Help, I don't know what my problem is..

[Aus10]

Hello, I just decided that I would build a very small "theater" in my room and so off i went like the rest of us to build everything. Everything is great. I order the Pioneer Vsx 1121-K it is bad i send it back and then the next one works yay. I get my Arx A1s A2 and the Rythimik FV 12 Ported subwoofer the next day. Im really excited. After reading that the Arx would be like Paradigm speakers (My dream speakers (only because its the "best" sound i have ever heard)). So I hook everything up and have some troubles but I finally get sound. I honestly never thought i would belive it but when people say they think they have there sub off its true lo. Anyways So im listening and listening and it just doesnt sound that great... I am honestly dissapointed.. During songs like "break" by three days grace or there album it just wasnt that great. The guitar didnt sound right. So i didnt know what to think. I then talk to John and he says it might be my receiver since its not that great of unit anyways. Or its cuz everything I am playing is via MP3 downloads from Itunes. (Little did i know that was bad). So i think well crap. Well i just tryed to calibrate it via the pioneer bs thing. It turned my subwoofer completely off nothing i could do would turn it back on so i just reset the dang thing. It came back (Was playing Late night tip) really loud so once the sub hit i knew lol. I dont know what my problem is though. Just doesnt sound that great. I am either dissapointed in the ARX speakers or the Pionner unit or the MP3s...

What do you guys think? I can post pictures of my setup if needed...

Thanks.

[ryansboston]

Try process of elimination... since you have everything hooked up, why don't you first try a different sound source. Do you have a cd player and a cd or any other source where you know what it should sound like?

Also, are you enabling some weird emulated surround mode on the receiver? I know music can sound "off" if you have certain surround modes turned on the receiver. Try playing just as a stereo source.


Instead of hooking everything up, try hooking up just the A1s to the receiver (and not the sub, or A2 or anything else) and ensuring no additional processing is on..

There's a lot to troubleshoot here, and it will help if you try one thing at a time.

[ryansboston]

Also to help with the process of elimination- do you have a different receiver or other speakers that you know are working? Try switching either out- that should quickly help determine where the problem resides..

[Aus10]

By aus1095 at 2011-11-10


By aus1095 at 2011-11-10


By aus1095 at 2011-11-10

Plz be nice as I just got a cat and thats the stuff that came with her. anyways thats the speakers..

[Aus10]

Try process of elimination... since you have everything hooked up, why don't you first try a different sound source. Do you have a cd player and a cd or any other source where you know what it should sound like?

Also, are you enabling some weird emulated surround mode on the receiver? I know music can sound "off" if you have certain surround modes turned on the receiver. Try playing just as a stereo source.


Instead of hooking everything up, try hooking up just the A1s to the receiver (and not the sub, or A2 or anything else) and ensuring no additional processing is on..

There's a lot to troubleshoot here, and it will help if you try one thing at a time.

I am about to use my moms laptop and play a movie that has sound in it and see how it does. I will go out using HDMI and then through the recevier with "movie" set up. It has a blu ray player in it.

Also In Stereo it sounds even worse i think its one of the tweeters. I turned off the subwoofer and set it Stereo and it was bad...

Also to help with the process of elimination- do you have a different receiver or other speakers that you know are working? Try switching either out- that should quickly help determine where the problem resides..

I have a Onkyo TX SR504. I do not have any other speakers though...

[ryansboston]

another simple source you can use is fm tuner- although the audio quality isnt great you should be able to very easily tell if something is wrong..

[Aus10]

Ok i connected everything and i am just listening to my A1s and still just doesnt sound right.. Perhaps i am expecting to much? I do not know... I am about to get the old Onkyo and see how it does...

[ryansboston]

(and if an fm radio channel sounds like it should, then its likely your source, or how/where you are connecting your source...

[ryansboston]

Ok i connected everything and i am just listening to my A1s and still just doesnt sound right.. Perhaps i am expecting to much? I do not know... I am about to get the old Onkyo and see how it does...

Before you switch receivers, here's another simple thing to do: try plugging in headphones. Does it sound like you think it should?

[Aus10]

Before you switch receivers, here's another simple thing to do: try plugging in headphones. Does it sound like you think it should?

Well I already switched but i am having the same results. Just idk there sound is weird to me..

Another guy said i could just not like the sound. John is trying to help me too

I will go back and see if the headphone thing works

[Aus10]

Before you switch receivers, here's another simple thing to do: try plugging in headphones. Does it sound like you think it should?

It sounds almost fine to me i mean its not the same as the Iphone but im playing through the computer and through the receiver i will switch to the iphone and see...

It might be my receiver. I notice better highs and a clearer sound when played through with my iphone then i do the laptop ec. Also could that be cuz thats a mp3 though? I mean its not a apples to apples thing here..

Ok didn't see this coming but when I listen to music through the Pioneer unit I notice that it doesnt have nearly the highs but has more mid or bass. When I listen to my Iphone it has amazing highs but not as much mid or bass but enough. Then I switched to the Onkyo unit and it had like softer highs and less bass and mids...

WFT?

[Chane M&C]

Aus10, in our emails today you said the sound was harsh, which is just not a characteristic of Arx. My sense was that this could be to using MP3, and from there we talked a little about electronics.

From what you're saying in this thread now I'm thinking maybe there is a bad driver in one of the speakers. Play something with lots of frequency content from top to bottom at a low level and listen to each driver one at a time. Are any of them out?

Otherwise are you absolutely certain all speakers in are in phase? The red and black (positive and negative) connections must be the same throughout the entire system.

How are the receiver's crossovers set?

[Chane M&C]

It sounds almost fine to me i mean its not the same as the Iphone but im playing through the computer and through the receiver i will switch to the iphone and see...

It might be my receiver. I notice better highs and a clearer sound when played through with my iphone then i do the laptop ec. Also could that be cuz thats a mp3 though? I mean its not a apples to apples thing here..

Ok didn't see this coming but when I listen to music through the Pioneer unit I notice that it doesnt have nearly the highs but has more mid or bass. When I listen to my Iphone it has amazing highs but not as much mid or bass but enough. Then I switched to the Onkyo unit and it had like softer highs and less bass and mids...

WFT?

You have good ears, Aus10. Welcome to high end sound - it's an adventure. Whatever you do, do not depend on MP3 for long. Get a very good quality CD or DVD and try that instead.

[Aus10]

Aus10, in our emails today you said the sound was harsh, which is just not a characteristic of Arx. My sense was that this could be to using MP3, and from there we talked a little about electronics.

From what you're saying in this thread now I'm thinking maybe there is a bad driver in one of the speakers. Play something with lots of frequency content from top to bottom at a low level and listen to each driver one at a time. Are any of them out?

Otherwise are you absolutely certain all speakers in are in phase? The red and black (positive and negative) connections must be the same throughout the entire system.

Yes sir I am sure everything is set correctly. I will go no youtube and try to find a like sound test at diffrent tones... Everyone has me doing diffrent things on Avsforum too lol i am so confused i can build computers but cant set up a flippen surround sound

How are the receiver's crossovers set?

You have good ears, Aus10. Welcome to high end sound - it's an adventure. Whatever you do, do not depend on MP3 for long. Get a very good quality CD or DVD and try that instead.

I am thinking about getting a really good CD player and just buying Cds or finding a good download place and making cds..

What do you think?

Also you never replied to my last email you had lots of ideas for me..

[Chane M&C]

I am thinking about getting a really good CD player and just buying Cds or finding a good download place and making cds..

What do you think?

1. Be absolutely sure all speakers are in phase. If something sounds truly odd, as you seem to have said, that could easily be it.
2. An Arx tweeter - or any good tweeter, really - cannot sound harsh or scratchy, to use your words, as the result of driving it with good signal at any moderate level. You have to be really clipping the amp to do that. How loud are you going?
3. Sources matter.
4. To some degree, electronics matter (as you've already found).
5. Break-in matters.
6. Pull the speakers out to the front edge of the desk.
7. For use with your sub, plug all three ports.

I see you're also having this conversation at AVS. I can't keep up with it all plus emails, but these are always going to be your basics, with 1, 2, 3, and 5 being fairly critical to something sounding really wrong, and the rest being important as you get things dialed in and settled down.

Also you never replied to my last email you had lots of ideas for me..

I replied to all that I have so give it a couple of minutes.