2. amps-preamps
  3. 1086409582

Jolida 1501 sound gone from great to eh. Help

hello,
I got my 1501rc to replace an arcam a65plus. I run it with sovtek tubes and JmLabs Chorus 706. The tubes really help to smooth out the metal tweeters. In my small bedroom the sound rocked. I listen to all kinds of music and this amp had good bass, decent soundstage, great midrange and highs. The speakers were about 4 feet apart and about 2 feet from the rear wall. I sat about 5 feet away. I had a rug in front and a nice tapestry behind me.

Ive moved into a new apartment and put my stereo in a 12x20ft living room along the 20ft wall about 5 feet apart 2feet from the back wall and I sit about 6ft from the speakers. The sound is now unfocused, bright and has poor imaging. I only have a couch in the living room and nothing else (cant afford furniture right now). Is the sound the result of the bare furnishings or should I look to switch my system around somehow.
bundee1
billm's avatar
billm
29 posts
 
Hi. Like Twl mentioned, it could be an acoustical issue.
It certainly could be other issues causing the lack of focus and imaging. Perhaps power line issues, and you also may want to make sure not to run you power cords too close to interconnects and other cabling.
If that is not the issue, try re-positioning your speakers.
If you toe them in towards you, you can minimize first/second order reflections and reduce slap echo.

Also, sometimes when you move a system and cables, it takes a few days, maybe even weeks for everything to settle down again.

Sounds to me like you have some wild reflections going on though.

Also, you could have some doubling of certain frequencies, make sure your speaker positioning is not causing this.

There are plenty of good sources about room acoustics on the web, including the web sites of acoustical treatment companies.

There are also plenty of inexpensive ways to 'treat' your room.
Will post follow up if you wish..........

Hope this helps........
kotta's avatar
kotta
649 posts
 
I think you need to play w/spk. placement. It sounds to me you need to set your spks. farther apart. Or you may need to buy floorstanding spks. If you like JM Labs perhaps the Chorus 710. Audio Advisor has a great deal going on these spks. I bought a pr. and I'm most pleased w/their sound. Much better bass than either the 705/707. Have patience and things should get better. Good Luck!
bundee1 OP
147 posts
 
Thanks for the help! What distance do you recommend from the walls and between the speakers? Positioning the system along the short wall wont work because of the couch along the long wall.

Another thing Ive noticed in this apartment is the hiss from my speakers when no music is playing and the amp is on. I had an electrician replace all the outlets to grounded Leviton outlets. In my old apartment the system was dead quiet. In this apartment the hiss is pretty noticeable when youre a foot away from the speakers.
More to discover