Marshall1 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I just picked up a pair of SF-3s, along with SC-3, SS-3, and a KSW-12. Right now I am only running the F3s. I am just wondering if I am hearing things, or do I need to change my setup. 1) The speakers seem really "bright" when I am playing rock or similar music. I am thinking this is one of a few things. I had crappy speakers before and I just never realized the amount of treble in the songs. Or is my reciever the wrong match for the speakers? I have a Pioneer VSX-D710S. Or is it that the speakers need a little bit of break in time before mellowing a bit? if so how long? 2) Are my speakers underpowered, and if so what will be the effect of this? The reciever specs state: 100 W per channel (1kHz, 1.0 %, 8 ohms) So basically the questions amount to - Do the speakers have a break in period? And what will the effect of the underpowered speakers be? I leave my reciever at default settings during this period, i.e. I do not set DSP to jazz, or dance, or anything like that. I know these are really vague questions, and that Klipsch speakers are "brighter" than most because of the horns. But I am mostly looking for some discussion on how to tone it down if my reciever is the cause of it. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 There's a lot of debate about "break-in" with speakers. I believe with about a week or two of normal use you'll notice a general smoothing out of the sound. I blame cranky capacitors in the networks -- it's normal. Meanwhile, work with placement and read some articles on room acoustics and ways of dealing with early reflections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall1 Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 I appreciate the response, it makes me feel better about my purchase. I have wanted Klipsch speakers since I was a Freshman in high school (still not sure why). And now after graduating from college I was able to afford the Synergy series. I do think that I am pretty much screwed on room acoustics for the next couple of months. The rental house I am in is ALL ceramic tile and we have nothing on the walls for now. In 2 months I should be in my new house that is being built and then we will see how they perform. Could you let me know if my reciever is underpowered, and what will happen because of this? Will the sound just not be as full? or will I not be able to turn them up too loud without distortion? I am really new to the home audio scene so don't smack me for all the newbie questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 That Pioneer is more than adequate from a power perspective. In the future, and as funds permit, you will probably want to focus more on quality of power and not so much on quantity -- and then quality AND quantity. The more you want of both, the more you have to spend. BTW, the ceramic floor and bare walls account for the excessive brightness you are experiencing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriven Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 ---------------- On 6/14/2005 9:44:34 PM Marshall1 wrote: ... The rental house I am in is ALL ceramic tile and we have nothing on the walls for now... ---------------- Ouch! I think everything would sound bright in that! Moving sounds like a real good idea for the first thing to improve. BTW, Welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 "Bright" sound is often the result of a ss amp's high distortion at the low powers used by efficient horn loaded speakers. That's why the interest in tube amps by people who use such speakers: tube amps tend to distort least at lower powers while ss amps are usually at their worst at low power. Can you try a tube amp or a different ss amp that is known to perform well with horn loaded speakers? Also, some of the new "digital" or pwm amps handle low power very well. Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall1 Posted June 15, 2005 Author Share Posted June 15, 2005 I don't think I will have a chance to try anything other than the receiver that I have for quite awhile. With buying a new house in a couple of months, I think my wife would kill me if I went out and spent more money. I think I will wait for my new house and see how that changes the overall sound of the speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spkrdctr Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Marshall, your in luck. I run basically the same reciever in a much better room. Yes, the speakers are bright. What I do is take the treble control and set it at -6 and the bass is set at +6 without the "loudness" button on. This improves it quite a bit. You will notice you can listen without fatigue caused by too strong of a high end. You also have plenty of power in that reciever for your listening level. I use my reciever at low levels all the time and it sounds very good. In a better room, things will improve even more. Welcome to the world of Klipsch, you will hear A LOT of stuff on your CD's that you probably haven't heard before.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I definately am not recommending buying. I recommend trying, as in borrow. Try out a few alternatives to see if the amp is the problem. Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 If you are using a DVD player for your CD playback that would make them sound very bright and edgy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 ---------------- On 6/15/2005 9:32:29 AM Frzninvt wrote: If you are using a DVD player for your CD playback that would make them sound very bright and edgy! ---------------- I think that may be an overly broad generalization, though true in some instances. I wouldn't panic right now. Use the tone controls to adjust to your taste for now. Let them break in a bit, and revisit the issue once you get them into an acoustically reasonable room. For now, do you have an area rug you can throw down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall1 Posted June 15, 2005 Author Share Posted June 15, 2005 ---------------- On 6/15/2005 9:30:18 AM Spkrdctr wrote: Marshall, your in luck. I run basically the same reciever in a much better room. Yes, the speakers are bright. What I do is take the treble control and set it at -6 and the bass is set at +6 without the "loudness" button on. This improves it quite a bit. You will notice you can listen without fatigue caused by too strong of a high end. You also have plenty of power in that reciever for your listening level. I use my reciever at low levels all the time and it sounds very good. In a better room, things will improve even more. Welcome to the world of Klipsch, you will hear A LOT of stuff on your CD's that you probably haven't heard before.......... ---------------- Thanks for the advice. BTW, I have already things on some CDs that I had never heard before. It gives me more respect for some bands and less respect for others. I may only have the Synergy series, but the sound from Klipsch speakers is AMAZING! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall1 Posted June 15, 2005 Author Share Posted June 15, 2005 >>For now, do you have an area rug you can throw down? I do have a large area rug, but its still not big enough. I will just have to make due, and hope my house is done soon. The house I am buying is only temporary also. I will be moving from Phoenix back to my roots in South Dakota. The really good thing about that is that I will have a basement, and I can custom build a theater room down there. I can't wait to start (especially since my family builds new houses) and build everything exactly the way I want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Do you have decent bass response? The reason I ask is that your mains may be outta phase. Just something to look into (make sure all the positives go to positive and the negatives go to negative). I wouldn't describe the SF-3's to be bright by any means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall1 Posted June 15, 2005 Author Share Posted June 15, 2005 I will check again to make sure, but I am pretty sure that the phase is correct. I have a hard time judging bass response though. I have had powered subs on every system that I have owned and don't remember just how much bass should come out of the towers. There is a good transition of sound between the mains and the sub right now though. I have the X-over set to 100 on the reciever, and the mains set as "small" speakers so anything below 100 goes to the sub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psg Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 On 6/15/2005 9:30:18 AM Spkrdctr wrote: Marshall, your in luck. I run basically the same reciever in a much better room. Yes, the speakers are bright. What I do is take the treble control and set it at -6 and the bass is set at +6 without the "loudness" button on. This improves it quite a bit. You will notice you can listen without fatigue caused by too strong of a high end. Ouch. No offense, but I don't think I'd be very happy with that solution... That's a huge adjustment to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spkrdctr Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 I totally agree with you but Klipsch continues to make the speakers without the required amount of bass compared to the top end. Remember though this is WITHOUT a subwoofer. I'll fix mine very soon with a modified crossover..... I just have not had the time in the last two months to mess with it. I can't draw on my screen so I can't show you my "perfect" response curve! Darn computers..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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