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Recommendations for improving visceral impact?

Hi!  I recently upgraded the majority of components in my system, and am happy with how it's going. I'm very happy with the detail, musicality, and separation of instruments. However, I think it's still lacking in visceral impact and also (particularly in two-channel listening) spatial imaging (both left/right and depth).

Our primary use is home theater - so improving impact is more important to me than improving imaging. 

Here's my setup - would love any recommendations for ways to improve... 

  • Left & Right: B&W 803S
  • Center: B&W Nautilus HTM1
  • Rears: B&W 301
  • Sub: Monoprice 10" Monolith
  • Preamp: Marantz AV8802A (with upgraded fuse)
  • Amp: Rotel RMB-1585
  • Amp/Preamp Interconnects: Bluejeans RCA

The room is approximately 18' deep by 20' wide. I've added GIK acoustic panels around the room, as much as possible based on room layout and aesthetics. 

Unfortunately the couch is against the wall, which I'm guessing isn't helping... but there's no other option for placement. I've also tinkered with speaker placement as much as possible; the B&W's like to be quite far apart, and I'm maxed out on width at this point.

I'm using the Audyssey room correction -- it's necessary since the front left speaker is a few inches from the left side wall and a corner, and is incredibly boomy without it.

I'd prefer not to change out any components at this point, so my thinking is that the interconnects between the Marantz and the Rotel, and perhaps from changing power cords and/or adding a power conditioner, could be the way to improve here.

Thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!  

awilder
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,205 posts
 
Check phase to start.   Is impact with a good recording better with or worse with one set of speaker connections reversed?   If not then everything is in phase.
axememan's avatar
axememan
279 posts
 
could you incorporate some of the Mini Dsp units?
cbrents73's avatar
cbrents73
151 posts
 
I could point to several things, but don’t want to come across as offensive...

Your overall system is good, but I have to question the sub...With ALL the choices out there, this seems like an area where you made a serious compromise, based on the rest of the equipment you have.

I would also highly recommend looking at the Anthem AVM60 which has ARC (Anthem Room Correction). Not sure where you’re located at, but I know a dealer in Minneapolis where the salesperson owned a Marantz Receiver and replaced it with an Anthem and said it was Stunningly Better the moment he switched it out. Their processor and Receivers are impressively great for the money.

With the B&W’s you have, they have the ability to show off everything in front of them and would allow you to be able to take the front end a fairly LONG way before they would get in the way of what you hear out of the electronics. Like the Rotel Amps - they’re nice, but you can put higher end amps on there (Anthem, Ayre, Bryston, Levinson, Krell, etc.) and the B&W’s will show you whether the change you made was right or not. The biggest thing you’ll get from your speakers with better electronics is the sense of space coming from them, and at lower volume. When you turn it up, they will seem bigger and you’ll notice right away that presence you’re looking for, which will finally come out. Right now, you’re choking that a bit with the Marantz, and ultimately with the Rotel Amp. I’d be glad to help if needed.

Thanks.
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
I will agree with each of cbrents73 comments, but with different reasons. 

awilder - sorry man, I think we may have accidentally put you down the wrong road.  However, I will say that we did mention the Marantz was voiced warm.  I think the biggest restriction for "visceral impact" is the Marantz processor.  I know you previously had a Denon receiver (with the Rotel amp) and, while the Denon receiver had problems, I believe you had much more "emotional engagement" and "visceral impact" with the Denon receiver.  The Marantz is very nice and fixed a lot of the problems that the Denon had with the sound, but the warm voicing and roll-off of highs just removed a lot of the clarity and excitement and "visceral impact".  Just my opinion.   Going with an Anthem AVM 60 is probably one of the better choices in the price range and it will bring back a whole heck of a lot of resolution and clarity and excitement.
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I don't agree that your "choking with the Rotel amp".  You can definitely get a better amp, but at 2 or 3 times the cost, lol.
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As far as the subwoofer goes, yes, you can definitely get a better subwoofer, but things do get expensive.  For now, I think the subwofer should be a "second" priority and I would wait until I had the rest of the "visceral" issue figured out.  The Monoprice sub is likely a very loose and messy sounding sub, but it will give you the bass effect that's required during movies.  A much better subwoofer will be tighter and cleaner sounding, but still give an excellent low bass (such as a more expensive SVS sub, or even a pair of subs which is even better).
awilder OP
41 posts
 
Hey everyone, thanks for reviving this thread. :)  Been busy with work and haven't had much time to spend on this hobby recently... 

I did spend some time tweaking the Audyssey curve, based on @mzkmxcv's advice... though I found that I didn't need to bump things up as significantly has he suggested.  Doing this definitely helped improve the feeling of "punchiness" in the system, though it seems at a little loss of clarity... 

I can say that the sub definitely is not the issue here -- it's not the very low end that feels like it's lacking impact. I should not have said "visceral impact"... it's not about feeling my guts shake, rather, I want more emotional engagement and excitement.

I'll see if I can find an Anthem dealer locally who will let me demo an AVM60... I really need to start listening to stuff before I buy it!  ;)
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