Personally I don't like the Eggleston's but you may prefer to soften them with a serious amplifier topolgy change. I would change the speakers to maybe a Dynaudio, considering the equipment you have now.
D_edwards (System | Answers) I've heard the Andra I in a system with BAT SS amplification and a Modwright Sony 9000ES. The sound was very musical. It was not bright, edgy, nor did it have any glare. Hang on to those loudspeakers. They are phenomenal...and quite revealing of the equipment upstream. I have read in several reviews that the Musical Fidelity gear you own can sound dry and clinical, while also being quite neutral and accurate. I haven't heard the stuff myself, but I've read this commentary in more than one review. Either way, it does appear that you may need to change your speakers or electronics since the present combination does not have synergy. |
IMO, 5.5-6 feet apart and sitting 7 feet away makes the speakers a little too close together. 7 feet apart (measured from the center of the drivers) would be more conforming to a traditional near-field set up. At 5.5-6 feet apart, how far are they from the side walls...measured from the wall to the center of the drivers? |
I believe you have room to move the right speaker 6"-12" closer to the wall unit, and the same on the left. If you haven't already tried them farther apart, give it a shot and see what you think. I'd start both 12" closer to the walls (so they'll be 7.5'-8" apart), listen, move them a couple of inches closer, listen...repeat until you hear what you like...moving them back to being farther apart if necessary.
As another experiment, you can simply move your chair a foot closer to the speakers in their present position. You'll get an idea of how they'll sound moved a little farther apart in relation to your distance in the listening chair.
But, for the best results, you're better off actually moving the speakers because you'll also hear how they react to placement closer to the walls. One caveat, to mitigate standing waves don't move the left speaker so the distance from the side wall is the same as the distance from the rear wall.
Also, with the speakers farther apart, you may want to toe them in slightly. |
Adjusting your speaker placement, and adding some room tuning tweaks will do more to tame system brightness than wire, IMO.
The root cause is the synergy between your speakers and electronics. The problem won't be truly fixed until one or the other is addressed. Wire will provide a quick bandaide by masking problems elsewhere but it won't solve the problem.
That's why I suggest tweaking your speaker placement (which you have already discovered works), and adding some room treatments that will be useful no matter what gear or speakers you own, and will cost less than good wire. |
10-08-06: Audphile1
Hey Scientist73, sibilance on Patricia Barber(I am pretty sure you're either talking about Modern Cool or Cafe Blue) is there in the recording like that. It is not your system. I agree. The amount of sibilance heard on the recording will vary not only with speakers, but with electronics, wire and speaker placement. I've used tracks from Modern Cool as a reference for auditioning every link in my system chain, including power cords. The sibilance heard in Modern Cool will be more or less depending on the gear...but the sibilance will always be there. |
Scientist73, if you moved your speakers close to the back wall, I hope it wasn't based on my post, because this is not what I suggested. The sound you are hearing with the speakers closer to the wall...the boominess and lack of three dimensionality...is exactly why they should not be placed there.
I suggested spreading the speakers farther apart by one to two feet while leaving them the same distance from the rear wall as they were before.
Perhaps there is a reason that I don't understand that precludes you from trying the wider positioning? Did you ever try moving your chair closer to the speakers (before you moved them toward the rear wall) to listen for the difference?
Anyhow, I'd suggest re-reading my post above for my recommendation. Others agreed with the technique, and I feel strongly that you would hear improvments over what you had before.
Good luck. |
I think a major factor which is not being considered is that these are 3 way speakers and I doubt they were intended to be used as 'nearfield' monitors.
Newbee I listen to my three way Von Schweikert VR4 Gen III in a nearfield set-up and it sounds phenomenal. The musicians are in the room. I don't believe one can make generalities about nearfield versus farfield set-ups based solely upon on loudspeaker design. One has to actually TRY the possibilities to know what works and what does not. |
10-09-06: Scientist73
Guys. i can send you an accurate layout as an email attachement i can have it ready by tomorrow with all dimensions and everything.
Thanks, but I'm going to pass on your offer. IMO, you can experience the results first hand...and quicker...by experimenting with placement as previously suggested. If it works, terrific. If it doesn't, then IMO it'll be time to investigate alternative speakers or electronics. |
I cannot determine from Scientist73's comments if nearfield listening was ever tried. He's basically there anyway, except that his speakers are too close together, IMO. As I wrote, the experiment to hear the effect of slightly wider speakers could have been easily tried by sliding the listening chair a foot closer to the speakers. Not much effort required to do that. |
Until you have your speakers placed properly, any money spent on equipment is wasted because you won't be able to accurately evaluate the sound of the gear under consideration. |
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Have you tried moving your speakers farther apart yet? |
It seems to me you moved your speakers, heard a difference which is normal, but gave up before you had dialed the placement in properly. When you moved them, did you do it incrementally as I suggested, listening after each small adjustment for the position in which the music snapped into place? Or, did you rather move them a foot at once and then listen? When you moved them farther apart, did you then incrementally adjust the toe-in? I don't believe you did. Otherwise, your report here would be different. I believe you made a fairly large adjustment. Listened and didn't like it, and then moved them to their original position, which is not the optimum placement. My apologies if I have this scenario wrong.
Of course moving them is going to result in a different sound. That's entirely the point. You are complaining about your sound. You want to improve it. I know with absolute certainty that part of the problem you have with the sound is due to the present placement of your loudspeakers. I also know it seems easier to throw money at power conditioning and power cords, but in the end, after you have spent all the money, your system will still not sound its best.
Your desire to jump into spending money is a common thing, but you're buying a fancy carriage before you know your horse. |
