Where's My Bass?

Eleonida

I have found that tonal balance in a high end system can be a fine line to walk and one change like a tube or a wire will switch the balance the other way around to being too warm or bass heavy. Hang in there you are may be closer than you think.

Without knowing the (1) amp power rating, it's hard to identify why your set up is lacking of bass. Besides those, the (2)room size, (3)position of speaker are the two most important factors that directly affect the bass response. Cables, tubes, are minor contribution to the lack of bass compared to the (1),(2), and (3)variable above.

Thanks all; some terrific suggestions. I have experimented quite a bit with placement, mostly to quiet the highs. The speakers aren't at all sharp. The sound is laid-back and airy, and the reflection issues seem pretty minimal. There is a large pair of french doors that are difficult, but my wife vetoed my suggestion to cover them in black felt! The rating of the amp is only 30 watts, but the Pass is class A. Also, in experiementing a little this week I noticed that in the next room over the bass isn't bad: in other words you can hear/feel the low freq. vibrations. So it does seem to be a balance issue (though the MSB power supply has tempted me before).

The Harmonic Techs are the truthlinks; the only upgraded power cords are Cardas Quadlinks on the amp and transport.

While your components may be contributing to a lack of bass, I agree that room placement and the room, itself, can have the greatest effect on bass response. I have heard your Audio Physic Tempo III's at my dealer, and while I agree they are not known to have nor were they designed to have great bass response, they certainly produce more than you are hearing. A lack of bass can often be the result of low-frequency cancellations due to speaker placement relative to your seating position. This is probably why you mentioned that in the next room over, the bass isn't bad. Where your seating position is may be where low-frequency cancellations are occurring. If the direct bass response wave is meeting the reflected bass response wave at the position where you are seated, the reflected bass response could be nulling the direct bass response. It's essential to try to have the reflected sound not interfere with the direct sound.

I have a cousin who bought Avalon Eidelon speakers which exhibited great bass extension in the dealer's showroom. I told him not to expect much in his home since his listening room was too small for this speaker. Luckily for him, he and his wife are soon moving into a larger home. Sure enough, in his 10' x 14' room, the Eidelons produced very little bass. We read the Audio Physics website and discovered that where he was sitting and the geometry of his listening setup was almost exactly where cancellations of low-frequency imformation were occurring. He also has a large picture window behind his head which accentuates the high frequencies and makes the tonal balance tilted up in the higher frequencies. I also recommend that you browse the Audio Physics website at www.immedia.com for speaker placement information.