Arendal 1723 THX LCR harsh «S» sound in vocals

Santho

Novice Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
27
Age
25
Location
Norway
Just bought a used LCR setup consisting of Arendal 1723 THX monitors a week ago, i’ve noticed a tendency of sharp «S» sounds in the vocals when watching movies, or «sibilence» as it’s called if im not wrong…😅?

It’s very noticable on some movies, less in others… movies in particular i found this being a problem the most is Doctor Strange, streamed from Disney+, and the newest Star Trek movies streamed from Apple TV.
The audio level is not super loud but not low either, i would like to watch movies with a little higher volume tbh but i simply can’t stand the harsh «S» sound that follows with it so i keep it at a (atleast in my opinion) moderatly loud level…

could this be a fault in the speakers themselves..? Or could it be my reciever/pre-amp causing this? My reciever is a Onkyo TX-NR717 THX, and my pre amp is a NAD M25.

thx for any input regarding this! 😁
 
this could be in the recording itself. The arendals are a very transparent speakers, so crap in, crap out. I did notice a similar thing on a few films, if you turn your treble down 3-4db (possibly more if you get no negative effects) you might find this helpful.
 
When I first got my Arendal's I noticed a weird speech issue through the center while watching The Umbrella Academy. I cut both ends of the speaker cable and popped new banana plugs on and has been fine since... Could try that?
 
this could be in the recording itself. The arendals are a very transparent speakers, so crap in, crap out. I did notice a similar thing on a few films, if you turn your treble down 3-4db (possibly more if you get no negative effects) you might find this helpful.

When I first got my Arendal's I noticed a weird speech issue through the center while watching The Umbrella Academy. I cut both ends of the speaker cable and popped new banana plugs on and has been fine since... Could try that?
thx for the tips! I’ll make sure to try both of these out when i get home from work today.

As a side note to this aswell, my living room is a pretty hopeless case acoustic wise… could this possibly cause an issue like this?
 
Just bought a used LCR setup consisting of Arendal 1723 THX monitors a week ago, i’ve noticed a tendency of sharp «S» sounds in the vocals when watching movies, or «sibilence» as it’s called if im not wrong…😅?

It’s very noticable on some movies, less in others… movies in particular i found this being a problem the most is Doctor Strange, streamed from Disney+, and the newest Star Trek movies streamed from Apple TV.
The audio level is not super loud but not low either, i would like to watch movies with a little higher volume tbh but i simply can’t stand the harsh «S» sound that follows with it so i keep it at a (atleast in my opinion) moderatly loud level…

could this be a fault in the speakers themselves..? Or could it be my reciever/pre-amp causing this? My reciever is a Onkyo TX-NR717 THX, and my pre amp is a NAD M25.

thx for any input regarding this! 😁

There is two things i would try.

First turn the Audussey 2EQ you have in that Onkyo to "Off". It`s garbage, it does more harm for the sound than good. Page 60 on manual. However you find it under Main Menu, Source Setup, Audussey and there is Off, Movie and Music options. Turn it Off! When you have done this listen the movies again.



Second thing is turn the RE-EQ to "On". If you listen using the THX modes, then set the RE-EQ THX to "On".

With the Re-EQ function, you can compensate a soundtrack whose high-frequency content is too harsh, making it more suitable for home theater viewing.


Same thing, listen again does it make enough difference. It can be your room too as people rarely comment this type thing with Arendal speakers.
 
There is two things i would try.

First turn the Audussey 2EQ you have in that Onkyo to "Off". It`s garbage, it does more harm for the sound than good. Page 60 on manual. However you find it under Main Menu, Source Setup, Audussey and there is Off, Movie and Music options. Turn it Off! When you have done this listen the movies again.



Second thing is turn the RE-EQ to "On". If you listen using the THX modes, then set the RE-EQ THX to "On".

With the Re-EQ function, you can compensate a soundtrack whose high-frequency content is too harsh, making it more suitable for home theater viewing.


Same thing, listen again does it make enough difference. It can be your room too as people rarely comment this type thing with Arendal speakers.
Ok, i was actually just about to buy a audessey 2EQ microphone to try that since i dont have one currently and thought that may help my «hopeless room» situation.. So you’re saying that i should scrap my roomEq plans with the TX717 as it would just do more harm than good?

i will try all the settings you suggested asap and keep this thread updated on the results.
 
Ask Mark said, they are transparent speakers. I've had a few films sound with dialogue have this issue. Arendals just push all of that detail to the front so any errors in mixing are very obvious
 
Ok, i was actually just about to buy a audessey 2EQ microphone to try that since i dont have one currently and thought that may help my «hopeless room» situation.. So you’re saying that i should scrap my roomEq plans with the TX717 as it would just do more harm than good?

i will try all the settings you suggested asap and keep this thread updated on the results.
You can set the levels and distances=delay with the mic and boom arm mic stand, but turn the EQ Off from the menu. Notice the 2EQ version your Onkyo has is the lowest and oldest, it doesn`t even do anything for the subwoofer. For reference the XT32 version can be found on 1k£ units these days and soon we have Dirac Live units in that price range aswell so when you need newer connections, features, more channels then i think you will benefit greatly from the upgrade considering the much better room correction aswell.

multeq-flavors-edit_400785.jpg


Can you do any basic stuff in your room like add more soft furnishing, some heavy thick curtains, big rug/carpet on floor in front of speakers if hardfloors etc.

Try the RE-EQ at least with those couple movies you said and make sure Audussey is Off. Naturally you would set the distances with tape measure and set the speaker + sub levels with SPL meter (c-weighting / slow) or buy the mic if it´s cheap.
 
I would certainly listen to them 15 degrees off axis to get the flattest most neutral sound, that is, aim the speakers to cross about 1 foot in front of you. For the center, place it below ear level aims at your chest.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom