I bought some new speakers for my stereo over the weekend - PSB I mage 2B's
to replace the Century 300's line which I quite liked but was not satisfied
with. The 2Bs sounded great at the store. They don't - yet - sound quite as
good at my place, and I am wondering whether the ancient amplification I am
using may be at fault. I am driving the speakers with an NAD 7120 receiver
which I bought used for $60. I remember when I was a kid that NAD brought
the 3020 and it was meant to be great so I figured maybe this receiver would
also provide high quality sound. (I was kind of hoping that maybe the 7120
was just the receiver version of the 3020) Is this however true? Is the 7120
a decent quality receiver, and up to the level of the 3020 amp, or did NAD
produce some dodgy stuff as well as their high quality products?

Dan

Dan,

The 7120 is not a receiver version of the 3020 the closest thing to
that would be a 7020. The 7220 and 7225 are closer to the 3020 as well,
and I like the tuners in them better. The 7120 is not a bad sounding
receiver, but is low power (20 watts per channel), and may not driver
you speakers to the levels you want. You don't mention what it is that
you don't like about the sound. Make sure that the 4/8 ohm speaker
switch on the rear is in the correct position for your speakers. Only
operate the switch when the receiver is switched off.

Regards,
Tim Schwartz
Bristol Electronics


Dan wrote:

I bought some new speakers for my stereo over the weekend - PSB I mage 2B's
to replace the Century 300's line which I quite liked but was not satisfied
with. The 2Bs sounded great at the store. They don't - yet - sound quite as
good at my place, and I am wondering whether the ancient amplification I am
using may be at fault. I am driving the speakers with an NAD 7120 receiver
which I bought used for $60. I remember when I was a kid that NAD brought
the 3020 and it was meant to be great so I figured maybe this receiver would
also provide high quality sound. (I was kind of hoping that maybe the 7120
was just the receiver version of the 3020) Is this however true? Is the 7120
a decent quality receiver, and up to the level of the 3020 amp, or did NAD
produce some dodgy stuff as well as their high quality products?

Dan

Tim,

The sound just does not seem as detailed as in the store (where, granted,
the same speakers were being powered by a much more expensive system). The
speakers are PSB Image 2B's. What should the impedance be set to? I do not
need great voulme as it is only a medium sized room and I have neighbours
:-)

Dan

"Tim Schwartz" wrote in message
...
Dan,

The 7120 is not a receiver version of the 3020 the closest thing to
that would be a 7020. The 7220 and 7225 are closer to the 3020 as well,
and I like the tuners in them better. The 7120 is not a bad sounding
receiver, but is low power (20 watts per channel), and may not driver
you speakers to the levels you want. You don't mention what it is that
you don't like about the sound. Make sure that the 4/8 ohm speaker
switch on the rear is in the correct position for your speakers. Only
operate the switch when the receiver is switched off.

Regards,
Tim Schwartz
Bristol Electronics


Dan wrote:

I bought some new speakers for my stereo over the weekend - PSB I mage
2B's
to replace the Century 300's line which I quite liked but was not
satisfied
with. The 2Bs sounded great at the store. They don't - yet - sound quite
as
good at my place, and I am wondering whether the ancient amplification I
am
using may be at fault. I am driving the speakers with an NAD 7120
receiver
which I bought used for $60. I remember when I was a kid that NAD
brought
the 3020 and it was meant to be great so I figured maybe this receiver
would
also provide high quality sound. (I was kind of hoping that maybe the
7120
was just the receiver version of the 3020) Is this however true? Is the
7120
a decent quality receiver, and up to the level of the 3020 amp, or did
NAD
produce some dodgy stuff as well as their high quality products?

Dan

Dan,

I do not know your speakers, but the owners manual should tell you if
they are 4 or 8 ohms, which are the most common types. It is likely to
be marked on the back of your speakers as well. If the impedance is 8
ohms or higher, then set the switch for 8 ohms, if it is below 8 ohms,
then select 4 ohms.

The source could be as much of a problem as the amplifier. For
example, some DVD players I've heard don't sound as good as decent 10
year old mid line CD player when playing CD's. are your speaker wires
at least 18 gage wire (if less than a 12 foot run) or 16 gage, up to
about a 30 foot run? If you've got the real cheap 20 or 24 gage wire,
try replacing that. I don't want to open a huge thread about speaker
wire, but a reasonable gage is required. Also, if you have a friend
with a decent CD player, maybe you should ask them to bring it over and
see what kind of difference it makes. I'd also ask the dealer who sold
you the speakers to make suggestions about your system.

Regards,
Tim


Dan wrote:

Tim,

The sound just does not seem as detailed as in the store (where, granted,
the same speakers were being powered by a much more expensive system). The
speakers are PSB Image 2B's. What should the impedance be set to? I do not
need great voulme as it is only a medium sized room and I have neighbours
:-)

Dan

"Tim Schwartz" wrote in message
...
Dan,

The 7120 is not a receiver version of the 3020 the closest thing to
that would be a 7020. The 7220 and 7225 are closer to the 3020 as well,
and I like the tuners in them better. The 7120 is not a bad sounding
receiver, but is low power (20 watts per channel), and may not driver
you speakers to the levels you want. You don't mention what it is that
you don't like about the sound. Make sure that the 4/8 ohm speaker
switch on the rear is in the correct position for your speakers. Only
operate the switch when the receiver is switched off.

Regards,
Tim Schwartz
Bristol Electronics


Dan wrote:

I bought some new speakers for my stereo over the weekend - PSB I mage
2B's
to replace the Century 300's line which I quite liked but was not
satisfied
with. The 2Bs sounded great at the store. They don't - yet - sound quite
as
good at my place, and I am wondering whether the ancient amplification I
am
using may be at fault. I am driving the speakers with an NAD 7120
receiver
which I bought used for $60. I remember when I was a kid that NAD
brought
the 3020 and it was meant to be great so I figured maybe this receiver
would
also provide high quality sound. (I was kind of hoping that maybe the
7120
was just the receiver version of the 3020) Is this however true? Is the
7120
a decent quality receiver, and up to the level of the 3020 amp, or did
NAD
produce some dodgy stuff as well as their high quality products?

Dan

Thanks Tim,

The PSB website says that Image 2B's have a "nominal" impedance of 6 ohms
and a "minimum" impedance of 4 ohms, whatever that means, so I have set it
to 4 ohms (where it was set to 8 ohms before). I have not had a chance yet
to see if that affects the sound. Will the change make it luder or softer?

Dan


"Tim Schwartz" wrote in message
...
Dan,

I do not know your speakers, but the owners manual should tell you if
they are 4 or 8 ohms, which are the most common types. It is likely to
be marked on the back of your speakers as well. If the impedance is 8
ohms or higher, then set the switch for 8 ohms, if it is below 8 ohms,
then select 4 ohms.

The source could be as much of a problem as the amplifier. For
example, some DVD players I've heard don't sound as good as decent 10
year old mid line CD player when playing CD's. are your speaker wires
at least 18 gage wire (if less than a 12 foot run) or 16 gage, up to
about a 30 foot run? If you've got the real cheap 20 or 24 gage wire,
try replacing that. I don't want to open a huge thread about speaker
wire, but a reasonable gage is required. Also, if you have a friend
with a decent CD player, maybe you should ask them to bring it over and
see what kind of difference it makes. I'd also ask the dealer who sold
you the speakers to make suggestions about your system.

Dan,

There will probably not be much effect on the sound level, but you'll
be much less likely to 'blow' the amp.

--Tim


Dan wrote:

Thanks Tim,

The PSB website says that Image 2B's have a "nominal" impedance of 6 ohms
and a "minimum" impedance of 4 ohms, whatever that means, so I have set it
to 4 ohms (where it was set to 8 ohms before). I have not had a chance yet
to see if that affects the sound. Will the change make it luder or softer?

Dan

"Tim Schwartz" wrote in message
...
Dan,

I do not know your speakers, but the owners manual should tell you if
they are 4 or 8 ohms, which are the most common types. It is likely to
be marked on the back of your speakers as well. If the impedance is 8
ohms or higher, then set the switch for 8 ohms, if it is below 8 ohms,
then select 4 ohms.

The source could be as much of a problem as the amplifier. For
example, some DVD players I've heard don't sound as good as decent 10
year old mid line CD player when playing CD's. are your speaker wires
at least 18 gage wire (if less than a 12 foot run) or 16 gage, up to
about a 30 foot run? If you've got the real cheap 20 or 24 gage wire,
try replacing that. I don't want to open a huge thread about speaker
wire, but a reasonable gage is required. Also, if you have a friend
with a decent CD player, maybe you should ask them to bring it over and
see what kind of difference it makes. I'd also ask the dealer who sold
you the speakers to make suggestions about your system.