You don't lack bass, you have too much treble


One of the biggest surprises in audio and acoustics is how damping a room with treatments makes small speakers sound so much bigger.  Yes, you get a broader, deeper soundstage but you also seem to get a lot more bass, more power, more extension!!

What's going on? 

What happened is your room was too bright.  The overall balance was too heavy on the mid and treble so as a result your systems balance was off.

For this reason I often suggest before A'goners start chasing bigger and bigger speakers, that  they think about the room first, add damping and diffusion and then go back to thinking about the bass.

Not saying you don't need a bigger speaker, but that some rooms may never have a big enough speaker in them due to the natural reflective properties.

erik_squires

I tend to agree, OP; your observation is valid. However, I face a dilemma in treating my room further due to WAF. Also, I had good reasons not to pursue the subwoofer route after multiple attempts. Instead, I opted for the EQ route with manual equal-loudness contour (ELC) control in the digital domain, and so far, it’s working well.

Good room acoustics is more important than equipment. Without controlling frequency response and reverb time, it sounds like the room, not your gear. The proper balance of absorption and diffusion is critical to hearing what's coming out of your speakers. 

@koestner 

Pink Noise has the same energy level at all frequencies. No roll off. That's what makes it useful. 

I use a SPL meter on a tripod, and

do not like pink noise.

I use 1/3 octave test tones, like found on Amazing Bytes CD. Last one sold, $9.99 was me, I snapped it up. Actually the one on discogs for $42. delivered is a good price, most often $75. + delivery.

I don’t use LP test records, something might be off, CD’s always sound the same.

After measuring and adjusting in some manner, still using test tones: then adjust to your preference by ear.

I might revise Erik's statement, also true: you might have too much midrange, too much presence, which can be appealing, especially vocals, but in the same way, lessens the balance of the bass, and in many cases, at our age of reduced sensitivity to highs, you might find yourself boosting the highs.

Eurythmics Sweet Dreams will help you with final highs adjustments after measurements.

Details by themselves alone unbalanced are a defect not a +...

This defect can come from the gear synergy or pieces but often  the first thing to look  at   and the last thing to look at is always acoustics and room acoustic to improve things ...

The OP is right as usual ....

😊