Which amp is better for Pioneer FS52

[sajjt]

Hi Folks,

A newbie here, I have bought a pair of brand new Pioneer FS52 floor standing speakers last year from htstore.in which was paired with my Denon PMA525R (52W@8) and ended up with a vintage Harman HK6500 (70W@8). When I was using with the Denon, the lack of low end was very much present in low volumes and I could only able to crank up the volume till 12'O' clock beyond that the speakers will start clipping. I came to an assumption that since the speakers are rated 150W and the driving amp was only 1/3rd of the speakers, there's nothing wrong in this. The HK I bought was mated with a pair of 200W magnat floor standers virtually filling the room with enormous amount of low end notes. But once I connected it to my Pioneer FS52, things were not satisfactory, power is evident, I only have to turn up the knob to 7 O clock to get the Denon's sound level, low end it slightly improved but sad to say that there's not much low end like the Magnat FS (same 5 1/4" driver) were delivering. I could only turn up the volume even upto 9 'O' clock without distortion. I know am comparing Mercedes with Maruti

So my question is, Is this the maximum a Pioneer can deliver or will I get a better low end output if I match with a higher rated amp? I bought this speakers after reading number of positive reviews in various sites and was that all paid ones or am I missing something? I don't want to believe that my investment for this turned out to an ewaste.

Gurus, please enlighten me what next? Get rid of the whole setup or try another higher rated amp?

 

[tuff]

There are many things involved to get the right balance of low, mid and high frequencies. Speaker placement is top of the list. Source could be another. Room response is a major one. Can you post a few pictures. Also some details about how big is the room. And what kind of music you listen to.

 

[JayaRaa]

There are many things involved to get the right balance of low, mid and high frequencies. Speaker placement is top of the list. Source could be another. Room response is a major one. Can you post a few pictures. Also some details about how big is the room. And what kind of music you listen to.

Yes, please reply with the details asked by @tuff added with what is your source, based on which more seasoned members can share some advise with you.

 

[sajjt]

Thank you @tuff & JayaRaa for the headsup

My bad.. I forgot to add details which was necessary for a solution, I have placed this in our living room which is 24X14 ft. size with both short sides having windows where one side is fully occupied with windows and the other is having window plus entrance. The speakers are facing the longer side walls placed in between 2+2 fabric sofas and the front area is almost covered with a thick carpet. I know the speaker placement has a vital role in desired sound image but having space constraints, I am forced to place like this and don't want to add a sub. I will update with some pictures tomorrow so that you will get a layout of the room and what am trying to convey.

The details you were asking for:
Amp: HK 6500
Speakers: Pioneer FS52 Towers
Sources: Samsung DVD Player, Ipod touch and a Flash drive player, 90% of my media collections are in Mp3 format
Speaker Cables: 1 Sqmm unknown brand each 3 meters in length.
Interconnects: Dual RCA unknown brand
Type of music: Instrumental, Bollywood style, devotional, country, soft rocks, blues what ever music which is soothing to my ears

Kindly suggest a decent MP3 player with flash/HDD drive support am in the lookout for one.

 

[sajjt]

 

[sajjt]

Here are the pics friends, please guide me what next

 

[tuff]

That equalizer seems highly suspicious to me from the way it is setup in the picture. Try bypassing or removing it from the chain to check. also try to bypass any tone controls that may be engaged and see how it drives. I have no idea what can be done about the two large detrements sitting between the speakers, perhaps remove one and see. I am sure more suggestions will come.

 

[JayaRaa]

Sir, you have caged one speaker & obstructed the other, no wonder they are not sounding good.
Kindly give both some breathing space from all sides to perform better. Start with placing the speakers on the opposite wall to begin with. Listen to them here with no obstructions and then other aspects can be worked upon.

 

[swami69]

I would suggest these changes :

14 feet width = Window
Place both speakers (back facing window and front facing the Dining Table)
Since you have 14 feet width, move the speakers nicely 2 feet from the side walls and probably 1 feet from the window
Put the larger sofa facing the speaker at the triangle distance
Put the other sofa on one of the sides. If you have two sofas left, then put one on each side to balance it out
You can either keep the equipment in that same corner or bring it in between the speakers if not a hindrance
If i could visually your room correctly, this placement will definitely make it better

Something like below (ignore the small chair in between the speakers)
A 3 seater sofa is just in front of the speakers and that is my listening position




Swami

 

[sajjt]

That equalizer seems highly suspicious to me from the way it is setup in the picture. Try bypassing or removing it from the chain to check. also try to bypass any tone controls that may be engaged and see how it drives. I have no idea what can be done about the two large detrements sitting between the speakers, perhaps remove one and see. I am sure more suggestions will come.

To be honest, am an addict to that equipment, I used to tinker every now and then to experience the difference whenever I switch it on. I've tried to bypass the EQ since the highs and mids are slightly muddy I went back to the old setup. Previously the speakers were facing the dining table and the listening area was wider so as the sound image too. But as I mentioned earlier space constraints forced me to do like this and the whole thing messed up than earlier. I will try to give some breathing space for the speakers. Thanks for the inputs sir, expect more on refinement of speaker placements on further days.

Sir, you have caged one speaker & obstructed the other, no wonder they are not sounding good.
Kindly give both some breathing space from all sides to perform better. Start with placing the speakers on the opposite wall to begin with. Listen to them here with no obstructions and then other aspects can be worked upon.

Thanks for the keen observations. Sir, actually speakers are not caged, just a metal frame around it, will it affect the performance badly? This was meant for protection from my kids who are running everywhere with their toys and other things. They are least bothered what's around and every movements are registered on the surroundings, speakers have already scratched hence the precaution.

I would suggest these changes :

14 feet width = Window
Place both speakers (back facing window and front facing the Dining Table)
Since you have 14 feet width, move the speakers nicely 2 feet from the side walls and probably 1 feet from the window
Put the larger sofa facing the speaker at the triangle distance
Put the other sofa on one of the sides. If you have two sofas left, then put one on each side to balance it out
You can either keep the equipment in that same corner or bring it in between the speakers if not a hindrance
If i could visually your room correctly, this placement will definitely make it better

Something like below (ignore the small chair in between the speakers)
A 3 seater sofa is just in front of the speakers and that is my listening position
Swami

Nice setup sir, simple and effective placement, thanks for sharing the illustration. This was my first speaker placement, 3 seater sofa was facing the speakers from a distance of 8 ft and the towers were placed 4 feet in distance and 1 feet from the wall. Sound image was far better than now so is the listening space. Then came the space utilization idea from my better half as am wasting ample space in the living area by leaving unwanted space. I can't rearrange the sofas as I need to leave some space for the passage at the opposite wall side.

Last minute revelation:
Since the speakers are rear ported, it needs to be kept at least 1 feet from the wall for the optimum performance which I forgot to consider when placing it close to the wall. I will check that today itself and get back here.

From all of your observations point towards the listening space is cramped and not in the sweet spot ie: in front of the speakers, I need to go back to the old setup to satisfy my music desire but at the cost of my peace of mind at home. The only thing pulls me back from this is the speakers are being exposed to the kids for their notorious activities. Already they have teared off my Sony MHC VX555's tweeters by putting their fingers in as it doesn't have any protective grills

Thank you friends for being kind enough to spare your valuable time for my petty request. Will give an update tomorrow once I leave some space front and rear side of the speakers. Right now I am listening the music on a chair by sitting in front of the speakers on a distance of 4 feet which is not that impressive.