you should consider adding a sub.

 

[Resident Loser]

Chances are...

Hi in advance, guys--I'm sure you get a lot of newbies 'round here w/ similar and/or vague questions, but I'm at the end of my rope, so please bear w/ me.

I'm a musician and work for an instrument-manufacturing company, so I'm fairly confident in my ears. Nothing fantastic, but I think I have decent aural taste, as it were.

Up until now, I've always had an all-in-one/bookshelf stereo. Recently, I've attempted to make the switch to a component system. After thorough scanning of Craig'sList and Ebay, I have what I think is a decent system built around a Cambridge Audio A500 amp and a pair of Infinity rs325 speakers. I got everything hooked up, and was pleased that I actually got sound coming out, but of course, it sounds "off".

I thought it might be the CD player (it's a cheapie), but this hollow/muddy quality is also present when I use my turntable and tape deck. I used fairly cheap speaker wire (16 gauge from Rat Shack), but I don't think that could be the problem?

Something's definitely going on here--anyone have any troubleshooting advice? Thanks in advance for your time.

...it's the speakers and/or the environment they are in...If anything, truly "flat" response will tend to sound too treble-y...In my experience with room equalization, a gentle roll-off or attenuation of higher frequencies tends to sound far more natural...of course, preference, age, etc. can have an effect so YMMV...

Of course, verbal descriptions being as subjective as they are, and while I can't be 100% sure, "...hollow/muddy..." sounds like too much mid-range...Did you place the loudspeakers as per mfrs. directions? Just about all loudspeakers' lo-freq response can be adversely affected by their proximity to room boundaries...Depending on dispersion patterns hi-frequency response can also be position sensitive...Add to that, the hi's have an effect on the low's and vice-versa, mostly in imaging and timbral balance, but I digress...Are the tweeters at ear level? Are they aimed at your normal listening position? What does it sound like at that "sweet-spot"? Did you even know you probably have one, and that even with some of best systems out there you really only get one? Standing or sitting out of the dominant soundfield, things may not sound quite right...while it may seem trivial to a novice, a little placement juggling can actually affect the sound perceived quite markedly...

And then there's the room itself...What kind of furnishings? Modern and spartan with minimal stuffing? Rugs? Drapes? Bare wood floors?

Welcome to the wonderful world of the hi-fi hobbyist! While it's hardly rocket-science, 'tain't quite as simple as it might seem...

jimHJJ(...and you're right...generally speaking, wire is wire, much to the contrary of some folks' opinions...)

 

[j_garcia]

I'd check that the speakers are not damaged in some way.

 

[Resident Loser]

Just dawned on me...

I'd check that the speakers are not damaged in some way.

...these things are used? Heck, do they have tweeters in 'em?

jimHJJ(...jus' wunnerin'...)

 

[PHANofPHUNK]

sounds flat?

It might be the tweeters, one or both could be fried.