Getting emotive sound

Chokobolt

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About a week ago I bought the new Dali Ikon 5 mk2. Before that I had Dali Lektor 1 (those where my first set of hi-fi speakers).

While I like the sound, and the big step up in bass (I know these are small floorstanders, but then again, the Lektor 1's are small, even for a bookshelf speaker), I don't feel nearly as captivated when listening to them, as when I listen to my Lektors. With them, I could just sit in my comfy chair, with my eyes closed and listen to a whole album (My Only Thrill, Melody Gardot) and be in audio nirvana :p (well, almost, because a little thought of wanting to have more bass, kept bugging me). Then I bought the B&W ASW610 subwoofer, but that didn't solve the problem and then I bought these speakers. Now to get to my point, and this is probably for the people that do believe in the benefits of expensive/quality cables ;)

Which powercable will give me the most emotive/captivating/mesmerising sound; Van den Hul MainsServer Hybrid or the Clearer Audio Silver-line?

In the WHF review, they say this about the Van den Hul cable: "Vocals are pinpointed and prioritised over every other area of sound quality". They also say that it sounds natural.

In the WHF review, they say this about the Clearer Audio Silver-line: "Details abound, making vocals utterly convincing".

Please help me out, thanks ;)
 

JoelSim

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I don't think it's a problem a cable can solve. Whilst I believe cables do make a difference, I think your issue is far greater than a cable change. See if your dealer will swap them for something else.
 
T

the record spot

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Cables won't help you here. Work out the sound you like and bear in mind that it might be a case of getting used to the new sound of the floorstanders against the tighter presentation of the standmounts. Ask your dealer if you can demo some more and try again perhaps?
 
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Anonymous

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Abject apologies if I mis-read the situation choko but you are pulling our legs right?
 
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Anonymous

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Try the power cables on one of those 30 day trial schemes. When you've discovered they don't make a difference, send them back and buy some Vienna Acoustics, Opera or Dynaudio speakers to replace the Dalis.
 
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Anonymous

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I would agree that cables are not the answer because as you have already stated that you have been in audio nirvana with your old speakers which suggests everything else is OK.

Also you have only had the new ones for a week and the drivers will be stiff and not have run in yet ,because of there response they may need to be in a different position to where you had the old ones to make them sing so perhaps experiment with positioning.
 

ID.

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the record spot:If you need some further help on this issue, by the bye, a quick glance over this piece should give you some idea on where to put your cash...
http://www.verber.com/mark/ce/cables.html

Or this is more BS by a company selling us snake oil as to why their products are the real deal and their competitors are full of it
emotion-4.gif


But I'm just stirring. I think the OP should run the speakers in a bit longer and if that doesn't work then consider going back to the original speakers (and then looking for the sight edge/little differences cables could bring) or maybe consider some other speakers.
 

idc

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Since you mention your seating position, you may need to experiment with a new one and/or moving the speakers to find a new sweet spot.

If you really want to change something, go back to the Lektor1s, it makes so much sense to do that. You tried an upgrade and it failed, thats the hobby of hifi for you. (Sorry for any wasted money!)

Persevere with the new speakers without changing anything else. I don't believe in burn in as a mechanical quality of hifi, but I do think that there is a lot of burn in of the brain adjusting to the new sound.

I loved my little bottom of the range B&W DM301 speakers. They remained in a system that ended up with far more expensive amps and CDPs. I knew they were for keeps when after an audition of amps they were plugged into a Naim system worth about £16,000. Both myself and the chap in the shop were blown away at how well the B&Ws coped. I tried and at friends heard various floor standers and did not get on with any of them.
 

Chokobolt

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img2609i.jpg


This is my room as it is now (shot the picture a few minutes ago).

Okay, so some of you mentioned that the problem could be the positioning of the speakers. That could be a very good explanation.

They both have 27 cm of free space from the back wall, the speaker on the left side of the picture has 64 cm to the rear wall, and the speaker to the right has 30 cm. But then, as you can see, I have a table in between them which only gives them 8 cm of space/air. Also my amp is pretty much in the way. I know this is far from optional, and I am definitely going to do something about it. The table and my computer is going out of the room, leaving me with enough space to place a nice av table, but enough of that. What I'm tryng to say, is that maybe the positioning is "ruining the midrange"?
 
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Anonymous

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WOW that room and layout has problems ,as IDC said all hard surfaces no curtains no wonder sounds bad

Also speakers look to be toed out , not in , bouncing sound off the side walls

Back to basics I.m afraid
 

Chokobolt

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I have a curtain in the window. But would hanging posters or rugs on the walls help me out? (the Dali Ikon's works best when they have no toe-in).
 

Andrew Everard

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The fact that the right speaker is almost perfectly in a corner really isn't helping too much, either, and I might suggest that the speakers are rather too big for the room if that's where you have to place them.

I think you have to address the fundamentals of the positioning and the room/speaker interaction before you even think of any benefits a change of cables may or may not bring.
 
T

the record spot

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Agreed with Andrew - a room that small and floorstanders that big...not a good mix. Hang on them by all means, but a small speaker would reap far greater rewards in such a place. Not knowing th escience for any of this, but the reflective surfaces (wood floor, bare walls) are likely to heavily impact on what you hear too.

No wonder the small Dalis worked where the larger ones absolutely don't - the picture speaks volumes.
 

idc

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I would move the speakers forward, toe then in so you sit in the crossing point of an imaginary line coming out of each speaker. Then get a rug for the floor and a curtain for the window. If that does not work, move the floorstanders out of the way and try the bookshelf speakers that are on the table on stands in the same place.
 

Chokobolt

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Okay, thank you all for your comments
emotion-1.gif


I know that the positioning of my speakers and equipment isn't very good at the moment, but hopefully, I will soon get a room there is a little bigger, and also get a hifi/av rack so I can get rid of the table and place my amps and cdp in between the speakers, and not in front of them
emotion-5.gif
 

chebby

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Chokobolt:
img2609i.jpg


This is my room as it is now (shot the picture a few minutes ago).

Apart from all the other concerns people have already voiced, the first thing that jumps out is a 'rat's nest' of cables with everything appearing to be powered from one socket. (Seen better on the larger image.)

Then you have components sitting on top of each other on the floor a couple of feet from a subwoofer.

At first I thought you had some kind of 5.1 home theatre set-up here with all the speakers - strangely - at one end of the room. Then I read your post (and signature) again and realised that is a stereo set-up with two generations of speakers and a sub in some kind of 'wall-of-sound' configuration. (Or 'table-of-sound' in this instance.)

I would suggest clearing all the electronics to a rack in one corner and listening across the other axis (90 degrees to how you have it now) with nothing standing between the speakers. (Pick a pair but just one pair at a time. Get the least favourite out of the room or sell them after deciding which are best.)

Between you and the speakers put a rug of some kind and break up the other areas with curtains, bookshelves (with books in them) and picture frames. Keep the sub away from things like electronics sitting on the floor. (Hence the equipment rack suggestion.)

Introduce some cable management which keeps signal and mains cables seperated and neat rather than in a big 'tumbleweed' type ball of wires you currently favour.

Get the table out of the room if possible and get a comfy chair and a wireless laptop instead of that big, resonant, monster sized PC tower (it doesn't look the quietest or coolest running PC on the planet!)
 

chebby

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Chokobolt:...and also get a hifi/av rack so I can get rid of the table and place my amps and cdp in between the speakers, and not in front of them
emotion-5.gif


No, no.

Put the rack in a corner away from the speakers not between them. Your stereo image gets affected by anything between them.
 

Chokobolt

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Okay, this is great Chebby, although some of the things you suggested is already on my mind (like getting rid of that big pc, table and getting an equipment rack so I can get some cable management. This sort of makes me regret that I posted the photo, because it seems to me that you now think of me as a total noob
emotion-4.gif
(I know a lot of the things in the room is "obstructing" the sound, but I can't (from my perspective) do any better before I get the equipment rack and get's the table and pc out of the room, plus of course adding a rug and things to hang on the wall).

Remember, this is only temporary. I am "only" a student, and therefore doesn't have the biggest paycheck, so it is limited how much I can change at a time :p If I could, I would have bought my amps, cdp, speakers, and a equipment rack + rug at the same time
emotion-1.gif
 
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Anonymous

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My amp and cd player are in between the speakers, though the speakers are forward a bit. My guess is you'll find that the rule rather than the exception
 
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Anonymous

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Go and find a big rug and maybe a couple of tapestries for on the walls.
 

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