Speaker placement and room feedback please

[astolfo]

Hello, I have 2 Tannoy Kensington connected to a tube amp and I am trying to figure out why the bass is not as good as it was at the listening room @ Upscale Audio.
I made these measurements and I would like someone to help me to interpret them and how to improve the room's acoustics .
Attached are the measurement files.
Thank you

View attachment 149712

 

[MarkS]

The graphs look pretty good to me. Your speakers roll off sharply below 40 Hz, which is what your graphs show and is consistent with the one review with measurements that I could find:

https://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/index.php/loudspeakers/65-reviews/745-tannoy-kensington-gr.html?start=4

Moving speakers closer to back and/or side walls, and/or moving the listening position close to a back wall, will usually bring up bass. Experimentation is necessary.

 

[Beershaun]

What was the amp used at the showroom? What is the difference in specs between your amp and the showroom amp?

 

[astolfo]

What was the amp used at the showroom? What is the difference in specs between your amp and the showroom amp?

Exact same setup, even the same TT and cartridge.

 

[astolfo]

The graphs look pretty good to me. Your speakers roll off sharply below 40 Hz, which is what your graphs show and is consistent with the one review with measurements that I could find:

https://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/index.php/loudspeakers/65-reviews/745-tannoy-kensington-gr.html?start=4

Moving speakers closer to back and/or side walls, and/or moving the listening position close to a back wall, will usually bring up bass. Experimentation is necessary.

The interesting thing is that at the dealer, the speakers even sounded like they had a little too much bass.
Would you add a a couple of subs to fix the 40Hz roll off?
BTW how did you open the review? I can see the pictures but not the text.
TIA

 

[abdo123]

Hello! If you would like to Equalize your sound while keeping everything Analog then you have to look for tuners. or Equalizers.

the only 'Hi-Fi' analog tuner i can think of in 2021 is the Schitt Lokius https://www.schiit.com/products/lokius

maybe you can read the description and the equalization bands, compare it with your response and check if that would be the perfect product for you.

a tuner normally goes between your pre-amplifier and your amplifier.

If you're looking to acoustically treat your room then it's best to hire an expert for that.

 

[abdo123]

Would you add a a couple of subs to fix the 40Hz roll off?

there's barely any content below 40Hz, specially in records/vinyls.

if you would get subwoofers i would get them to smooth up the response up to ~200Hz

 

[MarkS]

The interesting thing is that at the dealer, the speakers even sounded like they had a little too much bass.
Would you add a a couple of subs to fix the 40Hz roll off?
BTW how did you open the review? I can see the pictures but not the text.
TIA

I too can only see the pictures.

Bass is VERY room dependent.

I would not add subs before trying to solve it with positioning, and then analog equalization.

 

[Eetu]

I would lose the table ASAP.

Also looks like your listening position is quite far compared to how far the speakers are apart. If that's the case move closer to form an equilateral triangle setup.

 

[MarkS]

Also, what kind of music do you listen to?

 

[astolfo]

I would lose the table ASAP.

Also looks like your listening position is quite far compared to how far the speakers are apart. If that's the case move closer to form an equilateral triangle setup.

3 meters by 3 meters 3 meter. I can move the couch back and forth, but even after moving the speakers closer to the walls the bass is not there...
I will measure tonight and post the results.

 

[astolfo]

Also, what kind of music do you listen to?

Jazz, Blues, Spanish guitar, Classic, and Rock.

 

[astolfo]

Here are a couple more measurements. I would love to hear some assessment and feedback between before and after. I got some more bass but still even close, tried speakers close together, listening closer to them and further.
Removing the table did make a little difference, the Tannoys have the drivers pretty high so maybe the table does affect much?

 

[MarkS]

What happens above 200 Hz?

Your curves for below 200 Hz seem pretty good for in-room with no DSP correction. You have good response down to 40 Hz, which is usually good enough for most music (and, as noted above, vinyl rarely has much signal below 40 Hz anyway). I'm wondering if you need to shelve up the bass (which is why I'm wondering what happens at higher frequencies); a flat response overall sounds bass-shy to most. Moving the speakers closer to both the side and back walls should enhance the bass. I would try putting the speakers all the way into the corners. If that doesn't enhance the bass enough, then you need equalization (or differrent speakers or subwoofers!).

Your table is not going to impact bass response, it produces reflections that may or may not be problematic at higher frequencies.

 

[Eetu]

Yes, hard to judge the amount of bass when we can't see the relative level of mids & highs. 'No car 22' shows good output down to ~37 Hz.

With an equalizer it's easy to boost bass or alternatively shelve mids & highs down.

But since you seem to want way more bass 'weight' a sub would be great. 2 better than one, one better than none goes the saying. I would go for a subwoofer that offers PEQ (and other tweaks) like the new SVS Pro series subs.

 

[astolfo]

What happens above 200 Hz?

Your curves for below 200 Hz seem pretty good for in-room with no DSP correction. You have good response down to 40 Hz, which is usually good enough for most music (and, as noted above, vinyl rarely has much signal below 40 Hz anyway). I'm wondering if you need to shelve up the bass (which is why I'm wondering what happens at higher frequencies); a flat response overall sounds bass-shy to most. Moving the speakers closer to both the side and back walls should enhance the bass. I would try putting the speakers all the way into the corners. If that doesn't enhance the bass enough, then you need equalization (or differrent speakers or subwoofers!).

Your table is not going to impact bass response, it produces reflections that may or may not be problematic at higher frequencies.

I will get a pair of REL hopefully it will solve the low frequency

 

[astolfo]

I will get a pair of REL hopefully it will solve the low frequency

I am

 

[MarkS]

Does that mean you got the RELs?

 

[astolfo]

I am

I am getting a couple of them, but I still do not know which 7 or 9?. My room is 18x22

 

[Hipper]

Could you show the SPL using the parameters 85-105dB and with no smoothing?

There seem to be obvious drawbacks to your room with an open end behind the speakers and the 'L' shape that appears to be to the left of the couch. Some of the bass energy may be lost through that open end.

I would guess the dealer's room was more symmetrical. It's also possible they arranged it so the bass was enhanced because that's what many people like. Did you play your own music or did they play theirs? Whilst I like a musical bass - a flat frequency response (FR) - some prefer an emphasis on bass and have a sloping frequency response, say 6dB higher at 40Hz then at 20kHz.

Although some say you should form an equilateral triangle with the listening position (LP) and speakers, I don't think that is necessary. In a conventional rectangular room any reasonable triangle will do as long as the distances from the LP to both speakers are the same (an isosceles triangle 'if we're into that trigonometry thing man'!). In an asymmetrical room like yours these guidelines may not apply. You do however seem to be getting a very similar response from both speakers so you are on the right lines.