Magnepan vs B&W: Same specs, different bass?


Hey everyone,

I recently acquired a set of Magnepan 3.7 speakers which are rated down to 35 Hz, and I've been comparing them to my B&W 803S speakers (also rated to 35 Hz).  While I enjoy the big sound and clarity of the Magnepans, the B&W's blow the Magnepans away in the bass department in an A-B comparison test.

I figured this would be the case, but I can't explain why there's such a big difference in bass when the speakers have the same specs.  Can anyone explain?

B&W 803S specs:
35Hz – 22kHz ±3dB

Magnepan 3.7 specs:
35Hz- 40 kHz

Thanks,
Chris
128x128cjwessing
Also, "conventional" speakers sounds as though they have more bass if they have a rear port and postioned close to a corner - it reflects off the wall/corner.

My current speakers were quite good in a smaller room, but now they are in a larger room their bass has "normalized" and those lower frequencies that were present all the time are now only there when actually present in the music.

Last time I heard excellent sounding Maggie’s they were in a room with 4 ft behind them and around 5ft in from the side walls and 7 ft between them.

Hope you have a large enough room

Regards - Steve
@markalarsen I think I'd agree, I moved the Maggie's all over the room and can't get near the amount of bass out of them...
Hey guys, I took some measurements today with a calibrated microphone and as suspected the Magnepan 3.7’s are not performing nearly as well as the B&W 803S’s below about 75 Hz. I pulled the Magnepans out about 4 feet from the rear wall hoping that it would help but didn’t make much of a difference.

Measurement Picture:
http://www.socalhifi.com/Maggie_3.7_vs_803S.png

Setup Pictures:
http://www.socalhifi.com/Maggie_vs_B&W_1.JPG
http://www.socalhifi.com/Maggie_vs_B&W_2.JPG

Thoughts?
Check the Cardas website for instructions on setting up Magnepans. I agree the do not produce the same level of bass as box speakers, but they are extremely sensitive to set up. Mine were set up five feet from the back wall.