Congrats on your choices! I suggest you start by doing some simple measurements. You'll need an SPL meter, or SPL phone app and a source for test tones. Using a series of spaced bass tones measure the loudspeakers individually up close and at the listening position. This method will allow you to quickly determine which frequencies are missing. Try different loudspeaker and listening positions to see how the results change. Once you get a decent grip on these factors you can then best determine the means of correction. BTW, nothing is wrong with using tone controls.
Sopra 2 Bass
New member, first post, and newbie in terms of diving into the world of nice things. This world is insane! I've already been spiraling for a few months researching what to buy, AB'ing countless speakers and amps. I now own a McIntosh MA9000 that's driving my new Focal Sopra N2s via Kimber 12VS. My "dilemma" is with the lack of BASS. I demoed the N2s, so I know it's possible, but absent in my home. I have to use the tone controls (this is where you tear me apart) to bump the low end. I do not know if it's my room, lack of bass traps, or equipment, but I'm failing to get down a little lower without tone adjustments. I stream Tidal Masters to my wired Bluesound NODE 2i (optical to the MA9000 dac). My room is 11'x20.5' with a low, 7.5' ceiling. I have tried as many speaker positions as possible with little change. I already know I need to eliminate room echo in the center of the room and have been researching various acoustic treatments. I feel like I'm off to a good start, but now stuck, not totally satisfied. Yes, it's the best I've ever owned and mind-blowing amazing, emotional, etc, but just short of perfect for me. In tracks where I expect a punch, I get an unmoving transition... Can I get "there" with different wire? Should I consider a sub? Why do folks on this site use two subs? Do I need to hire someone to properly sound-treat the room? Is my room a lost cause for what I own? Reaching out because I'm stuck, afraid to waste money chasing dead ends. My budget is thin after the McIntosh and Focals. Any help would be so appreciated! I hope to learn, grow and pay it forward some day. Thank you.
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Hi, Let’s talk about what you don’t need: Bass traps or new cables. Couple of things are going on however. I’m going to base my recommendations on these measurements: https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1445:nrc-meas... The Sopras, like a lot of Focal speakers, have a low impedance of 3 Ohms at 100 Hz. What’s also interesting is just how quickly the frequency response rolls off below this number. The measured output is that of a satellite, plus a challenging impedance that troubles some tube and transformer coupled amps, like yours. So, what can you do? These speakers need close rear wall reinforcement. Around 1’ away from the rear would be great. The MA 6000 has parametric tone controls. I’m not sure how narrow they are but you can turn up the lowest control and turn down the top. If you have a choice, use the lowest ohm taps on the output. So, pick 4 Ohms instead of 8. In terms of room control, bass traps reduce and de-energize room modes. They are great when you have modes which prevent you from turning the speaekers up, or are impossible to fix with EQ. Based on what I think is going on, especially with your echo, you need to focus on the mid to treble. Control that, which will lower this, and the bass can emerge, like an old galleon emerging from the ocean at low tide. After this is taken care of you can revisit the bass traps. I also agree with the comment that you should consider measuring your problem first, as it will make things go a lot more quickly and make changes with precision instead of trial and error. I like OmniMic but Room EQ Wizard is free but still requires a calibrated microphone. It is possible you have an anti-mode, where the bass is depressed due to a resonance, but these are usually quite narrow. If you had an anti-mode, bass traps would be quite handy! If you used Roon, you could use it for very fine grained EQ in the digital domain, and adust based on your measurements. Best, E |
One easy thing to do is play something with deep bass and just walk around the room and listen to the bass in all parts of the room. My family room system has a bass null right where the sofa has to be. If I stand at the back or sides of the listening area, there is all kinds of bass. There is not much I can do about it with respect to the front main speakers, as I can't really bring them out into the room, move them much closer to the front wall, or move them left or right. Subs are the only solution, but I'm not skilled with subs. |
izjjzi, I own the Sopra 2’s. They don’t have subwoofer type bass but they do bass pretty well. It may be true about the low impedance that was mentioned, but I don’t think it is much different than most other speakers. Placing the speakers closer to the back wall will increase the bass but it will be lousy sounding bass. Try to bring the front panel of the speaker 1/3 out into the room. (about 7’ based on your measurements). And sit another 7 feet back from the speakers, which leaves approx. 7’ behind you. Then try moving the speakers from the side walls inward to see if you can lock in the bass. Again, you should get very satisfying bass this way but if you want more or deeper bass, subs may be the way to go. 2 subs are generally better than one because it moves the bass more evenly throughout the room. ozzy |
@izjjzi, you have a great foundation don't change or spend money on any thing other than room treatments. Also don't be ashamed of tone controls....good to see them making their way back into some great gear. Can you put a pic in your "virtual system" so we can see what we're working with? This site really needs an update from the 1990's, but that's another story. |
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