Help on RF-7, Hiss from tweeter

[cbr600]

Received my RF-7 and RC-7 yesterday. Have not had a lot of chance to test the speakers but really like the sound.

I notice a "hiss" sound from tweeter that I never noticed before with my budget speakesr. Maybe it's because Klipsch speakers are much more efficient. The "hiss" was getting worse when I turned the volume up. I usually set sound volume at -20 on my Denon 3802 receiver.

Is this problem from speakers or receiver? Is there a fix for this?

Thanks.

[boa12]

cbr, how's the hiss sound when u switch the denon to direct mode & an/or an input device that's not being used?

[Guest BobG]

The RF-7 is 102 dB output at 1 watt input measured at 1 meter. This is likely at least 10 dB more efficient than your previous speakers. That 10 dB is two times as loud for equal input power. This means that the residual hiss your amp makes is more audible at the same volume control setting than with your previous speakers. It also means that the same volume control setting would be twice as loud with the RF-7. Set for equal volume as the old speakers, the hiss should not be any louder - unless your older speakers were less capable of revealing the hf information.

[cbr600]

Thanks for the input.

I tried different input sources and direct, stereo, surround and so on. It didn't make any difference. I only turned on the power on receiver for testing.

I will try to put my old speakers back or use my old Onkyo receiver to see if I can figure out what's going on.

If it's receiver problem, that's too bad. I really like the receiver and it's too late for me to return the receiver now:-(

[Flason]

Is the treble set to zero? Had mine turned up with a set of Vandersteens, but didn't need it with the Klipsch.

[jason577]

How loud is this hiss?

A little hiss is normal for just about every system. But if it is audible over the music then it's too loud.

Most likely it is not the speakers. Check your connections.

What kind of wire/connectors are you using?

I do suggest that you try to isolate the problem by switching out the reciever.

If it is not the reciever, it could be many other things. I had a loud hiss at one time and it was the receiver, luckily I could still take it back. Some other causes may be electronic noise.

Do you have many speaker wires crossed with one another? This can cause hiss.

Noise from the power outlet can sometimes cause hiss with a receiver. You can buy a line conditioner if this is the problem, but they can be pricey.

Good luck.

This message has been edited by jason577 on 08-28-2001 at 09:04 PM

[cbr600]

OK. It's almost midnight. Just completed my testing.

First, I would like to thank everyone's input and suggestion. The "hiss" is only noticeable when I am 3 to 4 feet away from speakers. However, I have not notices any hiss when I listened to music or watched movive so far.

Connected one RF-7 to my old Onkyo receiver and another RF-7 to my new Denon receiver.

Test 1:

DSP mode on both receivers and turned the volume to max. The hiss was so loud from Onkyo, suddently the hiss from Denon is almost no issue.

Test 2:

Direct mode on Denon and ByPass mode on Onkyo. The hiss from Dennon was still there, didn't notice any difference. Surprisingly, there was no hiss from Onkyo this time. I guess Denon needs to do a better job on their direct mode.

Test 3:

Used Denon receiver. Connected one of my old speaker and one RF-7 for AB comparison. The hiss from my old one is definately less noticeable. Couldn't play music this time at night. RF-7 should be much more efficient than my old one. Therefore, this is not a fair comarison without appropriate sound level adjustment.

Conclusion:

I guess I am a little too picky on this issue. If I have a lot of money to burn, I will try to find a receiver that will create less hiss. Unfortunately, I don't. I listened to the entire Reference 7 series for about two hours tonight. What can I say? AWESOME. Setting all speakers to large gave me a different listening experience. I have not determined what's the best setting for my room. One thing for sure, I will keep trying.

Thanks again for all your help.