Need help. Ears hurting after upgrade.

[DSJR]

Perhaps a silly thought, but do the Wharfedales have tweeter 'grilles?' If so, may be worth removing them as they seem to have a negative effect on the response up there.

I'd have personally thought those JBL's were potentially better anyway, but I don't know them so can't speak from any experience here. isn't the JBL waveguide supposed to WIDEN the perceived sweet-spot for listening?

 

[rsc1]

I managed to find one for -$50 us about 6 months ago. But they are rare. Just remind yourself to look every week, and eventually one will turn up.

I suggest you look at threads on setting up subwoofers and integrating them, that is a whole topic onto itself. But for now.... Try some things. Try turning the sub at 45 degrees and 90 degrees. Try moving it away from the closest wall. Slide it left and right. You may not like the sub, you may hate it, but at the very least you will be able to figure out what part of that is the sub (for things that are the same) and what part is placement (from location and orientation).

Small changes can make a huge difference. If my sub is pointed straight out, super null. If it is at 45 degrees, boom boom boom, and at 90? Pretty good.

$50???

Interesting, will play around with the orientation. As a general rule - will a sealed sub be a little less picky about placement, or hard to say? I do think, regardless of placement issues, a better sub will be a good upgrade. Even if the SVS isn't a long-term solution, I'll always be able to find a place for it in the house. Maybe I put the Jamo in the bedroom on the carpet for now?? Hmm...

Perhaps a silly thought, but do the Wharfedales have tweeter 'grilles?' If so, may be worth removing them as they seem to have a negative effect on the response up there.

I'd have personally thought those JBL's were potentially better anyway, but I don't know them so can't speak from any experience here. isn't the JBL waveguide supposed to WIDEN the perceived sweet-spot for listening?

The Wharfedales have woofer and tweeter grilles, I've been using them without. The stereophile.com review showed the FR as being more linear with grilles removed. The JBLs sound very good, and I'm not sure how their directivity measures, I just found I had to be sitting in one particular spot on the couch to get consistent sound. It wasn't just about the speakers though; I like the fact that I have a DAC and built-in streamer now (and that I can upgrade components separately if budget allows).

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

$50???

The (-) was not very visible. Fifty dollars OFF. Not $50 total. Open box deal, not scratch and dent.

 

[rsc1]

The (-) was not very visible. Fifty dollars OFF. Not $50 total. Open box deal, not scratch and dent.

Ah...that makes more sense, apologies for misreading. Got myself an open-box SB-1000 (non-pro) which should come in tomorrow. Exciting times.

For anyone wondering - I put up a curtain and it has definitely helped. Not getting assaulted by harsh frequencies as much anymore. Really happy with how it sounds already now!

 

[A Surfer]

And almost without a doubt, some of this will be due to the fact that you probably did not really take the time to just acclimate to the new speakers. How long in terms of days did you give the Polk's?

You may never have gotten on with them, but if you rushed the acclimatization process that certainly would have confounded things.