The Apex Club

[surroundman]

Thank you Ricky,

I have Mezzo 6 and Mezzo 1, but I do not like the bass from them especially mezzo 1, it sounds sharp, not natural, that is why I m looking for something better little bit softer, I can change cross freq. from 80 to 160 it will decrease sharp bass, so sub can hear better

How does A10 and A 40 sound regarding the bass ?

My centre is B&W HTM62, it has 120 watts max, so if A 40 has 200 watt, it will sound completely different and I gues more free .

My options will be 1. go for A 10 as surround

2. buy four A10 plus A40

3. buy RXFx

What do you think ?

Some say that Mezzo 6 sound better than A 10 for music or at least the same good

Last problem will be what sub should I buy ? My KEF 1000.2 is not bad has only 100 watts but it is enough for me, question is how will be matching A 10 ? I certainly do not want expensive sub with 500 watts, which will be on minimum level to keep good relationship with wife and neighbours.

I forgot :Receiver is Yamaha 2010

 

[Jmknight93]

Hi guys thought i would just show some pics of my bedroom setup with my ma apex 5.1 speakers

 

[RickyDeg]

VERY nice pictures there Jmknight93! :wave:

Clean and simple decore also, I like it. Your system is so descrete, but naturally it's bound to sound the opposite! Nice to see someone with plenty of room treatments also (it's not that common), incl the "bass traps" in each corner. Well done. PS! have you considered moving the A40 center to the front edge of the a/v cabinet? I know it's probably an estethic issue, but that top shelf right infront of it there is no benefit for the sound (trust me, I've been there - done that). I keep mine just half an inch over the edge of the cabinet, so the speaker can project it's sound freely, slightly tilted upwards too. It's worth a shot if you haven't considered it yet.

 

[Jmknight93]

Hi Rickydeg Thanks for the feedback I will try moving the a40 forwards tomorrow I am looking to find somthing to put under it to tilt it upwards I might get couple of those auralex speakerdudes

 

[MMW]

Hi RickyDeg. I have a question for you regarding audyssey calibration. With my 4520 I tried several placements of the eight mic positions with very different results. As you have a room very similar to mine I'd like to know what are the exact mic positions that works the best for you to try around here.

Thanks a lot in advance! :cheers:

 

[RickyDeg]

Hey MMW! :wave:

Hope all is well. Getting different results by how you place the mic always seem to happen with Audyssey. Some outside factors may affect the result also. You are not alone on this. I basically follow this video and mic placement recommendations, Very good advice in here. I keep the mic close to the main sweet spot every time I measure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okyNlhJ3Hvo

 

[bgw]

Sry..just testing. Cant get my topic to work..(cant get text in)

Edit: This worked. Anyone can tell me what im doing wrong?

Topic: Help to find receiver and subwoofer.

 

[Frank Harvey]

You'll find that even moving the microphone back or forth an inch can give you quite different results, particularly to the crossover point of the speakers the nearer the mic is to a rear wall. Sometimes its a case of trial and error to get the sound you want, but don't try and "manufacture" an end result - Audyssey should be compensating for your listening position, not a point half a foot to your left because it gives a better response.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Hi Rickydeg Thanks for the feedback I will try moving the a40 forwards tomorrow I am looking to find somthing to put under it to tilt it upwards I might get couple of those auralex speakerdudes

I would also recommend the same, which was going to be my first reply until I saw Rickydeg's response. If for any reason you can't pull the centre forward and flush with what it is sitting on, consider draping some material over the top of the furniture to cut down on high frequency reflections. That still won't be perfect, but better than nothing.

 

[atkins4725]

Apologies for jumping on the thread but just a quick question regarding Audyssey setup......

Should i be moving my sofa out of the way when doing the auto setup and place the microphone on a stand exactly where I would be sitting or is it ok to put it just in front of my seat???

 

[RickyDeg]

atkins4725 :wave:

You should not move or change ANYTHING in the room before doing the measurements, nothing that you would then place back into it afterwards anyways. Everything that is present in the room will have an effect on the result, and since you'll be using the sofa while enjoying your system it needs to be part of the measurements. So basically use a flexible tripod of some kind. Everything that you intend to have in your room while listening to your system should be left alone. The same goes for when you get a new piece of furniture or rearrange something in your room - you should re-do the calibration if so. I posted this video a couple days ago, but here it is again, for some tips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okyNlhJ3Hvo

 

[MMW]

Hey MMW! :wave:

Hope all is well. Getting different results by how you place the mic always seem to happen with Audyssey. Some outside factors may affect the result also. You are not alone on this. I basically follow this video and mic placement recommendations, Very good advice in here. I keep the mic close to the main sweet spot every time I measure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okyNlhJ3Hvo

Thanks RickyDeg! Much appreciated! :cheers:

 

[gosalh]

Hi all,

Just a quick one, i watched Life of Pi on bluray over the weekend. Definetly one for Apex owners to show off their speaker systems. I'll be adding this to my reference collection. Sound was amazing!! Especially the storm scenes and when Pi lands on the island with the meerkats. Filled the entire whole room.

I also switched from Audyssey DSX to Dolby Pro Logic IIz for my heights. I think it sounds much better to be honest. I ramped up the pro logic height gain from the Denon from "standard" to "high" to make the height speakers sing more via pro logic IIz, and i have to say i prefer it to DSX now. The Audyssey DSX seems to overly space everything out and you lose clarity on the center speaker. Plus the bass sounds really played down. Still with DSX enabled the system still sounded awesome. But I fell upon the height gain setting by accident over the weekend and tried it for the first time and it definetly livened up the standard pro logic IIz setup. So the sound and entire system just got a step up in my opinion. Center speaker has much more focus and clarity than before and the overall sound seems sharper but with some warmth to it and the bass sounds even more AWESOME!!. Definetly worth experimenting with if anyone runs height speakers.

Cheers

 

[gosalh]

Also to add the final touch to a movie experience for you hardcore home theater hobbyists http://www.amazon.co.uk/Butterkist-Cinema-Sweet-Popcorn-Pack/dp/B005AWBDEA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367925837&sr=8-1&keywords=butterkist+sweet+popcorn

Tastes just like the popcorn they sell at Cinemas.

 

[AK1]

Hi, new to the forum. Been looking at the apex range but wondered if there is a replacement to these speakers anytime in the near future? I know they have been out since 2010. What is the usual life cycle of MA speakers?

Thanks

 

[stylee]

I bought my Apex set up last year and was told replacements are two years away at least. The speakers are holding up well against the competition so who knows.

 

[stylee]

Speaking of which my speakers have been getting a rest due to a new baby in the house. I went to use them today and the sub won't power up, I have a red power light at the back but the blue led's don't light up. I've checked the cables and ran the set up again with no luck. Anyone have any ideas before I send it back for waranty?

 

[buzz_lightclick]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a new updated range of the Apex released, maybe next year. Shops like Sevenoaks seem to have been getting rid of their display/demo Apex speakers recently, perhaps indicating a refresh is imminent.

 

[Julian_b]

Hi Gosalh
Just waiting for my copy of Life of Pi to arrive - looking forward to hearing it on the Apex and a screen bigger than on a flight too!! Don't have the 7.2 you have but am pretty sure I'm going to enjoy it anyway with my 5.1
Been spending more time of late on the stereo side of things....must say thank you to you actually as you led me to Monitor Audio through this thread on the wonderful Apex, which then through visits to my dealer here in Singapore then led me to the GX300 speakers - which I also absolutely love!!!
May have to move in approx a year's time so could be greeted with all sorts of challenges if I have to put the two systems together in the same room. In the meantime I'll just enjoy them both separately.

Thanks again...and to all the regular contributors across the thread! Here's to the Apex!

 

[KeithT]

Indeed, I've had a look but it impossible to buy a complete (sh/exdem) system from one shop and looking to try and compile it from different shops there's always one component that's a different finish!

 

[quantumuk]

I bought my Apex set up last year and was told replacements are two years away at least. The speakers are holding up well against the competition so who knows.

Generally Monitor Audio ranges have a 5 year life cycle.

 

[RickyDeg]

So, fellow Apex-owners, I have something sad to report about my home theater

One of my AW-12 subwoofers have suddenly ceased emitting sound :O

The other day bass frequencies seemed diminished in the middle of playing music (at sensible listening levels, as always). I checked my front corner subwoofer and all the LED's where shining as they should, cables were still correctly connected, my receiver was working without problem. The AW-12 is indeed receiving a signal because it switches itself on (from 'Auto'-mode) as signals are being transmitted from the receiver, BUT the cone of the subwoofer is not moving - no sound is being emitted. Dead silent. Very awkward, and very unexpected. So today I had to pack it up, ship it to my dealer for check-up. From a unit that's barely 2 years old this sucks. My corner is empty and my home theater is unhappy. Lucky my second AW-12 is still working (so far).

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi RickyDeg

Sorry to hear this. I am sure that your dealer will move quickly to resolve the issue asap.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Julian_b]

That's really bad luck Ricky Deg - hopefully MA will take pity on you and fix it for free too - two years is no doubt out of warranty but you expect far better from a quality range like the Apex. Good luck!

 

[buzz_lightclick]

Hmm I was thinking of buying an AW-12 this week as well, and swapping out my PV1D so my system is all Apex, but Ricky you have just put me off!