2. home-theater
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Recommendations for improving visceral impact?

Hi!  I recently upgraded the majority of components in my system, and am happy with how it's going. I'm very happy with the detail, musicality, and separation of instruments. However, I think it's still lacking in visceral impact and also (particularly in two-channel listening) spatial imaging (both left/right and depth).

Our primary use is home theater - so improving impact is more important to me than improving imaging. 

Here's my setup - would love any recommendations for ways to improve... 

  • Left & Right: B&W 803S
  • Center: B&W Nautilus HTM1
  • Rears: B&W 301
  • Sub: Monoprice 10" Monolith
  • Preamp: Marantz AV8802A (with upgraded fuse)
  • Amp: Rotel RMB-1585
  • Amp/Preamp Interconnects: Bluejeans RCA

The room is approximately 18' deep by 20' wide. I've added GIK acoustic panels around the room, as much as possible based on room layout and aesthetics. 

Unfortunately the couch is against the wall, which I'm guessing isn't helping... but there's no other option for placement. I've also tinkered with speaker placement as much as possible; the B&W's like to be quite far apart, and I'm maxed out on width at this point.

I'm using the Audyssey room correction -- it's necessary since the front left speaker is a few inches from the left side wall and a corner, and is incredibly boomy without it.

I'd prefer not to change out any components at this point, so my thinking is that the interconnects between the Marantz and the Rotel, and perhaps from changing power cords and/or adding a power conditioner, could be the way to improve here.

Thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!  

awilder
sgordon1
440 posts
 
Do you use a Schumann Resonator?
Do you use an air ionizer in the room?

If you have carpet on the floors, do you vacuum
it before critical listening?
Do you treat cables, components, speaker cabinets,
and walls with anti-static spray, applied with a moistened cloth?
(Also great to spray on carpet, before vacuuming!)

Do you use a Walker Talisman?

What you aren't saying may be more important than
the information you are sharing... a different perspective
is sometimes all it takes.
erik_squires
16,245 posts
 
Check out the GIK bass and soffit traps, they will help room correction work better.


Set your main speakers to small.


Turn off room correction. Put your sub in your listening location, then walk around possible placement locations until you hear the best bass. Put your sub there. Re-apply room correction.



Best,
E
awilder OP
41 posts
 
Thanks Erik.  I do have a couple of the GIK Bass traps (just two, one in the corner near the sub, the other in the opposite corner). And I don't think I can add any more traps or panels if I want to preserve my marriage....

Interesting idea to set the main speakers to small.

The sub is in pretty much the only place I can put it -- though I've done the 'crawl' and I think it may be in the best location already anyway.

Perhaps I'm using the term "visceral impact" incorrectly. It's not so much the "boom" at the very low end... it's more about the fact that the system feels a bit recessive overall, or not as "forward" as I'd like. Said another way, it doesn't make me want to _move_. 


helomech
1,712 posts
 
Replace those B&W with super large JBLs - done.
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