Aerius i too bright?

[ScottGardner]

Hi all,

I'm new here and new to Martin Logan speakers. I just bought a pair of Aerius i speakers (used eBay). They are in great shape cosmetically but sound tinny.

Maybe I'm just not used to the sound or maybe they need to be serviced or maybe my room is too bright. I haven't cleaned them yet but from what I have read so far cleaning them should bring out their high end. What I need to do is tame their high end.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Scott

Previous speakers: Vandersteen 2ce
Current amp: Yamaha DSP-A1
Source: Sony DVP-S7000

(I plan on replacing all)

 

[twich54]

I just bought a pair of Aerius i speakers (used eBay). They are in great shape cosmetically but sound tinny.

What I need to do is tame their high end.


Scott

Current amp: Yamaha DSP-A1


(I plan on replacing all)

Scott, welcome !

Assuming your new speakers are performing properly I will guess at two primairy areas of concern.....Placement location and room acoustics. Both of these can contribute to what you are experiencing.

How far are speakers from side and front walls ?

Acoustic treating of wall behind speakers and first reflective point ?



Also , when funds allow, as I know you stated, say good bye to the Yammie receiver. While it has a rated output of 110 w into 8ohms, it is somewhat lacking in terms of storage capacitance, thus it's ability for lower impedence as well as the general nature of our speakers(capactive as opposed to reactive) needing solid stable amplification or as "Roberto" says "Quality watts" !!

 

[C.A.P]

Definitely a new power source. If you are feeling that it sounds thin try placing them just for the sake of bass towards the corner. See if you get bass gain. It may not be the best but it will tell you if you have a room issue. Also Subs are a must with smaller Logan's IMO!

 

[Rich]

I think your problem is most likely the Yamaha. Try replacing that with quality separate preamp and amp components and you will see much smoother frequency response and a less-grating high end.

Also, you might want to consider some absorption behind the speakers. There are lots of threads on this site discussing the advantages of absorption and/or diffusion behind your MLs. Absorption will lower the overall SPLs that your speakers are putting out and that may tame some of the high frequency brightness you are hearing.

 

[ScottGardner]

Thanks, you guys are great.

I'l be getting some room treatment (proly Sonix or RPG) and let you know.

The yammie is definitely on the way out. Which brings me to probably the most asked question: Which amps would be a good fit for the Aerius? I have read many comments about possible amps and will be looking into Classe, Roland and Conrad Jonson.

There is a classe model seventy on eBay now. I was also thinking maybe a Crown K2 or Reference II.

I'll keep you all up to date as my new adventure unfolds.

:bowdown:

 

[tav1]

Make sure you don't have the treble boosted on the Yamaha! You can cut it back if you want to try. The MLs don't need any boost.
You may want to consider a B&K amp. They use MOSFETs and some liken the sound to tubes. I've heard good reports on the Classe' amps too.
Each component upgrade will be for the better. If your room is big, you may need to supplement with a good sub.
Good luck.

 

[amey01]

Silly question, but you do have the woofers connected properly using the biwire terminals, right?

Quite a lot of us here are using Classé - including me. I've always liked them, but they really are a good synergestic match with 'logans.

Augmentation with a good sub may also help.

I had the Aerius for many years in a large room and (with a good sub) had nothing but superlative results.

 

[eknuds01]

I'd play with the placement or room treatments before jumping to new electronics.

Don't forget that you can try tilting the speakers forward or backward using spikes or maybe just pieces of wood to see if that helps.

Erik

 

[kach22i]

Silly question, but you do have the woofers connected properly using the biwire terminals, right?

Good comment, make sure they are in phase and plugged in.

I know this sounds simple, but that is where we start from when problem solving.

 

[ScottGardner]

Thanks again everyone for making me feel welcome and going easy on me.

OK so here's where I'm at:

Verified all connections and amp settings: bywire correct, tone controls off, impedance set to 4 ohms.

Result: no change.

Hung a couple 2'x4' sheets of Auralex pyramid behind speakers.

Result: huge improvement. Mid highs smoother, low end better intigrated.

Current impressions: very high end seems rolled off and slightly gritty.

Next steps:
1. Vacuum (hope to improve very high end extension).
2. Build 2d QRD skyline diffuser (concerned that foam may be absorbing too much high end.
3. Look into better DACs and amp (proly clean up the grit)
4. Experiment with placement (improve tonal balance and imaging)

scott

 

[kach22i]

Everything is important with these speakers, and they will reward you for your servitude. However, I'll just add that floor spikes are important. The flat furniture like pads are just for temporary placement even on wood floors.

 

[amey01]

1. Vacuum (hope to improve very high end extension).

scott

Vacuuming should certainly improve HF extension - just make sure they are unplugged overnight before you attempt.

 

[DTB300]

Current impressions: very high end seems rolled off and slightly gritty.

2. Build 2d QRD skyline diffuser (concerned that foam may be absorbing too much high end.

Or are you so used to too much high end, that when absorption is in place and you are hearing proper highs, it sounds too rolled off? A usual case when absorption is first used in a bright sounding system - as Ethan has pointed out and others here have experienced first hand.

Gritty is probably the Yammy

You can always cut the Auralex into 1' x 1' sections and experiment with placement and amount used.

 

[ASLayerAODsk]

Hi there, and welcome to the forum. I havent been here in a while..been REALLY busy elsewhere but one thing i learned about my Aerius I's is that i put the spikes on *A definate MUST* but then i put them on a cutting board. on the rug as well. made a huge difference. one of those synthetic 'hard plastic/kevlar' boards...works like a charm...and even looks good too just my $.02

addon: another thing that made a massive difference was to take those clips off the back and replace them with REAL speaker wire...i mean..its a night/day difference if you do it correctly...but thats AFTER you have the speakers positioned correctly...so..just some tips i found on this board..just all in one area now enjoy

 

[Dreamer]

Scott,

I'll agree with what everyone has said, and then some. To reiterate:

1) Get the positioning right for your room--Martin Logans need "room to breathe" away from the rear and side walls. A good starting point is to make the distance to the back wall somewhere between 2/3 and 4/5 the distance form each speaker's outside edge to the side walls. (For instance, about 3 or 4 feet from the back wall if you're 5 or 6 feet from the sides...)

2) SERIOUSLY consider acoustic treatment of the room. Pay special attention to the wall behind the speakers, the side walls at their "reflection points", and ESPECIALLY the corners and the joints where the corners meet the ceiling--this last place can TREMENDOUSLY help your bass response, and will tighten up the soundstage too.

3) Put those speakers on good spikes. The little spikes that Martin Logan supplies are a good start, but you need some SOLID spikes with a little more height to get them to sound their best, especially if you are on carpet. A lot of folks here like the Oregon DV spikes, and they are cosiderably less pricey than the upscale spikes that Martin Logan sells...

4) invest in some high-current amplification. Plinius is sort of becoming the benchmark here--a lot of folks have Plinnys and love them. I'm a Carver/Sunfire fan myself. Some folks like Krell too. But you don't have to go with the mega-bucks stuff like Plinius or Krell to get your Logans to sound great. Look at some used Brystons or Adcoms or Carvers too.


One thing you will find out is that owning Martin Logans is a blessing AND a curse. It's a blessing because you'll hear your favorite music like you've never heard it before, BUT you will also hear EVERY little deficiency in the rest of your rig as well. Now that you have Martin Logan speakers, you might as well plan on a lifetime of tweeking and upgrades...

The GOOD news is, that once you get your system dialed in (and please, take your time--it is a fun process, even if at times frustrating) you will have a system that sounds better than any of your friends, and it will make anything you hear at the "big box stores" sound like absolute crap. A properly designed Martin Logan rig is a thing of sonic AND visual beauty, and it brings with it the satisfaction that you probably have one of the best-sounding stereo of anyone you know...

At least you'll feel that way until you hear some of the systems on this forum. Some of these guys have ASTOUNDING rigs, believe me. I thought my rig was the cat's pajamas until I went to a couple "Martin Logan Meets" up in the Washington DC area. Boy did that put me in my place--but it also gave me a whole other level of performance toward which to aspire.

AS I said, you opened a bit of a "can of worms" when you purchased Martin Logans, but in the long run, you will be glad you did, because the payoff is sonic quality and fidelity is massive...

Welcome, Scott, and good luck!

--Richard

 

[JOE BAKO]

you probably need some more power pushing your speakers . believe it or not your wire will make quite a difference too . if you have enough length you can shotgun the wire youre currently using . also try adding a powered sub via speaker level input . if youre able , bi wire .

 

[kach22i]

This thread is over a year old, let's hope he has it all sorted out by now.:ROFL: