Speaker upgrade
June 26, 2007
I have an upgrade question that I need your kindness in
answering for me. I have a Rogue Audio ST88 (60Wpc in ultralinear and 30Wpc in triode),
Presence Audio preamp, and Vandersteen 2CE Signature speakers. I would like to change to a
more sensitive speaker and am currently looking at the Silverline Audio Prelude, Allegro,
or SR17.5. My amp does not have the current to drive the Vandersteens in triode mode and
that is my reason for changing. Is the Silverline an upgrade from the Vandersteen? I
appreciate you help.
Dominic
Your Vandersteens are considered by many to be
excellent speakers at their price, so I’d think twice before dismissing them. The
Silverlines are also very good, though I would almost never recommend that a given set of
speakers would work with a low-powered amplifier without more information. Your best bet
is to find a Silverline dealer and inquire; a dealer should be able to provide a demo for
you with various electronics, and he might even be willing to let you bring along your
Rogue amplifier for experimentation. It would also be helpful to know what you don’t
like about the pairing you have now and, specifically, what it is you are trying to
improve. And for your information, we have a review of the Silverline Prelude coming up on
July 1.
Home-theater adjustment
June 19, 2007
I have a mediocre Sony HTIB, the DAV-DZ555. It advertises
850W RMS total or about 140Wpc. Although the sub is fairly substantial feeling -- about 15
pounds -- it sounds boomy and muddy. I have a rectangular room of about 25’ x 12’,
but the sitting/listening area is concentrated around a 12’ x 12’ space. My
couch is against the wall and thus I have no place behind me to place the surrounds. They
currently fire straight into my ears and are very overpowering. Also, I have a B&W 600
powered sub left over from my older system that I had to dispose of for financial reasons.
Is there anyway I could connect or replace the Sony sub with the B&W? How could I
place the speakers to make them sound better?
Areez
I would replace the Sony immediately with the B&W.
I can’t imagine it would not be an improvement. It should be a simple drop-in
replacement: simply disconnect the Sony, likely with a single RCA cable, and connect the
B&W. Of course you will still need to match the output level to the rest of your
system just as you would any other subwoofer. As for your surrounds, there are two
options. One is to simply reduce the output level so that they are not so overpowering.
That would be the easiest thing to try first. The second option would be to fire them
toward the back wall, or toward the side wall, not at your ears. You would then be hearing
reflected sound exclusively, which would make the surrounds less prominent and less
localizable. You may find that a combination of repositioning the surrounds and tinkering
with their output level is needed to get a properly blended sound.
Spikes or bumpers?
June 15, 2007
I just bought a pair of Canton speakers and they came with
both rubber bumpers and metal spikes. I have tile floors and was wondering which one I
should use, or does it matter at all in terms of sound quality?
Parker
It might make a difference and it might not. If the
speaker has sufficient mass to keep it stable, either set of footers will work fine with
little difference in sound quality. On the other hand, with carpet and with very light
speakers, spikes can help keep the speaker on firm, level footing -- a definite plus in
terms of performance. The other consideration is that spikes can usually be adjusted so
that you can make subtle changes to the speaker’s height and rake; the rubber
bumpers, however, don’t allow for these fine adjustments. If you are placing spiked
speakers on a surface where you are concerned about the finish of the floors, you can
always place a coin under the spikes to protect the surface. In some ways this would seem
to defeat the purpose of the spike to begin with because the coins can then slide around,
but you can still adjust for height and rake, so it might be a needed compromise.
So there you have it: It might make a difference and it
might not, depending on your floor’s surface material and whether you need the
adjustments to height and/or rake.
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