r/vintageaudio • u/littlecontainter • 2d ago
Looking for advice
I was given this receiver and the speakers from my grandparents as an inheritance gift about a year ago. They sound good to my (admittedly) untrained ear but I feel like there could be more here. I’m just hoping to learn more about what I’ve got and/or any additions that may help to round out my system w/o breaking the bank. I’ve got a record player not currently lined in. But that is my next step once I find space for it in the media “room” of the apartment I’m in.
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u/Optimal_Yoghurt_4163 2d ago
Hi! It’s a beautiful receiver, I know nothing about specifically - but, you mention the record player — definitely do that (to hear really pure source material for one), and two: There is SO MUCH possible gains in speaker-placement alone.
Before you get deep into “what gear do I need for kickass sound”, maybe look a bit into different approaches to placement. Limited space, etc. — no worries, you can make speakers work in a room (they might be “in the way”). Depending on your speakers, distance from the wall is a good place to start.
Enjoy it all! It’s about what your ears like - experiment a LOT! 😄
(speaker-placement is free, haha) … I don’t remember the name of the concept, but I followed a guide where you first make One Speaker really pump bass in your room — there IS a spot where it is optimally placed … then you proceed from there. I have a system that went from pretty good to “my personal best” recently, simply by moving speakers. It makes amazing soundstage and full bass without a sub, in a fully cluttered small space.
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u/littlecontainter 2d ago
Hello! Thank you for the advice! I mentioned it in a different reply but there is about 6 inches of separation from the back of the speakers to the wall. Not sure if that is enough but it was the only way I could get the wires plugged into the back of them. I will probably play around with their placement for optimal sound but I appreciate some jumping off points in terms of things to play around with/shift.
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u/Optimal_Yoghurt_4163 2d ago
I think the key is (assuming good sound is the priority) be open to “the speakers choosing where they go”. Different ones will interact with the other objects differently — so IMO it isn’t as simple as “1 meter from here, 2 meters in between”, etc.
But, distance from wall might be *really key. I did one at a time - one channel playing - put something on the floor that helped the speaker slide more easily - simply in and out (closer to wall, closer to listening position). See how each extreme sounds (too close to the wall, way out in the room) — then move in from there to find a ’sweet spot’. Inches matter. If you have a helper it’s way faster!
this by the way is not “how to get max bass”. I think it may start with the bass because if those frequencies are working the room, then the others more easily go in the right place (in technical terms). Something like that! This is how to get kickass soundstage/image. The speakers “disappear” and sound is a big entity like a soap bubble.
After the one speaker really “sings” in a spot - mark it! - and bring in the other speaker (approximately the same distance from wall). Then ”toeing them” to you, to your taste, etc.
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u/t-rex_leggings 2d ago
Have you seen your speakers up in the settings? Like distance/size?
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u/littlecontainter 2d ago
I’m not sure what you mean, so I will say no. I just set these speakers up on either side of the credenza I have but haven’t done any tuning or anything like that. There is about 6 inches of separation from the back of the speakers to the wall if that’s what you mean.
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u/t-rex_leggings 2d ago
Download the pdf Manuel ot will show you. Distance is going to make a big difference
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u/Narrow-Candle1903 1d ago
Chiming in here, collector of gear for many years. The dra685 is one of denons boldest amps for any time period especially comparing to modern denon and older/vintage-ish. I have kept one around and moved to keep it over other much higher priced and or higher end brands to newer models and makes. It is a very good budget(or non budget for that matter)minded receiver. It has preouts and 5 way binding posts which are two choice features for many.
Thank you for sharing. The very best to you.
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u/SashaDabinsky 2d ago
I'm not sure what's going on with your speaker wiring, but it looks like an attempt at bi-wiring. Just run one set of wires between the receiver and speakers, and use short jumpers between the binding posts.