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Help- why do my Definitive Tech BP7001's sound Bad

About a year ago I purchased a brand new pair of Definitive Technology BP7001SC speakers. The problem is I am not satisfied with the sound I am getting from them. They sound good (but not mind blowing) on some recordings such as Diana Krall’s “Girl in the Other Room” and James Taylor’s “Hourglass”. They even sound good on some earlier remastered recordings like The Band’s boxed set. But for many recordings (more “rock” oriented with lots of guitars and layers of sound), Cd’s and LP’s, they sound harsh, fatiguing, and the mid range is flat and muddy. My other complaint is on many recordings the vocals sound “buried” in the mix- not as prominent as they should be. I am running them off a Denon 3805 (120 Watt per channel) receiver. This was one of the top Denon models a couple years ago (replaced by 3806 I think). Receiver was highly rated and seems to work fine. I listen to mainly music and do not yet have surround sound, so I am talking strait 2 channel stereo here. I know a lot of audiophiles say Def Techs are not great for music only but I have also read many glowing reviews of the 7001’s for music applications. I am thinking my room may be part or all of the issue. The room is full of hard surfaces- pergo floor with area rugs, sheetrock walls, not that much furniture, no drapes, etc. The dimensions are 27 x 18 feet with a 14’ high cathedral ceiling. The system is situated on one end of the 27’ wall (1 speaker near corner of room), speakers about 9 feet apart and angled slightly in. The main listening area is about 15-16 feet away (alone the opposite wall) and centered on the speakers. Actually my biggest praise for the speakers is how relatively GOOD they sound in all parts of the room. But they don’t sound that GREAT even in the prime listening spot. I have tried facing the subwoofers out vs. in and this does not seem to matter. I have also tried moving the speakers closer and further from the back wall and changing the angle, and this has not cured anything either. Right now they are about 14-16” from back wall. I currently have the speakers connected with 14 gauge speaker wire thru the “mid range/ standard” hookup method. I tired the subwoofer LFE hookup and this makes no audible diff for music. Overall, they just don’t have the WOW factor I was expecting for the price. I actually never heard them before buying. I did audition the smaller 7002 in the store and liked that so figured the 7001 would be even better. And for half price I could not pass them up.

So what do you guys think:
Are the speakers just crappy for music? (how can a 3500.00 speaker by crappy?)
Would bi-amping help the sound to any great degree?
Is the shape of my room the problem, particularly with the bi-polar config?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!
cjmblm
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weiserb
473 posts
 
What are the other components? What is your budget to upgrade?
schipo
1,268 posts
 
Denon 3805 (120 Watt per channel) receiver....? I have to say that this could be your problem. I would think a speaker costing that much might need better than just a reciever to bring out it's possibilities. And yes room problems could be the culprit to, but do try changing the reciever for seperates or a better intergrate.
foster_9
1,638 posts
 
Guys here will say, yes, they are crappy for music. I expect your choice of speakers to be criticized by the folks here. I use to have 7000's. You'll get no love in any of the audiophile forums for Def Tech speakers. They are widely considered HT speakers and poor for music. They are really HT speakers that can sound pretty good with music, but only if you have the right system. I did not have good luck getting mine to sound good just like you. I actually heard them sound much better in one of the dealers than they ever sounded in my room and the dealer was using a low-fi receiver. I was using much better gear to push mine. DT's do lack in the areas of detail, resolution and transparency. To get more favorable performance from your system, you are going to have to either move on to different speakers, or if you plan to continue with the 7001's, then you'll have to find different electronics and front end that will be a better match for them. In other words, you have to maximize the synergy of front end, and amp with them if you are determined to keep them. I used AZ Satori speaker wire with mine and that did help. It sounds like your current setup lacks synergy. If you're determined to go on with them, then I would find a dealer that has them, take in some of the music you like and see if they are performing well with that music at the dealers. If you determine you like how your music sounds with the 7001's at the dealer, then look to get the same gear the dealer is using. Your setup will have better synergy. Those speakers should sound fine with rock. Other genres of music would be more of a problem. Good luck.
foster_9
1,638 posts
 
The DT's lack in areas of detail, resolution and transparency. But, if you have good synergy with your amp the 7001's, and the front end, they can do well enough on music too. Aside from possible room issues and 1st reflections, it sounds like your current setup lacks synergy. I had the 7000's and my setup lacked synergy as well. I ended up selling them to another guy and he loves them. My first thought was that his system is totally different than mine and they perform better in a different setup because of better synergy. Although I never got mine to sound as good in my room as the dealer's pair sounded, I think if you add different electronics and front end, you will do much better sonically. Take some of your favorite music into a dealer and listen to their 7001's. If your music sounds good on the 7001's at the dealer, you may want to try buying the electronics and front end the dealer uses. Def Techs are really HT speakers as most will tell you, but they can do well enough with music, especially rock. Your room needs work with first reflections, but a lot of your problem sounds like a lack of system synergy.
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Yeah, it's the room/speaker interface. See my review of the Sumiko Master Set at:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?rspkr&1197744079&read&keyw&zzsumiko

If you've ever been to a large audio show, you'll notice that most of the speakers, no matter their cost, sound like pure crap. This is usually due to the speaker set in the room.

The speakers must interface with the room and work in concert with each other, producing equal sound pressure levels, in phase and in time. If not properly set you'll sense intermodulation distortion as hardness and fatiguing glare, no matter how good the speaker is.

Find a Sumiko dealer and beg him to let you pay him to set up your speakers. (All Sonus Faber and Vienna Acoustic dealers in the USA are dealers of Sumiko products).

After the speakers are placed, you may or may not need a little room treatment, particularly if you have first-reflection issues from the floor or side walls. You won't know that until the speakers are in their optimal places.

Dave
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