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There's a lot more bass in a 6.5" driver than most of you think

One topic of discussion I often see new audiophiles touch on is whether to get larger speakers for more bass.

I usually suggest they tune the room first, then re-evaluate. This is based on listening and measurement in several apartments I’ve lived in. Bigger speakers can be nothing but trouble if the room is not ready.


In particular, I often claim that the right room treatment can make smaller speakers behave much larger. So, to back up my claims I’d like to submit to you my recent blog post here:

https://speakermakersjourney.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-snr-1-room-response-and-roon.html


Look at the bass response from those little drivers! :)


I admit for a lot of listeners these speakers won’t seem as punchy as you might like, but for an apartment dweller who does 50/50 music and theater they are ideal for me. If you’d like punchy, talk to Fritz who aligns his drivers with more oomf in the bass.


erik_squires
sbrownnw
686 posts
 
I love the bass that comes from the dual 2.5 way 6.5" drivers in my ProAc Studio 148s.  Additionally, using some foam bungs to tune the downward firing ports and Soundocity outriggers really puts out the experience I've been looking for before I got these.
erik_squires OP
16,007 posts
 
+1 for Soundocity's outrigger! Really makes setting up speakers a lot easier.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,703 posts
 
@jfuquay, Magnepan is indeed using multiple small woofers in it's 30.7 For Condos model, eight 6.5" per side to be exact. But they are mounted not in a sealed or ported enclosure, but in an open baffle frame. Can't wait to hear 'em! 
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,628 posts
 
Reminds me of a debate between Paul Klipsch and Edgar Villchur at a national meeting of the Acoustical Society in NYC during which Klipsch said something like "I don’t care if you push it with a broom, you still have to move the air" arguing radiating surface v excursion.

In the process of setting up my subs I was surprised that the display revealed the in-room response of my KEF Reference 1s extended to 30 Hz before dropping sharply. I supplement them with a pair of Velodyne HGS-15s crossed 4th order at 40 Hz.
french_fries
815 posts
 
I have a highly-damped bedroom with a pair of (terrible?) inexpensive speakers with 6 in. woofers (vented). The highs aren't great I'll admit -
as in not very smooth. THAT is the real challenge- the upper mids and higher frequencies never sound "just right" without some major technological effort (and the associated expense). But the bass coming out of my cheap speakers is remarkable. Jazz bass is very clear, and pipe organ is pretty good as well. In the "other room" I have a very large pair of speakers with built-in powered 15in. subs, so I think after 30 years of listening and upgrading I know what bass is by now. I agree- an 8 inch (or larger) driver is quite a bit better, but your room and your choice of music will either make your listening a relaxing experience, or you'll be reading "Magico reviews" and saving up for the day you can afford a pair. IMO outboard Subs are for movies anyway, unless your room is enormous. 

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