ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hello, I am new to the site and would appreciate some help please. I have a pair of passive Pentas which I have recently successfully refoamed. I am happy with the way they sound but am convinced I could get more out of them with the right amp. I currently use an Onkyo 607 AV amp but would like to know if anyone has any suggestions as to how I could improve my set up by upgrading. I am not a Beophile so dont mind if the amp is a different make. I also dont mind buying used. I have a budget of up to about £500 although would be happier spending say £250 - 300. The speakers sound amazing when listening to DTS through my current amp but sort of average the rest of the time. Thanks in advance for your advice. Alex
Your amplifier is fine - if it sounds great with DTS, I suspect the problem will be the other source.
However, Pentavox speakers will be getting old now. It is very likely that the midrange will have foam rot, and the capacitors in the cross over will be a bit tired. The sound characteristics of the Penta also need to be taken into account. I have Penta 3s and love them but if critical would suggest the following:
The treble is a bit dull - the tweeter is in the middle of the speaker and so are best listened to when sitting down. The passive versions are even lower as no amp to sit on!
The bass rolls over rather higher than expected but there is a compensating bass hump above this - this means you get plenty of bass but the detail is not so good at the lower registers.
Rather than spending a lot on a new amplifier, look at the source and also look at the midrange drivers of the Pentas.
Peter
Peter, Thanks very much for your response. I did wonder about the source which is a PS3. I have refoamed the mids and it made a huge difference and as you said if it sounds ok with DTS then it they should be ok. Is changing the capcitor an easy task do you know? Finally, sorry to ask so many questions, what CD deck would you recommend I use with my set up please? Many Thanks, Alex
Hi,
I agree with Peter, I have a pair of PentaVox speakers, paired with a Rotel RB 1510 that uses the same IcePower amplifiers as the ones in BeoLab 3 & 7, and the combination is absolutely amazing, with a proper DAC and lossless sources.
The first part of the renovation was refoaming the midrange drivers, then I replaced all the capacitors, made silver soldering on the drivers, put the speakers on a 15 cm stand (to match the height of BeoLabs and therefore have a tweeter at ear level), and finally listening to them as I am writing those lines..
The cost for these modifications/replacements is nothing compared to the sound experience you get in the end; I am using a 96-band equalizer and indeed, the 94-115 Hz range needed to be adjusted (down) as the hump is quite audible, especially when listening to tracks from Massive Attack, for instance
And yes, the treble part can sound a bit "shy", but at BeoLab height and with replaced caps, I didn't even need to adjust them on the equalizer (but my room is a bit bright).
The real bonus over PentaLabs is that you can now have better amplifiers than the BeoLab 200 that start ageing, and in most cases, you won't need a 150 W amplifier!The only thing I miss is the displays..they do make the speakers look alive!
Hey Cristophe, Thanks very much for your responce. I have never considered a DAC or equalizer but can absolutely see how that might help. I have just raised my speakers whilst listening to a DTS Bjork album and it does make quite a difference! Can you recommend a DAC and equalizer at all please. I dont mind used but havent got a huge budget. Also again sorry to ask so many questions but is the PS3 an ok CD source? Finally what lossless souce do you use? Thanks very much, this forum is really great. Alex
Hello, It would appear that an amp has to have a tape loop function on it to be able to add a graphic equalizer. I would like to be informed otherwise as my Onkyo doesnt have that function