My MS Alumni Speakers have been a bit of a disappointment. I have Centre + L+R installed with my Marrantz 1501 running thru 42" TV/ASTRO/Pioneer Recorder. On another it has been suggested that the problem possibly is due to low output of the Marrantz 1501 coupled to the relatively low 86db of the Alumni's. I really want to improve things so presumably I have a couple of options - change the speakers or hange the receiver !! I do not want to output a lot more expense so might consider looking for used items of either. Any suggestions would be most welcome please.

You have to test to find out which need upgrading. When i upgraded my amp, i was finally happy with my speaker. But i was sure i was happy with the sound signature of my dynaudio before i upgraded.

If you try your speaker with a better amp and find it not to your liking, than you should change speaker first.

This post has been edited by dlyz: Apr 12 2011, 01:56 PM

Thanks, can you explain a little more about how/what to test please.

If i were you, i would go to the dealer, and listen to the same speaker with a better AVR. If you are not happy. Change speaker.

But if you like what you hear. Change AVR. simple

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Added on April 12, 2011, 2:01 pmOh, i suggest you test with some proper bluray or dvd.

Astro is not so good to test things

This post has been edited by dlyz: Apr 12 2011, 02:01 PM

What is your disappointment? Muddy dialogue? Lack of bass? Or sluggish performance due to insufficient power?

Did you listen to the Speaker before the purchase? What were powering it? Same also for the Marantz, did you test and what were the connected speakers and stuff used to test?

Maybe now it is time to see what went wrong during the audition and why now you cannot get satisfaction?

Lastly, Astro really not the best medium to test... in fact one of the worse....

Thanks again, very helpful.

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Added on April 12, 2011, 2:48 pmWell, the sound is not good when running thru Astro on TV, sounds quite muffled and bassy but looking at what previous member has said, Astro not the best thing to judge on.
When I play my music DVD's the sound is still a bit bassy but obviously better than thru TV. I guess I am judging my present system against my previous one in UK which was only a Yamaha V357 running with Wharfedale speakers. Sound was much brighter and think I had more sound options on the Yamaha but if I could just achieve a 'brighter' 'sharper' sound I would be satisfied.

This post has been edited by redvet: Apr 12 2011, 02:48 PM

Curious on the Astro, you patch the audio to TV and from TV back to Marantz? Or from Astro decoder to Marantz then onwards? Anyway, Astro not the best to test, just curious only on the hook-up.
Normally Marantz are not known to be "Bassy" and it tend to be warm sounding, not bright sounding.
Lastly, the Yamaha you compared against are a more powerful unit against the Marantz and Yamaha are more toward neutral bright sounding. Not forgetting, Yamaha have quite a nice set of bell and whistle.

Not sure about the hook-up, I didn't install but will check out . Sounds like I should have kept to the Yamaha, I think bright is what I am looking for. I am travelling back to UK later in year and considering the prices there, could be worth hanging on - after doing more trials here.

Further Note..... I am waiting for Astro Beyond to be installed and if I can locate someone to advise might well consider seperating the sound from the TV and just match my receiver and speakers for DVD set up.

This post has been edited by redvet: Apr 12 2011, 03:19 PM

bright sounding gear are typically Onkyo, Yamaha...together with Mission, Wharfadale, Dali...

Marantz are known to have very musical sound signature...

Also for a bright sound... the Mordaunt Short brand is not the one to look for... MS tend to be more warm and "subdued"

Hmmm... i always consider wharf warm... lolz...

Wow....... Sounds like I am looking to list my gear for sale and start again. But... at least I am learning from these posts, should have thought of doing before I bought my present gear.

i find the sound signature of wharfadale and mission very similar... well at least that's from what i experienced owning speakers from both brands before

New to this and having a hard time gauging how warm & subdued sounds like. MS is warm & subdued, good for movies or music? or bright good for movies & warm good for music?

So am I, just wish I could have someone with more know how than me to come and listen to my set up.

there is no good or bad really... its all a matter of preference...

My mission M32i/M31i were bookshelves and i remember them being very detailed and LOUD for their form factor... i paired these with an onkyo reciever and for a year i could'nt be happier... i would describe the missions as VERY bright speakers...good for analytical listening probably...but I could not stand listening to these things at high volumes for extended periods of time...

I would've been curious to have the M32i in a dedicated stereo setup with a decent 2-channel amp... alas something I can only imagine now...
The Onkyo receiver is now in dad's room...

the wharfadales (forgot model) i have also paired with the same onkyo reciever and eventually to a marantz.... these were awesome speakers for their price point and i felt carried a bit more weight than the missions... comparisons unfair because the wharf where floorstanders... i liked the marantz reciever alot. it was indeed very musical and were great for concerts and various media (CD/Mp3) from my HTPC...

i currently use mordaunt short speakers paired with denon and the primary use is now for my home theater for listening to movies from blurays and mediaplayer... i think im staying with these for awhile! I think the MS/Denon strikes a good balance

This post has been edited by yonggoh: Apr 12 2011, 07:09 PM

Just following this simple guide. Any speakers you find good with music to your ears are certainly good for movies. BUT speakers that are good in movies are NOT always good at music reproduction. So, go out & listen.

Another useful post, many thanks. My Marrantz 1501 is only entry level but it got good reviews but I do understand that its output is at the lower end with only 50W a channel and my Mordaunt Short speakers are lowish with I think 86 db. Still not sure if changing the amp or changing the speakers will work.

Oh, imagine means an action plan is taking process. Mission speakers have been one of my fav too as I've bought Mission Cyrus Amp many years back. Yonggoh time to unleash your big collection of music recording in pure stereo system. You will be in cloud 9 for sure....

Hi-Fi!!!!
its... a.... TRAP....

noooooo........

Supposedly if your MS Alumni is Alumni 2 satellite, it is not so hard to drive by your 50W Marantz 1501. Although its impedance is 86dB, its power ratings is only between 15 - 80W.

Perhaps you should look at your AVR set-up once again. Ask somebody with experience to help with the tweaking. If you still feel not up your expectation, then consider upgrading your AVR first. I'm quite sure the MS Alumni are capable to do a better job.

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Added on April 12, 2011, 8:13 pmYou see you even choose this and can't hide from music enjoyment. Like Junwei said, along our long journey of audio hobby, in the end we will come to Hifi. Nothing beats the enjoyment of 2 channel system


Music is not to be denied.....








This post has been edited by mikapoh: Apr 12 2011, 08:13 PM

Yeah, me too. Btw, I have sold the m31i that i got from you last time. Upgraded to Dynaudio DM2/8 bookshelf. Now i have a floorstand and bookshelf and i swap between them when i am bored.


I do agree that the m31i is bigger and louder than it looks. Tho it lacks bass, but what can we expect from such a small speaker.

This post has been edited by dlyz: Apr 13 2011, 08:34 AM

[quote=mikapoh,Apr 12 2011, 09:09 PM]
Supposedly if your MS Alumni is Alumni 2 satellite, it is not so hard to drive by your 50W Marantz 1501. Although its impedance is 86dB, its power ratings is only between 15 - 80W.

Perhaps you should look at your AVR set-up once again. Ask somebody with experience to help with the tweaking. If you still feel not up your expectation, then consider upgrading your AVR first. I'm quite sure the MS Alumni are capable to do a better job.

This is for mikapoh
[I]

I am trying to make contact with someone in Kuching, keep asking but difficult to locate but thanks for your post.

This post has been edited by redvet: Apr 13 2011, 11:57 AM

very true about astro

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Added on April 13, 2011, 11:51 pmvery very true indeed

This post has been edited by anchovies93: Apr 13 2011, 11:51 PM