Is it possible that a pair of speakers might sound different after sitting completely idle for over a year? I have a pair of long-idle floorstanders that I hooked back up for fun recently, and they sound even more mediocre than I remembered. Just wondering if there could be any truth to that.
Long-idle speakers sound different?
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I believe they do change but im not sure how detectable it would be. It may be that you have become more experienced or picky so they just sound worse to you. This was the case for me. I had an older jbl center speaker that i used to think was awesome but i bought a new Paradigm monitor system to replace the one i had. About a month ago i hooked it up to see if it was still good and was surprised how bad it sounded. It sounded like someone was hollering into a box.
Depending on what the material is, yes it can make a difference.
My hearing keeps getting worse as I age ......
You can't compare the speakers unless the surroundings and placement are identical to a year ago.
You can't compare the speakers unless the surroundings and placement are identical to a year ago.
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
You can't compare the speakers unless the surroundings and placement are identical to a year ago.
this. i had my JBL's refoamed and if anything they sound better now. of course i know a bit more about positioning so i'm sure i wasnt getting the most out of them before
You can't compare the speakers unless the surroundings and placement are identical to a year ago.
this. i had my JBL's refoamed and if anything they sound better now. of course i know a bit more about positioning so i'm sure i wasnt getting the most out of them before
Originally Posted By: jstutz
I believe they do change but im not sure how detectable it would be. It may be that you have become more experienced or picky so they just sound worse to you. This was the case for me. I had an older jbl center speaker that i used to think was awesome but i bought a new Paradigm monitor system to replace the one i had. About a month ago i hooked it up to see if it was still good and was surprised how bad it sounded. It sounded like someone was hollering into a box.
I'm sure it's the case with me as well, at least to some extent. I've been auditioning speakers for my father-in-law's home theater, and we ended up putting together a 5.1 system with B&W speakers. Now my old floorstanders sound like garbage to me. I was just hoping some of it was the speakers themselves, since such a drastic change in my preferences would make me pretty annoyed with everything I own and most things I could afford.
I think I'll just play them while I'm not around and see if they open up. Hope they at least end up sounding inoffensive...
I believe they do change but im not sure how detectable it would be. It may be that you have become more experienced or picky so they just sound worse to you. This was the case for me. I had an older jbl center speaker that i used to think was awesome but i bought a new Paradigm monitor system to replace the one i had. About a month ago i hooked it up to see if it was still good and was surprised how bad it sounded. It sounded like someone was hollering into a box.
I'm sure it's the case with me as well, at least to some extent. I've been auditioning speakers for my father-in-law's home theater, and we ended up putting together a 5.1 system with B&W speakers. Now my old floorstanders sound like garbage to me. I was just hoping some of it was the speakers themselves, since such a drastic change in my preferences would make me pretty annoyed with everything I own and most things I could afford.
I think I'll just play them while I'm not around and see if they open up. Hope they at least end up sounding inoffensive...
3 things of notice here:
(1) hearing deterioration maybe at play?
(2) the motor part of the speaker may become stiff due go material aging/deterioration (such as speaker spiders and foam/rubber surrounds), which requires significant warming up before it can sound better.
(3) amps, etc. may be sitting cold (not in operation ) for some time? Again, need warming up before it can sound better.
Q.
(1) hearing deterioration maybe at play?
(2) the motor part of the speaker may become stiff due go material aging/deterioration (such as speaker spiders and foam/rubber surrounds), which requires significant warming up before it can sound better.
(3) amps, etc. may be sitting cold (not in operation ) for some time? Again, need warming up before it can sound better.
Q.
Originally Posted By: Quest
(1) hearing deterioration maybe at play?
Doubtful.
Originally Posted By: Quest
(2) the motor part of the speaker may become stiff due go material aging/deterioration (such as speaker spiders and foam/rubber surrounds), which requires significant warming up before it can sound better.
This is along the lines of what I was hoping.
Originally Posted By: Quest
(3) amps, etc. may be sitting cold (not in operation ) for some time? Again, need warming up before it can sound better.
Also possible. The amp I'm using was idle for quite a while as well.
(1) hearing deterioration maybe at play?
Doubtful.
Originally Posted By: Quest
(2) the motor part of the speaker may become stiff due go material aging/deterioration (such as speaker spiders and foam/rubber surrounds), which requires significant warming up before it can sound better.
This is along the lines of what I was hoping.
Originally Posted By: Quest
(3) amps, etc. may be sitting cold (not in operation ) for some time? Again, need warming up before it can sound better.
Also possible. The amp I'm using was idle for quite a while as well.
I'm thinking its just what you've been used to over the last while.
I used to have a pair of Cerwin Vega VS series loud speakers that I loved when I was younger. I then graduated to some Mission 765i tower speakers which I was not happy with at first. I decided to compare and finally came to the conclusion I had just been used to the CV's for so long, I was now actually hearing mids like I never had before. And the lows were so precise, instead of the boomy style of the CV's. I have since then obviously learned to love the sound of the Missions, but I did not like at first when comparing with the loudspeakers from before.
Anyways that's just my thought.
I used to have a pair of Cerwin Vega VS series loud speakers that I loved when I was younger. I then graduated to some Mission 765i tower speakers which I was not happy with at first. I decided to compare and finally came to the conclusion I had just been used to the CV's for so long, I was now actually hearing mids like I never had before. And the lows were so precise, instead of the boomy style of the CV's. I have since then obviously learned to love the sound of the Missions, but I did not like at first when comparing with the loudspeakers from before.
Anyways that's just my thought.
Ive been involved in High-end audio for years, especially actyive from the late 70's through the mid 90s. I'm with Quest on the motor stiffening up part. Also any electrolytic caps in the internal crossover will have to reform the dielectric. Also when you drag speaker wire over carpeting in the winter it can put a multi-thousand volt bias on the dielectric and who knows what (nasty) effect that has on yopu amp output stage and loop feedback (not good!). Take you speaker cables and wash the jackets with a mild detergent solution (non-terpene) and keep then elevated off the floor. Do not stack components on top one another. Plug everything into one outlet - good luck keeping CD player clock and tracking noise out of the system
+1 to ARCO again!
yeah, I don't have those fancy sake cups to elevate my speaker cables off the carpet yet. But then again: w/ my 14mnth old constantly testing the waters by yanking my cables to my Q35.2, I'd rather leave everything "as-is" for now.
I usually warm up my otherwise cold/storage amps with either (a) play some background music for 3+hrs before serious auditioning sessions (for SS amps, tubes, well, with blackgates on my 2A3SE amp, I'd need 3 to 4 days to build up that burning in before I can listen to it with satisfaction.
speakers, yeah, play some background music (or if you have an isolated/separate room that you can play louder, play some music with emphasis on low registers to give sufficient motor and suspension parts movement). Come back in 2 days time and see how it sounds.
Q.
yeah, I don't have those fancy sake cups to elevate my speaker cables off the carpet yet. But then again: w/ my 14mnth old constantly testing the waters by yanking my cables to my Q35.2, I'd rather leave everything "as-is" for now.
I usually warm up my otherwise cold/storage amps with either (a) play some background music for 3+hrs before serious auditioning sessions (for SS amps, tubes, well, with blackgates on my 2A3SE amp, I'd need 3 to 4 days to build up that burning in before I can listen to it with satisfaction.
speakers, yeah, play some background music (or if you have an isolated/separate room that you can play louder, play some music with emphasis on low registers to give sufficient motor and suspension parts movement). Come back in 2 days time and see how it sounds.
Q.
Quest - Are your's the Cary SETs? They power the Kef uniQ ok? I use my old 103.2 monitors for casual listening. Super stuff in the day, the timber doesnt get bleached out by these things.
- Sorry for the hijack ...
- Sorry for the hijack ...
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What make/model of speakers?
I think you just got accustomed to either better speakers or a better listening environment. Every time I go on a road trip, my car stereo initially sounds horrible, as it should. But I get used to it within a few songs and it's tolerable.
I think you just got accustomed to either better speakers or a better listening environment. Every time I go on a road trip, my car stereo initially sounds horrible, as it should. But I get used to it within a few songs and it's tolerable.
Thanks for the replies, everyone.
The speakers are Yamaha NS-8390s. I ran them off a PA amplifier from QSC. Barely worth mentioning. I was never under the illusion that they were in any way comparable to the stuff I've been auditioning.
The thing is that I remember them sounding inoffensive, like my car's (almost completely stock) audio system: clearly low-end, but at least listenable and not obnoxious. That's what I felt I was missing when I fired them up. I fully expected unnatural and muddy sound, but it was also tinny and harsh in a way that I don't remember ever having heard.
The speakers are Yamaha NS-8390s. I ran them off a PA amplifier from QSC. Barely worth mentioning. I was never under the illusion that they were in any way comparable to the stuff I've been auditioning.
The thing is that I remember them sounding inoffensive, like my car's (almost completely stock) audio system: clearly low-end, but at least listenable and not obnoxious. That's what I felt I was missing when I fired them up. I fully expected unnatural and muddy sound, but it was also tinny and harsh in a way that I don't remember ever having heard.
That happens anytime you 'accidentally' hear another speaker or system that is better than what you have. You're not suppose to audition anything above what you have and expect to be happy!!!
If you're lucky, using the speakers will break themselves back in, within a few hours. Or, you'll slowly re-adjust to their sound.
Humidity and temperature variances, in storage or while not in use, can affect the speaker depending on what material they were manufactured with.
And, don't forget oxidation of the connectors... a little deoxit goes a long way with rca and wire connections.
If you're lucky, using the speakers will break themselves back in, within a few hours. Or, you'll slowly re-adjust to their sound.
Humidity and temperature variances, in storage or while not in use, can affect the speaker depending on what material they were manufactured with.
And, don't forget oxidation of the connectors... a little deoxit goes a long way with rca and wire connections.
Tinny and harsh is how I would describe any Yamaha(Japanese) speaker that I've ever heard.
When I think of good sounding speakers I think U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, and Italy. Never Japan.
Ed
When I think of good sounding speakers I think U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, and Italy. Never Japan.
Ed
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Originally Posted By: edhackett
Tinny and harsh is how I would describe any Yamaha(Japanese) speaker that I've ever heard.
When I think of good sounding speakers I think U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, and Italy. Never Japan.
Ed
@Ed,
Just because you've never heard some serious audiophile class/quality Japanese made speaker systems doesn't mean that they don't have them (or be subjective about it).
Yamaha, for 1, does have a few serious audiophile quality speakers, citing NS-1000 (no longer made, 3-way with Baryllium 1/2 dome tweeter, etc. is one of the best in this world: so good that many world class studio engineers (esp. Germany, some Japan, etc.) are keeping them for mastering reference speakers). As far as sonics concerned (subjective observations based on my decades of listening), they are clear and precise, rival to that of the Bowers and Wilkins Nautilus 805 reference in most respect (but I don't like B&W kevlar drivers, mind you though). Just like Celestion SL-600: these Yamaha NS-1000 requires very careful matching to the source (amps, etc.) or otherwise, you get what you feed into the speakers, period.
How about Mitsubishi Diatone? Pioneer TAD series, Sony (has some made-to-order-only serious wooden horn and studio grade woofer drivers that sells for thousands of USD each driver unit). How about Onkyo Grand Integra horn speakers in the late 80s? (flagship speakers)?
Just because they don't pay attention to the NA audiophile market doesn't mean that they are not capable.
My take on this subject... (I did travel as far as outskirts of Akihabara district to audition speakers several years ago).
Q.
@ ARCO: I make my own custom design 2A3SE amp (direct-coupled, CCC'ed, in memory of a famed designer (ex-NASA engineer) in the states nicknamed "bu-ddha").
Sorry, my personal website is lost due to my most recent house move, which I also changed ISP during the process.
Will get back to you ARCO after the dust settles.
Tinny and harsh is how I would describe any Yamaha(Japanese) speaker that I've ever heard.
When I think of good sounding speakers I think U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, and Italy. Never Japan.
Ed
@Ed,
Just because you've never heard some serious audiophile class/quality Japanese made speaker systems doesn't mean that they don't have them (or be subjective about it).
Yamaha, for 1, does have a few serious audiophile quality speakers, citing NS-1000 (no longer made, 3-way with Baryllium 1/2 dome tweeter, etc. is one of the best in this world: so good that many world class studio engineers (esp. Germany, some Japan, etc.) are keeping them for mastering reference speakers). As far as sonics concerned (subjective observations based on my decades of listening), they are clear and precise, rival to that of the Bowers and Wilkins Nautilus 805 reference in most respect (but I don't like B&W kevlar drivers, mind you though). Just like Celestion SL-600: these Yamaha NS-1000 requires very careful matching to the source (amps, etc.) or otherwise, you get what you feed into the speakers, period.
How about Mitsubishi Diatone? Pioneer TAD series, Sony (has some made-to-order-only serious wooden horn and studio grade woofer drivers that sells for thousands of USD each driver unit). How about Onkyo Grand Integra horn speakers in the late 80s? (flagship speakers)?
Just because they don't pay attention to the NA audiophile market doesn't mean that they are not capable.
My take on this subject... (I did travel as far as outskirts of Akihabara district to audition speakers several years ago).
Q.
@ ARCO: I make my own custom design 2A3SE amp (direct-coupled, CCC'ed, in memory of a famed designer (ex-NASA engineer) in the states nicknamed "bu-ddha").
Sorry, my personal website is lost due to my most recent house move, which I also changed ISP during the process.
Will get back to you ARCO after the dust settles.
@ARCO (*sorry for hijacking again*)
Funny that my old profile is still on AA section (haven't updated since approx. 2004)
http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/112.html
Q.
Funny that my old profile is still on AA section (haven't updated since approx. 2004)
http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/112.html
Q.
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