Boomy bass issue

Hi-Fi Corner
21

That’s room for some extra isolation.

If going DIY, you could try a wooden chopping block (many swear by bamboo) or a piece of stone ( like granite), or a piece of glass and some Naim cups and balls (I hated the effect in my house, but different people with different houses get different answers).

If you want a nicely made product on a trial keep-or-return basis, you have lots of choices. I have HRS Nimbus Assemblies (i.e. rubbery feet) under my olive Naim boxes and they work, but you may find something with a bit more ‘give’ is better for you.

You do need some air above the SN3 to keep it cool.

22

If considering DIY, the thread on building your own rack has lots of good stuff, including pictures on his solution.

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23

Thanks, I’ll check out options tomorrow. Probably try diy first as not much money to lose. If no good I’ll look at professional options

24

If your speakers have sockets for bi-wiring with a link bar and you have a single run of speaker cable, try moving the speaker cable from the bottom socket (woofer) to the top socket (tweeter). That will take the emphasis away from the bass and towards the treble. That used to work for me when I had a pair of PMC FB1s. Also, try unscrewing the spikes a bit so the speakers are raised further off the floor and re-tighten the spike locking nuts.

25

There are acoustic absorbing curtains. I have windows on the left side with such curtains and a wall on the right with a few 60x60cm absorbers (to hit early reflections and shorten reverberation). I also use Linn SO to cut LF room modes.

We also used the cloth of the acoustic curtains to make a cover to throw on the sofa table for more serious listening sessions.

26

Hi there

I have played around some more but still have an issue with the real low bass which is drowning the definition. Lacking focus at the low end. I’ve got the speakers isolated. Curtains in place when listening to music. I have a bamboo board and feet for the amp. But the AV cabinet is still connected to the floor by ten castors. Will isolating the amp\streamer really help when the cabinet they sit in is not isolated from the floor? Not sure whether to try other options or look at how the cabinet could be isolated? Thoughts?

27

Hi Sam, when was your amp last serviced? ATB Peter

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28

Some pics of the layout and room would help. I doubt bass boom is caused by your castored rack.

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29

I had boomy bass issues. Ultimately it was the room. Relocating to the lounge solved it.
I did a number of things which did improve matters before this though…
Rugs and acoustic panels
Gaias on the speakers
Powerline on the amp - this was significant
Fiddling with speaker positioning.

Room nodes are not easy. If that is the primary cause.

30

How did you isolate the speakers?

A diagram of the room might help if you can.

Having said that, you can definitely experiment.

You could take a duvet and put it under the castors, and also cover the front with more duvet. The result is that the cabinet now cannot possibly be firing bass back into the room, or rattling in any audible way. If that dramatically fixes the problem, you know where it is. If it doesn’t, it can’t be the cabinet itself.

Next test? If you can get a couple of paving slabs, put them on the floor (ideally where the speakers will have less effect, perhaps in a corner), and put your hi-fi boxes (with their bamboo platforms) on the slabs. Better or worse than having them in the cabinet? If it makes no difference, even if you move the paving slabs, then we can be very confident that the problem is not the cabinet or any aspect of the isolation of your electronics.

At that point, I think you will give up on trying to find the source and simply concentrate on managing the effect. I am sure that you have tried moving speakers a bit further forward and playing with the toe-in, but you may want to give it one more try - because that is exactly what the problem sounds like.

At the risk of annoying, I’d also suggest borrowing a box or two from a mate to check that you haven’t developed a fault that happened to coincide with the decor changes. Not likely, but not impossible.

If ‘isolating’ your speakers does not mean Isoacoustics Gaias, Townshend Podiums or something of the sort, they will be well worth trying too - I was surprised by just how much difference they make.

You may also want to get a half-decent microphone and a (possibly free) and do some room analysis. I am no exert on the details here, but the REW guide on Youtube is not too daunting. depending on what that shows, you may at least get an answer on where in the room the problem is and in which direction things need to move.

How to Do Room Measurements Using REW Software - YouTube

If none of that makes any difference, then the speakers may need to be replaced by something smaller and less excitable, but I hope it doesn’t get that far.

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31

Hi, thanks for the speedy responses. So the speakers are pretty much where they were before the room refurb. They were previously spiked and on spike shoes. Nothing fancy. The PMC spikes can be inverted to have a rounded ball finish so as not to damage floors. I’ve done that and they are now on coins. I will look too change this to something with potentially more isolation. I can move them around a bit which I’ve done but it doesn’t seem to impact the boom as yet. The Supernait has never been serviced so it may need doing but it was ok before room change so it would be a coincidence. I’ve been quoted £450 which is a bit much in the current financial climate tbh. I will look at the paving slab test, I think that may have been mentioned before but I’d forgotten to be fair. Thanks again, I’ll report back once I’ve done a bit more in the short term e.g. slab, toeing in. Cheers

32

Oh and I’ll see about a diagram of I can figure out how to attach one :thinking:

33

If you’re reading the Forum on a mobile, it’s easy…Draw it, take a photo of it with the phone, then upload it into the thread using the picture icon underneath the text box (I assume this also works with a PC/laptop - saving the photo on that - but I only use the mobile Forum). May help to edit the photo, as this has seemed to ensure it’s the right orientation.

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34

Nice one thanks

35

Ok tried to upload photo but it’s just opening the camera? I’m using an Android phone? Basically, the wall with kit is 5.8m with the cabinet being in the middle. The cabinet is two meters wide the speakers are either side about 15cm either side. MLP is approx 3.7m away in between the speakers. The speakers are slightly toed in. The side wall is 5.2m. one side has a sofa and one side is the patio doors. Much easier with a photo! I’ve had the amp out on a marble slab and the sound was the same so probably not the cabinet at fault. I’ll bite the bullet on buying proper isolation shoes for speakers. Any thoughts on how to upload a photo on an Android phone?

36

When you press on the button circled in Red, it should offer you to go to your picture library or camera. Choose the former, then select the photo you want to upload, and it will insert it.

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DG…

37

I don’t think anyone has suggested checking your speakers are in phase. It might be worth a look at the cable connections at the amp and the speakers. Apologies for the suggestion if you have already done this.

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38

Pretty sure I’ve checked but no harm in checking again :+1:

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39

Nothing to lose by checking, but if the speakers are out of phase you normally get less bass, not more, as the speakers will cancel each other.

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40

It’s not a phase issue but thanks for the tip. I posted some dimensions further up the thread but here is a picture from my listening position.

Cheers

IMG_20221024_145920_958
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