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No bass from the Clue speakers.

Do does anyone have the clue speaker and have the same problem. The speakers are set up exactly as the instructions state but compared to my sound dynamic 300ti speakers, there is no bass. When I heard them at audio shows I was surprised at the sound they produced including the low frequencies.
smoky204
12 responses Add your response
sunshdw's avatar
sunshdw
256 posts
 
Since your post is very vague the only suggestion I would throw out would be most of the time a lack of bass is a placement issue. 
smoky204 OP
4 posts
 
I should have added that I am using a bel canto evo 2i gen ii amp with a marantz sa8005 CD player and a vpi mkiii turntable. My other amp is a Cayin a50t. The lack of bass is noticeable whether I use the bel canto or the Cayin.

erik_squires
16,118 posts
 
Is there any more information about the speakers? Also, are the woofers working? Can you feel them moving?
rcprince
3,073 posts
 
My recollection from the Stereophile review and the manufacturer's comment was that Atkinson noted a shelved-down bass in his measurements, the reviewer was lukewarm about the speaker and surprised by the lean bass, and the manufacturer suggested in his comments that the speaker should have been placed within a few microns of the back wall.  How close do you have the speakers to the back wall?  I think you're going to have to do a bit of experimenting with placement to get the best results.
smoky204 OP
4 posts
 
I have had this speakers touching the wall and angled in at the right angle. I'm still at a loss at no bass.

dill
2,530 posts
 
I have the clue speakers and have plenty of bass. 
How far off the floor are they?
How far apart are they?
Do you have them on solid stands?
What size is your room?
What speaker cable are you using?

stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,404 posts
 

I assume you already checked and double checked speaker polarity?

johnk's avatar
johnk
1,975 posts
 
Hoffman’s Iron Law of Speaker Building

1) Bass Extension

2) Efficiency

3) Small Enclosure

The law is that you can only have two of these three attributes in a loudspeaker. If  small loudspeaker would have limited SPL and require massive  power too produce any lower frequency. If loudspeaker requires little power it has to be massive too produce lower frequency. Small loudspeakers also suffer from thermal compression. As you feed more power into VC it heats reducing efficiency thus requiring more power to produce same SPL. This can cause listening fatigue and premature VC failure. Many assume small monitors on stands are full of audiophile benefits but in reality a small monitor will not achieve its benefits unless in near-field for most systems it would be better to use the SQFT for a floor-stander. 

ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,312 posts
 
Smoky - How broken in are your Clues?  A wise man once posted, "Bass is last to show" (Blindjim?).  Seems true in my experience, at least.  If they are new maybe they simply need more time???

jbrrp1
423 posts
 
I've got a pair of Clues driven by a Primaluna Dialogue One and the bass is definitely present with appealing balance.  Now, they don't produce the very bottom octave, but speakers that size never do.  From there on up, they are pretty good (although I would say the speaker tends towards the leaner side of things, in general, and benefits from triode mode for a synergistic match in my system).
soix
9,549 posts
 
Call the manufacturer.  They contend they can make the speakers work fine in most situations and that placement is critical, so best to go right to them.  The idiot at Stereophile never bothered to do this despite having the offer to do so, and as a result he never got the speakers to sound right and wrote the review anyway.  One of the most irresponsible and misleading reviews I've ever read. 

tomcarr
1,522 posts
 
+1 stereo5

Tom
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