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Bass Issues

I have an Arcam SA-20 integrated amp, B&W CM5 speakers and an SVS SB1000 sub. I previously had 20 yr. old B&W DM602 speakers. I sold them. The 602's 7" drivers were great with bass but lacked in other areas. The CM's (6.5" driver) are much better in midrange and treble but I'm having trouble getting the bass dialed in. They can get a little boomy and lack a clean drum punch like the 602's had.

I've got them 26" from the rear wall and am using the outer foam plugs in the ports. You can plug the entire port or take out the middle part and just use the sleeve. I've spent days inching the stands around, toed in, not toed in. I was using an AVR as a preamp with the 602's so I had crossover capability. With the Arcam I don't. I'm a little lost without that feature. The CM's sound best when I can cross them over at 80Hz. Do I have options to manage bass like an outboard crossover or something else?
128x128brian_holmes
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,926 posts
 
@brian_holmes,
My Marantz SA15S2b SACD player weighs in at 29.8 lbs and it's base can deflect small caliber bullets and yet, the results has me listening to all of my CDs again, especially the ones I couldn't get through anymore.

If you do decide to go that route, be prepared to experiment with placement as moving an inch this was or another will elicit different sounding response.

All the best,
Nonoise
brian_holmes's avatar
brian_holmes OP
45 posts
 
Roger that. Getting on board the Node2i bandwagon. Should be here tomorrow. Excited.
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
Getting a speaker to sound good on a particular room is ~ 90% getting the 20-300 Hz region in good shape. This optimization involves too many variables that are not fully independent. Unless you have a very favorably designed room and a speaker that happens to be designed well for your particular room, getting things genuinely optimized by ear is about as likely as winning the lottery. You might get lucky, but REW makes the task significantly easier.

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One of the FEW that actually mention 20-300 controls 90% of the overall problems of SQ of a given room..

I’m glad, I was beginning to think, I was singing ACAPELLA. A person of distinction indeed. I thought it was a dream. The FIRST, I can remember actually that explained, the "squat and grunt" DBA method is good, but some thing come first, to make it GREAT... I really don’t think that is addressed very well, or enough!!!

If anyone has read my babbling they know I’m about, room treatment first (as much as you can stand).
2nd columns, RULE.
3rd bass everywhere does not equal great bass where your setting, and listening. It means BASS everywhere.
Not through my rump, but in my chest.. BIG difference. Through your bottom, is what annoys the heck out of EVERYONE else, in the house including having to control all the issues with source vibration, Valve (tube) vibrating and distorting, TT, CD.

60-300 hz is BASS it is different, DIRECTIONAL, comes to mind...

Breath of fresh air..

Regards
brian_holmes's avatar
brian_holmes OP
45 posts
 
I get all that. What I don't get is why a better pair of speakers (same brand, similar drivers) in the same location, same room, no changes to the room are giving me problems while the cheaper pair didn't.
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
You need a way to block from whatever UP, you cannot control on the way down. SO if you only have control from 80 down, you need to cut from 80 down on the mains.. That make since? The boom will go away...
Simplest way to make it work. Or disconnect the bass section on the mains all together and see if the subs, will go high enough, Gotta be able to match it one way or the other or BOOM BOOM, in the ROOM ROOM.

One or the other, unless you want to stuff an EQ in the signal path, then it's real easy.. OXO 2496  something like that..

Regards
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