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In-Room responce measurement with Legacy Focus SE speakers

Evening all,

Odd request or question for folks with Legacy Focus SE speakers.  I am doing some VERY casual speaker tests and room response measurements of dads big system.  I have Legacy's smaller Studio HD bookshelf speakers, and have a VERY small space and I think they are incredible.  In hearing my dad's much larger room/speakers/system (his listening room is literally the size of my tiny home!) with his larger Legacy Focus SE speakers.....I am honestly a bit underwhelmed, especially considering I have the 1/8th size Studios, and in my room/system they sound incredible.

In my home, the Studio bookshelf speakers  sound 'mostly' full, warm, very taunt and articulate, and there is the right match of the tone of most all instruments and it's "weight".  Like the pluck or strum of a guitar that is percussive, actually has a bit of an impact on your body.  However, my dads system lacks this 'impact' or body and weight.  Listening at 70-75decibell level is actually grating and feels like your head is being a bit compressed, but it doesn't "sound loud".  My dad mentioned he usually doesn't play anywhere above 60ish decibels because of this issue. 

Attached (I hope) is a screen shot of REW in room measurement of my system with the Studio HD bookshelf speakers for reference to what I am hearing.  In my fathers system, there is a pronounced 100-130hz peak/hump and things sort of trail off rapidly in BOTH higher and lower frequencies.  I'm trying to get a similar measurement to illustrate, but thought I would try to get some thoughts first. 

Thanks for time!!

 

128x128amtprod
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amtprod's avatar
amtprod OP
106 posts
 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/amtproductions/53619694364/in/dateposted-public/Thanks for the ideas @carlsbad2 That is a great idea, but unfortunately I am visiting the folks on the other side of the country from where I live, so no go on narrowing the scientific method testing with the exact same gear (smart idea though).

I would imagine room dimensions and pressurization is a huge component as well, is that right, more in regard to the "feel" of notes/frequency reproduction? I honestly thought the woofers in his towers weren’t working from the way things sounded, and felt.

I need to read how to properly link or input images: I am massively screwing that up. Flickr apparently is a no-go?

My system:
Legacy Studio HD, Adcom 555 modified, Bel Canto DAC 2.8, Pioneer PD-65 CD player modified
Room 12x17x9, speakers along long wall, couch against back wall.

erik_squires
16,121 posts
 

The room is often the cause of such issues.  It can be the speakers, of course, but very often having a very reflective room causes it to sound distorting at higher volumes.  The reflections seem to overpower the direct signal.  Good way to test is to compare the listening experience at the normal location and listen also very close to the speakers.

mashif
257 posts
 

What @erik_squires said. Room reflections are distortion. 

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

There are a host of reasons this sort of thing can occur and it usually is a combination of factors including, bad speaker design, defective driver, bad amp/speaker match and room acoustics. 

A peak at 100-130 Hz is going to make a system with what I call wet bass. I like my bass dry and always put a 2 dB notch there. What you describe is usually too much energy in the 2 kHz to 4 kHz region which makes a system difficult to listen to at volume and very sibilant. This is a very common room problem. 

Listening to a multidriver system near field is a very bad idea as you start to hear the individual drivers. If you want to get an idea what the speaker sounds like in an anechoic environment take it outside and place the speaker on a 5 foot ladder on soft ground. What a PITA that is. 

DEQX solves the problem by taking a very near field measurement of each driver at 6 inches then measurements from the listening position. From these measurements it can extrapolate what is due to the room and correct for just that and not the sound of the speaker which you do with EQ to taste. This is what your father's system needs, a DEQX Pre 8. Then he can make it sound however he likes. 

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