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Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surrounds
#42444 04/21/04 12:27 PM
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Hey guys..

Well everything is placed and switched out but have a problem I need addressing..

I originally purchased an Onkyo HTS-760 HTIB last November. Once I got my new Axioms in (M60's,VP150 and QS8's) I went back to my 3 year old Onkyo TX-DS747 5.1 receiver since I was going to sell the HTIB just like I bought it.

Here are the output specs on the older Onkyo:

Front/Center 80 watts/per channel and Surrounds 40 watts/channel

My concern before I bought the Axioms was that the old Onkyo's surround output was not going to be enough to drive the rears. I think I was right.

With the volume at 13db under reference (this is approx. the level I watch a DVD) I am getting a audible "hiss" coming from both of the QS8's during quiet scenes. I can hear it sitting in my normal listening area about 10 feet away.

The Onkyo states on the back a 6 ohm minimum speaker so I don't think that's the problem.

My question is in your opinion is the hiss coming from not having enough power supplied to the rears?

Looks like I may have to get a newer Onkyo unit with more wattage for the rears..

Thanks for any info you can supply regarding this..

Loving my Axioms so far though!

Rick



Re: Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surro
#42445 04/21/04 03:05 PM
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Rick, i doubt power is a problem here. It certainly has nothing to do with "dirty power" like was suggested by sutter over at the Spot. That is all marketing jargon reiterated.
When you balanced your speakers for SPL, were the surround signals jacked up at all?
How far away are the speaker runs and what gauge cable are you using?
Have you tried swapping out for your other receiver unit to see if that also produces the sound?
Have tried different cds, dvds?
Hopefully someone else can chime in. I'm short on time today.


"Those who preach the myths of audio are ignorant of truth."
Re: Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surrounds
#42446 04/21/04 03:06 PM
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Someone posted a link here not too long ago where refurbed Onkyo 2 channel receivers were sold at $99 each. I believe they were 100 wpc (model 211???). Would certainly be a cheap remedy (assuming your connections and settings are currently correct and the problem is your receiver's lack of power).
BTW, how long are the wires running to your surrounds and what gauge is that wire?

Re: Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surro
#42447 04/21/04 03:34 PM
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Chesseroo,

I am glad to hear you don't think it's a power problem. I really can't afford a new receiver right now.
I am at work right now so I can't remember the exact numbers regarding what level adjustment I had to do on the surrounds when calibrating but will check once I get home and report in.

The Onkyo receiver that came with the HTIB setup is listed as 100 watts/channel but states a minimum of 8 ohm speakers so I was was afraid to even try it since the VP150 and QS8's are 6 ohms. I don't really understand the ohm thing enough so I wasn't going to chance it.

I am using 12 gauge wire for all my hookups. Wiring is screwed under the post connections on both ends - no banana plugs yet but am considering it for ease of connecting/disconnecting. The run to the left surround is 30 feet and the run to the right one is 50 feet.

It was late last night when I got everything finally connected and didn't have a lot of time to try other sources or discs. I will do that later tonight.

Thanks guys and will report back tonight with further info..

Rick

Last edited by RickCathey; 04/21/04 03:36 PM.
Re: Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surro
#42448 04/21/04 03:39 PM
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It could be a ground loop problem. Try using a "cheater plug" on your receiver's power cord.


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
Re: Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surro
#42449 04/21/04 03:52 PM
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Wouldn't a ground-loop problem cause a hum? And wouldn't it be coming from all his speakers - not just the surrounds?

Rick, I'd try that other receiver in there, too.

Re: Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surro
#42450 04/21/04 06:25 PM
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Hiss and not hum? I've got a B&K Ref 31 - a nice preamp - and I have a low hiss that you can only hear when you move up close to the speaker. Some of what you are hearing may be the noise floor of the Onkyo receiver - although hearing it from 10 feet away is not right.

I read recently that "hum" is a ground loop situation where "hiss" is an EMI/RFI problem. Do you have a power cable running parallel to your surround speaker wire at any point? Someone else may want to chime in as to the causes and solutions of EMI/RFI in a system. Like I said, some of what you're hearing is noise floor, and some of it is the inherent nature of the rats nest of audio interconnects, speaker cable and power cable running behind your system.

Re: Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surro
#42451 04/21/04 06:44 PM
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Hi Rick and all,

Ground loops produce low-frequency hum at 60 Hz or 120 Hz. Hiss sounds like pink noise at low levels. I think you may have a level adjustment problem with the surrounds, although I should point out that on older surround receivers, many manufacturers used to use lower-quality amps for the surround channels as a cost-cutting measure. Some of those could be noisy. This was true in the early days of analog Pro Logic receivers, before Dolby Digital 5.1 became a standard. It has nothing to do with the impedance of the speakers.

In a well designed preamp/amp, thermal transistor noise (hiss) should not be audible unless the volume control is set very high and you are standing fairly close to the speakers.

Preamps with extra stages of amplfication (magnetic phono, or moving-coil phono) may have audible background hiss at normal listening levels if it's a cheaply designed phono stage.

Regards,


Alan Lofft,
Axiom Resident Expert (Retired)
Re: Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surrounds
#42452 04/21/04 07:06 PM
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Is your receiver a Dolby Pro Logic or PLII? I had the same problem with my 1991 Vintage Technics SA-G710. The surround channels were actually 60W instead of the 130W/C for the mains. I noticed that the sound quality in the surround channels was not the same as the mains and there was hiss when no input source was selected. In contrast, I could turn the volume all the way up and hear nothing but silence from the mains.

Sean


Exaudio ergo cogito ergo sum
Re: Axioms in Place - Question About Hiss in Surro
#42453 04/22/04 04:38 AM
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mwc Offline
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In reply to:

Wouldn't a ground-loop problem cause a hum?


Hiss, hum, some of the speakers, all of the speakers....whatever. I don't know and frankly wouldn't care as long as it fixed the problem. The point is that it couldn't hurt to try. If it works it would be a cheap fix and if it doesn't work he is only out the 59 cents it cost to try.


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
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