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[vjc]

Hi !
I have a system that produces some reasonably musical sound. It is made up of Marantz CD6002, Mission M33i and Technics Amp.As of now, no exaggerated tones are heard from it. I have kept the speakers little closer to the wall to boost the bass a few notches in a room of size 14 X 12 feet, but I continue to enjoy the sound.

But I have observed one flaw - may be an Idiosyncrasy of the system- that when I play CD-R disks the system is at best but when I play few of my audio CD, I hear some muddled or cluttered sound. This is pronounced when I play some complex and fast placed music. ( Jazz rock fusion cd Like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather report , Return to forever, Chick corea etc) After analysis I atribute it to the speakers that are not able to resolve the notes fast. Am I correct ?

With this background I think of adding a pair of bookshelf like Wharfdale 9.1 or Q-Accoustics 1010i, 1020i etc to ease the burden as well as adding some 'Laid Back' ness to the overall sound . Am I in the right path?

Your suggestions are apreciated. Thanks in advance

vjc

 

[square_wave]

The main culprit would be the Technics amplifier. I have owned some Technics, Sansui, Pioneer amplifiers in the past. These are quite muddy except for some rare classic models. Even an Nad integrated will clear up most of the muddiness. Next is the speaker. Try raising the speaker from the floor using some granite sheet on steel spikes. Get the tweeter to your ear height (42 inches from the floor). Now keep them at least 2 or 3 feet distance from any wall. Keep unequal distances to the side and rear walls. Use a decent speaker wire and interconnect and the sound should improve quite a bit.
Classical, Jazz are very difficult to reproduce for most speakers. Especially weather report

 

[vjc]

Try raising the speaker from the floor using some granite sheet on steel spikes. Get the tweeter to your ear height (42 inches from the floor). Now keep them at least 2 or 3 feet distance from any wall. Keep unequal distances to the side and rear walls.

Thanks for the suggestions. From my experience, they are found not to make a major impact. The lethargy in the music remains.

Use a decent speaker wire and interconnect and the sound should improve quite a bit.

I use QED speaker cable and Audioquest I/C.

Classical, Jazz are very difficult to reproduce for most speakers. Especially weather report

What are your suggestions for ideal and budget speakers for such occasions? Thanks in advance.

But would it it make some difference if a Book shelf speaker(light load to the amplifier) that is inheretly dynamic compared replaces my present speakers ?
In this context, I would like to hear more about speakers

like Wharfdale 9.1 or Q-Accoustics 1010i, 1020i etc

Thanks and Regards,

vjc

 

[gobble]

But I have observed one flaw - may be an Idiosyncrasy of the system- that when I play CD-R disks the system is at best but when I play few of my audio CD, I hear some muddled or cluttered sound.

I have read about this and I believe CD-Rs give better sound than the original mass produced audio CD. I believe the quality of laser imprint is better with the CD-Rs. Personally I have a very good experience with Moser Baer Gold audio CDs ( CDs I burn on my PC i.e) - guy's dont laugh but the audio has a shimmering quality to it. Yes the SQ shimmers and has a sparkling quality about it ( like gold !! :yahoo. I'm not going nutty, I have recordings to prove it.


Cheers

 

[square_wave]

When you raised the speakers, how did you do it ? Unless the speaker is kept on heavy/sturdy and relatively inert material which is properly coupled to the floor with heavy steel spikes or any other suitable means, the sound will get even more muddy.
If all these dont work, try changing the amp and speakers. Your cables and cd player are okay.
The wharfedale 9.1 on capable stands sound quite nice. Please budget at least 8k for the stands here. Flimsy stands will muddy the entire frequency range. At budget price points avoid floor standers like the plague. At 25k, the total budget gone into production will probably be some 6k. For this they have to give you two large cabinets, multiple drivers, complicated crossover, higher shipping costs etcHence the quality of individual parts suffer and you get muddy sound.
If you value quality, put that money into a pair of good bookshelf speakers.
An effective solution is to DIY using some hi-end drivers.
I see that you are in delhi. Visit http://www.lyrita-audio.in/
You can get far better sound for your money with this gentleman if you want to listen to Jazz/classical.

 

[vjc]

When you raised the speakers, how did you do it ? Unless the speaker is kept on heavy/sturdy and relatively inert material which is properly coupled to the floor with heavy steel spikes or any other suitable means, the sound will get even more muddy.

The speakers have been raised on the spikes given by Mission and I find they are sturdy even when I play it quite loudly. As regards the ht of tweeter vis-a-vis ear level, I listen sitting on an Easy chair that complements the height well.

Thanks for the suggestions on speakers. Any comments on Q-Accoustics Book Shelf speakers ?

Regards,

vjc

 

[thevortex]

As people have already mentioned, muddiness has to be tackled with at the amplification level. The Missions are certainly not bad speakers. Maybe you can audition some other amplifier paired with the Missions to see if the fault lies with the speaker or with the amplification and then take adequate steps.