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TROUBLE SHOOTING
Your VR dealer should have the necessary resources to investigate any problems you may experience
when setting up a world class reference system. However, if you find that you need specialized help,
either in acoustical or electronic interactions not well understood by your dealer, please don’t hesitate
to contact the factory by emailing your request to: albert@vonschweikert.com. A qualified engineer
will assist you with any problems you are experiencing in achieving world class sound.
BRIGHTNESS: A very common problem is brightness, and is wrongly attributed to the
speakers since they are the apparent source of all sound. Some of the causes of brightness are:
1. Powerline Noise. Can be ameliorated with a proper line conditioner.
2. Cable Resonance. Too many brands of different cables which interact improperly. Switch
interconnects, including the digital cable, to a different brand.
3. Digital Noise. Use a powerline filter on DAC only. Many times the harshness is created by digital
noise bleeding into the preamp, so don’t put the preamp on the same filter as the DAC.
4. Lack of Proper Break-in. Please break speakers in 300 hours with loud music.
5. Source Material. Unfortunately, most commercial CD’s are bright! Try using the Green Felt Pen
and the various CD treatments available, they work like magic.
6. Transistor Sound. Older transistor gear is bright and lacks depth. Invest in newer gear.
7. Dirty Connections. Proper maintenance of a system requires cleaning of all RCA connectors once a
month; don’t forget to clean the AC plug prongs. Tube sockets and pins need to be cleaned as well,
and is a source of tube glare, along with tube deterioration itself. See your dealer for cleaners.
8. Cold Equipment. The entire system must be left on (excluding tube amplifiers) continuously for
best sound quality. Cold equipment, especially transistor preamps and DAC’s, sound thin, sterile, and
lack depth and dimensionality. Cold transistor amplifiers sound harsh, lacking depth. Most experts
recommend leaving the equipment on to avoid the damage associated with cold turn-on, since the
most wear to the electronic components in an amplifier results from the inrush of current from the
wall into a cold part. Once the unit is left on, the voltages and temperatures stabilize, resulting in
better sound and component life. The electric bill will not reflect a huge price difference, as
electronics at idle do not use much electricity (other than Class A amplifiers and tube amps).
9. Too Much Rear Ambience Driver Level. Turn down the rear driver if system is too bright.
10. Room Effects: Boomy Bass, Harsh Highs. Not many audiophiles realize how important their
room acoustics are to the overall soundfield. No matter how good the speaker system and driving
electronics, the room will have great influence over the final sound, whether for better or worse!
Rooms can add or subtract bass response, but correct tuning and placement can ameliorate these
problems. See BASS TUNING section above.
Harsh highs can be created by echoes resulting from large wall surfaces with unbroken surfaces. If
you can hear any echo when clapping your hands, you will need to use some room treatment products.
Many books have been written about room acoustics, and there is not enough space in this manual to
give detailed information on how to do it right. However, the general rule is to use 50%
absorptive/50% reflective ratios when covering the room’s surfaces, such as carpeting, drapes, stuffed
furniture, bookshelves filled with books, records, etc. It is helpful to damp the first reflection points,