Amp/speaker mismatch? Help!!

[iskandam]

After four months of non-stop searching of multichannel amp I finally picked up a 7x200 wpc Emotiva MPS-1 to power my 5.1 all-RTi rig (RTi8, CSi5, FXi3). So now I'm relegating my Harman Kardon AVR 247 to the task of pre-pro until the UMC-1 comes out later this summer. I'm using Signal Ultras to bi-wire the 8's and zingo's bi-amp cable to bi-amp the CSi5. Signal Analog II ICs to hook up the amp to the HK.

I noticed an expansion of the soundstage, better bass response, and increased dynamics, although the improvement isn't as dramatic as I expected it to be. That's not the problem though. I was able to tame the brightness of the tweeters with the HK, but with the addition of the MPS-1 it's back again... big time! I toned the treble all the way down to the max (-10) on the HK but the harshness is still there and is giving me a headache at higher volumes.

I was under the impression that the MPS-1 is a neutral amp, so the only component that might be responsible for this could be the IC. They're brand now and I have probably about 20 hours on them so far. I'm hoping that the harshness would mellow out as the ICs break in, but since this is my first move into separates I don't know if this is even a correct assumption to make. What do you guys think?

[Face]

Having owned a HK245(predecessor to 247), Signal Analog II's, and Signal Ultras, I never found any of those components bright or harsh, if anything they were on the warm side.

[Sami]

Sorry to hear that, although that gives you the excuse to jump into LSi's... ;)

I doubt it's the IC's, the new amp probably is just much brighter than the HK's amp section.

[Face]

I agree, LSi's would definitely fix your problem. They're a much warmer speaker than the RTi series.

Are your mains toed in at all? If so, try toeing them out till they face straight forward.

Your room could be part of the issue too.

[jwhitakr]

How long have you been running the MPS-1 amp? If it isn't broken in yet (not sure how long it would take to break in the MPS-1), that could be the culprit as well.

[iskandam]

The MPS-1 is 2 years old and I'm the second owner so it's definitely broken in. That having been said, aren't solid state amps different from tube amps in that they require no break-in period at all?

I had this problem when I ran my set up with the Onkyo 605 but ever since I replaced it with the HK AVR 247 it went away. I like both the amp and the speakers but it doesn't look like they play well together. Looks like one of them have to go :(

[dkg999]

Did you re-calibrate/equalize your system after adding the amp?

[jerrymb]

I have the rti6 which people have said are bright with a Yamaha receiver which I was also told was bright yet I hear no brightness at all.

[iskandam]

Yes, I did recalibrate the system after installing the amp. I did HK's microphone calibration then ran Avia's test tones afterwards for the finishing touch. Still bright and harsh at high volumes...

[dkg999]

Then it might be the sound signature of the amp. Do you have any other speakers you can test it with to see if it produces a brighter than normal presentation on them?

[iskandam]

Okay i've made the decision. The amp is going. Those of you in the LA area interested in picking this up, I posted it at the Classified section

[Ron Temple]

Try a Carver mt or TFM amp with those RTis. It's a nice match for RTis, very laid back.