My Marantz PM 6005 and Sonodyne 2605 story

[sound_cycle]

Hi,

The story starts here .

Basically I wanted a decent system within a budget that quickly went up. I got a Sonodyne 2605 on their discounted price in January and opted to pair it with a Marantz PM 6005 - it had a DAC being the deciding factor (also the fact that the NAD dealer in Bangalore could not be bothered to send me a quote in response to my telephonic and email requests :argue: and therefore saved me money). I got the amp from hfm.

Having ordered it every day seemed like a year and I clicked on the track button on the Overnite Express (for the amp) and Gati (for the speakers) more times than is sane. Both got to me inside 4 days.

Eventually found the time to unpack and set up night before last

I was initially very underwhelmed. Almost disappointed.

It sounded horribly bright and as if all the amps energy was emanating from the tweeters alone.

Now was time for all the theory and gyan from reading hfv to come to the rescue.

When i woke up the next morning I realized that the speakers are very new and not burned in. Soln let it play overnight (the wife is out of town on work and the son did not object).

This morning I dragged furniture around and got them singing into the long side of the room (living room about 11 x 25).

Also turned off source direct, turned the treble down and the bass as far around as it would turn. And turned the loudness setting on.

And then realized i had a small baby hippo type problem.

My source is a WD TV live. Which is connected to my flatscreen TV via HDMI to let me view and choose tracks. Now the TV could not be moved (because of the settop box internal cabling)

So used my Sony CD player via optical as source.

It is much better now. Nowhere near what I want it to be but there is some bass now. And what is produced does not boom (which is good news ofc) .

Bohemian Rhapsody sounded okay, as did Dosti and Kandisa

Hopefully will open out and sound *much* better in the near future. Will update this thread as we go along

I need to be able to play my itunes stuff via the WDTV live. What are solutions ?

The obvious one - move the TV involves getting the antenna to set top box somehow under the floor and to a different wall - is a for the long term one, and cannot be easily realized.

I could attempt to stream from my pc but it sounds like a mixer grinder and is ruled out.

Are there any cheap options to add some sort of a display ? I don't want to do video, simply be able to choose tracks. Any other ideas ?

My other question : how long do the Sonodyne 2605 (with Peerless drivers I think) take to "burn in" "open up" ? Will see if sound stage and sound image and all that kind of desirable stuff happens with these speakers in my room after that

ciao
gr

 

[elangoas]

Relax buddy.... Give the speakers at-least 100 hrs to get optimal performance..

Use Digital connection on you amp for all your sources & it should sound good as this stereo amp has decent DAC inside....

If your TV has Optical Digital output, connect all your sources to TV thru HDMI & connect it to your Optical IN of your stereo amp...

It also depends on the source material.... If you play MP3 @ 320 Kbps, it should sound good... Anything less, it will be bad for sure...

Loss-less compressed/Uncompressed music is the best.

Try playing some FLAC, WAV from your WDTV player connected optically & let us know the performance....

 

[sound_cycle]

Give the speakers at-least 100 hrs to get optimal performance..
<snip>
Try playing some FLAC, WAV from your WDTV player connected optically & let us know the performance....

Thanks for your reply.

I have a rectangular room (10 x 25 ft). The TV is on a long wall.

After I moved the amp and speakers to play into the length of the room, I am unable to play from the WD TV live because - I cannot see the menus/ choose tracks etc :sad:

that problem remains to be solved. I found an autorun on startup in the wdtv lmanual - trying to get that to work to solve my lack of display issue

Also found this speaker positioning calculatior (from searching on hfv)

ciao
gr

 

[az2325]

Amps and speakers need some time to settle in. I was in the verge of breaking down when i first heard my denon-energy combo. Over the time it sounded sweet to me. May be because of my ears got adjusted or the speakers got opened up. I had the same impression when playing bose 301 speakers in the beginning. As another fm shared here, try playing hiquality tracs. Your opinion wouldnt be the same may be two months down the ine.
Happy listening and thanks for sharing your experience.
Regards.
Antony

 

[elangoas]

Thanks for your reply.

I have a rectangular room (10 x 25 ft). The TV is on a long wall.

After I moved the amp and speakers to play into the length of the room, I am unable to play from the WD TV live because - I cannot see the menus/ choose tracks etc :sad:

that problem remains to be solved. I found an autorun on startup in the wdtv lmanual - trying to get that to work to solve my lack of display issue

Also found this speaker positioning calculatior (from searching on hfv)

ciao
gr

No wories.... Use your CD player with the amp (Connected Digitally), play an original audio CD with amplifier set in PUre direct mode.... That is the best listening mode on the amplifier without any bass & treble adjustments...

 

[shibashis]

I might add that 'loudness' really should be set to 'off' for music listening. If you are having to turn it on for bass and punch then something is wrong. Having said that as everyone is suggesting and you yourself know very well that the speaker will have to be given time. I am a little surprised at how bright you are finding the Sonus, this line is definitely on the brighter side but not to the point where all the power seemingly is coming from the twitters.

 

[sound_cycle]

I might add that 'loudness' really should be set to 'off' for music listening. If you are having to turn it on for bass and punch then something is wrong

That's *ideally* is how it should be, and how I would like it

However with my best available sources ie from DVD player via optical out [OR] from flac created using EAC and played by WDTV live via optical out, the loudness ON bass turned up and treble turned down seems to be the only way to go. The only experiment to try is to see if the FiiO DAC I have makes a difference over the one in the PM 6005 (which to all accounts is superior)

I also tried figuring if I was doing something worng -

by cross checking that my wiring was hooked up correctly, and by trying to figure if there were any auudbible-to-me differences between the DVD and WDTV live.

I know that positioning them to sing into the long side of my room makes them sound somewhat better (it however does not reduce the brightness).

I have them about 2 feet from the back wall. And there is nothing between the speakers. Do they like being back against the wall or near a corner something ?

I also wonder if I am playing them at too low a volume - so I grabbed an app and my lumia said that my average listening volume was about 58 db. Is that adequated ?

Anything else I could try ?

By way of refining expectations: I was expecting strong punchy bass on say "Billie Jean" or "Smooth Operator" from my 2605 / 6005 combo. In your experience do the 2605s deliver that (with a 2 x 45 per channel amp) ?

May be because of my ears got adjusted or the speakers got opened up. I had the same impression when playing bose 301 speakers in the beginning. As another fm shared here, try playing hiquality tracs. Your opinion wouldnt be the same may be two months down the line

I am not too sure about the sound signature of the speakers improving over time any longer but hopefully my ears will (I posted that in another thread on burn in)

ciao
gr

EDIT : ADDED

from Tips to Combat Loudspeaker & System Brightness | Audioholics

Speakers placed in a room containing a lot of glass, mirrors, and tiled floors tends to overly emphasis and reinforce high frequencies as they continuously bounce off these reflective surfaces.
​

This is true and my living room is possibly "too lively" and I will try and do something about this - pictures, carpeting etc, and also cover the TV and comp screens.

And then there is something like this Amazon.com : Speaker L-Pad Attenuator 100W Mono 3/8" Shaft 8 Ohm : Audio Crossover L Pads : Electronics

 

[sound_cycle]

Hi,

In the "Anything else I could try ?" dept. moved the speakers further apart, and closer to the back wall

and this is the current arrangement

The SQ is vastly improved. It was a source direct only evening. I am sure there is um room for improvement but Eva, Roberta and Roger Waters assured me that there is hope yet.

The rubber wood table under the TV is not really necessary and is going to clear up the space between the speakers.

Did the PM 6005 RTFM bit today and realized that the speakers and the amp are bi-wireable. I would have to connect the mid and the high range terminals on the speakers to the L & R of the Speaker A outputs on the amp and the speaker low range terminals to the Speaker B outputs on the amp. The shorting bar on the speakers would come off.

DQ follows

I would then operate the amp by using both the Speaker A and B outputs ?

That seems to be the obvious thing to do ofc but I thought I'd check rather than risk a pop and a puff of smoke .... Will have to buy some speaker cable before that experiment can be tried out

ciao
gr who is feeling much better now

 

[shibashis]

I was wondering how your journey is going with the 6005 and Sonus, in fact I was thinking about it just this evening! Glad to know that SQ has vastly improved.
Now the DAC on the Marantz is a great addition and I understand that you paid your money and the DAC was part of the reason which made you part your bucks.
In spite of such mitigating circumstance give your Fiio a try and see if it helps you, it just might you know. The DAC on the 6005 is superior by all counts of course but, the one which will count is the one which works 'better' in your situation which is different to all other in the world. So give it a try and see how deep you can foray with it.

Your situation is giving me sleepless nights.hyeah:

 

[elangoas]

i have placed the Sonus 2605 very close to the wall as i dont have much space...

My room dimensions are 14 x 11.. I choose to keep it along the the 14ft wall (Width) as it would create more room for speakers

Here is how i have placed my speakers...

 

[sound_cycle]

Thanks Elangoas I had seen your thread in my pre-buying research. that, a PM from FM, this resource have all been implemented and experiment and tried out.

Sadly none of that yields any enhancement in bass quantity or quality :sad:

I have given up on them and my dream of getting to hear say Amit Kilam drums and Rahul Ram's bass synergize in my living room is now officially dead.

An anti climax to all the thought and reading and time and money spent over the past few months.

C'est la vie.

Back to work and normal programming.

ciao
gr

 

[elangoas]

Thanks Elangoas I had seen your thread in my pre-buying research. that, a PM from FM, this resource have all been implemented and experiment and tried out.

Sadly none of that yields any enhancement in bass quantity or quality :sad:

I have given up on them and my dream of getting to hear say Amit Kilam drums and Rahul Ram's bass synergize in my living room is now officially dead.

An anti climax to all the thought and reading and time and money spent over the past few months.

C'est la vie.

Back to work and normal programming.

ciao
gr

Dont worry buddy... Nothing is lost....Give it some more time & check how they are... If you are still not convinced, try adding your DAC inbetween & check how they perform after the burn-in is complete...

 

[sound_cycle]

Dont worry buddy... Nothing is lost....Give it some more time & check how they are... If you are still not convinced, try adding your DAC inbetween & check how they perform after the burn-in is complete...

thanks.

I did check with using the FiiO DAC in the chain to supply an analog input to the PM 6005.

The DAC internal to the amp sounds better - cleaner sound with better separation.

And last evening was kinda comical for wife and soon as i attempted to reduce the liveliness of the room with mats on the tiled floor and sheets across telly and comp screen, glass of cupboard and other funny arrangements on the walls.

I have done direct from CD, I have done room, interconnects are Sonodyne, no out of phase wiring, the music i am testing with is FLACs I converted with EAC from my CD source.

I will see if I can lug my amp across to a friend with floor standers in an attempt to eliminate that from the list of suspects as well.

ciao
gr

 

[shibashis]

Don't get so disheartened! Once burn-in is complete, they will sound better almost with a certainty. I have a feeling you need a more powerful amp to drive these to their full potential.

 

[arvind.kanswal]

Hi Sound_Cycle, don't worry. I hope the sound will certainly improve when the burn-in is complete. I was on the same boat three months ago when I got the Yamaha A-S500. The first time I played it, the amp seemed bright and underpowered for my 4 ohm indigenous-brand towers. However, just after 10-12 hours of playback and later addition of the Behringer UCA202, things improved remarkably. Now the Yammy looks seriously capable of overwhelming my speakers.

 

[anirbandd]

i too bought these speakers with the SiA320 amp during the discount. and i too have the same kind of room, 25'x11'.

i have placed my system on one small wall, firing away into the longitude of the room. the sound is just the kind of bright i like.

i suggest you try placing the speakers on your small wall and giving it a try. also, your room seemed too devoid of furniture.. try putting in some furniture to the walls between you and the speakers [on both walls] and a thick carpet on the floor. reflections make the sound bad at times [interference].

arrange the speakers so that the listening position and the speakers form the vertices of an equilateral triangle. the speakers should face you.

oh, and leave some space behind the speakers. reduces bass overhang.

hope this helps. if you have any questions, i'll be happy to help.

for your reference, my setup

PS: these are great speakers. dont be sad.

 

[sound_cycle]

Hi

Thanks Anirban, Arvind, Shibashish, elangoas.

I carried out some careful testing today and will update soon

gr

 

[theironhorse]

Hi

Thanks Anirban, Arvind, Shibashish, elangoas.

I carried out some careful testing today and will update soon

gr

i would suggest you give the amp and speakers sometime and lot of hours. also the source and cabling will play important role.

where in HYD are you based. playing with the setup/source and wiring can change a lot of things.

are you feeding the AMP via optical out of WD-tv ??

if yes then i would suggest try PC based as initally i was running music off my xtreamer to the amp and somehow whatever i did it always felt suffocated. moved to HTPC and its day and night with a USB dac. if you want you can borrow my stuff and try out things..

dont loose hope this early.. its just the beginning..

good old way.. face the speaker towards each other.. run pink noises for hours and cover the speakers with blanket to avoid disturbance. let them settle down..

 

[sound_cycle]

Hi

where in HYD are you based.

playing with the setup/source and wiring can change a lot of things.

are you feeding the AMP via optical out of WD-tv ??

Tellapur - near Aliens.

Did a whole lot of that last night. Tested all the components of my audio chain on another setup and found that the PM 6005 sounds very good to my ears. Also put the 2605s into that setup.

yes. via optical. and flacs from rips I made from my CDs with EAC.

if you want you can borrow my stuff and try out things..
<snip>
dont loose hope this early.. its just the beginning..

A huge thanks for that offer.

ciao
gr

 

[theironhorse]

Hi



Tellapur - near Aliens.

Did a whole lot of that last night. Tested all the components of my audio chain on another setup and found that the PM 6005 sounds very good to my ears. Also put the 2605s into that setup.

yes. via optical. and flacs from rips I made from my CDs with EAC.



A huge thanks for that offer.

ciao
gr

while testing with the speakers.
1. check the spikes if everything has been set perfectly.
2. place a carpet in front of speakers.
3. get some pillows and move the speakers away from from the wall and use the pillows are acoustic absorber.
4. give them 100-150 hours..
5. play every kind of music from jazz to trance to metal..
6. set everything on default on amp.. no bass/treble gain
7. tone control to off. let it run as it is.
8. change the source ASAP...
9. play with flac/alac or wav. mp3 wont be that revealing and generally will not give you the soundstage and imaging you are expecting.
10. toe-in the speakers a bit.
11. if possible use the co-ax in from HTPC. people reported co-ax doing better than optical..