2. speakers
  3. 137098-116061

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
erik_squires
16,323 posts
 
Room acoustics and placement should be considered first, as well as speakers. Some Dynaudio speakers are really tuned for low volume listening. 

These are also ported speakers, so you may find yourself liking them a lot more if you stuff the ports with a pair of old t-shirts or socks. 

Best,

E
cd318
2,636 posts
 
The Harbeth M30s are more refined and better balanced and it's difficult to think of anything better of a similar size. Before making that investment though it may be worth trying some form of isolation underneath your Dynaudio BM6s.

Either some form of footer (Herbie's etc) or some sorbothane hemispheres may help clarify the bass response via isolating the baffle from resonance modes which tend to blur the bass/midbass in particular.

Isolation can often help you to hear what the bass players are doing with dramatically increased clarity. Bass might actually become something to welcome, rather than some headache inducing noise. 

Remember that virtually all smaller loudspeakers will be voiced with a bass boost in 50-100Hz region. Without it you would seriously render much music (esp Chamber and Acoustic Jazz) sounding limp. You wouldn't want flat to 50Hz and then falling off a cliff.

I'd try the isolation first and if that doesn't work, book a demo with the Harbeths. 
marklings OP
61 posts
 
Room is not small some 300+sqft
Distance form the wall maybe 10  " but I cannot move them further
Interesting suggestion about the sealed monitors, I'll certainly have a look at those
Finally, I disagree with one of the first comments that today's mixes are not bass heavy. They most definitely are IMHO. Any comparison I can make on new mixes / new mastering of old stuff shows that.
Thanks all for the contribution.
marklings OP
61 posts
 
Also tx for the isolation / stuffing suggestion. I'll most definitely try those.
Post removed 
More to discover