Just moved - sound destroyed


Hi guys,

Some might remember me from having complained about the sound quality i was getting with a bedroom setup i had while living with a (jerk) roommate (didn't want to leave the system in the living room for fear of what might happen to it). I used to complain about lack of clarity, bass bloat etc. , which i deemed to be a result of the room in which the system was placed.

Recently, I moved to a new condo. I thought that i would really, finally be able to enjoy my system, but I'm soooo utterly disappointed it's not even funny.

This new place is open concept (albeit quite small) and is carpeted (whereas the other room was not... although the other setup had a huge bed as the 'seating position' in the previous room, which stifled a lot of the sound).

The positioning is as follows: room is approx 10x15... system is on a nine foot wide wall, which divides the living room and bedroom. To the right are windows which are covered in vertical blinds. To the left, the room is open. Speakers are positioned so the ports are able to use the rear wall as reinforcement. I've pulled the speakers out about 20 inches or so from the wall.

here's what i get: Muddy, undefined bass or rather, bass without punch (i can still hear the differentiation of bass notes, but there's just no 'wallup' to it). Vocals are veiled in a big way...even the best recordings I have sound mediocre...The highs go from being dull to being too hard...The speakers have lost their 'boogie factor'. Further, the sound has no real depth and can be described as a 'wall of sound'... which i believe is inherent to my speakers anyway.

Further, when i plug my Blue Circle power line pillow into any of the outlets on the same line, it trips the breaker! I don't know why that is... perhaps my system is not getting the proper current required.

Any ideas from anyone? The guy who sold me the speakers is going to swing by at some point to have a look (he's particularly good w/ setup).

i'm sooooooooo disappointed. I need you all to console me.

system:

unico (stock)
neat mystiques
Rotel rcd 971 w/ link DAC III half nelson
Ecosse speaker cables
loose
Dont lose hope ,it took me about 6 months to get everything right with my system,
You need to treat the room with acoustic treatments, the asymetry of speaker positioning is not helping either. Check into Echobusters, RPG, etc.
Loose--your dilemma gets at the heart of what most fail to consider when building a system--the role of the room. In my 25 years in audio I've moved at least 10 times and each time the system was transformed (for good or ill) by the new surroundings. It's gotten to the point where I can tell a good room from a bad one just by spending a few minutes assessing layout, construction materials, etc. When I was going around with my realtor looking at houses when I finally made a purchase she thought I was nuts because there were houses that we saw that met all the "normal" criteria as being a good value but I dismissed because I knew the room would suck soundwise. Having said that you may be able to improve things in a bad room signficantly with time, experimentation and room treatment. Not being able to see the room I was struck by one aspect of your description that caused some concern...."Speakers are positioned so the ports are able to use the rear wall as reinforcement". Condos are notorious for their shoddy construction--the sheet rock is thin the "studs" are typically sheet metal which allows the walls to flex. Ditto for the ceiling. If I were you I would not use speakers that were rear ported and that rely on wall reinforcement for augmenting/tuning the bass. This in my view is a big no no regardless of the room but in your case I'll bet much of your problem lies here. If you are open to a speaker change I would go with something smaller and less full range (I agree with the mantra "big speakers, big problems"). Might I suggest a pair of Harbeth HLP3ES2? There is a pair for sale now on the Agon. Read the reviews and talk to others--this is a great speaker that will do well in a condo situation if placed approximately where your Mystiques are located (i.e. away from the room boundaries). If you are wedded to the Mystiques then certainly be prepared to play around with them in your space (I'd do this first anyway since you will learn somethings about the room that will help if you change speakers). I'd get radical and try different walls with different furniture arrangements. Since it doesn't sound like you have a partner to contend with and have the run of the place go hog wild and see if you can get the sound you are looking for. I've got to believe that you can do better with what you have than the sound you were getting in a tiny bedroom at your other place. Hope this helps.