Onkyo P3000R + M5000R with concept 40 speakers

[newlash09]

Hi all, iam new to the hobby. And all my purchases have been based on reviews alone, as it's difficult to audition where I live.

I presently have a pair of Qacoustics concept 40 speakers being driven by the bluesound powernode gen 1. And it all sounds good.

However , I have noticed two defects with this pairing as under mentioned :

1. Bass is pronounced , and the treble is very weak. Guess this is what is called a warm sound. So I would like to brighten things up and give the treble a boost.

2. On punchy and fast paced songs I know very well. I find the pace and energy missing. In fact my marantz SR6011 with qacoustics q7000i, do a better job of conveying the energy.

So iam looking to remedy the above flaws with proper pairing with a pre + power amp. Or a integrated amplifier . Iam aware that the concept 40 speakers are highly sensitive and don't need too powerful an amplifier to drive them well. However I would still prefer to invest in a high power system with a minimum of 80 wpc to future proof any speaker upgrades in the near future.

My listening room is as under mentioned :

1. A rectangular room of 12 x 25 feet. With the speakers placed mid way in the room.

2. There will be side walls on either side of the speakers at 0.5 mtrs each. And no rear wall behind them for 11feet. The distance between the speakers will be 8 feet.

3. Self will be placing a recliner in my listening position at 8 feet from both speakers. And the back wall behind the recliner will be completely mirrored for its entire extent. And flooring will be hard tiled , so all in all it will be a very reflective room. Fondly hope it aids the missing treble iam looking for.

So far having read numerous reviews , self am considering the onkyo Combination as it is getting good reviews all round. Iam open to other suggestions from your experience regarding other Amps. I mostly make my purchases in the UK or the USA. So any combinations upto 3000 pounds or 4000 usd are welcome. Iam even considering the NAD M32 as a all in one solution and also the rotel combination pre power combination of RC1580 + RB 1582.

Many thanks in advance for your time and suggestions.

 

[Frank Harvey]

It's been a few years since I've heard the combination, but I can't say I ever felt the Onkyo pairing was warm or lacking excitement or energy!

 

[Al ears]

Hi all, iam new to the hobby. And all my purchases have been based on reviews alone, as it's difficult to audition where I live.

I presently have a pair of Qacoustics concept 40 speakers being driven by the bluesound powernode gen 1. And it all sounds good.

However , I have noticed two defects with this pairing as under mentioned :

1. Bass is pronounced , and the treble is very weak. Guess this is what is called a warm sound. So I would like to brighten things up and give the treble a boost.

2. On punchy and fast paced songs I know very well. I find the pace and energy missing. In fact my marantz SR6011 with qacoustics q7000i, do a better job of conveying the energy.

So iam looking to remedy the above flaws with proper pairing with a pre + power amp. Or a integrated amplifier . Iam aware that the concept 40 speakers are highly sensitive and don't need too powerful an amplifier to drive them well. However I would still prefer to invest in a high power system with a minimum of 80 wpc to future proof any speaker upgrades in the near future.

My listening room is as under mentioned :

1. A rectangular room of 12 x 25 feet. With the speakers placed mid way in the room.

2. There will be side walls on either side of the speakers at 0.5 mtrs each. And no rear wall behind them for 11feet. The distance between the speakers will be 8 feet.

3. Self will be placing a recliner in my listening position at 8 feet from both speakers. And the back wall behind the recliner will be completely mirrored for its entire extent. And flooring will be hard tiled , so all in all it will be a very reflective room. Fondly hope it aids the missing treble iam looking for.

So far having read numerous reviews , self am considering the onkyo Combination as it is getting good reviews all round. Iam open to other suggestions from your experience regarding other Amps. I mostly make my purchases in the UK or the USA. So any combinations upto 3000 pounds or 4000 usd are welcome. Iam even considering the NAD M32 as a all in one solution and also the rotel combination pre power combination of RC1580 + RB 1582.

Many thanks in advance for your time and suggestions.

Plenty of scope for a decent amp to drive them with that budget. Unless you really just have a pre/power I'd stick with an integrated. Do you need an inbuilt DAC? Phono stage?

Also I'd move your speakers a little closer together and increase the distance for those side walls.

Just my opinion but it sounds like your speakers are not ideal for your listening room and a change in amp isn't going to rectify that.

 

[newlash09]

For your prompt replies davidf and ELears. As I mentioned before , iam purchasing everything on reviews alone with no real auditioning involved.

I listen to music for close to 8 hrs everyday. And I start with mellow / melodic tunes in the morning. As the day progresses, I get bored and up the Rythm into fast paced numbers. So I bought the speakers keeping my first 6 hrs in mind. They have been claimed to be a all day listen.

And now I realise my mistake and am looking for something with more punch. Should have ideally gone with the tannoy xt8f as per what hi-fi reviews. But alas it is too late, and iam trying to remedy the situation as much as I can , with the appropriate pre + power combo. Is this possible at all.

Just for a reference, I have a Audiopro avanto 5.0 system for 500 pounds, and the floor Stander's which came with this, will eat my concept40 speakers and the watch man down stairs for bass and rythm. Though the problem with them is unbridled and over powering bass and a slight lack of refinement which the concept 40's have in plenty. But considering price equations , to me it didn't make much sense spending 1530 pounds (that's what I paid in India) on a concept 40 speaker . Now iam hoping that with a better pre + power setup the concept 40's will finally sound better than the Audiopro's.

And as suggested iam not sure I can move the speakers closer as that is also the entrance to the dining area.Thanks for your advise again...

 

[insider9]

Bass is pronounced , and the treble is very weak

Are you sure the tweeters are OK?

 

[Frank Harvey]

Might be a silly question...but have you checked the tone controls?

 

[newlash09]

Are the way they came packged. I haven't touched them ever since...

 

[newlash09]

But in the powenode that iam using to drive these speakers, there are absolutely no tone controls. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Apologies, I thought you were already using the Onkyo amps.

 

[insider9]

Are the way they came packged. I haven't touched them ever since...

I appreciate that. Just trying to be helpful. It wouldn't be unusual for you to receive a faulty speaker or even a pair. Sadly these things happen.

Easy way to check is next time when you're listening put a hand in front of a tweeter. Don't have to touch it. If the sound doesn't change then the tweeter probably isn't working. Another way to check is to plug in your speaker cables without links to HF only.

 

[rainsoothe]

Hi. From what you describe, for me it can be one of two things (or both) - the Bluesound is underpowered for the bass drivers of the Q Acoustics, and, most likely, it's the room and positioning. First of all, try moving your speakers further away from the back wall / corners, see if that fixes your problem.

Oh, and also, all the reviews say that they're not really exciting sounding speakers. So partner them with some energic sounding stuff - either find a SH Naim Supernait 1 (which also has a DAC, so if the Bluesound has a digital out, you can use the DAC in the Supernait), or Supernait 2. Or change it up altogether - Naim ND5XS + Nait XS2. That should give you the energy you're looking for.