The Alpair 12P would likely fail in bass response given a conventional cabinet, i.e. ported, bass reflex, sealed box. I was actually expecting that sort of performance from them regardless of the fact that they were being mounted in a folded horn. If I had no experience with folded horns in the past, I would come to the same conclusion as you. FWIW, I owned a pair of JBL 4343, you know, the ones with 15" woofers? Never could get decent bass performance from them. Owned them in 3 separate houses, with different amplification too. Yah, I wouldn't have believed it either.
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.
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.
- ...
- 170 posts total
"
treating the room instead of trying to compensate the bad room with a limited speaker is the path to long term satisfaction ime" I believe the same and it makes a lot of sense to me. I hope we're all correct, since I just spent about $3,500 in GIK acoustic room treatments which should arrive and be installed in about 2-3 weeks. I'll let you know, Tim |
I’ve been a long-time fan of Merlin VSM two ways. The VSM employs a 6.5" Scanspeak 8545 in combination with a line-level equalizer that boosts LF output by 5db, providing useful output into the low 30s. I’m following @theaudiotweak with an order for early-production Purifi 6.5" to try in the VSM cabinet as an alternative to Scanspeak. Early reviews of the Purifi suggest that this driver is capable of lower LF distortion and better dynamics than any 6.5" to date. Its sensitivity, frequency response curve, and dimensions are not too far off the 8545 to be a "drop in." |
noble100 I don’t like organ, so forget 20hz (I went for that like a nut when younger). I love Jazz, the low instruments are piano say 30hz, double bass say 40hz, many instruments no lower than 60hz. I know where each musician, each bass player is standing, where the trombone is, ... the thing about Bass is, despite all the proven physics, listening to my pair of 37 lb 15" woofers each with magnets 7" thick, they can control the bass as much as make it. And, better controlled 40hz gives better controlled overtones 80, 160, 320, ... (overones is why analog sounds more involving than digital IMO) Bass IS or, CAN BE directional. this is a sweet listen, I just got a fresh copy for Christmas). https://www.amazon.com/Double-Bass-180-NIELS-HENNING-PEDERSEN/dp/B005CJQR8S/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=double+bass+pedersen&qid=1579746066&s=electronics&sr=8-1 Keeping bass, or as another member here clarified, the bass overtones directional is why I do not like ports. If ports, front facing. Now lets get to producing bass without roll off, keeping it at proper volume to adjacent, other instruments. This is where smaller woofers cannot perform. Sooooo, if getting some decent bass, IN YOUR ROOM, from 6", then a pair of DIRECTIONAL subs, located adjacent to the mains, Not too big (that’s why I mentioned i.e. 10"), can extend a STEREO experience to relatively equal lower bass!!!! A single, or too large pair of subs, poorly located because too big, will lose the potential for directionallity, and lose the directionality the overtones of those fundamentals provide. You are hearing 40hz at proper level to other instruments, by itself perhaps not directional, but it’s 80 and 160 and .... tell your mind where that 40 is originating! Especially if the fundamental 40 is tightly controlled, thus big magnet, servo, ... |
- 170 posts total