How to adjust the bass output of floorstanders?

[papomaster]

Hi there!

I need to adjust the bass output of my speakers, but I think I've found their perfect position in my room (15' long, 11' wide, but 2 inside-wall wardrobes on both sides of the door makes it 18' long) : 2,5' away from the wardrobes (5,5' away from the real wall), 2,5' away from the side wall, 6' apart, and I'm sitting with my ears 8' back in length. I've tried different positions (before I changed my power amp, though), and found that every other position gave a somewhat altered soundstage. I'm using Monitor audio RS-5 through an ASL Aq1010dt, and using various sources gave me the same bass output at equal levels. If anyone has experience with the monitor audio rs5, can they help me?

Thanks in advance.

 

[gotchaforce]

The RS5 is the one woofer module right? all i can recommend is scooting it closer to the wall if you want more bass.

if you want super clean and plentiful bass anywhere in the room then just get some GS20s

 

[mrarroyo]

Have you tried raising the speakers about 4-6 inches? Others may suggest spikes if your speakers are resting on carpet (to make connection w/ a hard surface).

Lastly try getting the speaker cable off the floor by raising it about 2-3 inches using whatever you have (test stage). If you hear an improvement then time to find a permanent way to raise them.

 

[papomaster]

They rest on spikes, with rubber/plastic floor protectors under them, because my room has no carpet (directly on wooden floor).

I also found this on canuck audio mart : Quadral Phonologue "Montan MK IV" Speakers W.Germany - Rarest - Canuck Audio Mart

Has anyone ever heard of Quadral speakers?

 

[poo]

You probably don't want spikes at all - they may worsen the problem on a hard surface like your wooden floor, and that problem may be made worse again due to the floor protectors. You might want to try something that decouples the speakers from the floor. A cheap test is to use squash balls cut in half under the speakers (depending on their weight of course).

 

[dura]

Coupling or decoupling have a very large impact on the sound, On my wooden floor, I use painted concrete slabs with thin teflon sliders. The speakers connect to the slab through 3 cones. Even small chances in this setup have audible influence; you need to experimentate to find what suits your ears/room/system best.

 

[papomaster]

You can see the spikes here : Monitor Audio RS5 Your Speaker on the bottom of the picture. There are interchangeable screws that enable you to put either spikes or gummy pucks of about 3/4" in height. I tried it for a few hours after putting the speakers a few months ago, and I remember they had a very boxy, resonant bass coming from the bottom of the speakers. And it didn't really give more bass so to speak.

Yesterday, I tried most of the CDs with strong, deep bass passages, and experimenting different positions in the room. They couldn't dig as low as I'd like but they had sufficient detail and texture to give you a taste to most of what's going on in movies, but they don't give sufficient volume and punch to make it exciting. Guess I'll have to live with that.....

 

[poo]

^ They are decent speakers and should at least provide a good balance of sound. Perhaps your taste for music is one that prefers a little more bass presence? Nothing wrong with that... but to keep the balance and quality in the mids and highs you might need to add a sub; not just any sub mind you, but quite a musical one. KEF would be worth a look, but possibly a bit pricey... I'm sure there are cheaper units that would suit your taste/budget. You really need to demo at home to get the right sub IMO.

 

[Lonfident]

Dumb question probably, but do you want more or less bass? If more, move the speakers closer to the walls, especially the corners. If less, move them away.

If you find it hard to listen with an altered soundstage, consider subs- although they could alter your soundstage.

 

[BigTony]

Floorspeakers on a wooden floor.. when I was in that situation I had too much bass!
Assuming they are rear firing ports, then moving them towards the walls (rear and side) will increase the bass, but with the chance of adding boom, but experimentation is the key. You really do what then isolated from the floor to prevent vibration being transmitted to the floor (i.e. damped, with speakers vibration = sound). If spikes are a no-no, then try and place solid stone slabs under the speakers, use rubber feet to prevent marking your floor, an then use spikes on your speakers. You can get these stone slabs cut to size, so they can be nice and discrete.
Quite often you'll find an asymetic speaker position will provide a very nice sound, and to centre the soundstage use the balance settings.

If all else fails, then your going to need some rugs and carpets to stop the sound being bounced off the solid floor - I think your proplen is actually that the top end is to loud as there is nothing to soak it up, thus you think there is a loss of bass. Solid floors are very unforgiving with speakers.

 

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

I would start with them 3' from the rear wall, 2' from the sides, and work from there. Although having that speaker further out into the room will give you better depth of image, and a marginally better soundstage, you'll lose quite a bit of low-end heft....which appears that you're after? You may have found the stage to be unsatisfactory because of a bare rear wall? If so, mayb e a nice looking potted plant can make a nice difference when placing them closer to the wall.

Definitely keep them on spikes, even on a wood floor. You can use a penny under each spike if marking the floor is a concern. Place a throw rug just in front of the speakers to help lessen having the floor as your first reflection.

If you're really into things, and want to make things sound quite a bit better on the cheap, have someone run a mirror along the walls, side & front, and take note of first and second reflections, and do you best to damp those areas. Sometimes it's better to use diffusers, but that can add up to major bucks.

Good luck, enjoy.