Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions AV receivers for music?

No, I haven't heard the speakers with just a 2-channel amp. At least not in my living room. Perhaps the room is too big? It's 20 by 30 feet with tiled floors. I have the speakers toed in and sit 10-12 feet away. The weird thing is, sometimes the bass is satisfying, and on other recordings it seems way too weak. All with the same settings on the AVR, and all professional recordings (beck, dave matthews, d'angelo, etc.)

I should also say that I haven't cranked the avr up totally. That's because the with the lack of bass, the highs just get too overbearing when I turn it up too much.

Sounds like it's more of an issue with the speakers and the recordings!

SOunds like it is just the music and recordings

maybe, but I've read that a powerful 2-channel amp can really make the speakers sing, so I'm on the lookout for one. Probably used first, just to see the difference it makes.

Anyone ever use a NAD 3020? I can probably get one used on ebay for pretty cheap, and I've read only good things about them.

If the recorded material includes vocals, the speakers will "sing"; the amplification has nothing to do with it.

Maybe a stereo shop would allow you to demo one for a weekend just to see if it makes any difference. I know of one here in town that does this sort of thing, pick up the component late Saturday and return it Monday morning.

dmbartender, what speakers are you using?

Edit: N/M, B&W 603's. Nice speakers, BTW. I've heard 603's before, while demoing before my M60/80 purchase. I wouldn't have described them as bright. If anything, they were a bit on the "warm" side. Pleasant though. Their range is 44Hz–22kHz, ±3dB, so they certainly should be (and are, from my experience) able to produce decent bass. And they're 8-ohm speakers, so they should be easy for just about any AVR or amp to drive.

You could certainly *try* a dedicated amp with them and see if it makes any difference. Some say amps matter, others say they don't. The only way to know is to try it out for yourself. Borrowing one from a local shop would be ideal, but I doubt many would do that unless you have a good relationship with them already. If you buy one new online, most online-only retailers (Emotiva, Outlaw, Axiom, Amazon, etc) have full return policies if it doesn't work out.

Another option would be to just get a new/better receiver. That would give you new and potentially worthwhile features and a more powerful amplification section. Might be more fun/useful than just slapping an amp in the system.

But do check your receiver's settings. Check crossovers, connections, and sound modes. Make sure you don't have something "weird" somehow set up so that on 2-channel music it's not using the sub when it should be, or some such thing.

Could be. But the VSX-918V-K (rated slightly higher, at 120wpc, than this -915) hits 1.0% distortion (not 0.1%) into 8 ohms at 36.7 watts. Now I know all amps are the same, and all that, but come on, if the amp is making 1% distortion at 36 watts (like its big brother) then you can't assume the amp is capable of good sound. Given his issue is bass notes, I'd think a does of clean power would help provide those peaks he is missing as his amp goes into progressively greater distortion as he demands more bass.
As Peter says, a new AVR would be the more practical approach.

Interesting arguments...is 0.1% distortion average? My amp at 1% would be pretty disappointing in that case, at least as far as this characteristic is concerned.

Has anyone had any experience with a marantz 4002 or 4003? I've read many reviews that marantz are great for music. Unfortunately, I can't test any avr or amp without buying one first.

1% is considered the point at which we can start to hear distortion, so a receiver that can produce it's ratings at less than 1% is better than one that is rated at 1% for its given power spec.