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Help with Martin Logan Aerius Speakers

Hello all...

My listening room is very well dimensioned... I'd say about 15 feet wide, 23 feet long, and 14 feet high. My ML Aerius's are about 3 feet from the back wall, and about 3.75 feet from the side walls. They are about 7.5 feet apart from each other, toed in about 1.5-2 inches toward the listening position (which is about 10 feet away).
Everything sounds great, imaging is very precise, and I'm pretty happy with the soundstage. My only (albeit slight) complaint is the bass... a little on the boomy, muddy side. I'm looking to "clean" up the bass a little, but I have a few questions...

(1) Is this just a weak point with the ML Aerius speakers?
(2) I opened up the back panel... will adding more "stuffing" tighten up the bass? I'm not too concerned with extension down in to the low 30hz region... more interested in a cleaner, tighter bass.
(3) Would adding vibration damping materials to the woofer enclosure help?

I've tried some feable attempts at room treatments (couch pillows and such placed in the corners), and it didn't help very much. Also, I've tried all sorts of different placements in the room... What I have right now is the best for imaging and soundstage, and, like I said, the bass issue is not THAT big a deal. BUT, I figured I might ask for some input... Thanks in advance!
ewha
13 responses Add your response
amandarae
512 posts
 
Hello, I own an Ascent. At first, I experienced the same problem your having. The solution that works for me is to build traps out of egg crate foams and burlap fabric. The dimension that I used was the same dimension of the panel(ESL) for length, and about 5 inches more of the width of the panel, and 2 inches for thickness. The result on my system is that the bass becomes more defined and with "authority" even if the base control switch is set to -3 dB. Maybe you can try this, it's very cheap and hope that it works for you!
mburns92's avatar
mburns92
37 posts
 
Amandarae,
Where in the room did you place your traps?

Mike
davebachmann
94 posts
 
Have you tried moving the speakers further into the room? I have my SL3s about 6' in and they sound just fine
jim
418 posts
 
All good general suggestions. What are you driving them with? Choice of amp(s) is critical.

Also, given the dimension of your room, you could go with a larger ML if the opportunity presents itself. The Aerius is a fine speaker for its size, but it is the runt of the litter in every respect. No slam intended, but it does have limitations.
fishinfool
32 posts
 
I owned ML Aerius speakers and they are limited in bass response; in my room, they only went down to 40-50 Hz, depending upon placement and the amplifier used. You can probably get deeper base response by moving them closer to the back wall (try 2'), but I think you will like the overall balance better if you position them further(approx 4-8') out into the room. You might consider using the long wall (23') for your speakers,bringing them approx 3-5 out from the back wall. As a last suggestion, I got the best bass response from the Aerius speakers by using a Krell power amp; nothing else I tried worked as well for bass response.
celtic66
1,654 posts
 
These do need an amplifier with decent dampening factor to control woofer movement. You might follow all the direction given previous and experiment with rope caulking found at Home Depot. Around $5 for a box which you peel off and push into the seems of the woofer enclosure. I've treated several speakers with this and it voices better.
ewha OP
80 posts
 
Thanks for all the suggestions... I recently downsized my system a bit, and am using a Jolida 1501RC hybrid integrated (amplifier section is rated at 100wpc/8 ohms). This, I suspect, could be the problem...

I have carpeted floors, but my ceilings are actually wood (I live in a loft styled apartment). The speakers are currently on Dayton Audion speaker spikes from Parts Express...

As for room placement, I'd rather not move them any further away from the wall, and using the long wall just wouldn't work. Any opinions on the tweaks?

Thanks!
zenaissance
39 posts
 
Hi Ewha,

With my Aerius i's I basically raised them up about 2 inches from the floor. I buy several hockey pucks (yes hockey pucks) and stack them. I then find a solid MDF board to place on top of the pucks before placing the Aerius including the spikes on the board. You may want to place the spikes underneath the board with the pucks on top. Try this and experiment- it is a cost effective method and it works. I also tilt the speakers forward slightly. The bass has tightened up and the image is clearer (like a veil removed). Basically the Aerius woofer is too close to the ground (subceptible to vibration, resonance- the sound is trapped on the ground) and thus, when the Aerius i's are raised the sound opens up.

Zenaissance
esun
32 posts
 
Aerius bass is pretty weak, but i found that Bybee filters really help with bass. It sounds a bit strange, but the timing and impact of the bass has really improved. I hardwirable bybee units are $80 a piece new, or you can buy the external inline versions used, on audiogon for about 250-300 dollars.
jim
418 posts
 
I don't recall whether the Aerius allows for this, but if it is possible, you might try to bi-amp. I think you will have much better results. To get the most our of your speakers you need to fuel them properly. Hence, my original question regarding your amp(s). All of the other suggestions are good advice but I do not think they address the root of your problem. Best of luck.
Post removed 
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
I agree that with a listening room as long as yours, you should bring these out from the front wall more, maybe to around 5ft. This should reduce boominess in the bass, and also improve soundstaging even further. Also, make sure to try your tube amp powering these from its 4 ohm output transformer taps rather than 8 ohms if adjustable and you're not already.
amandarae
512 posts
 
I put the traps 2 feet behind the speakers, at about 10 in. from the floor as its final location! I tried 6", 1', 2 feet, and 3 feet but ended up with the 2 ft. position. Maybe you can experiment with yours and listen to which you prefer. Hope this helps you!
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