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First, if I’m posting in the wrong forum, pls let me know.I am confused. Maybe some of you would be willing to share your knowledge and help me out. I’m an old graybeard, granted, but I’m trying to move into the 21st century.
Prior to 1970, I saved and saved and eventually was able to buy a Dynaco PAT-4 preamp, a Dynaco ST-120 amp, a DUAL turntable, and enough components to build a set of Altec Lansing Voice of the Theaters (with the help of a friend of mine with cabinet-making skills). Recently I bought a Panasonic DVD player and am now the proud owner of 2 CD’s (my kids own the rest).
I lived and liked this setup until my Dynaco ST-120 developed some extra-circular noises, i.e. hisses, distortion, etc. I decided it was time to retire the Dynaco preamp/amp and move to more modern equipment. Hence, I purchased a Denon AVR-2802 receiver.
This new receiver has been somewhat disappointing. When playing CD’s, the bass was very disappointing. I have increased the boost as much as this receiver will allow and still it’s deficient. Compared to this new Denon, my old Dynaco (when well) would kick it’s butt with the same DVD player and same CD. It still will, but will hiss in the process.
My questions are: 1) Am I expecting too much from the digital age, 2) am I doing something wrong, 3) are there additional components that might rectify this and give me the sound that I’m more accustomed to.
Follow Ups:
It's probably more of a synergy thing than anything. The VOT's don't have much bass response below 40 Hz and what it does have is shelved down a few db below 100Hz. They are happiest with an amp with a low damping factor which will boost up the bass a bit. The dynaco 120 is known for a fat bass so the system probably worked pretty well together. If you want to run a modern SS amp with lots of NFB and high damping factor, you might need to eq the bass a bit to get it where you want. Room placement will also help. Moving the speakers closer to the back wall or into the corners will emphasize the bass more.
I'm a long time (like 40 years) analog fan but cannot agree with what you say about digital. I cannot comment too much about your components as I am unfamiliar with them but my (limited) experience is that, apart from careless software, and there is a lot of that around, it is the processing, or lack of it, of the digital signal that gives rise to bad music. Eliminating jitter in the digital signal is not easy or cheap and that jitter can arise in the player thereby giving any processor a near impossible task.That said Denon has a good reputation so I wonder if it is not revealing problems in the synergy between the amplifier in the Denon and your Altec Lansing Voice of the Theaters. I suggest you try to borrow some other good speakers to verify the problem still exists before you condemn digital.
Sadly there is no free lunch and obtaining nice music from those pits is neither easy nor cheap. However with top software there is plenty of umph to be had from digital.
John
Peace at AA
I must apologize for my lack of communications skills. The subject was meant to draw attention, rather than make a class statement. My DVD player does quite well when connected to my old Dynaco.It might be, as you suggest, simply a mis-match of equipment. Trying to incorporate new-age technology with older relics may be more daunting than I imagined.
I failed to mention that the Altec speakers are 16 ohm. Denon may not accommodate that as well as 8 ohm. Regardless, the Denon will go before the VOTT's. They are timeless, Denon is not.
Try a separate power from the pre outs of the Denon to the speakers, you should get your good sound back, at least most of it...
yeah, sounds like the main amplifier section of the Denon lacks the power/current output of your older unit.As for the digital processing, you might be able to rule that out. Does the denon have preouts? Try feeding the dvd player into the denon, then use the denon's preouts to feed the dynaco. then use the dynaco to power the speakers. This would bypass the denons main amps. If the sound is still weak, maybe the processing is destroying the sound. If the sound is fine. Then the amps in the denon may not be up to the task.
If the dynaco substantially heavier than the denon?
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