Which component to upgrade to improve bass control?

@invalid:

My mistake-- you are right!  

@sandthemall:

"I think it's most logical to get the room dialed in first"

I can't argue with that-- it makes perfect sense.

Implementing it, however, is another story. 

. . or can be, at least. 

It might seem logical. Then again it might be it seems that way because it is so often repeated.

As it happens the room problem is mainly due to being so much smaller than bass wavelengths. This creates room modes, which are what we hear as lumpy boomy etc bass. But the solution to room modes is multiple subs. Once you understand this and change from the old-school two locations mentality to a DBA suddenly a huge amount of "room problems" goes away.

The next biggest source of "room problems" is the room being made to vibrate by speakers physically coupled to it. This creates resonances and ringing that ruins a lot more than just the bass. When floors, walls and ceilings are all being made to vibrate by physically coupled speakers it smears and colors all up and down the audio band.

The solution to this "room problem" is to decouple the speakers by putting them on springs. This is impressively effective, as has been demonstrated many times.

If the goal is improved bass response then both of these should be done first, long before any of the other suggestions. DBA and isolation are whole orders of magnitude better than anything else you can do. The improvement you will hear from doing these goes does indeed greatly improve bass response, but also goes far beyond that one thing.

@millercarbon:

Thanks for weighing in, MC. 

I don't have any fundamental objection to subs. As mentioned, a friend who's a dealer is coming over next week to help me locate bass nodes. Perhaps he can also point out possible locations for subs. I've looked at diagrams for sub placement in the past and none of them resemble my room. They all seem to assume a largely empty room with nothing occupying the corners. I don't know about you but I haven't come across too many living rooms with that sort of arrangement.

As for springs, I can see how that works fine for floorstanders but my monitors sit atop target stands that are fitted with Herbie's Gliders which in turn perch on thick cement pavers. How/where would springs fit into this scenario, pray tell? ? ?