Looking for warmth in music! (1 Viewer)

[Thomas Detviler]

My current set up is as follows. Onkyo TX DS696 receiver, Denon 1600 DVD-A player (use as CD player as well) Polk RT800i fronts, CS400 center, FX500 surrounds, SVS 20-39pci sub.
Here is the problem, music sounds overly bright I would go further and call it shrill and harsh. The set up is great for movies but I find it unlistenable for music. I think my room acoustics are decent although the room is L shaped with the left side of the room open to the kitchen and dining area.

What can I change in this system to bring a larger warmer sound stage to music?

Thanks

 

[John Garcia]

Speakers are the single largest factor in how your system sounds. Despite you feeling your acoustics are good, you may still want to play with positioning and calibration if you haven't, as your room is also a very large factor. The "L" shape is probably not part of your issue. Your electronics are always a factor, but changing them will not give you an immediate and as dramatic effect as new speakers.

 

[Jack Briggs]

The only change you can make that will affect the real, honest-to-goodness, tangible sound is to switch speakers.

Now, on the other hand, are you using the receiver's tone controls? Do you have the "treble" boosted? If so, bypass them altogether and send the speakers a flat audio signal.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Are you guys certain that the receiver isn't contributing? I've not known Polks to be excessively bright,* but a good many home theater receivers certainly sound that way to me... brittle, edgy, glarey, all the nasty stuff.

(I've never heard the Onkyo... just speculating.)

*That said, I'll never again buy a speaker with a metal tweeter (like the Polks).

 

[John S]

Polks = Bright city to me, best paired with Sony receivers.....

 

[Angelo.M]

As Jack notes, speakers are the most important factor in shaping the 'sound' of your rig (after your biases/expectations/central nervous system, that is). Next would be the topography of the room and its treatments, and then the software itself.

Much further down the chain are processing, amplification, connections and other such stuff. But there are many orders of magnitude of significance between the speakers and this stuff.

 

[Charles Gurganus]

Why pair Polks with Sony? Talking about bright city!

Something from NAD, Rotel or HK would work better with Polks.

What kind of floors are in the room? Hardwood, carpet?

 

[Jerome Grate]

The other posts are correct, and the speakers are the largest factor in altering sound. However, when I auditioned the Polks, I didn't think they were that bright. Maybe going a new receiver may be the key here. I'd go with HK, since I own one (an old AVR-500) and I listened to the 7200 and man, that's my next one. Anyway that's my .02.

 

[Thomas Detviler]

The theater is in carpeted family room with an open left side to kitchen and dining area which have hard wood floors, I have a large leather sofa acting as a divider along the open left side. I had the front left and right speakers right next to the sony 51" tv for awhile but have since moved them out about six feet either side of the tv. The sweet spot has a leather recliner, just behind the recliner in the corners are two 5' bookshelves which have the fx500 surrounds on them.

 

[RobWil]

Buy a vintage Marantz receiver if you want warmth and run your 2-channel off of that. Having been through the same scenario I finally gave up on A/V receivers for 2-channel listening. I even tried some budget separates. You can get the Marantz's cheap on ebay and you will be amazed.