I can not get my olympica nova 3 to sound as i want to
 

I cant get my Olympica 3 to sound the way i like. My setup is:

Sonus faber Olympica 3 nova
Mcintosh C500T (Gold lion tubes)
Mcintosh Mc452
Rel S812
Laptop to Schiit yggdrasil (Tidal)

If i dont use the sub some music is fine but some miss a lot of bas. If i connect the rel the sound stage collapse, midrange disappear and sub take over.

I think i have tryed all now...
I have a few options:

1:Change speaker, What size of speaker do i need to have to not need sub (i know its a matter of taste) Do i need to go up to Amati Or bigger?

2: Change elektronics

3: Add one more sub.

Sounds like the sub is turned up too high and or too high a crossover. This used to happen to me. It is really easy to overdo the subwoofer.

I owned Olympica 3 in a large room for many years. Incredibly good speakers. I used two subwoofers which extended the sound stage as well as adding bass, but they sounded pretty good with out them. Long ago I learned that subs should always be used in pairs. I got rid of the subs when I upgraded to Amati Traditional. Huge jump in performance.

Have you used a methodology to check placement? Mine were well into the room.

I have used subs for twenty five years. I realized now that if I thought of adding bass, I would not do subwoofers I would jump up to Lilium. But that is me.


If you fix your speaker problem then, I would say of your current equipment: It is all pretty well matched except for your digital end. I would consider a high end streamer... I denied it could make a significant difference for years, it did. Check out Aurender, N100 or N10. Then I would upgrade your DAC. These changes would significantl increase your systems overall performance. After that I would look towards some Amati... which are a big step up from Olympica.

I second what George said about checking placement, as well as sub settings.

In my room the Olympica III speakers are full sounding across the audible spectrum, and throw a good soundstage. If you’re not experiencing that then I suggest adjusting their placement first! Won’t cost you money, only time. I’m no expert so my placement is ad hoc. I make distance measurements every time I adjust placement, however, and take note of what I hear as a result.

About the subwoofer, if you have a continuously variable phase setting, it may help to play a test tone (e.g., 50hz) and adjust until you get cancellation with the Olympica speakers and sub. Then flip the phase 180. Then adjust volume down until the sub is barely perceptible. This is how I have integrated a single JL F112 v1 into my setup. I don’t even use the subwoofer’s crossover since engaging it has some impact in its sound, at least to my ears. It gets a full range signal.

Good luck! Let us know your results.

Edit: I should add that I’ve previously experienced something similar to what you described and turned out I was sitting in a spot that had some bass peaks and some bass nulls. Consider adjusting your seating placement as well, if your room allows. And if it doesn’t allow, I would consider some bass traps. This worked for me long ago when I had too much bass for my listening environment.

I can not get my olympica nova 3 to sound as i want to
 

As George said, check your speaker placement, but then, If you haven’t already, be sure to go through the REL setup process for your sub. Although REL recommends corner placement, I’ve found their subs sometimes can overpower a smaller room when in the corner. Also it’s a common problem to have the crossover set too high.
https://rel.net/blog/2015-07-23/tuni...to-tune-a-rel/

Olympica III do not lack bass as designed. Your electronics is capable of great sound.

I have set up three pair of Olympic III’s and achieved great results without sub(s).

Something is wrong with your speaker placement or the room or both.

Show us a sketch of your room with the speakers, sub, and your listening chair.

Disconnect the sub for now until you get the mains sorted out.

My room:
https://www.bildtagg.se/file/01ihvsq4l0hwdv4a6gswm9d

And a short video where you can see the room
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqHoNdjoFs

I have to have the phase setting to 180 otherwise the bass is canceled out.

I can not get my olympica nova 3 to sound as i want to
 

Thanks for the video and drawing, they are very helpful.

A few important things to consider:

You are setup on the long wall which should give you very good bass.


It looks like speakers are too close to the front wall. Try moving them out into the room so the back of the speakers are at least 2 feet from the front wall.

Search this forum for ‘Sumiko Masters’.

You will find detailed directions on how to setup your speakers for best performance in your room. Follow the detailed instructions and you will be rewarded with better sound.

Do this with the sub disconnected and preferably out of the room.


A few other things, less important but worth considering.

Get rid of the coffee table or cover it with a soft blanket when you are listening. This will improve tonal balance and imaging.

You have beautiful wood floors. Consider adding a carpet or rug between your listening position and the speakers.

Consider installing acoustic panels on the sides of the TV, behind the speakers.

Sometimes an excess of treble can be perceived as a lack of bass and all the above suggestions are intended to reduce treble reflections.

Check the polarity of all the speaker connections. If the bass drops when the balance control is centered you have got one set of speaker cables swapped. It happens. :) Also it looks like you are using bi-wire speaker cables, but have the jumpers installed on the speakers.

Once you have the speakers dialed in, then add in the sub and follow the REL instructions for sub integration.

Good luck!

I did disconnect the sub and did spend 3h on positioning the speaker and it sound a lot better. But i cant get the sub to play well with the main speaker.

I can not get my olympica nova 3 to sound as i want to
 

One thing to check - if you are using the speaker level interface did you follow the REL hook up instructions for fully balanced amplifiers? The ground needs to be floated or connected to a screw on the chassis of the MC 452, not to the (-) speaker terminals of your amplifier.