My new Wharf 9.1s and concerns

[bluescorp]

Hii Audio Gurus:

Firstly, many thankx for guiding me all through as i finally purchased (last week) the following systems:

1. denon 1911
2. wharfedale 9 series (9.1 + 9cs + 9dfs+ Sw 150)

The engineers set it up manually (he somehow do not recomends audessey) with bandriges wires.

Now my observations and hence a concern:

The 9.1s are sounding very flat (though very clear highs) , no bass whatsoever. When at demo, similar ones produced amazing sound when played through marantz amp.

Now , i am not expecting a music clarity of an quality amp like marantz but certainly i would expect the 1911 do a bit more than presently is.

Another reason may be since they are new and not burnt in(only a week old) and hence i should wait for a longer period.

Or, should i run audessey (you may say i should have doen that before posting this conern!).

The engineer said not to adjust any setting till it has run 50 hrs.

The dealer says sound stage and bass will improve if i use speaker stands (currently they are on the TV cabinet and 2 mts apart)

Now my specific question:

1. Will audessey improve the situation?

2. Should i wait for the burn out period?

3.Speakre stands- how much effect it will make?

4. Is 1911 the culprit.

5. I have not played with the audio adjustments. Do i have to do that now.

eagerly awaiting your response.

thx

 

[Niki]

I have been using a pair of 9.1's combined with a Marantz PM7001 and have been v.happy with the performance since day 1 so I doubt if burn-in is the issue.Suggest try using speaker stands.
Incidentally, what is the source - cd or dvd player ?

 

[venkatcr]

It is certainly strange that the 9.1 are sounding flat. They do have decent bass. And the 1911 is a good amp. They have the capability to driver much larger speakers. Do the following:

1. First ensure all speakers including the sub is working. In speaker set up in the 1911, there is an option to send a test signal individually to each speaker.

2. In the speaker setup in 1911, set the front speakers to small.

3. Set the crossover to 80hz.

4. In the sub, make sure the cross over is at 80Hz. Take the volume know to halfway. Make sure the sub woofer is on. When a clip is playing go near the sub and see if it is playing.

5. Make sure the +ve and -ve speaker cables have been connected properly.

To answer your questions:

1. Will audessey improve the situation?

Not dramatically. It will make sure that the human errors are not present.

2. Should i wait for the burn out period?

No. Burn in will only improve the sound a bit. It is not going to change the absence of bass.

3.Speaker stands- how much effect it will make?

To some extent, yes. Speaker stands effectively cut off vibrations and allow the drivers to function effectively.

4. Is 1911 the culprit.

No way. This is a set up issue. Neither the amp nor the speakers are at fault.

5. I have not played with the audio adjustments. Do i have to do that now.

Do not play with the equaliser now, if that is what you are talking about. First ensure that you getting all frequencies properly, then play around to your heart's content.

Cheers

 

[bluescorp]

Thx Venkat / Nikki for your replies.

Venkat, to add up further:

1. The cross over at 1911 is set at 80 Hz;

2. The speakers are set up at "Small" and "LFE" only

3. Yes the sub is working allright ( I am some what happy with the bass of SW);

4. Individual test tone; well not specifically tested this but yes while the engineer was doing set up he showed me how each speaker was sent the tone and they were working fine.

5. Wiring, well that i have to check but i beleive the engineer was an expert setting up (self proclaimed!) 2-3 HT on a daily basis.


Another thing, since i do not have stands as of now, i have kept the speaker on the cabinet with only a 1 mt distance separating them. Can this be an issue? Separating them further to 3 mts isdesirable, no?

Further i have so far not raised the volume beyond -12. will i have to check the bass quality beyond that?

However, the overall bass from the HT (while playing the SW as well) is good, its the 9.1 i am worried aboout. Since i have already seen them in its full glory with marantz, i wonder whats wrong (if at all)

 

[venkatcr]

Another thing, since i do not have stands as of now, i have kept the speaker on the cabinet with only a 1 mt distance separating them. Can this be an issue? Separating them further to 3 mts isdesirable, no?

Further i have so far not raised the volume beyond -12. will i have to check the bass quality beyond that?

However, the overall bass from the HT (while playing the SW as well) is good, its the 9.1 i am worried aboout. Since i have already seen them in its full glory with marantz, i wonder whats wrong (if at all)

I meter is too short. See if you can separate the speakers by 6 to 8 feet.

To test the 9.1 separately, play a CD and set the 1911 into stereo mode/pure direct. Play a CD that has good bass and see what happens.

Cheers

 

[sound1]

The dealer says sound stage and bass will improve if i use speaker stands (currently they are on the TV cabinet and 2 mts apart)

Have you double checked the wiring? If speakers are out of phase, both soundstage and bass suffer. Just reverse the polarity of *one* of the speaker's cable and see if it solves the issue.

 

[anuragn]

I have a somewhat similar setup (although not the same) i.e. Diamond 10.1 + 1611.

I would suggest you to run audissey to eliminate any "incorrect" setting done by the "experts".
You need not worry about disturbing the current manual settings, you can always revert just by switching off the audissey.
You may even check the graphic equaliser manual settings whether low frequencies are not set too low.

 

[bluescorp]

Thx Guys,

just to update, i have double checked the wiring and they are fine.

I tried to play songs in "Pure" mode and voila! the bass was there! It was playing nicely. However, i noticed that the sub was not working in this mode.

Just to explain, when in Pure mode the songs was showing improved bass like it should (better than stereo / direct mode), however the SW was not playing!

The manual does not indicate the behaviour of SW in this mode but says that the Multi Eq, etc cant be used.

Can any one please explain the acoustics here! I hope this is not an anomally.

Is it that in this mode the two Front channels are getting un hindered frequency (and power) or something. Whatever it is it sounds better.

Seccondly, if this not an anomally can i use this mode to play my music often so that it helps in burning in of speakers as well.

Gurus!

please save the soul again!

thx

 

[dranil]

In pure mode, receivers will allow the AV amp to pass the signal through it's shortest path and cut out any DSP modes so the results are better for 2 channel music. Of course no Subwoofer output is there in pure mode.

 

[bluescorp]

Thanks buddy,

now that it is not an anomally, can someone explain as to why in the stereo mode there is absolutely no bass at all! Is it a fact for for all 9.1 + AVR users or is the setting still a problem ( i rule out wiring b coz otherwise in pure mode the sound woudnt hav been nice).

Secondly, can i use this method continually for playing music. Will it helop in breaking in of speakers as well?

thx

 

[venkatcr]

now that it is not an anomally, can someone explain as to why in the stereo mode there is absolutely no bass at all!

In pure direct and stereo mode, the AVR acts like a two channel amp. You can use whichever mode you prefer. This is not an anomaly. If you are getting bass in pure direct mode, then all your connections etc are in good shape. If you are not getting bass in stereo mode, there could be a frequency setting that is incorrect in the AVR.

In addition, when you are playing through stereo, set the front speakers to large and see what happens. If that makes a difference, you may have to constantly switch the front L&R between large and small depending upon their usage. If you like pure direct, use that for music, and the standard setting for movies.

As others have said, in pure direct and stereo modes, the sub will not work. Again, this is not an anomaly.

Now stop worrying and enjoy your system.

Cheers