More Power or use subwoofer to boost bass for music


Hi,   just want to know if anyone can offer their opinions on how to boost the bass when listening to 2 channel music.

I just got a pair of B&W 804 D3 and would like to get more bass out of the speakers.   I remember the bass was pretty punchy when I heard it in the dealer showroom, but I don't seem to get that in my setup.   I currently have Parasound A31 power amp with 250 watts per channel.

So the question is whether I should get a more power amp, or add subwoofer to my 2 channel music.  I'm a little bit of a purist and would prefer not to use a subwoofer for music, but I'm open to this option.

I would definitely appreciate if anyone can share their experience/opinion.   Thanks very much.
128x128xcool
Xcool asked,

" Do you have any suggestion on reducing vibration to the wall behind and to the side of my subwoofer? Would acoustic panel or bass trap help? "

To the extent that the vibrations in the walls are structure-borne, the SVS SoundPath Isolator should help.

As for reducing air-borne vibrations by using an acoustic panel or bass trap, I don’t know how effective that would be, nor the best way to go about it.

This is much more likely to fall within @erik_squires’ area of expertise. Erik?

Duke

Hi Duke, thanks for the suggestion on Auralex SubDude.   I wonder how they compare to the SVS SoundPath Isolator that I just ordered.
I have the SVS isolators under my SVS subs and they did help tighten up the bass a bit. My results were fairly subtle. I believe that they are designed to reduce the transmission of the vibrations of the sub cabinet itself, to the floor. I don't think they will have any impact on the airborne vibrations created by the speakers. I have no experience with Auralex.

If you like fat bass the REL is a good choice, if you like punchy bass I would go with some one else like Rythmik or SVS, though there are many other brands that would work also.
Thanks for the recommendation.  I was looking at both REL and SVS.   I really like the REL feature.  It can accommodate both 2 channel music with a low pass filter setting, and Home Theater usage with a LFE input.   The information I found on their website is that the low pass filter doesn't apply to LFE.  It only applies to 2 channel input.   This is exactly what I want.   However, my only concern with REL is their passive downward firing drive.   I'm really trying to reduce any vibration onto the floor.

As with the SVS subs, they just seem to get a lot of good reviews, and reasonably priced.  So it seems to be a good option.   But according to the answer I got back from their support team, the low pass filter does apply to both 2 channels input and LFE - which is not what I want.
Hello xcool,
     Does “xcool” mean you were cool previously but not currently, or does it mean you’re multiples of cool?

     One option to significantly reduce bass vibrations reaching the floor below is to place the subs on a slab of a solid material that will reflect the vibration-inducing deep bass sound waves rather than vibrating itself and transferring the vibration to the floor below.  I know slabs of granite are good to use and remnant pieces at reduced prices are often available from local retail stone vendors.       The bass sound waves launched from the passive bass driver, which are typically used just to vent excess air pressure from inside the sub ‘s cabinet, strike the very hard surface of the granite and are redirected out into the room through the spaces between the bottom of the sub and the surface of the granite.
     I believe Subdude platforms do the same thing, but I’ve never used them, so I’m not certain.

Tim 


Guys!, his amps aren't up to it in the bass with that kind of load, sure they're 250w at 8ohm, but they start s*****g themselves even into 4ohms let alone 2ohms!! which is the kind of load the 804 d3's give in the bass.
  • 232.8W @ 8 ohms, 
  • 352.0W @ 4 ohms
  • Look at the Stereophile 804 review, the reviewer used the same amps and complained also about the bass also.

  • Cheers George