Howdy all,

Last night I received my 950/7100 Combo, and decided to audition it. I was using a Marantz SR-19 A/V reciever before. The first thing I noticed when comparing the two systems was that the 950 didn't have the "warmth" of the Marantz. It was much more crisp, however. The warmth that I am referring too almost sounded like a lack of bass in all of the speakers. Not pounding bass, but the sutle sound that keeps a scene from sounding like it is full of treble.

Since I haven't ever had seperates, and yesterday was the day I got them and tested them, I have a few novice questions. Will the sound change over time (break-in) on the 950? Is there anything that can be done to "warm" up the sound, like using the bass boost in the configuration menu, or setting the crossover frequencies for the center, mains, and surrounds lower (they are set to 80 Hz right now)?

I have been reading in this group for a little while now, and you all always have good advice to offer. I would greatly appreciate any advice that can be offered on this topic.

Thanks in Advance!

Incognito, from my personal experience as well as what I have seen in other posts regarding the 950, the general opinion seems to be that the 950 is a very "crisp" sounding piece of hardware. Some people like it because they can hear additional details in the sound tracks now whereas before those details were lost in the "warm fuzzy". The lack of bass in your post sounds to me like you're describing the "booming" sound of "dirty bass" (for lack of better word). With "clean bass" you should feel it instead of hearing it and this may take some getting use to.

I am a big believer of breaking-in audio equipments so after about 100 hours or so, maybe you'll hear things a little differently. But for me, the 950 still retain that "crisp" sound. As a suggestion, I would use an analog sound meter from RadioShack and make sure the sub is setup correctly and depending on the type of speakers you have make sure you've selected the right crossover setting for your speakers. If you had your speakers set as Large with the Marantz before and now it's cutting off at 80Hz, then of course you're not getting as much bass as before. So play around with it and see what's best for you. Hope this helps.

[This message has been edited by mxy15 (edited September 02, 2003).]

mxy15, you have nailed it with the "crisp" thing. That was the first thing I noticed when I fired up my 950/770 combo. You do get use to it after a while, in fact I now prefer it. But as you mentioned, crossover makes all the difference. Using the specs included with my speakers, I set the crossovers as I thought fit. Wrong! Play around with them, you will be amazed at the difference, (of course having a quality sub woofer makes all the difference when changing the crossovers). Have a little fun with the 950 and give it some time.

Thanks Guys (and Gals)...not to offend anyone.

I do like the 950. Even if it is crisper than my Marantz. I have heard a lot of new things in the movies I have watched. I didn't know if it was because of the 950 or the amp. I have never had seperates, so my speakers are now feeling clean power. I am using a set of four year old Definitives. I have bi-polar fronts, and surrounds. The sub is weak, but it is doing it's job for now. I am not a big fan of a lot of bass. Enough to make the movie true is good enough for me. I got my fill of tickeling nose hairs when I was into car audio as a teen.

Thanks again you all for the posts! I really appreciate you all taking the time to respond.

Do you all have any tricks for setting up the 950 that might not be so speaker dependent, but made it sound good (not warmer..just better).

Thanks again!!!!

Outlaw and Def Tech gear..great combo my friend

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Play it LoUd!!

I find it has superb detail, yes. I was concerned because my M&K speakers tend to sound crisp also. But the B&K amp tends to warm things just enough to reduce any edginess. I am in a new house with only blinds presently as window covering. As more stuff goes in and on the walls, I expect the tuning of the room to even things out even more. Presently I am very satisfied with the audio performance of whatever I throw at it.

If I remember correctly, DefTech has a fairly bright and forward sounding characteristic. So this may be the sound you'll have to get use to. Some other way to "warm" the sound, just as your title suggests, adding a few blankets on reflective surfaces may help diffuse the sound a little. With bi-polar speakers, you also have to be very careful with your placement of it because you maybe getting too much reflection. One other option is to change your speaker cables and/or interconnect cables. Use "darker" sounding cables like Cardas may help things somewhat. Some people even find a difference between the type of digital cables they use. I don't know if you are using tos-link or digital coax but I think digital coax usually have somewhat warmer qualities to it too.

UH OH! Watch out, mxy15. "Darker" cables? "Warmer" digital coax? If I know this community of gunslingers at all, you have just opened yourself up for (hopefully friendly) potshots from all directions!

In my custom home theater, yet to be built, I plan on installing infra-red heat lamps above each loudspeaker location. I thought about wrapping my interconnects and speaker cables with the resistive wiring often used in colder climates on plumbing to keep the liquid inside from freezing, but so many experts say that the temperature of the transducers and the temperature of the ambient air near the loudspeakers will make a more significant difference.

And, oh yes, with regard to other room treatments, I plan to add dishes of various candies to expand the sweet spot. I'm going to have to experiment with candy placement to find the optimum results.

Too much of this, though, and all that will expand is my head and my waist. One, or both, are too big already!

(Thank you, Ladies and Gents, for listening.)




[This message has been edited by bestbang4thebuck (edited September 03, 2003).]

Not trying to start a debate here and I am definately NOT trying to convert non-believers. Incognito asked for so I am just throwing in my 2 cents worth of advise. Hope it helps!

And for my part, mxy15, I hope not to ignite heated arguments or be negative. As a 'community' we owe each other a good attitude. Part of that good attitude, IMHO, is to laugh at ourselves! I hope everyone understands.