2. amps-preamps
  3. 137027-115924

Non-audiophile needs help with older system.

I recently inherited a number of 10-15 year old high end audio components. I am not an audiophile but do appreciate high end sound. I do not have a dedicated room for this system. But, it was free and I'd like to figure out how to use it without spending a lot of money on it. I am not looking for audio perfection, just to optimize what I have. This will be used for two-channel music only. I'll try to describe the setup as best I can but I'm sure I do not know the proper terminology.

The components are as follows:

Pair of Aerial Acoustics floor speakers. Towers. No model number. I'm thinking 7B maybe. Have contacted Aerial to see if they can help me identify them. They have a tweeter, midrange and two woofers. Rear bass port. Separate connectors for woofers and midrange/tweeter. 

Madrigal Proceed HPA 2 amp. 250 watts. Weighs a ton.There are very large shielded(?) 'biamped'(?) cables from the amp to the speakers.

Audio Research LS16 Stereo PreAmp. There are large shielded XLR cables from the pre amp to the amp.

Onkyo home theater 'receiver' that I do not like. Remote is lost. Set up is tedious.

There is a very basic Arcam CD player and a Sony phono.

I've got it all hooked up. Bass seemed poor just running CD through pre-amp. If I run CD player to Onkyo to pre amp and adjust bass with Onkyo the sound is incredible (to me).

This system will be used for casual listening, CDs, records, radio, and iTunes via cell phone. I know that is like using a Porsche 911 to get groceries....but it was free. And there will be times when I can sit down for serious listening but that will be infrequent.

I plan on replacing the Onkyo home theater receiver with a basic FM Tuner/Bluetooth/receiver (probably a Sony). This will be for radio and iTunes so even though it is probably not a quality unit I don't think that will matter since the input (iTunes) won't be all that great anyway.

My main questions have to do with how to route the CD, the tuner and the phone through the system.

The preamp has RCA input connectors for all three. But if I run the CD and the phono directly through the preamp there is no way to adjust bass and treble and as mentioned running the CD directly through the preamp resulted in great high and midrange quality but low bass. So should I run the CD and phono into the receiver I'm going to buy and then just run the receiver out to the preamp in?

Sorry for the long post and appreciate any help you guys can give.

George


n80
n80 OP
2,133 posts
 
atmasphere, that may have already happened. With just a moderate increase in the bass setting of the Onkyo unit the bass was very good. The AR preamp manual also says sound quality is best if the tubes have been on for an hour. 

The speaker manufacturer recommends the speakers be out from the wall a few feet. The cables are 8 feet long (and probably cost more than my previous 'stereo'.)

Since I am going to get a radio receiver anyway I may see how that works running the CD and phono through it and then to the preamp. I'll experiment with different combos with the preamp. Unfortunately this system is at my cabin which is an hour away, so it will be this weekend before I have a chance to test various setups.

I really do appreciate all the advice especially since I'm not a true audiophile and too cheap to dive in with spending more money.
celander's avatar
celander
1,503 posts
 
Might be worthwhile to have the electronics and speakers checked out by a local electronics service shop. The price paid for that is worth more than tinkering endlessly trying to sort stuff out on your own time. That’s an audiophile’s hobby activity (tinkering), which you proclaimed you are not (yet). 
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,658 posts
 
Are there foam plugs in the speaker ports (located on the back of the speakers)?

If so, remove them.

DeKay
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
I don't think you should be using any tone controls or extra components until you know what your system truly sounds like.
  As atmasphere stated, play with speaker position and toe-in angle. Don't go by what the book says, this is a system of unknown condition. 

If there is a hifi shop in your area, ask if the tubes can be tested.
   Also pop the top of the amp and preamp and check the condition of the caps. Look for leakage or any caps that may be dried out. Also look for any burn marks on the tube sockets and power supply.

n80 OP
2,133 posts
 
No plugs in the bass port on the back even though the designer (I've talked to him via email) says they can help in some situations.

lowrider, cap = capacitor? I will check them. I can see down into the preamp easily. Everything in there looks brand new. All of it looks brand new on the outside except for some scuff on the speaker cabinets.

It will be this weekend before I get back to my place to test all this.
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