Would like to get more bass out of my B&W 801 series 2 speakers


Hello,

I've been forum diving about ways people improve their music listening experience.   So many directions to choose from, I'm looking advice which will give the most bang for the buck given my situation.

Years ago I was visiting a friend who had these same exact speakers, and I went on a quest for my own pair.   His setup had a *more rich sound*, but he is no longer with us for me to pick his brain.   Don't know anything about how he was driving the speakers.

In general I think the current setup gives me good detailed sound, but probably a little thin in the bass.   Might be because of my listening levels (low to moderate).    I wouldn't call the mid/high frequencies warm, but they aren't harsh either...   which was a concern with the class D amp.   I'd characterize them as clean and detailed.  

What I'd really like to do is bring out the low frequencies to join the party.

 

 

Environment:
massive, 32x40 with vaulted ceilings.    Lots of windows.

Hardware:
B&W 801 S2
- on the original casters
- crossovers modified via the common Van Alstine mod 
NAD C298 amplifier
- some decent biwire speaker cables
NAD C658 streaming DAC 
-  balanced xlr interconnects
Rotel CD player

 

What I listen to:
I listen to a wide assortment of music, this morning I went from classical to jazz...   but usually I listen to rock/blues/reggae.   You name it I listen to it.

 


 

Things I have considered:

- buy/build stands for the speakers.
- try out different amp(s)
        there are a pair of GFA555 series 1 available locally (bi-amp?) 
        lots of folks recommend the Classe delta line

 

 

 

Any advice is welcome, thanks in advance!

chessie

OP, Have you ever measured the SPL out of your room / speakers?  If not, try to get some measurements to determine if the bass responses were indeed lacking and, if so, how far is it from the targeted or the factory published level.  REW is free but need some training and experience.  I would suggest getting either Wiim Pro or Pro+ to do the room correction and EQ.  While going through that process, you will be getting the current measurement out of the speakers and room.

The coveat is the internal mic of iphone or androi phone may not up to task and a mic such as Umik 1 is recommended.

yags1 probably has it with the Sound Anchors stands.  Or, possibly Gaia Footers or Townshend.  So many chase around trying to fix what cannot be fixed until stability issues are addressed.  This also applies to equipment.

The Sound Anchors, Gaia or Townshend will not provide more bass, but rather better bass.  They will also clean up the mids and highs and organize the sound stage.

Oh, and yes the windows are quite reflective of sound and not in a good way.

Cheers

Ok I am going to throw out an option not yet considered... Due to the fact you listen a low levels, could the lack of apparent bass be due to the lack of appropriate low frequency equalization to make up for the low levels you listen? Think of the fletcher-munson curves and consider adding in some active equalization via DSP. Tweaking the response with some eq would go a long way towards resolving the issue. Given that you listen at low levels you probably are not using up the potential your current amplifier provides. That leaves headroom within the amplifiers performance envelope to apply some equalization. It will go a long way towards solving your issues with no real downside. If it turns out that you are pushing the amplifier beyond its comfort zone, you would likely already be aware of it. Also, you might want to verify that both speakers are wired in phase. Its so easy to make that mistake and cheap to fix. Taming the room reflections will clean up the 'smearing' of the sound that occurs with to many hard surfaces. Curtains, carpet, all will help. Hanging a decorative tapestry on the wall might help too. There are many ways to experiment with taming a bad room and I am sure you can make some headway by just experimenting with things you already own without spending money. Money of course fixes a lot of things, but there are other avenues to explore before resorting to that.

I found a set of speaker stands, they weigh 40# each and are designed in two pieces to fill bottom with sand.    Does anyone know anything about these?    They were commercially made as I have seen several of them over the years.   Good construction.

 

https://imgur.com/a/S8WsCjD

https://imgur.com/a/er6Zmaj