You could measure the problem areas of your room speaker match with a test cd and an spl meter to find the best location or you could buy the subwoofers to augment the low bass, but each is a compromise because it is usually the power range that is lacking and that is usually higher than the subs go, so i would say measure and treat, and then add subs if needed at that time.
Sopra 2 Bass
New member, first post, and newbie in terms of diving into the world of nice things. This world is insane! I've already been spiraling for a few months researching what to buy, AB'ing countless speakers and amps. I now own a McIntosh MA9000 that's driving my new Focal Sopra N2s via Kimber 12VS. My "dilemma" is with the lack of BASS. I demoed the N2s, so I know it's possible, but absent in my home. I have to use the tone controls (this is where you tear me apart) to bump the low end. I do not know if it's my room, lack of bass traps, or equipment, but I'm failing to get down a little lower without tone adjustments. I stream Tidal Masters to my wired Bluesound NODE 2i (optical to the MA9000 dac). My room is 11'x20.5' with a low, 7.5' ceiling. I have tried as many speaker positions as possible with little change. I already know I need to eliminate room echo in the center of the room and have been researching various acoustic treatments. I feel like I'm off to a good start, but now stuck, not totally satisfied. Yes, it's the best I've ever owned and mind-blowing amazing, emotional, etc, but just short of perfect for me. In tracks where I expect a punch, I get an unmoving transition... Can I get "there" with different wire? Should I consider a sub? Why do folks on this site use two subs? Do I need to hire someone to properly sound-treat the room? Is my room a lost cause for what I own? Reaching out because I'm stuck, afraid to waste money chasing dead ends. My budget is thin after the McIntosh and Focals. Any help would be so appreciated! I hope to learn, grow and pay it forward some day. Thank you.
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IMO as I have not look at the specs - the MC just cannot push the bass with these speakers. When you heard the speakers with the bass response you preferred, what was driving them? If you heard them with the Mc they I am completely wrong. But if not then try another amp to see what you find. Happy Listening. |
The MA9000 is more than enough. Don’t let people tell you different. McIntosh is the red headed step child on this forum but their current line is excellent agents pretty much anything. The Mac is a great combo with Focal. The Sopras dips to 3 ohms at 100hz so try the 2 ohm tap. That amp will put out 300 watts at 2 ohms and you are only going to use 4-5 watts. The drive units in this focal will burst into smoke before that amp runs out of gas. For what it is worth I run a mc462 with speakers that are well into 2 ohms with good results. Anyway the Sopra does not put out low bass without room gain. Just the way it is and most speakers are the same way. I am of the opinion that all but the largest (and I do mean largest) speakers need subs. I would buy two subs and highpass them at 60hz (where the drivers take a dive and rely on the port). I have used JL subs with the focal electrica line before with good results. A highpass crossover is the key to good integration. Just running them under your speakers without a highpass will result in poor integration most of the time. If you use something like a JL E112 there is a built in highpass. You would run the preamp into the sub then sub into the amp. In your case you would pull the cross bars on the back of your integrated amp and run the output from the #1 out to the sub and then run the sub back into the power amp input. You can then just adjust the crossover to where ever you want and the highpass and timing will be handled in the sub. There are a number of external crossovers too as most subs lack highpass crossovers. The Sopra 2s with good subs would compete with pretty much anything on the market within sane prices. Like others have said you can push your speakers toward the front wall. You need to be closer than 41” to not cancel bass below 80hz or more than 6.7’ out from the wall. Anywhere between those two boundaries there will be hills and valleys in the bass. I personally would pull the speakers out as far as possible and run subs at less than 41” from the front wall. This way each speaker can run with minimized room effects. Video on the subject. https://youtu.be/T10_MLGOBfc |
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