Newbie Help Please

[admin_exported]

I have recently bought a new Hi Fi set up and in view of the amount of money I have spent I am quite disappointed with the sound.

The set up is this :

Roksan Kandy K2 Amp

Roksan Kandy K2 CD Player

Pro Ac D38 Speakers

Gale Speaker Cable - can't remember the serial number, but it's very thick stuff and appears good quality, cost me £300.

I appreciate the Speakers are a bit of a mismatch, I didn't actually plan to spend so much on speakers but came across a "bargain" as the D38 model had been discontinued. To be fair if I had bought the speakers first I would have spent more on the other components, but as it happened I bought the speakers last...

My Music Room is fairly small, maybe 14 feet by 10 feet, with a bay window to the left, as you look at the speakers. There is nothing else in the room, just a leather chesterfield at one end, the Hi Fi components next to it, and the Speakers at the opposite end. Again, I am aware the speakers are probably a little too large for such a small room.

Now then, the Bass response is tremendous, even at low volumes, if anything it's almost too much.

The problem is the top end sounds harsh, in fact some tracks are difficult to listen to they are so harsh, which is very disappointing.

Given ProAcs reputation and the obvious quality of the speakers I would be amazed if the speakers are to blame.

My personal theory is the Roksan Kit is simply not a good match for the ProAcs and I may need to invest in a more expensive Amp, or possibly a Pre and Power Amp set up.

A good friend tells me the system is too new to make a judgement and I need to play it quite a lot more before it all settles down. I've owned it about a month.

I would be extremely grateful for any informed opinions on where my problem lies.

Thanks in advance.

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi SuperGaloot and welcome to the forum.

Did you audition this combo in the shop, and do you have the option to exchange it if necessary?

The D38 are expensive relatively highend, full range speakers. They are fairly neutral and are very revealing of the source and amp with any deficiencies and characteristics ruthlessly revealed.

The Roksan Kandy has a brighter more forward presentation and is very much in the lower mid end of hifi. I think you are suffering a serious mismatch, where the speakers are showing up the amp and CDP.

IMO You can get a much better balanced system for that budget (over £6K). Unless you can afford to spend around £3k on an amp, you probably need to come back down the Proac range to free up funds for this.

You also need to make sure that you like the Roksan sound. If so, the CD is OK, and if you went for the D18s it would allow around £3k for an amp.

So my advice is to take your very good budget (if this is possible), do lots of demoing, spend about £1k on your source and split the rest more evenly between amp and speakers.

Cno

 

[jaxwired]

The K2 is a great amp, but when it comes to HiFi synergy is everything and you ain't got it. Replace the amp with an alternative known for a more warm sound. Audition amps to find one that suits.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the comments, it's much appreciated.

I did not really have the opportunity to audition the components, I have my own business and I'm kept pretty busy so I chose to rely on magazine reviews etc.

I initially intended to spend about £3k, bought the amp and cd and then came across the D38s by accident. They had been reduced dramatically as the model has been discontinued and I just couldn't resist !

On the plus side I am not too fussed about moving the Roksan gear into another room where they could hook up to a nice set of Mordaunt Shorts in the lounge or Missions in the bedroom.

With my limited knowledge I do tend to agree that I have a mismatched system and would benefit from a better Amp.

Back to the drawing board then

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I seem to be posting everything twice !

 

[SteveR750]

What was the conclusion / outcome?

 

[Overdose]

My Music Room is fairly small, maybe 14 feet by 10 feet, with a bay window to the left, as you look at the speakers. There is nothing else in the room, just a leather chesterfield at one end, the Hi Fi components next to it, and the Speakers at the opposite end. Again, I am aware the speakers are probably a little too large for such a small room.

Such a bare room would be a bit of a problem accoustically. Try moving the speaker positions to suit and/or adding some sort of soundproofing behind your listening position (a heavy curtain would do for now).

I had a similar problem recently trying to set up a sub and the difference in sound when repositioning the sub was astounding. Apparently my listening position was at a null point initially.

Also consider that the speakers are new and might well benefit with some use.

 

[Anonymous]

My Music Room is fairly small, maybe 14 feet by 10 feet, with a bay window to the left, as you look at the speakers. There is nothing else in the room, just a leather chesterfield at one end, the Hi Fi components next to it, and the Speakers at the opposite end. Again, I am aware the speakers are probably a little too large for such a small room.

Such a bare room would be a bit of a problem accoustically. Try moving the speaker positions to suit and/or adding some sort of soundproofing behind your listening position (a heavy curtain would do for now).

I had a similar problem recently trying to set up a sub and the difference in sound when repositioning the sub was astounding. Apparently my listening position was at a null point initially.

Also consider that the speakers are new and might well benefit with some use.

I am afraid this is the real problem... .

The Response D38 are great speakers but they need lots of space. A few years ago we where experimenting and realised that the minimum distance to all walls to avoid thick bass was more than 1 meter (50") !!! We had them more than 3 meters (some 10'-11') apart and toed in. But then they sounded superb!

They really need a BIG room....

 

[Overdose]

Apparently not. The solution to the satisfaction of the OP, was a pair of hefty monoblocks.