mission qx-2 paired with quad vena amp

[prozkater]

Hi,
After many years of using swan m200mkii speakers + asus xonar dx soundcard, I finally decided to upgrade, I bought mission qx-2 speakers and paired them with quad vena, connected through DAC 16 gauge speakers cable to my laptop and boy am I disappointed!! I let it burn for around 40+ hours before writing this post, and I hardly find any noticeable difference from my cheap 20k swan active speakers, these swan sound much cleaner with tighter and more quality bass, I mean I don't like the sound of these swans to begin with, but after spending 90k for a stereo setup, I was expecting somewhat of an upgrade in sound quality from my previous setup. I have tried several speaker placements and these mission qx-2 still sound muddy and confused to my ears, the highs can sometimes be harsh at times, i don't know what speakers reviewers have been listening to, mine doesn't seem to have any defect as far as I'm concerned, but it sounds awful for the price, where could I have gone wrong? I feel like I have wasted 90k for nothing. Sorry for the random rant, I just wanted to vent out my frustration..

 

[Cervi]

quad vena might be bad match for the missions.

 

[prozkater]

quad vena might be bad match for the missions.

it could be, but does an amp make that much of a difference if not paired well? this is my first passive speaker setup so I'm a noob when it comes to these things

 

[Nikhili]

System synergy and probably the cable as well. Some amp and speaker combinations are really nice while some can be real bad or so I’ve experienced. Try and hook up your amp to different speakers and figure out if if it gets better than swans.

 

[COOLDUDE7808]

u should have gone for marantz pm6006 or cambridge which would have paired well with missions ...or even Norge would have given a better output ... why did u buy Quad Vena ...

from ur post i get the feeling that u went by reviews ....which is not a bad thing ...but while buying quad vena ..u chose to ignore reviews ?

Problem is not with missions ...its ur amp ....try pairing missions with some other amp ....depending on where u stay ....get in touch with a local fm and try out ur speakers with his amp

 

[JayaRaa]

u should have gone for marantz pm6006 or cambridge which would have paired well with missions ...or even Norge would have given a better output ... why did u buy Quad Vena ...

from ur post i get the feeling that u went by reviews ....which is not a bad thing ...but while buying quad vena ..u chose to ignore reviews ?

Problem is not with missions ...its ur amp ....try pairing missions with some other amp ....depending on where u stay ....get in touch with a local fm and try out ur speakers with his amp

To further build on this, that is why brick & mortar shops are critical as they provide you with a first hand experience of listening before you buy. Yes, their price will be higher than that of the online sites BUT one gets the satisfaction of listening to the desired set up, post which he knows that what he likes he can buy without the issues associated with blind purchases. Online is hit & miss in this very important aspect.

 

[tuff]

You can try a warm amplifier as Mission's can sound bright with some amplifiers. The trouble with better speakers is they tend to show the weakness of the chain above. Source, DAC's become critical at that stage. The Quad imo is barely able to power the Missions as it only outputs 65 watts
@4 ohms. Speakers demanding more current will sound muddy or flabby if not provided with decent amplification, especially depending how loud you play.

 

[prozkater]

u should have gone for marantz pm6006 or cambridge which would have paired well with missions ...or even Norge would have given a better output ... why did u buy Quad Vena ... from ur post i get the feeling that u went by reviews ....which is not a bad thing ...but while buying quad vena ..u chose to ignore reviews ? Problem is not with missions ...its ur amp ....try pairing missions with some other amp ....depending on where u stay ....get in touch with a local fm and try out ur speakers with his amp

I did read some reviews on Quad vena as well, and they seem to be pretty okay, originally i had planned to pair it with marantz pm6006, but it was not available with the seller, and when i inquired about cambridge audio amp, Mr. Anil from hifimart suggested that I go with Quad Vena, I had no reasons to doubt his advise and I went along with it. Also I am based in Aizawl, Mizoram (north east) and over here, there is not a single Audio stores from where I can even purchase quality speaker cables, let alone speakers and amp, so auditioning the products beforehand is unfortunately not possible. I was also eyeing marantz pm7005 at the time but was a bit out of my budget then, now I totally regret not going with it. And selling the Quad vena at my town is highly unlikely also, I even paid a whopping Rs.5000 solely for the shipping charges alone for this amp
I wish I could somehow sell this amp.
Thanks for all the responses, I appreciate it.

 

[COOLDUDE7808]

any way ...mission has a sensitivity of 88db and recommended amp power is 25 to 120 w .

Hence i would suggest that whenever u buy an amp .....buy something in the range of 70 to 100 watts power ...like say marantz pm8005 ...this will ensure that u dont fall short to power ....... also it has triband controls ....so in case u are not satisfied with the sound , you can use the controls to alter it ....

Other option right now is to see if u can get some equalizer OR since laptop is your source ....use equalizer (software) to alter sound at the source

 

[dheerajin]

I would suggest you to try this inexpensive speaker cables Belden 8471

http://kiransales.com/Belden__High_Conductivity_Copper_Speaker_Cable_Twisteed_Jacketed_Con_8471

I recently tried it and it did bring nice change...my earlier cable was 50 times more expensive than this....

 

[prozkater]

any way ...mission has a sensitivity of 88db and recommended amp power is 25 to 120 w .

Hence i would suggest that whenever u buy an amp .....buy something in the range of 70 to 100 watts power ...like say marantz pm8005 ...this will ensure that u dont fall short to power ....... also it has triband controls ....so in case u are not satisfied with the sound , you can use the controls to alter it ....

Other option right now is to see if u can get some equalizer OR since laptop is your source ....use equalizer (software) to alter sound at the source

Thanks, I will save up for Marantz pm7005/8005 and put the quad on sale.

I would suggest you to try this inexpensive speaker cables Belden 8471

http://kiransales.com/Belden__High_Conductivity_Copper_Speaker_Cable_Twisteed_Jacketed_Con_8471

I recently tried it and it did bring nice change...my earlier cable was 50 times more expensive than this....

Thanks for the suggestion, I will give it a try.

 

[jaiwant_alex]

It seems the quad vena has a rated output of 45 W per channel - seems this is not sufficient to drive the missions adequately - you could try other speakers with a lower recommended power and check if it it improves the sound.

 

[prozkater]

It seems the quad vena has a rated output of 45 W per channel - seems this is not sufficient to drive the missions adequately - you could try other speakers with a lower recommended power and check if it it improves the sound.

hi, it gets plenty loud with quad vena also, only it just doesn't sound as good, but yeah I will replace the amp in the near future

 

[tuff]

You are correct. It goes loud, but does not sound good. Because the quad does not have enough headroom. An amp should ideally double when the impedance drops to 4 ohms. It only goes to 65 watts.
But before w junk that the amp is the problem, Have you checked all the other possibilities why things are not sounding good? Is it placed in the most optimal position? They are rear ported so keep them away from the walls. Try to see if you can get some stands or do DIY stands out of wood or metal whichever is easier for you. Make sure side walls are equal and there are no openings like doors behind or besides the speakers.Rooms can be difficult for even the best speakers and other gear. If the bass is problematic, you need to do some basic treatment to the room. The sound should not bounce all over the room. You can try putting a carpet between you and the speakers. Glass furniture is another no no in the room. All speakers will sound different in different rooms. To try it, you can take the setup into another room and see how it sounds. Make the room work for you.

 

[firearm12]

I think you should give more time, 40 hrs is not much for new speaker and amp. Give them atleast 150 hrs and listen to music in more than moderate volume during this time Speakers will definetely open up and sound upto the level. You can try different things in room before deciding finally as placement is key to good sound. have you placed them on stands. You can follow some advice from this thread also https://www.hifivision.com/threads/...r-speaker-and-sound-system.71800/#post-796034

 

[prozkater]

You are correct. It goes loud, but does not sound good. Because the quad does not have enough headroom. An amp should ideally double when the impedance drops to 4 ohms. It only goes to 65 watts.
But before w junk that the amp is the problem, Have you checked all the other possibilities why things are not sounding good? Is it placed in the most optimal position? They are rear ported so keep them away from the walls. Try to see if you can get some stands or do DIY stands out of wood or metal whichever is easier for you. Make sure side walls are equal and there are no openings like doors behind or besides the speakers.Rooms can be difficult for even the best speakers and other gear. If the bass is problematic, you need to do some basic treatment to the room. The sound should not bounce all over the room. You can try putting a carpet between you and the speakers. Glass furniture is another no no in the room. All speakers will sound different in different rooms. To try it, you can take the setup into another room and see how it sounds. Make the room work for you.

Hi, although I have little to no room treatment I did place the speakers 5 ft apart and 3ft away from the wall and at ear level while seated 6ft away, I'm sure my room will play a big factor but I just don't like the sound I'm getting at this moment, I do hope it opens up after some time.

I think you should give more time, 40 hrs is not much for new speaker and amp. Give them atleast 150 hrs and listen to music in more than moderate volume during this time Speakers will definetely open up and sound upto the level. You can try different things in room before deciding finally as placement is key to good sound. have you placed them on stands. You can follow some advice from this thread also https://www.hifivision.com/threads/...r-speaker-and-sound-system.71800/#post-796034

I have placed them on a local custom made desk as of now, I will try getting speakers stand soon, thanks

 

[firearm12]

Hi, although I have little to no room treatment I did place the speakers 5 ft apart and 3ft away from the wall and at ear level while seated 6ft away, I'm sure my room will play a big factor but I just don't like the sound I'm getting at this moment, I do hope it opens up after some time.


I have placed them on a local custom made desk as of now, I will try getting speakers stand soon, thanks

Stands can isolate speakers from room. They are a good investment even if you decide to change the speakers in future. It's important to know what sound you expect from the system. You can tame the sound to suit your choice by trying different speaker cables also.

 

[dheerajin]

How did you connect the source to Vena and how are you playing the music. If you can elaborate that, then it can be of some help to pinpoint the issue.

 

[prozkater]

How did you connect the source to Vena and how are you playing the music. If you can elaborate that, then it can be of some help to pinpoint the issue.

hi, I have connected my laptop to amp through USB type-b gold plated cable

 

[jaiwant_alex]

hi, I have connected my laptop to amp through USB type-b gold plated cable

What is the music source ? Are you playing the music from a CD ? Are you playing files ? Are the files lossy (mp3, aac etc) or lossless (flac, ape etc) ?
You would need a DAC between the laptop and the amp unless the amp has a built in DAC.