# I've planned my set up backwards!



## fuccillo111 (Apr 13, 2018)

This was planned to be a simple 5.1 set up in my living room. I purchased a Denon 730h avr first. Then, after much research on bookshelf's, I purchased wharfedale 10.1's and a paradigm 8" powered sub for a now 2.1 set up. Adding on, I purchased the matchi g wharfedale center channel. As I wanted more, I purchased micca ceiling and surround speakers to give me a 5.1.2 set-up. So now that you all have some info on my very entry level equipment I'll express some concerns. While I'm not well versed on the fancy speaker specs and lingos I am picking up more as I read up on some of this, my speakers are not the most efficient and receiver not the most powerful. All I ask is if someone can look at my wharfedale 10.1s and my Denon 730h specs and let me know if the Denon is up to the task while playing music, i.e streaming tidal, CDs etc. The reason I ask is because I'm not impressed with the sound of these speakers, and I feel it may actually be the denon's "sound". During tv viewing and Blu-ray movies I am happy with the full set up though. Thanks for any and all input.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

The Wharfedale speakers look to be 6 ohms with 86dB or 89dB sensitivity (speakers and center, respectively). As far as amplifier load goes that's about mid-pack, so unless you crank the volume very high I suspect the Denon is able to drive them fine.

Electronics and amplification do have unique sounds. For a person sensitive to acoustic variations the difference between a Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, et al could be noticeable, so it's not inconceivable the receiver is outputting something objectionable to you. However, it's more likely the speakers are the reason you're dissatisfied as that's where the signals get turned into sound waves. Usually if a change needs to be made it's there.

You mention not being "impressed", but what exactly does that mean? Is the sound too thin, shrill, lacking definition, no apparent soundstage, something else perhaps? What type of music do you listen to? With how elaborate and detailed some of the blu-ray soundtracks are today it is somewhat surprising to hear you say that part sounds fine but music does not. Have you run Audyssey?


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## fuccillo111 (Apr 13, 2018)

the man! Thank you!. So for instance. Yesterday on YouTube I was checking out some reviews on my speakers, the wharfedale 10.1, and one review consisted of an Eric Clapton tune. The song was River of Tears off the Clapton Chronicles. The sound coming out of my phone using YouTube was better than the sound coming out of my wharfedale speakers using tidal streaming service which is supposed to be a "hifi" service. I couldn't hear the high hats as clear and it just didn't have the clearity I felt it should. Also, yes, I have used denon's audyssey with no major changes noticed. Perhaps the nice vintage amp used in the video is simply nicer sounding than my Denon, who's job is to do dozens of tasks at the same time, where as the vintage amp has just one, to play clean crisp music through two cannels.


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## Littlefoott (Apr 15, 2018)

I would recommend 
1: check tidal settings are set to hifi and computer volume is 80-100% (assuming tidal is on computer)
2: check audyssey settings have dynamic eq off and speaker settings are are set to small 
3: settings - inputs-source level - adjustments (you mention your happy with blu-rays, if one source is louder then the other than adjustments here would balance them out)
4: check hdmi cable ( if blue ray works and tidal does not I assume it uses a separate cable)
5: check speaker wire connections (if blu rays work then this is likely not an issue)

audyssey may be set to "reference" and that will roll off the highs as it is a "movie "setting 

good luck


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## fuccillo111 (Apr 13, 2018)

Interesting. Sorry but what do you mean by "roll off" on the highs during movies play? Also I use tidal via Bluetooth from my phone. I may try running it from my laptop to the receiver now though.


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## fuccillo111 (Apr 13, 2018)

I may be on to something on this issue. I never play CDs, so I put on Pink Floyd dsotm and the sound quality is much much better. I underestimated the difference in sources. Does this make sense to anyone? A burned copy of a great CD on a cheap Blu-ray player vs hifi steaming of the same album is "better". The proof is in my ears I guess.


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## fuccillo111 (Apr 13, 2018)

Another update on this guys. I was researching setting the volume to "0" and then calibrating each speaker level independently. I was having audyssey do it for me, which is ok from what I hear. I had my center all the way up to +12db as well as my sub. The other speakers were anywhere from +1 to +9(my seating is not centered in the room). So I switched the volume from the 0-100 to db's and crancked the pink noise to "0". Then brought each speaker to 75db. Now this made my speakers go the complete opposite way. Now they're all -9 to -12db. Comfortable movie listening is about -20db but WOW what a difference! Btw San Andreas is a fun movie to watch loud.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

fuccillo111 said:


> I may be on to something on this issue. I never play CDs, so I put on Pink Floyd dsotm and the sound quality is much much better. I underestimated the difference in sources. Does this make sense to anyone? A burned copy of a great CD on a cheap Blu-ray player vs hifi steaming of the same album is "better". The proof is in my ears I guess.


Absolutely makes sense. The source is the most important part of the entire signal chain. If there's a problem with that you can expect the output to be poor.




fuccillo111 said:


> Another update on this guys. I was researching setting the volume to "0" and then calibrating each speaker level independently. I was having audyssey do it for me, which is ok from what I hear. I had my center all the way up to +12db as well as my sub. The other speakers were anywhere from +1 to +9(my seating is not centered in the room). So I switched the volume from the 0-100 to db's and crancked the pink noise to "0". Then brought each speaker to 75db. Now this made my speakers go the complete opposite way. Now they're all -9 to -12db. Comfortable movie listening is about -20db but WOW what a difference! Btw San Andreas is a fun movie to watch loud.


By having your trim levels that high you might have been over-driving the speakers and making them distort. Levels of -9dB to -12dB sound low to me, so that's probably not right either, but if you like how it sounds then I guess you're all set.


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## fuccillo111 (Apr 13, 2018)

If i adjust my speaker more toward 0db I can't get my spl meter anywhere near 75db. Even with the aforementioned settings in the last post my meter reads 78-79db.


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