Sony DA5ES with Monitor S8s= too bright? solutions?

[rob7]

New to the intricacies of high-end home theater. Had relatively good luck with an old Sony receiver so wife bought me the DA5ES before I knew of all the ins-and-outs. May have bought something different with more research. I just bought some Monitor S8s and am currently working on breaking them in. At this point they sound bright. Was hoping to get some input on the set-up. Is Sony a bright receiver-maybe making for a real bright sound with the S8s?

Will the sound smooth out after S8 break-in? New receiver is out of the question (WAF) at this point. Will pre-amp smooth things out? I'm not looking for a muffled sound, just something a little 'warmer'.

Would take any suggestions on receiver brand (for future) or other possible solutions. Would also like comments on system overall for future improvements.
I use it about 60/40 music/ht. LIke action movies, rock/hard rock music.

DA5ES receiver
SonyDVD/CD
Monitor S8s mains
Klipsch center (.5 I think)
Velodyne CHT -10 sub
Bose 301s rear (old fronts)

I will be looking into speaker consistency upgrades as well.

Thanks,
rob7

[Slosh]

FWIW, I own or have owned integrated amps from Marantz, Pioneer Elite, and Yamaha and receivers from Marantz, Onkyo, and Sony ES. I find the tonal balance of the Sony ES and Yamaha to have a much more forward, 'in-your-face' mid range than the others. Some people prefer this sound because it makes subtle details more obvious but to my ears leads to listener fatigue with all but the best recordings. OTOH, I can (and often do) listen to the Marantz, Pioneer Elite, and Onkyo literally all day long.

That being said, I'm using a Sony ES receiver as a center/surround amp with my Marantz integrated driving the front L/R speakers. Although the tonal balance of the two amps are different it does blend together quite well, even when listening to 5.1 SACD, DVD-A, and DTS music.

My $ .02 is to try a different stereo amp via the Sony's pre-outs. Buy locally so if it doesn't make enough of a difference you can return it. The Sony's own pre-amp section is pretty decent so I would leave well-enough alone there.

[rob7]

Thanks for the time and info. I'll look into your suggestions.

[topspeed]

Will the sound smooth out after S8 break-in? New receiver is out of the question (WAF) at this point. Will pre-amp smooth things out? I'm not looking for a muffled sound, just something a little 'warmer'.

The treble response will probably even out some over the next few days but this may in fact be more a function of the mids and woofers loosening up and thereby filling in the lower octaves presenting a more cohesive sound. I've always found MA's to be somewhat bright anyway. My suggestion is to look around and see if you're encountering room interaction problems. You know the drill: lots of reflective surfaces like hardwoods, tile, glass, mirrors, etc. that bounce soundwaves, especially high freq., all over the place. Do you have a decent amount of carpet, furniture, book shelves, drapes, etc. to try to dampen the room a tad? Are the speakers toe'd in too much thereby causing beaming? Do you have a floorstanding mirror right next to them (sorry nusiclover, couldn't resist ;))?

Play with your set-up some more and then if all else fails, look at purchasing some more gear if need be. FWIW, I'd agree that a better amp will make a tremendous difference. Whether or not it's a positive or negative difference is up to you.

Good luck and enjoy your new toys

[rob7]

Thank you for your input as well. I was able to play with the set up a little last night, and I was able to balance things out. Things are sounding a lot better. I am hoping that the speakers will break in and smooth things out a bit more. I just got them in on Thursday.

Wife is getting new furniture, and I'll be able to play with the placement once everything is in place.

I will look into adding an amp in the future. Playing with these placement subtleties and receiver settings should help smooth things out until then. Things are already sounding much better, and with the suggestions I've received and read elsewhere, I'm expecting it to only get better.

Thanks again for your input.