BlueAngel Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Okay. So I know I have to start with my room and what I have and what I am aiming to do, so here I go. My room is small 10x10, I have a Sony 3200 ES for my receiver, I have two RF-62 for my fronts and the quintet series for my surrounds and center accompanied by a JBL 10' sub. I honestly do it all, I play games a lot, watch movies all the time, and listen to music just as much. So i cant really say I go for one more than another, I just got the RF-62 and the thing is they arent as loud as when I heard them in Magnolia (Im a new to this audio community). I want to be able to get my speakers to sound as good as when I heard them at the magnolia center. I know I have to upgrade my center and I need to get an amp to help my system out but I have no clue as to what. I am open to a change of speakers (I still have 5 days to return the RF-62 but want to try and work with 'em) and to purchase needed equipment. My budget is very low seeing as I spent $800 on the RF's and $800 on the receiver so please work with a poor mans pay lol. Somewhere along $500. Thanks in advance for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 3, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hi Blue. Welcome to the forums! The room acoustics at Magnolia and your room of course will be different so it will be difficult to compare those two. Have you tried increasing the levels for your front speakers? You should be able to do this through the menu on the receiver or maybe from the remote. Default settings are usually at 0 so if it goes up to say +12, try increasing it to 5 or 6. When you were listening to them in Magnolia, was it through the same receiver? I don't believe Magnolia has any external amps that they are using. If it is close, you could always go and look to see what settings they have on the Receiver if it is the same one that you purchased. They may have the settings all the way up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el jopez Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Look into a few outboard amps and then shop on Audiogon.com for cheaper prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueAngel Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 [] Thanx for the quick reply. Anyway, I know I wont have it exactly like magnolia, sorry for not being precise. I just want them to sound loud. I love playing my guitar hero game but I dont like having to raise my volume really high to get the speakers really loud. I know they can pump some serious sound without me having to crank up the volume. That settings change sounds like a good help but I am fairly sure some other equipment is needed, like an amp or a better center. Remember I only have about $500 to work with, any help is much appreciated. Oh, and on a side note, any help on putting an avatar and my current audio on my profile I cant seem to do it sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 3, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 3, 2008 Click on Edit Profile>Avatar at the top of the forum. Then click the browse button and locate the image you want to use for your avatar. Does your Sony have pre-outs for an external amp? If so, if you want to upgrade, you can get a used 200 watt x 3 amp for just under $500.00. I just had my first experience in my home with a separate amp. You can see my thread here that I posted yesterday. I'm sold on the separate amp idea. Today I listened to the same music without the amp that I was listening to yesterday with the amp and needless to say, I'm sad [:'(]. LOL. I will definitely have separates when I build my theater room in our new home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 3, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 3, 2008 Here are a few on Ebay and Audiogon that fit your budget. Acurus 200x3 200 w/ch amp on Ebay B&K 225x2 w/ch amp on Ebay Acurus 200x3 w/ch amp on Audiogon $440 obo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 The "problem" is that Sony receiver... Though if you're using surround sound all the time (like dolby pro logic and what not), then a better center channel is a must too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueAngel Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 .... Sigh. Unfortunately, when I bought my receiver, I was new to this audio world and I have always loved sony because I think they make good quality products. Because of that I naturally went with a Sony receiver, but now I have opened my eyes and realize that so many brands exist that are amazing in quality but I cant return the receiver now lol. That is the third time I hear I need a better receiver so I will make an attempt to sell this to a friend and buy a better one, any advice on a replacement. Something that has lots of powa (110 watts per channel and above), HDMI ( I need this), lots of inputs (3 HDMI, 3 Component, 4 Optical.......so on), and a good price. I think I can sell my receiver to a friend and with what I have now I may have ~$800 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 3, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 3, 2008 I didn't want to bash your receiver but Dr.Who did it for me. [] I went to an audio/video installer's store to check out their theater room and they were using all Sony ES stuff. To be honest, I was not impressed at all. I think if you can sell it, I would. Harman Kardon, Denon, Yamaha or Onkyo would be a good choice. For 800.00, there are probably lots of options. Check out Frys.com. They seem to have good prices on receivers. Maybe checkout the Onkyo 605, 805 or the HK AVR-347. Not sure if they meet all of your requirements but it's a place to start. I have an HK AVR55 and although it delivers 55 watts/ch it is a great receiver. I could be wrong but I think that a lower wattage HK/Denon etc would have more power and probably cleaner than the Sony. High watts/ch is not necessarily a good indicator of a good sounding receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueAngel Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 Took the advice and I will 1. Get a better center and 2. Sell my receiver for a better one. Just to ask for your opinion, and please be as critical as possible because I dont want to buy this and then get told that it is missing important stuff or that its ok. I want a GOOD/GREAT receiver. The Onkyo TX-SR805. I can get it from crutchfield for 799 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueAngel Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 I just wanted to add to my post. I researched my receiver again. STR-DA3200ES, I know many people say "oh, sony! bad choice" but this receiver is supposed to be better than the average sony. The ES line is supposed to be high end and this receiver really does a lot if you were to look at all the specs. So please look at it in detail before I sell it I spent $800+ on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelA Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 With your given budget, also take a look at the Denon 2308CI. At least you could go back to Magnolia and listen to this with your RF62, and then make a educated choice rather than taking somebody's word for it. It may be the model you initially listened to with your speakers. http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/3631.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueAngel Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 If I remember correctly it was a Denon, but not the Denon 2308CI, more like Denon 3308CI or something like that because the one your are talking about was on top of this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 3, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 3, 2008 You are correct, the ES is Sony's top end receivers but that isn't saying much. In my experience, I was not impressed with the Sony ES when I went to demo the RF-82's. I'll let others chime in on their thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 While I think upgrading the receiver isn't a bad idea....I dunno if it's really going to solve your problem of "enough volume"....what makes you think it's not loud enough? (I know that sounds like a dumb question, but I'm searching for more info here...like not enough bass, or it sounds shrill, or the speakers are distorting etc...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InFlux Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I agree with Dr. Who - please be a bit more specific. Also, what are your settings on the receiver? Are your mains setup as "large" or "small". Have you played with the phase of your subwoofer? Are you sure your sub is coming on (my LF-10's can be a bit lazy & it takes a good spike in volume to wake them up). Etc... I use a Sony ES receiver (5ES - it is a few years old) to power my KLF-20's & it works adequately well. I've played with friends external amplifiers using my ES to control them, and it does clean up the sound (especially at louder levels). However, I can easily rattle the room with my Sony ES at around -40 to -30 dB (depding on the recording). I will say that when listening to music, I need to be at least in the -60 to -50 dB range to be able to get a hint of the bass punch from the KLF's (which are larger speakers). What volume level is your receiver at before you consider the sound to be loud enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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