auditioned the speakers with the amplifier in dealer showroom and it sounded perfect to my liking. it sounded warm, transparent, lush midrange, very detailed bass. now build the same setup at home, with same interconnect and speaker cables. only difference is dealer uses Marantz cd player and i am using Meridian. set it up in bedroom and first impression is slightly bright than in dealer showroom. just move it to living room (open area, no sidewalls) and it sounds unbearable bright. no bass, lean midrange, bright although never sharp and harsh. my living room is almost identical to dealer's showroom (also very open and no sidewalls). still dont understand why there is such a big difference.
have borrowed a velodyne dd15 for home test. i use passion integre preamp output for the subwoofer. using the frequency sweep of dd15, it shows that micro utopia be has a dip at 60hz but hump at 40hz. so in my room at 35hz, it's about -3db only and -6db@30hz. the velodyne can fill and smooth out the gap between 15hz-40hz without problem. the interesting thing is i just can not hear the difference with or without turning on the dd15, though the difference is pretty clear on frequency response. i believe in a big room with far field listening and high volume, the difference will be very obvious with sub turning on. however in my relatively small room and low volume, it makes too little difference to identify. conclusion? i dont need a sub in my room. this is not a bad thing because the dd15 costs quite substantial. maybe next or last step is to try a power conditioner like ep15a.
thanks for the reply. yes the meridian 508.24 is considered as pretty old at this moment. the strength of this cdp is good extension of both frequency extreme, and very detailed yet a little bit analogue sounding. i have been looking at audio aero tube cdp for quite some time and i believe adding a bit more analogue will make the sound more pleasant. however the high price tag is the major problem. so the current decision is to make good use of the meridian until i upgrade to dvd-a or bluray player. that will take a few years or maybe longer i guess.
System edited: CRT TV is already sold and removed. the empty space in the middle between two speakers seems to add quite some air to the sound. though bass sounds ok at this moment, still looking to add a subwoofer, either Velodyne DD15 or SPL-1500R, since always dreaming to have a full range setup. exactpower ep15a is in my dream too.
a short update on virtual dynamics nite II powercord which i just got. as you can see i have the ESP essence for CD player. it works excellent on CD player. both end of frequency extended significantly. it's also very quiet with dark background. however the same powercord doesnt work well on my amp. it makes passion integre sharper and more lively on treble and more lean on bass (especially considering the bass for YBA and JM Lab is already quite lean). so i need a different powercord for amp. based on suggestions, i got the virtual dynamics nite II, which does exactly the opposite. on passion integre, it produced much bigger, fuller and weighted bass. the treble is also slightly restrained which makes system warmer and forgiving. also, the virtual dynamics powercord has ultra black background. the slightly noisy YBA amp needs exactly this. i would suggest anyone who using YBA amp to try this powercord, if you like YBA sound but feel it's a bit lively and lean on bass.
today tried mcintosh 6900 and Jadis DA80. the mcintosh 6900 has good bass slam (as good as jeff rowland concerto). the bass is also not as tight as concerto so i would guess it's good for jmlab speakers. however, the imaging, midrange and treble extension all can not match or in the same league as concerto and passion integre. it also sounds very solid state like (sharp and bright).
the Jadis DA80 is a strange amp. it sounds very dynamic and powerful but bass is very vague and lean. treble is similar as passion integre which is well extended but somewhat a bit sharp and bright. the midrange is not bad, comes with lots of definitions, smooth and body. quite similar as the midrange of concerto but with slight more tube warmth and smooth. however i would definitely prefer the midrange with more warmth.
only my own feeling which may not be correct or comply with reviews...
currently trying jeff rowland concerto (class-D amp) integrated amp with my speakers. comparing to YBA passion, the concerto produces more powerful bass and more restrained treble. this makes the system more forgiving for less good recorded CDs. the concerto also has more focused imaging.
however comparing to YBA passion, the concerto is somewhat more solid state like. the midrange is dryer, heavier and harder. the YBA is more engaging with juicy, elegant, lighter and breaktaking midrange which adds the "sunday afternoon tea" kinda emotion.
based on the comparision so far, YBA passion sounds more tube like especially in the midrange. concerto sounds still more like a solid state amp with thicker and heavier midrange.
only wish YBA passion had very slightly more sound weight, and more powerful bass. any amps sound like between YBA passion and concerto?
after adding the ecophon master alpha panels (40mm compressed fiber glass wrapped with Guidford of Marine FR701) on the rear wall and shaggy carpet, the change of sound is dramatic. basically the room is much quieter. echoes are very much reduced although not eliminated. i believe if i add acoustic panel on ceiling, there will be no eaches at all. the treble now becomes very smooth and gental. midrange is breathtaking. the biggest change is bass. now i understand what jmlab claimed "warm and detailed bass". what's more, i am able to hear (or feel) the low bass around 40-60hz which i never realized before. so far i am very satisfied with the sound. will update again when i replace the CRT TV with 37" LCD two months later (bcos i am waiting for the launch of a particular model of 1080p 37". thanks for all the suggestions.
System edited: ok couple of new pictures showing what i have done in past weeks (and can not be undone). the panels are called Ecophon Master A. 4cm thickness ready made compressed fibreglass board. each measured 60cm x 60cm. i wrapped them using Guidford of Marine FR701 fabric and craft glue, then sticked them (12 pieces) to rear wall using liquidnail adhesive. rest 8 pieces i placed them here and there in front. i have to admit that to find a solution that is both accepted by me and wife is extremely difficult. was planning to stick some panels on ceiling but there are some downlight installed on false ceiling. havent figured out ways. wall to wall carpet is on the way. LCD TV is on the way to replace sony 29" CRT. the change of sound is dramatic so far. will update with more pictures.
appreciate the info. i careful read and think them in great details.
my carpet is coming in next week. i know that those super shaggy one works better but wife prefers thinner loop type for easy clean bcos it wont trap dust deep inside. however, i will put layer of foam like underlying below the carpet.
i also got some construction type sound absorption panel. they are known as Ecophon Master Alpha/A, made of compressed fibreglass but lower density than MondoTraps. the absorption mainly takes effect from above 500hz. i am trying them on different location of the room to evaluation the result before i fix them perminantly.
so far, i found Mondotraps are pretty mid-high frequency reflective due to its very high density. i believe it will be good to fix bass boom. in my case i have tried it on rear wall. it indeed reduced some mid-low bass boomy but overall sound was as bright as bare wall.
for Ecophon Master Alpha, i have try them on rear wall and side of balcony. just like Bruce said, it makes the sound pretty warm and the treble is greatly reduced. the room is quieter and bass now is pretty acceptable. male voice sounds more thick now. occasionally i feel the sound may be a little bit dull and less dynamic comparing to without these panels. but i am able to sit down and listen much longer time than before. only initial findings so i will definitely try them for much longer time to confirm the impact. front wall is the place i havent tried. that will be first priority for me to test.
will post pictures later showing what i am doing. thanks a lot for all the help.
