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Speakers for aging audiophiles - What's with today bass emphasis ?

I'd love to pick your brains on a issue and possibly a suggestion
My system has 2 sources, a Logitech transporter and Thorens 126 MKIII / SME / Supex.  Ampli recently changed to a Musical Fidelity M6si. My listening is 80% streaming and 20% vinyl. It's mostly classic and prog rock but also acoustic jazz and classic chamber music.
I have an issue with my current speakers setup: Dynaudio BM6 passive.
I have been using those for some months now and find that while they are satisfying in terms of scene, detail, resolution they are exceedingly strong in the bass (say 50 to 200 Hz) and not adequately balanced in the middle / treble, say from 1k Hz up. It seems as though the bass player stand in front with a big amplifier and everyone else is back in the stage.
I have changed the amplifier to the Musical Fidelity but while I am happy with that I did not see much change in respect to the issue I am describing.

I relate this issue to 2 causes:

1. Today's recordings emphasizes the bass unrealistically. Let me just give you an example. I recently bought Steve Wilson remix of Marillion "Misplaced Childhood". Great work. The mix is shining but compared to the old vinyl I have got you get this feeling of too much bass. Bass quality is great, well defined, solid, no complain but just too much of a good thing.

2. I am ageing, over 60 now. It is well know that as you age your sensitivity to the high frequencies falls down

Given those factors I'd like to change speakers to get something that:
- Is very open on the highs
- It's very analytical
- Does not over emphasize basses
- Bookshelf
- Ballpark cost 2 - 2.5 K

Can anyone make suggestions ? I was inclined to the Harbeths M30 but read several blogs where they say they do emphasize the bass. Maybe Dynaudio Special or Focus  ? How about Totem Sky ?

I don't mind spending a few more bucks to get what I want / need.

Thanks a lot everyone.

Mark.
marklings
marklings OP
61 posts
 
It has been an extremely educating experience reading all those posts. I made further digging and reading. I am coming to the following, very opinionated, conclusions.

- There's surprisingly little sealed cabinets around
- 99% of the speakers are ported designs
- A ported design makes the room part of the acoustic much more than a sealed design; which in essence is a bad thing because we do not live in apartments designed for listening to the music, quite the contrary; and room management is practically impossible in most situations
- Ported designs have taken the lead because they are more "glamorous" and lend themselves more easily to the current Rap oriented, bass heavy trend in music production
- Also they need less powerful amps
- Sealed design do not go that deep and require lot of power but are more accurate


simna
165 posts
 

I just have to comment on ATC SCM 19 v2; they very neutral. They are not analytic or unnaturally open in the highs. I actually have a pair and I have had them for about two years. The thing is that I’m about to replace them because I’m looking for a speaker that’s more open. But I want more of the lower bass frequencies (below 50Hz) also. I feel that they are a little veiled, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the speakers fault. I think it’s a combination of my room, my other gear and my aging ears;)
Another "problem" with ATC SCM 19 v2 is that have to be played at quite high (in my opinion) volume. And they need a powerful amp.

Just for the record; I’m trying out a pair Tannoy Legacy Eaton just now.

@marklings
I just realized that you own a Musical Fidelity M6si. When I bought my ATC:s I used a Musical Fidelity M6i, but I thought that with that combination the sound was harsh and dull.

cd318
2,636 posts
 
@marklings, couldn’t agree more with your conclusions except to add that ported designs can also sound a little more relaxed in the bass regions.

The bass often seems able to breathe a little better albeit at the cost of some definition. Many are happy to accept that trade-off.

Controlling bass resonances seems to be one of the major challenges of loudspeaker design.
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@marklings Have you considered demoing a Lyngdorf TDAI 2170?

With regards to speakers, since placement close to the wall is a factor, in addition to sealed designs, consider front ported speakers or those that port below the speaker cabinet. Transmission line designs may be a great option for you.

At some point you will run into a clash between the features and performance you want, and your budget. PMC (transmission line and front ported) comes to mind, but may be above what you want to spend. Likewise, Aerial.... which was recommended early in the thread.
mcreyn
293 posts
 
A well designed ported speaker sounds every bit as “tight” as a sealed speaker. It is a function of qtc and group delay. It is not a matter of sealed v ported, but how the designer has tuned it.

You really need to look at your room. Without running REW or the equivalent, you will never see the likely 30db varience you have in bass levels at your listening position. Small changes in speaker and listening position can make major changes in these peaks and nulls. You also need to measure your decay time. If your decay time is long, it will only further emphasize standing waves and bass bloat.  Treating the room (look at GIK acoustics which are inexpensive and will make recomendations if you send them your room information) will run under $1000 and do far more to address what you are experiencing than chasing different speakers.

Digital correction can also be used (i.e. Mini DSP), but I would always start with placement and room treatment becore applying DSP.
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