Getting good sound quality below 200Hz


I run open baffles with currently 15" Eminence Alpha bass drivers with their dedicated Rotel amp and crossed over at 200Hz with 24db slope.

This underpins the upper driver beautifully but by contrast if I play it on its own its not at all impressive, lacking primarily in both definition around the sounds and also impact.

My first question "is this typical of what sound is like below 200Hz"

Secondly looking to improve this should I concentrate on improving the 15"drivers or the amp?

 

Please don’t recommend a powered sub as I have one already which will eventually underpin the 15"drivers when I have that bit right.

Thanks

bumpy48

Showing 1 response by timlub

A few things.... In general, listening to 150 to 250 hz alone sounds like mud. You are listening to the highest bass regions or more arguably the lowest midrange frequencies. Thanks to @pedroeb for posting a link to the driver. This driver has a QTS of 1.26, that alone tells you that this woofer is ideal in a huge sealed box or free air situation, but also, this very high QTS also tells a story of how this driver can react. Also, you are correct about the graph.  That spike is huge, but crossed at 200hz at 24db per octave that driver is down near 100db by the time it reaches that spike. 

So a few suggestions. Make sure that you use an amplifier with great control over your woofer, it doesn’t have to be tons of power, but most likely should be. You are after an amplifier with good current capabilities.

Placement is critical, this woofer will respond to boundries in the 200hz range like few others. Distance to the floor and rear and side walls all matter.

I suggest that you download Room EQ Wizard software. It is free and works fairly well. I’ve seen it said a few times in this forum to measure speakers very close to the driver. in this case, measure from the seating position first, then move the mic closer to the speakers up and down and side to side and look where your boundries have peaks or dips in the frequencies that you are concerned about. Also look for a hole right above 200.  You do not need a crazy expensive mic, the idea hear isn’t to get accuracy to a tenth of a db, plus or minus 1db will give you a look at what you are dealing with. I suspect that you are dealing with your room. .