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Help, my system sounds lifeless!

Hi, this is my first post.  I rushed putting my system together when i emigrated from the UK to New Jersey.  In fact this site was partly to blame as i was attracted to the amazing  "used" deals!  I bought a pair of Dali Helicon 400 (mark I)  as they passed the WAF.  The rest of the system contains a Belles Soloist Integrated and Simaudio Equinox SE CD player, wireworld platinum eclispe 6 interconnect & Audio Art Cable Classic SC-5 Speaker Cable.  My room maybe partly to blame but generally the system sounds lifeless, with little soundstage (better when i play vinyl).  I am not feeling/falling in love with the speakers and do not like the bass response (which is often reported).  I would like to change the speakers and was wondering if you could help.  I have an extremely large cd collection (and have recently bought a used Lumin D1, but unfortunately not set up yet) covering all kinds of music.  I am thinking 8ohm with better sensitivity would be a better option.  Looking to spend around $3000-4000 used.  Some contenders include Revel F206 or F208, Tannoy DC8 or DC8T, ATC SCM40, JA Pulsars (maybe too much $), PBN Liberty, Aerial 10T (never see them used) but they must have grills as sometimes kids go in the basement.  Maybe Monitors with stands would be better option?  I am hoping the flickr link works so you can see my room (excuse the feet!).  I want to fall in love with my large music collection again!  Looking for good bass & soundstage and speakers that can play all kinds of music (sometimes I'm partial to deep electronic music).  In some ways because my taste is so vast i am not particularly looking for ultra revealing speakers (Nora Jones speakers i think you call them!).  Looking forward to the NY audio show so i can hear some systems.  Thanks for all the help, cheers Paul  https://www.flickr.com/gp/97665913@N06/a5G6d9
spoutmouzert
soix
9,456 posts
 
First, welcome to the splendor of the Garden State!  Things must be real bad in the UK.  Heh heh.  Anyway, try hanging a blanket over your TV.  All the reflections bouncing off that can mess with your imaging.  Been there.  Also, if you haven't already, take the grills off the speakers.  These are two easy freebies that could help. 

Also agree with Jond that in that room wide dispersion speakers (i.e. Joseph Audio) might be problematic.  Something like Vandersteen might work better and also improve imaging.  If you can make it to Audio Connection in NJ I'd highly recommend going. 

All that said, if it's me and given your room I'd first absolutely try a room correction device like DSpeaker as amp1231 suggested.  There are very few rooms that don't DRAMATICALLY benefit from room/speaker correction, and in your case it could potentially solve a multitude of problems.  I've heard several of these at shows and in personal systems, and after hearing the corrected result you just wouldn't even want to listen to the non-corrected version -- it literally sounds broken by comparison.  Buy used or try some kind of demo, but definitely explore this path.  It could well save you tons of time and $$$ playing with room treatments and equipment.  Best of luck. 

soundsrealaudio's avatar
soundsrealaudio
756 posts
 
Those Tannoy DC 8T's are very nice speakers. Lots of emotion. The cabinets are plywood so they don't suck the life out of the music. Plus you can drive them with an inexpensive 300B amplifier for a rich midrange. The DC 8T's were preferred over the larger DC 10T's which probably has to much bass to muddy things up. 
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa
4,867 posts
 
 spoutmouzert ...

Those in this thread who have recommended room treatments and speaker placement have hit the nail on the head. If you sell your Dali's, only to replace them with different speakers, you're just throwing your money away. If nothing else is done, the new speakers will sound like crapolla too. 

You can't  just throw speakers into a room and expect them to sound right. Consider that the room is part of the overall system and has to be thought of and treated just like another component in the system.

There are tons of room treatments and tweaks, some expensive, and some truly cost effective, that would get you a lot further down the road toward audio nirvana. Keep exploring this site and you will discover them. 

If you want a blow by blow description, just ask. 

Good luck ...

OP

 
guppy
133 posts
 
 I have a pair of Joseph Audio Prisms that I think are fantastic speakers and work well with tubes or solid state. These monitors sound big, not the miniaturized sound of many monitors, and they are very musical, but they still check the all of the audiophiles boxes such as imaging, tone, dynamics,  micro and macro details. They are roughly half of the price of the Pulsars, $3699. list, and worth every penny.
soundsrealaudio's avatar
soundsrealaudio
756 posts
 
I would not spend money on room treatments. Wait till you purchase speakers and see how the room responds to them. Over the years I have made my own  treatments. Recently I ordered a heavy 28 oz fabric and installed curtains behind my system. Previously I have used 5X8 foot throw rugs on the rear and one side walls. You can hang them using carpet tack strip nailed to the wall 16" OC and then the rug is attached. Find some decorative rugs. 

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