 Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 13
frequent flier
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OP
frequent flier
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 13 |
Yes, a SPL meter is a must-have for dialing in speaker and subwoofer levels.
Audyssey does an excellent job of bass management, which I need to even out bass response at spots other than the primary listening one.
I would love to have an A-1400 once the QA issues and Audyssey problems are worked out.
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Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 853
aficionado
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aficionado
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 853 |
It's just that that specific channel was much quieter than the other 7. No matter what output from the processor was feeding it, its volume was lower. It was a very drastic difference. That channel had to be adjusted to +11 or so in the processor while all of the other channels were around -7 or -8 to get the same SPL. I gather that was a problem in a few of the early amps. My early lab amp also developed that issue. It was caused by a defective relay switch in one of the channels which was easily fixed by substituting a properly functioning new switch. Subsequent batches of relays are fine. The Audessey incompatibility is another matter. From what I understand the problem is caused by the way the Audessey software keeps raising gain to test frequency response. If the preamp volume is set too high to start with, the DSP in the a-1400 triggers a safety shutdown to keep the amp from allocating excessive voltage. It doesn't appear to be a problem with auto-equalization programs other than Audessey. A simple solution would be to run Audessey at a lower volume say 65db instead of 75db. There should be an addendum in the manual regarding Audessey.
John
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Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,005
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,005 |
So Jakeman, you are saying that my Yamaha auto setup would not have caused my problems. Just to clarify. It doesn't use audessey.
Mel N.
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Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,387 Likes: 8
President connoisseur
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President connoisseur
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,387 Likes: 8 |
It is funny how these things get started some times. The official statement is that the A1400 does not care what you use for an auto EQ. I think this may have gotten confused with a comment I made to a customer once about the dangers of reducing sound quality by using EQ devices in general. This customer did complain that his A1400 shut down during the set up process with his Audyssey. We brought that amp back to the lab and the 2 main fuses were blown. We changed the fuses and Tom played that amp in his system for awhile and now it has been running the music in the factory ever since. We don’t know what caused the main fuses to blow but it would not be related to the Audyssey. We asked around and found no other people who had any issue with using Audyssey or any other EQ device on the A1400.
Ian Colquhoun
President & Chief Engineer
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Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,877
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,877 |
there you have it folks, an official statement from an official person
-David
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Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,077 Likes: 7
Founder, Axiom Upgrade Club shareholder in the making
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Founder, Axiom Upgrade Club shareholder in the making
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,077 Likes: 7 |
I suppose that's almost official enough. 
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Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,005
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,005 |
I wonder what happened to stuntGibbons A-1400
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Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 374
devotee
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devotee
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 374 |
I wonder what happened to stuntGibbons A-1400 I can assure you it wasn't Audyssey. 
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Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 280
local
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local
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 280 |
It is funny how these things get started some times. The official statement is that the A1400 does not care what you use for an auto EQ. I think this may have gotten confused with a comment I made to a customer once about the dangers of reducing sound quality by using EQ devices in general. This customer did complain that his A1400 shut down during the set up process with his Audyssey. We brought that amp back to the lab and the 2 main fuses were blown. We changed the fuses and Tom played that amp in his system for awhile and now it has been running the music in the factory ever since. We don’t know what caused the main fuses to blow but it would not be related to the Audyssey. We asked around and found no other people who had any issue with using Audyssey or any other EQ device on the A1400.
Thank you very much, Ian, for the reassurance that the A1400-8 should not have any issues with Audyssey (famous last words before ihifi rings Axiom Service next day with a non-functioning amp :)) As I mentioned I never used Audyssey and have no plans to do so. In fact, after watching your video on the use of multiple subs and how they improve FR across the whole listening area, I bought myself another EP-500. The FR is indeed much improved as seen by the curve on my SMS-1. It is very reassuring, nevertheless, that the amp will be ok if any room EQ is applied. Thanks again for your input. John
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Re: A1400-8 Questions
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 853
aficionado
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aficionado
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 853 |
I've never been satisfied with Audessey or any auto-equalization so I always suggest the manual approach. But if someone does insist on using Audessey as a precaution when using a high powered amp it would be worthwhile to start at a lower volume. Audessey is an overhyped fix-all product IMO. To the extent there is any problem its in the Audessey implementation and not in the A-1400. This comment last March by Alan and Tom explains what might be happening as a result of how the Audessey increases volume from the preamp above and beyond common amp thresholds. Hello all,
I just chatted with Tom Cumberland at Axiom about the issues with running Audyssey and the A1400-8, and here, slightly modified, is his explanation of what is happening, which confirms my own gut suspicions about what is occurring:
"The way Audyssey sets up the system is to increase the volume level to the amp until it ‘hears’ something. With an amp as powerful as the A-1400, this is a very dangerous approach. If the amp ‘sees’ more than 2.0 VRMS on the input (1.5VRMS is the standard for full power output of the A1400-8), it will more than likely do some damage somewhere. We believe that if the customer uses the manual setup to adjust the levels, he is unlikely to do any damage to either his speakers or the amplifier. The A-1400 is designed to follow the standard with a 1.5VRMS input producing full power output, and 1.7VRMS input as the clipping point. As you can see by the numbers, a little bit more input to the A1400 translates to a really big change in the amplifier's output. This is true for all very high powered amplifiers, ours included."
Regards,
Alan
John
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