would a new receiver help? (1 Viewer)

[david*mt]

I just upgraded my speakers from the HTIB Onkyos that Circuitcity sells to a JBL EC35 and E50s for fronts and rears. While I really like the sound of the JBLs it seems like I almost have a headache after listening to them for more than 10 minutes. The receiver I am using is the Yamaha HTR-5560 which is the same receiver I used with the Onkyos. I had the same problem with the Onkyo's as the JBLs in that I would get earbleed after listening to them for so long. Is it possible that my Yamaha is just too bright for these speakers and that is causing the problem? Would a warmer sounding receiver be better?

 

[joseFMJ]

Have you tried adjusting the tone controls?

 

[david*mt]

No I haven't done that. There are treble and bass controls on the front of the receiver. I have them set at 50% which is how they came. What exactly do they do and how should I set them?

 

[joseFMJ]

Generally if the sound is overly bright, adjusting the tone controls can tame the sound...like roll back the treble, and maybe boost the bass a tad.

 

[DorianBryant]

Have you calibrated the set-up with an spl meter?

Also, I have JBL's as well- EC35 center, S38II for mains, N26 surrounds, and N24 for surround backs. I first tried a yammy HTR-5590, then pioneer Elite VSX-41, then Panny SA-XR50, and now the HK-235. The HK is the best match I have found to tame the JBL. A very distinct difference in sound. The JBL are muci improved for music and have a "more musical" sound-in my room anyway.

 

[DorianBryant]

Have you calibrated the set-up with an spl meter?

Also, I have JBL's as well- EC35 center, S38II for mains, N26 surrounds, and N24 for surround backs. I first tried a yammy HTR-5590, then pioneer Elite VSX-41, then Panny SA-XR50, and now the HK-235. The HK is the best match I have found to tame the JBL. A very distinct difference in sound. The JBL are much improved for music and have a "more musical" sound-in my room anyway.

 

[Paul S]

I can't even imagine getting a new receiver and not adjusting the tone controls. Each set of speakers that you use most likely have different tone requirements. I have yet to have a receiver and use it with the tone controls set at the neutral/midway position.

 

[Elinor]

>"I can't even imagine getting a new receiver and not adjusting the tone controls. Each set of speakers that you use most likely have different tone requirements. I have yet to have a receiver and use it with the tone controls set at the neutral/midway position."

If the equipment is designed properly, there is no need for tone controls. Speakers, amps, preamps, receivers, should put forth sound that is neutral. If it doesn't ... don't buy it. It's that simple.

 

[Paul S]

I can see that you haven't been in audio very long. Many recordings require the use of tone controls, some being too bright, some being too bass heavy and so on. The very room you are using the system in sometimes require the use of tone controls to compensate for the environment. There is no such thing as "neutral" The midway setting might sound neutral for one set of speakers and certainly not for another. I personally prefer my speakers to sound "bright" and turn the treble control up to nearly max. Sorry if you don't agree but I prefer listening this way.

 

[Elinor]

Paul, I have been in audio long enough to know not to buy any component that brings its own coloration into the system. If you want ear-bleeding bright, then of course you will appreciate tone controls. I personally like accurate sound reproduction.

If your goal IS accurate sound reproduction, then you select neutral components. If you select components that color the sound, then "badly engineered" recordings may well be unlistenable. I have many CDs, and none is so badly done that I can't listen to it. However, I tend to mostly stick to labels that I know are mastered correctly.

I can't understand why anyone would want anything other than a neutral system, but I would surely think it would be a goal of most enthusiasts.

If room correction is required, then no "tone controls" are going to help you. A parametric equalizer may ... room treatments perhaps more so ... but there are few people here, really, who are THAT meticulous about sound. All tone controls do is mess up the sound, or hide the inherent flaws of poor receiver design.

 

[Paul S]

"I can't understand why anyone would want anything other than a neutral system"

Because quite frankly many times a neutral system sounds quite flat. I'll wager you that in many instances many people turn up the bass quite a bit on hard rock disks.

 

[eryn shannon]

I am by no means an expert, but isn't close to flat in room frequency response the goal of a good home theater? And won't adjusting the tone controls cause peaks and dips in the in room frequency response when being adjusted without using an spl meter and variable test tones or a frequency sweep? Isn't it also the goal of a good home theater to as closely as possible convey the intentions of the producers of the disk? Woulden't adjusting the tone controls also go against this goal. Especially by arbitrarily boosting or cutting the bass or trebel? If your system sounds dull when not using the tone controls maybe you need speakers that better suit your sound preference. Just my opinion of course.

 

[Paul S]

Sorry to disappoint you eryn but my speakers are excellent. I do hope that it is alright with you that I prefer to listen to them with boosted treble.

 

[joseFMJ]

I think tone controls has its uses, not all rooms are alike; not all equipment sound the same in every room. TOne controls may not be the ideal way of tailoring the sound to ones taste, in fact ones personal tastes does not necessarily coincide with anothers. We are individuals after all. And sometimes our budget limit us to what we have on hand. The poster has a receiver and JBL speakers, and resulting sound is 'thin and bright' to his ears. Of course he can do better; go out and get higher quality separates, etc... But he just bought his speakers, new speakers by the way need time to break in so it may get better as you play it more... I recommend he adjust the tone controls, soften the sound until the speaker breaks in. After about a month of frequent playing the sound should change and become fuller. You just have to give it time.You can also play around with placement, can make a big difference.
I sometimes listen to music on my AVR, but I much prefer the same music on my stereo separates, which has no tone controls by the way.

 

[Paul S]

A thought for you regarding tone controls. How many people have a receiver that is capable of automatically equalizing their speaker system? Yamha has this feature and I suspect quite a few other do also. The point being, that after automatic setup is selected and all speakers are equalized by the receiver what are the chances that the results would be a perfectly flat setting on the equalizer?? Probably next to none. When you do this, you are, in effect, using tone controls via a graphic equalizer. The bottom line being that whether you call it a tone control or graphic equalizer you are still altering the tone setting of the basic receiver and not leaving it in the flat or neutral position.

 

[david*mt]

How should I set the impedance on my receiver? My JBLs are rated at 8 ohms. Is there a way to change the crossover frequency on my Yamaha? I can't figure out how to do it.

 

[Paul S]

David, you might want to go over to the www.audioholics.com website and go to the forums there and post your question. There are many Yamaha owners at that site that will be glad to help you out.

 

[eddieZEN]

I came across this issue recently, while testing out a new Onkyo 601 (which is probably going back) which has tons of adjustments you can make not only bass and treble but rather esoteric stuff like Panorama, Center Width, etc.

I found that when listening to music, I usually preferred it at Stereo Direct (no tone controls)!

The lone exception was rock music that had a lot of mids mixed with highs---especially Led Zeppelin, with which turning down the treble did help a lot, otherwise it was very screechy.

LOL, either my speakers suck or my eardrums are getting old, because I don't remember having this problem when I used to listen to Zep through some crappy boombox or minisystem as a kid!