How to get more clarity and punch in vocals in HT setup?

[Reds4ever]

Hi,

I have an Onkyo 304E amp and Jamo 406 5.0 HCS speaker setup connected to a ps3. Not the best amp/speaker setup, I know, but am currently not in a position to upgrade.

While music sounds good (i'm no audiophile) and sound effects are in general good, the speech/voices aren't as loud and clear as I'd like. Although boosting the center speaker helps, it's not enough. The source of the audio are downloaded divx/xvid files played on a ps3. Vocals on DVDs aren't very impressive either.

I'd uploaded a rough sketch of my current audio setup (positioning) as an attachment here.

Would be grateful for any suggestions on improving the volume and clarity of the vocals.

Thanks.

 

[unleash_me]

Dint see a sub listed. If you don't have already, get one like the SW150.
Choose the rest of the speakers to 'small' and from the bass management menu, route frequencies below 150Hz to the sub.

Cheers.

 

[Reds4ever]

Dint see a sub listed. If you don't have already, get one like the SW150.
Choose the rest of the speakers to 'small' and from the bass management menu, route frequencies below 150Hz to the sub.

Cheers.

Thanks, unleash_me.

I don't have a sub at the moment and am not sure I'll be able to spend money on a sub right now. BTW, how much would the SW150 cost?

Any other suggestions on what tweaks could be applied with the current setup? Anyone with an Onkyo 304E amp on recommended settings for good vocals in movies?

 

[spirovious]

304 is good amp(mine 330) If you use good spk cables,keep path short,use good source,you shld get good sound(with vocals)Only Bass/punch can be minimal.
If you add Sub,you can get better overall sound(not as best as steeo amp)

 

[Reds4ever]

304 is good amp(mine 330) If you use good spk cables,keep path short,use good source,you shld get good sound(with vocals)Only Bass/punch can be minimal.
If you add Sub,you can get better overall sound(not as best as steeo amp)

Thanks, spirovious. I'm using DAC STK 14 for the fronts and center and DAC STK 16 for the surrounds. The cable lengths to the fronts and center are less than 6 feet. I doubt if the cables are the culprit.

What settings on your 330 amp do you use for
- movies encoded with 2 channel input
- 5.1 DVDs

Thanks again.

 

[marsilians]

I cant speak to downloaded files but for DVDs, the voice should be pretty clear (even on some pirated ones that I saw at friends places). Couple things you can try:

1. Move the centre speaker outside the cabinet to see if it makes a diff.
2. Adjust the sound using a SPL meter (borrow from someone in the area) or via the receiver if it provides that option. This should typically adjust the sound levels. If you still find it feeble, then you could boost the centre channel separately.

 

[Reds4ever]

I cant speak to downloaded files but for DVDs, the voice should be pretty clear (even on some pirated ones that I saw at friends places). Couple things you can try:

1. Move the centre speaker outside the cabinet to see if it makes a diff.
2. Adjust the sound using a SPL meter (borrow from someone in the area) or via the receiver if it provides that option. This should typically adjust the sound levels. If you still find it feeble, then you could boost the centre channel separately.

Thanks, marsilians. Will try moving the center speaker outside the cabinet to see if it significantly improves the vocals. Not sure if i'll be able get an SPL meter, though, but will try. The receiver, as far as i know, doesn't provide that option.

 

[spirovious]

Thanks, spirovious. I'm using DAC STK 14 for the fronts and center and DAC STK 16 for the surrounds. The cable lengths to the fronts and center are less than 6 feet. I doubt if the cables are the culprit.

What settings on your 330 amp do you use for
- movies encoded with 2 channel input
- 5.1 DVDs

Thanks again.

I tried 15awg OFC cables from loose Taiwan 70/m,but they lacked good vocals.
Now I am using loose 16awg loose tin coated unbranded non OFC cables which is giving good vocals,crisp treble(25/m).

So changing cable can work.DAC are good,but with HT system we may need bright sounding cables.

For music,I use CD,Wav,Wma ,few MP3 played from HTPC (xonar) which sounds decent with direct mode on AVR.
Movie with DD or Dts.

2ch movies with prologic OR other depend on SQ of mov.

http://www.hifivision.com/my-audio-video-setup/1167-showcase-your-audio-video-setup-here-14.html

 

[Reds4ever]

Thanks, marsilians. Will try moving the center speaker outside the cabinet to see if it significantly improves the vocals. Not sure if i'll be able get an SPL meter, though, but will try. The receiver, as far as i know, doesn't provide that option.

Moved the center speaker to the top of the TV (yes, still with a CRT).. has improved the loudness of the vocals to an extent..

played around with the settings on the amp and ps3 for a good 1 hr yesterday but without much improvement.. can't seem to find a way of improving the quality if the source isn't good..

 

[unleash_me]

.. can't seem to find a way of improving the quality if the source isn't good..

 

[Reds4ever]

not very helpful, but thanks..

what i meant was i'm still trying to figure out how to get the best out of the system when watching divx files encoded with low bitrate mp3 audio.. i do understand that a poor source seriously limits the potential of the system.. i just want to find out if the vocals in such cases can be enhanced more in some way to make them more understandable..

 

[cybervinay]

Try using DFX for your media player
You can get the trial version from below link

DFX Audio Enhancer - Free Download

--Vinay Arora