Over powered rooms with booming muddy midbass is quite common. IMHO, a subwoofer is best when used literally as intended....to augment the lower octave(s) and pickup where the main woofer’s output is weak A sub sounds best to me when it’s not featured. I set the low pass sub filter at it’s lowest setting, and set the gain so that it’s barely noticeable except on bass heavy passages. The sub shouldn’t be active when there’s no signal in the bottom octave or two.
Did you ever buy too much bass?
I talk a lot about bass and integration of subwoofers in a system and I realized that I need to hear more about the experiences auidphiles have when they go buy speakers and put them in a room. Did you look at specs? Did you audition in the home? Did you end up with too little or too much bass compared to what you were expecting??
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@sgreg1 What if your amp is A/AB, the mfr recommends running main speakers full-range, and the sub(s) are Class D? That being my situation I have the crossover at 31HZ and the sub volume below boom point. But have not experimented with a higher cross. Where is yours set? |
In my experience ported subs are efficient but the sound is not as accurate as with a sealed box sub. You also want hear the bass through the air than by shaking the floor. I really like my Dynaudio 18s which is sealed with dual opposed drivers 9in drivers - sounds very musical and reaches below 30hz. The opposed drivers have the benefit that zero ( I mean zero) vibration is transmitted via the floor. I think this is an excellent choice for small/medium room. I find the the best test for smooth response integration is to listen to a male spoken voice (e..g play a podcast) there should be no boominess when the voice drops through the crossover range, or shift in perceived location. At the same time time the reponse for, say, jazz bass, should be rich, uncolored and satisfying |
First is the numbers displayed and a subs crossover control are not always accurate or true. I have tested some subs with meters way back in the day that confirmed this. Now I just go by what my ears can hear and I can bet yours will hear different than mine. What I have done is turn the setting to the highest point and then turn down until I like the sound. Key is not focus on the low end but the midrange depth it adds. When adjusting the control treat like a clock and turn one hour at a time. I also have Vandersteen 2 se sig II that have a passive radiator that can deliver pretty good low end on their own. Another reason I don’t like numbers as all systems are different. Hope this helps and enjoy the music! |
@sgreg1 Appreciate the tips. I will set aside an afternoon for experimentation with suitable material that I know well (or believe I know well).
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