I have an Energy c-series HT setup right now, and I decided to try something out to get more ommph out of my fronts.
I took my c-200 bookshelfs, turned em upside down, and stuck em on top of my c-300 towers. I set the c-200s up as "Zone B", and turned both fronts on.
Wow. the difference it made was ridiculous! ( It also looks pretty ridiculous, like in a bad way). But the sound ridiculousness was the good kind.
I tested them on movies first, in a 5.1 setup watching in dolby digital 5.1, and any scene with music was just way more intense and awesome than usual.
I then tried it out with some music in 2 channel and also was way better, although probably not up to the standards of you guys who can afford awesome speakers to begin with. But it didn't seem to add any extra spaceousness or anything like that either, it just made it sound like my front speakers were better than what they were kinda thing.
So ya,I may not have awesome speakers, well not for music anyway, but they sound better now than what they did.
Has anyone else here tried something like this? For some reason I'm expecting a bunch of replies why you shouldn't even do it, but I dunno ... Worked for me.
If you didn't take the time to balance the system levels with the additional speakers up front, those extra speakers boosted the output from the front speaker group by approximately 6dB. As a rule our hearing tends to perceive louder as better (unless it obviously has taken a turn for the worse). So I'm not surprised you thought the sound was better with the additional speakers. There was undoubtedly an increase in dynamic range with more drivers pushing air. Running from Zone two outputs the additional front speakers had no steering from the Dolby/DTS processors so you were hearing far more full range information from the C-200's than you would have through the C-300's alone. I'm not teling you not to do this, it's your system and you get to hook it up any way you like, but you pretty much defeated everything you paid for with a multichannel receiver by using this connection. You would have been better off connecting the additional speakers to the front channel outputs along with your towers and forgetting Zone two outputs. The problem there is your receiver might not have enjoyed that connection and you might have heard less sound - as in silence - as a result of your experiment. It's good that you're curious but it would be helpful to have some understanding of how your system operates before you jump off the cliff. Good luck with your future experiments.
Jan, they are actually set up as fronts and not zone 2. I said that wrong, I am sorry. I said zone two because it's the same connection on the back for zone 2, and it was in my mind for some reason. Within the settings they are set to fronts though, not zone two. The options are either fronts, zone b, or presence.
As far as defeating everything I paid for, I dunno about that. First of all I didn't buy speakers for this purpose, they were extras I was playing around with.
Secondly, everyone who heard this thought it sounded better. And even if it TECHNICALLY "defeated the purpose" and we all thought it sounded better apparently because we are idiots compared to your genius, well I don't give a crap because it was fun, and everyone who heard the results liked it. And regardless of our intelligence levels in comparison to yours it brought pleaure and fun.
I was expecting more replies like yours though Jan, whatever.
Thirdly, I know more than you seem to think I do, although I am no expert like you, I am just not as limited to what you are "supposed to do" as most people are. I like messing around with stuff, I do that with everything, sometimes it works out for the better.
Yes, I already said I was sorry. I drink a lot of beer when I'm online though and sometimes I say things a little backwards. I just thought Jan was being a little on the treating me like an idiot side, but I guess I deserved it.
Anyway, in retrospect, the speakers are hooked into the extra sp terminals for either frontb, which is alternative fronts, or for zone b, speakers in another room, or for presence speakers. I set them up for frontb, and simply turned both fronts on. The same sounds are comming out of each set of fronts. And because I turned the top speakers upside down, thus making the distance between tweeters minimal, it sounds like one set of fronts. I hope that is a more clear summary of my experiemtn.
I explained what had happened when you made the connection and placed the additional speakers on top of the existing towers. You had more dynamic range and so forth. I was trying to educate you even if you want to think I was being superior - which wouldn't be hard to do from what I see here. Considering the incorrect information, what's your beef? You don't want to know what you affected? Little man, if you drink a lot of beer and get p!ssed everytime someone explains something to you, you are going to have a very difficult life. Grow up!
Like I said, you get to hook your system up any way you like but, please, don't come running to this forum to tell us it "sounds better" when all you've accomplished is to make it sound louder. And, if you don't want to know why it sounds louder, drink your beer somewhere else. Get over yourself.
It's been a long time since I've been called a little man. About 150lbs ago actually. I like it!
And btw, more dynamic range, yes but it actually didn't really seem much louder the way I had it set up, not the way you described, maybe it would have been if I had them set to zone bs like I accidentally indicated they were. And who are you to dictate what is "better" anyway. If one did think something was better because it was louder, then, it WOULD infact be better to that one person, no matter what you have to say about it. And that person has every right to post his/her oppinion on a message board. What is "better" is 100% subjective. And if people want to reply in a disrespectful way to boost their egos, let them I guess. I knew there would be people like you responding, I even said so in my original post. But all the power to ya, whatever you need to do, to boost your ego, go ahead, even if it's on the internet, I don't care. You're my hero, really!
As far as internet know-it-alls trying to "educate me", I am surprised there are not more of them around here. I appreciate it, but usually it's an ego thing and the know it alls are wrong as much or more often than right. People I have noticed on the internet, usually argue complete nonsense, and seem to care more about the illusion of being right rather than actually being right. You however, seem to be right in this instance regarding my original post whcih I admit however, was in false context. My fault.
Your last post though, reminded me of my wife PMSing. It was very funny and I got a good laugh out of it. Thanks for that. Time for another beer.
No, it is not. There are references you would do well to learn. Doing so will save you a lot of money.
"And who are you to dictate what is "better" anyway."
That is a question?
Look, you idiot, you're the one who posted that it was "better". All I did was explain why that might be so. You are also the first to respond in a disrespectful manner. I tried to explain what was happening because I thought you might be interested in learning something. I see now you have no need for an education, you'll just bull your way through it all telling everyone they have disrespected you. You may have put on weight since the last time anyone called you "little" but it is all between your ears.
Let's just get this straight one more time. James got drunk and claimed to do things that didn't actually occur. Those things that did not happen made the system "sound better" according to James.
I simply explained why things might sound better assuming James had done what he placed in print. I didn't judge the results or castigate anyone. Even now James is free to destroy his system by any manner of misconnections and foolishness he prefers. I provided factual information which I hoped would leave James with a better understanding of his (supposed) actions.
That James is a drunk who dislikes anyone who "corrects" him is not my problem - other than when James, in yet another drunken stupor, decided I had disrespected him.
" And even if it TECHNICALLY "defeated the purpose" and we all thought it sounded better apparently because we are idiots compared to your genius, well I don't give a crap because it was fun, and everyone who heard the results liked it. And regardless of our intelligence levels in comparison to yours it brought pleaure and fun."
He does seem to have the enough sense to know what he did wasn't the brightest point in an otherwise dreary life, "For some reason I'm expecting a bunch of replies why you shouldn't even do it ... "
If James wants to admit to being an idiot, I won't stand in his way. But this BS about my "genius" is just that. Considering virtually none of what a pickled James posted in the op actually occurred, I'm really not interested in anyone suggesting I am "abrasive" even if you then also say I have much to add. I added some information to James' experiment. That he chose to take offense at that is unbelievable.
I no longer have any responsibility to repair the crap fools break when they are drunk and stupid but I still think everyone might like to know what actions could break something they have paid good money to own. Even after all these years I am still amazed that idiots like James have no desire to understand how this stuff works and want to let everyone know exactly that.
The 240's just blew out the phase splitter tube in both amps over the last week. Rather amazing I would say that both tubes would go at roughly the same time. New tubes will be ordered and substitutes are now in place. The system sounds terrific! There's more tweaking to come but gains are incremental at this point.
No new music to recommend. I've got a lot of stuff that I enjoy but I'm not sure anyone else would find it interesting.
Bad news about the blown tubes. However good news that the Macs are still making beautiful music. That comes at no surprise though, as any MAC has always made beautiful music. I got to hear my dealers home system with his MAC tube amps. Very very nice indeed.
I have quite a few Golden Dragons. Just not enough to now make up a full set for both amps. That was the problem with the Golden Dragons, they were not the most reliable tube I'd ever used. Terrific sound as long as they worked but they didn't work long enough. It was a pair of Golden Dragon 12AX7's that stopped working last week. They had been salvaged from use input tubes and put in place as phase splitters when the original set of Dragons began to fail. I can't really complain about these particular tubes though since they lasted for about six years as phase splitters which is the tube that is run the hardest in the 240's. I just found it remarkable they both went within the same week.
"he actually is very experienced and has much to add to the dialectic"
and
"Jan has many valid points to make"
and
"he is a very valuable source of information"
If you dont think that you come across as slightly aggressive and put people off, you are wrong.
I was simply trying to get the guy to get past any perceived transgressions, and to hear what you were saying. Which was true.
I understand you dont care what I say, or what others think. But I wanted this guy to be able to put into perspective how people behave here, and not to worry about it.
JV, the Dragons were known for being EXACTLY matched, after all, so maybe these were? I never buy one headlight, because the next will be moments behind...
"If you dont think that you come across as slightly aggressive and put people off, you are wrong."
I'm sorry more people didn't have a mother or someone who told them they are responsible for how they react to a situation. They can choose to be put off or even get p!ssed if that's what they want. Or they can accept the situation for what it is and go on with their life.
People read what they want to in a forum response. Those people who aren't out to be offended consider my posts to be straight to the point and "just the facts, m'am, just the facts". Other people put their own inflection into what they see on the screen. Others feel they must knock off the person with the most posts and who is seen as a threat to their existence here. Some are just born with a chip on their shoulder. After a certain point what you read and how you react is out of my control.
I've made this point on this forum several times but here we go again. It should be reasonably clear I can get along with anyone when they are in the mood to get along. If someone doesn't want to be congenial or if they expect me to say, "Oh, look, you hooked up two pair of speakers, aren't you wonderful", they will be upset by some of my posts. More than likely anyone who posts, "For some reason I'm expecting a bunch of replies why you shouldn't even do it ... ", seems to me to be looking for a disagreement and they are going to take, "You would have been better off connecting the additional speakers to the front channel outputs along with your towers and forgetting Zone two outputs", as an invitation to get their blood pressure up. I can't control that, to take offense at that statement is absurd. There's nothing in my response to James that should have provoked him unless he wished to be provoked. There was no reason for him to smart off as he did. If he was expecting problems, he got what he was expecting whether it was there or not. I didn't call him an idiot until after he had insulted me. He gets drunk and then gets ideas - most of which are wrong. I can't control that either.
There is nothing in my original post on this thread that should incite any response other than, "OK". Now, if someone wants to get their blood pressure up and get p!ssy, the other thing I have always maintained is I do not suffer fools with ease or grace.
So, PS, thanks for the compliment. I think I know what I'm talking about and I generally don't say anything unless I am quite certain what I post is correct. I've been very consistent about how I say it for all the time I've been on this forum. Some people like that and some don't. I have the same reaction to certain people on this forum. Unless they pick a fight I just ignore those people as best as I can.
I would say once someone gets it in their head they are responsible for how they read what I post and they are responsible for their own reaction to what they read I have very few long term problems on this forum.
Just for the information of anyone interested, I've made my posts very easy to spot before you even begin to read a word. If my posts do upset you on a regular basis, ignore them. We'll both be better off with that one decision.
