Subwoof Piega P10s for bass Quality, not Quantity?


Can a subwoofer be used to improve the quality of a system with too strong bass? I have Piega P10s & would like a tighter, more controlled, even reduced bass. (All other aspects of the P10s sound is, to my ears, wonderful.)Thanks to members for any suggestions.
rgs92
I've used my Rel Stadium 3 with the P10s (just for fun, I bought the Rel for use with other speakers) but the unadulterated Piega bass is far superior. Sounds like a room/placement problem to me. I assume you've already attenuated the bass using the switch at the rear of the speaker. That pretty much did it for me in my room. But I use my P10s nearfield, so the wall doesn't reinforce the bass. Try Aurios, Stillpoints, Sistrum platform or other resonance control devices under the speakers to tighten bass and focus image (good advice for any speaker, IMO).
If these things don't work, and if you're committed to the Piega's, look into your electronics to solve the problem. Amps with high damping factor (my Belles 350 monos are a good example) can really put an iron fist on the bass.
A high damping factor contributes to more consistent sound from speaker to speaker with the same amp. It doesn't necessarily provide more "authority" or "grip" in terms of bass control. That has to do with current capacity and circuit stability. This is NOT to single out Dlshifi's response, as this type of belief can be found EVERYWHERE in audio, even from EE's, engineers and manufacturers. Should we start another thread about this subject? It would go hand in hand with the "sloppy" bass response found in the mega-dollar Stereophile speaker thread.

Rgs: work with room placement. If that can't get you where you want to go, try installing various quantities of polyester fiberfil in your speakers. This can be purchased for less than $2 per 20 ounce bag at Wal-Mart. By varying the quantity, density and placement of the polyester, you can fine tune the bass response of the system to suit your needs. Sean
>
I have P10s and have occasionally had the same impression. Usually I have found the problem is not with the Piegas, but part of the front end e.g. I used to use an Art DI/O DAC which has lots of bass, but with Piegas you can hear the mushiness. With the Ack! DAC I dont get this sense.
I dont find the bass adjustment affects the quality of the bass - just how far it extends. I agree that room placement is critical and some rooms will always sound mushy. A subwoofer might give you more options as you need good placement for only one bass driver.
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to give me advice! Just FYI, I have an Accuphase DP75V CDP, a ML 32 pre, an Edge NL12 amp, & Cardas Golden Ref IC & spkr cables. Some have advised me to switch to Piega C3, but I will try to heal the current problem with some of your suggestions.
I spoke to someone at REL who also suggested room treatment before using a sub.

I was curious if people had used a sub in any situation to replace the speaker's bass performance rather that just extend its range.

By the way, the reason I am really trying to keep the P10s is that they seem to have perfect tonality on just about every musical component, even difficult ones like voices, trumpets & other brass, piano, cymbals, and electric guitar. Nothing is too brash or too dull, but just right, Goldilocks-like. Plus they have satisfying depth & width, and create rounded, distinct images, not thin but not bloated, either. I used to have Wilson Watt Puppy 6s (great bass, but artificial, almost unlistenable portrayal of voices on many recordings), Arial 10ts (nice tonality, but shrunken, flat images), and Apogee Stages (natural, live sound, but compressed on orchesteral music and unreliable with unfixable woofer buzz in one speaker). (I'm just a listener with no connection at all with any audio company.) Thanks for reading and any more feedback is welcome.
Rgs: If your main goal is to lean the system out slightly, try some Nordost speaker cables. Don't know if you'll like them on the whole, but they will reduce the quantity of bass that you're currently observing. Sean
>