Nearfield listening - once more

Thank you, all!

I have been into 'reverberant' sound, speakers trying to 'play' the room and so on since 1970 (Bose 901). The Audiokinesis Dream Maker speakers I have used the last ten years is a much more sophisticated version of this principle, made to resemble big Sound Lab panels but with dynamic/horn drivers. So I know my way around indirect sound, a little bit at least.

I think we all agree that room treatment and room/speaker synnergy is important even with nearfield listening, although the direct sound now plays a greater role. My impression is, whatever the speaker, it does play the room. You cannot avoid it, even if many speakers are designed to minimize it.

Now maybe the best thing about nearfield listening, in my case at least, with a fairly large room, is that is it not either / or. No harm is done to our living and listening room arrangement, by dragging the main listener chair closer to the speakers. The sound is just as good as it was before, in the rest of the room (unless I do some large changes of speaker positioning and toe-in - so far I have not felt the need).

@asctim - yes, very interesting experiment - it reminds me of what I hear when I have my head 'just so' a bit before and above the woofers in the speakers.

@atma-sphere - yes, from what I've read, the Swarm system is able to do the vanishing act that I ask for. Or most of it. Have never heard it, though. The bass management of the Dream Makers, with two 10 inch woofers per speaker, one in front and one at the back, is very good and pure on its own. I can hear test tones down to 28 - 25 hz or so.

the Swarm system is able to do the vanishing act that I ask for. Or most of it. Have never heard it, though.

@o_holter I have a pair in my system. My main speakers are flat to 20Hz so I added the Swarm subs to break up the standing wave only. One is to the left of the listening position and the other to the rear and slightly to the right.

The effect they have is dramatic. Without them there is bass along the sides of the room but none at the listening position. When I turn them on the bass is fine everywhere. Due to how the ear senses tonality, when they are on the mids and highs are more relaxed. They were very easy to set up.

You need to consider the type of crossover also.  With 1st order crossovers, you need to sit far enough back to allow the drivers to integrate.  

There are 2 kinds of nearfield system:

• The kind where the owner chooses to listen at a smaller distance that absolutely necessary in his/her room, for whatever reason. So for example a stand-mounted 2-way system is heard from 6 feet away (with a lot of space behind each speaker), when the system could just as well be heard at more conventional distances; or
• My kind, a cramped home office (13’ x 13’) w/a desk pushed against the front wall & the speakers mounted on the desk ~3 feet away & 3-4 ft apart

Nobody would chose my nearfield system as the optimal way to hear this or that speaker. Still, it’s all I have, and after having 4-5 pairs of powered 2-way speakers and 3 pairs of passive 2-ways here, I formed a few conclusions:

1. Ported speakers might work if the port is in the front, but if in the back, trouble ahead
2. I get better results all around with sealed/acoustic suspension 2-ways. Not only do they interact less with room boundaries, but the subjective quality of bass notes is much better
3. Get each speaker off the desktop as much as space/height considerations allow. My present speakers, vintage KEF 103.2s, have 4-5" from the bottom of the 8" woofer to the bottom of the cabinet. I place each speaker on 3" tall foam supports. It helps tighten the already tight bass
4. Use an electronic crossover to get the lowest frequencies off the desktop and to a good subwoofer. I can only fit one sub, but it’s a good one (JLAudio e110). The crossover is a Marchand XM6 with the variable crossover (24 dB/octave slopes up & down) set to 80 Hz. As most sealed 2-ways I’ve had here have a -3 dB point of ~50Hz, my crossover is set comfortably high, ~1/2 octave above the -3 dB point. I can’t localize the bass to the sub and it makes the desktop mounted speakers sound tighter, less boomy.

I’d love to have more room to play with, but I simply don’t. Years ago I had large living room situated 2-channel systems. Those were the days, but those days are gone...

With very small speakers 4 inches woofer i prefer rear porthole ...Because it is easier to redesign his volume /neck ratio in a more nuanced and complex way ...

The result i reach with this modification elevated the performance to an incredible level ... near 50 hertz strong, no boominess, clarity all along the frequencies scales ...I modified also the wave guide of the tweeter for my position ( 3 feet ) resulting in a soundstage extending way beside each speakers with frontal and rear death...

All that with 150 bucks well reviewed  but modified active  speakers but  also damped against vibration and resonance  with my own device which is concrete block with over it a sandwich of many different materials ( oak plate-bamboo plate- granite plate-shungite- plate cork -plate sorbothane plate ,alterning in this sanwich more softer material with the harder one for an optimal coupling-decoupling chain ) and the damping is with tuned load of concrete block over them also ... All my connectors are shielded with my recipe (shungite plate)...

I can assure you save for deep bass under 50 hertz  for sure, i lack nothing and my active speakers driven by a tube preamplifier beat all headphone i heard save my top best one and reference one : the only working hybrid AKG K340  optimized and modified  which go near 25 hertz clear ....

Some are proud of their 100,000 bucks system 😊... Me i am proud without reservation of my 1,000 bucks one😁 Speakers + NOS dac + tubes preamp and tones control and a new amplification ( Sansui alpha) dedicated for the headphone only with his own battery dac ...

I only need the BACCH system of filters as upgrade  ... Anyway even without them i listen a soundfield with differential space qualities ( i mechnically decreased the crosstalk ) in my speakers and out of the head soundfield with the K340...

All this to say rear porthole are not bad at all , if you know what to do ....😊

Ported speakers might work if the port is in the front, but if in the back, trouble ahead