KEF LSX II + KC62 Sub Near Field Desktop Set up Sanity Check...

[Rollingsound514]

Hi guys,

I'm running a pair of LSX II's on my fairly large desk about a foot from the wall, on stands that put them at ear level.

I've got them paired with a KC62 sub that is under my desk to the left, about a half foot or so away from the wall. It's the best I can do my office is small and I use it to work out in too. When standing desk is in stand position it obviously sounds better than sitting...

Anything obvious stick out to anyone? In particular where I chose my HPF and LPF for the sub integration? I changed them a fair bit from the KEF defaults of 67.5 and 47.5 respectively.

Everything runs through Roon so I've thought about getting a convolution filter done for me by home audio fidelity (I hear the guys' a master) or running a jank DIRAC set up via PC. I've got a umik handy.

Thoughts?

 

[Purité Audio]

When you say it sounds ‘better’ exactly how, you could be sitting in a null but not when standing.
Keith

 

[Rollingsound514]

When you say it sounds ‘better’ exactly how, you could be sitting in a null but not when standing.
Keith

Bass feels "freer" and fills the room better if that makes any sense, I guess less boomy but it's more than that

 

[Purité Audio]

As you have a microphone I would run a sweep at your sitting ear level and at your standing level then post them here.
I presume you used the default KC62 sub setting?
Keith

 

[Rollingsound514]

As you have a microphone I would run a sweep at your sitting ear level and at your standing level then post them here.
I presume you used the default KC62 sub setting?
Keith

I'll definitely do that, can you please point me in the direction of what the standard protocol is for that, I assume I do it in REW?

 

[HarmonicTHD]

I'll definitely do that, can you please point me in the direction of what the standard protocol is for that, I assume I do it in REW?

Yes in REW. Plot it on a 50 to 100dB y axis and Var smoothing applied before posting here.

 

[Rollingsound514]

Yes in REW. Plot it on a 50 to 100dB y axis and Var smoothing applied before posting here.

Like this and then use RTA to record it I assume?

I found these settings for RTA from another tutorial but not sure they apply here:

 

[Rollingsound514]

Here's my first go:

I followed this video tutorial:
Only thing I maybe should have done differently was choose full range and not Speaker Cal when generating pink noise for setting my initial levels... whatever

 

[Rollingsound514]

Here's with a Harman Curve? I think? lol

BTW I took only one measurement, I didn't average multiple measurements out

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Here's with a Harman Curve? I think? lol

View attachment 299886

BTW I took only one measurement, I didn't average multiple measurements out

Good start. There is also the full Sweep function (one of the first menus) which does it too.

Do it again to be sure as this measurement shows a very weak low frequency spectrum. Is the KC62 connected and working? Did you set your EQ to neutral or better Switches it off?
(Did you use the 90deg calibration file for the UMIK?)

 

[Rollingsound514]

Good start. There is also the full Sweep function (one of the first menus) which does it too.

Do it again to be sure as this measurement shows a very weak low frequency spectrum. Is the KC62 connected and working? Did you set your EQ to neutral or better Switches it off?
(Did you use the 90deg calibration file for the UMIK?)

I did not use the 90 degree file, I used the regular file and pointed the mic at the speakers...

So here it is again, this time with 3 measurements averaged, and the sub was definitely on, the EQ settings were as per the KEF Connect screenshot in my OP above.

I'll run it again with "default" EQ settings in the app

with harman house curve:

 

[Rollingsound514]

Here it is with KEF's recommended settings for the KC62 sub in the KEF Connect app and on the back of the KC62 sub I switched it from "Wall" to "Room" which I believe is the closest thing to a default setting on it:

Here is in RED my settings that I had for the sub (see screenshot in OP), vs in blue the KEF default settings (same graph as the one immediately above this line)
Not much of a difference but still a crapton of missing low end, so, perhaps I need to move the low pass and high pass closer together?

And for good measure here is yesterday's screwed up low end measurement in green vs the same two above:
There was definitely something wrong with the sub there I guess that was addressed today, must not have been on lol

EDIT:
Here's one taken with my sub settings as per screenshot in OP (not KEF Connect defaults) but from STANDING DESK IN STANDING POSITION and the mic pointed to ceiling and using the 90 degree calibration file

Here is sitting vs standing position of the desk using my sub settings:
purple is sitting
green is standing
The bass still shits the bed when standing but it's not as pronounced

 

[Rollingsound514]

I did a test with ALL the KEF connect stuff at default, no desk mode or nothing, except for sub which I used the KEF recommended setting for of 47.5 LPF and 67.5 HPF and -1 DB

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Here it is with KEF's recommended settings for the KC62 sub in the KEF Connect app and on the back of the KC62 sub I switched it from "Wall" to "Room" which I believe is the closest thing to a default setting on it:
View attachment 299995

View attachment 299993

Here is in RED my settings that I had for the sub (see screenshot in OP), vs in blue the KEF default settings (same graph as the one immediately above this line)
Not much of a difference but still a crapton of missing low end, so, perhaps I need to move the low pass and high pass closer together?

View attachment 299994

And for good measure here is yesterday's screwed up low end measurement in green vs the same two above:
There was definitely something wrong with the sub there I guess that was addressed today, must not have been on lol
View attachment 300002

EDIT:
Here's one taken with my sub settings as per screenshot in OP (not KEF Connect defaults) but from STANDING DESK IN STANDING POSITION and the mic pointed to ceiling and using the 90 degree calibration file
View attachment 300064

Here is sitting vs standing position of the desk using my sub settings:
purple is sitting
green is standing
The bass still shits the bed when standing but it's not as pronounced
View attachment 300067

Very good. Yes use the 90deg file and point the mic at the ceiling.

As you can see there are several dips and peaks below ca 300Hz. Those are room modes and a regular physical phenomenon depending on room size, speaker (sub position) and listening location.

There are mainly two ways on how to optimize room modes (you never can eliminate them).
A) play with the position of your sub. Good starting positions are corner, mid wall, 1/4 wall. (REW Room Simulator can also guide you)
B) Define a preference curve eg Harman with bass according to your preference. Derive filters from REW and plug them into an EQ (eg APOEQ, Camilla DSP etc).

I wouldn’t bother with the KEF app, it is too generic and will never address the room modes.

(Watch some YouTubes too on how to do it exactly).

Have fun.