All about that bass

[GimmeShelter]

My current set up is a 5.1.4 using 2 HSU VTF 1 MKII subs. Bowers and Wilkins 603's for the main 3 front speakers. AVR is a Marantz SR7013. Movies sound great in Dolby Atmos and in IMAX DTS, however sometimes the sub will "bottom" out. Music in 2 channel is good but the bass is very weak it's as most all of it is coming from the mains. I've considered getting a 12" SVS sub and an Emotiva BasX A3 to help drive the main 3 fronts. I've spoken with Peter at HSU a couple times in the past and he is really great and has given me tons of advice. I'm thinking the subs are too small from my medium size HT setup combined with an open floor plan that leads into the dining area. Any ideas what I could do to help with my current set up? I looked just last night at getting wireless subwoofer adapters and place both subs in opposite corners of the room and see if that would help.

 

[luft262]

If you get a Umik 1 and REW you could show us the response of your subs to help with recommendations. That would be the best next step IMHO.

 

[sweetchaos]

Did you look at my subwoofer comparison spreadsheet? That will tell you if your subs are too small for your size room.

Yes, it’s best to measure your in room response with a measurement microphone to see the issues.

 

[GimmeShelter]

I have not looked at the subwoofer comparison chart. For movies the subs do the job but at some point they are being driven too hard at the higher volumes and bottoming out. I'm thinking that is only happening when the frequency is below 20hz and it's not rolling off like it should. I believe if I go with at least a 12" sub that goes down to 17hz or lower and with larger amplification that would resolve my issue. As far as music I believe driving the B&W's with more amplification would increase the punch and dynamics of the speakers as well as the dynamics in movies.

 

[Frank2]

Movies sound great in Dolby Atmos and in IMAX DTS, however sometimes the sub will "bottom" out. Music in 2 channel is good but the bass is very weak it's as most all of it is coming from the mains.

If movies sound great, it seems your subwoofer placement would not be accountable for the weak bass in music.
Not all music has much sub-bass content, so the bass in music often will sound less impressive than that of movies.

In my setup I do not use the LFE channel but split the front channel signals frequency and send the bass part to my subwoofers, both for movies and music. I do not have this problem so it may be related to using the LFE output from the receiver. The LFE channel for movies is recorded with 10 dB less gain, which is compensated by your AVR by applying 10 dB gain on the LFE channel of movies. This may play a role in the difference you hear, though theoretically it should not.

You could try to connect the "high level inputs from amplifier" terminals on your subs directly to the front speaker terminals (left to left and right to right). Then see if that makes a difference in the bass volume coming from the subs. If you do that, disconnect the LFE wire coming from the AVR.

 

[Flaesh]

Music in 2 channel is good but the bass is very weak

Measure what you have. For example, there may be a hole (ok let's call it a deep) somewhere in the region of 40-70 hertz

 

[ozzy9832001]

What music genre are you listening to? As an example, a lot of 80's metal had the bass eq'd down and placed much further back in the mix. It wasn't an important aspect of the music. All about the lead and vocals. As more European influences creeped into metal, the bass has found its way back into the mix properly.

What part of the bass sounds weak? Drums, guitar or generally just lacking all around?

 

[GimmeShelter]

Thanks for all the feedback. After speaking with Kevin at HSU I decided to order a replacement driver for the older VTF1 that I have and the one that "bottoms" out. Even though the driver still looks good it is over 15yrs old and takes a beating everyday. I figured for $130 including shipping it was worth a shot. The customer support at HSU is fantastic! Kevin at HSU also suggested moving the older unit closer to the MLP. I did this Saturday with a 3 rca cables coupled together and placed it beside my couch and moved the other sub into the opposite corner. So now I have both subs sitting in opposite corners. Huge difference! I could feel the explosions in the movies and 2 channel stereo playback has never sounded better on my set up. I also didn't notice the older sub "bottoming" out as hard as before? So now I'm looking at getting a wireless subwoofer adapter. I've done some research and like the OSD and SVS units but wanted some advise on what any of you would recommend?