Where are the subs?

I had similar experience when putting new (old B&W) bookshelf speakers in my office. Surprising amount of bass compared to older B&O. I added my Velodyne Servo 1200 back in old settings, new location. Way too much bass. After I got it proper, the sub is adding just a little bit, you are unaware it's on until you turn it off. You probably can get that slight but unobtrusive extension also.

Same thing with rear surround, most people have them too loud. Most of the time you should not be aware of them, until, turn therm off, the image crashes to the front.

Hello dbphd,

I think you made a great decision by opting to give the DBA concept a tryout in your new room. I’m retired and have the time and interest in assisting you if you’d like. I just have a few questions for you:
I know you’re using the Kef Ref 1s on speaker stands in your new room but do you also own a pair of Kef Ref 107/2s?
Does your new room have wall to wall carpeting?
Is there anything located below this new room-basement, crawl space, another room?
Have you decided on whether you’re going to have your HGS-15s repaired and create a custom DBA system or purchase and utilize a complete DBA system kit like the Audio Kinesis Swarm for $2,800?
     As I stated previously, either a custom DBA (consisting of two 15 and two 10 self amplified subs) or the complete kit Swarm DBA ( consisting of four 10" passive subs and a sub amp/ control unit) will provide excellent bass response in your room that will extend down to 20 Hz.
     However, I think you should be aware right from the get go that the custom DBA setup and configuration will be more cumbersome, elaborate and time consuming than the Swarm DBA setup would be. This is due to the individual configuration of the volume, xover frequency and phase necessary on each Velodyne sub as compared to the single configuration of setting these controls once on the Swarm for all 4 subs as a group. Remember, this is a trial and error process in which you will set the volume and xover identically on all 4 Velodyne subs, listen and evaluate, make small adjustments and keep repeating this process until you're thoroughly pleased with the results.  This process would be the same with the Swarm DBA system but the fine adjustments to the settings would be much more convenient.

     larry5729 stated: " I don’t want to hear a boomy bass sound take over my system. I just want to hear all of the frequencies available on a recording. There is a lot of music recorded that gets down below 24 Hz and I want to hear it. I will try to set up my subs at low volume so they will not stand out and blend with my towers."
Some good points. The bass quality produced by a 4-sub DBA system is the opposite of boomy, it’s very detailed, smooth and natural but, when the content dictates, the bass can also be very powerful,dynamic, impactful and felt as well as heard.
     Overall, I perceive a sense of effortlessness, naturalness and ease to the bass response of the 4-sub DBA system that I believe is due to two facts: 1. There are 4 subs contributing to the total bass output, not just 1 or 2, and no single sub is being driven anywhere close to its limits, and 2. There is constantly a large reserve of power available to deliver powerful bass impact and dynamics instantly as the content requires. I never have the sense the bass system is being taxed, stressed or even close to clipping.
I’ve had my Swarm DBA in my system for about 4 years now. I’ve been consistently amazed by the amount of sonic content that exists in the 20-40 Hz range and how satisfying it is to hear and feel it reproduced in high fidelity. Of course, I knew it existed and was important on music and movies but it was a bit stunning to discover it also exists in abundance on my Xfinity cable hd tv broadcasts and even on numerous tv commercials. It’s just a bit of added fun.
     I’ve learned that the key factors in seamlessly integrating a 4-sub DBA system with my main speakers were the proper positioning of all 4 subs and the setting of the volume and xover frequency precisely on the sub amp/control unit. The precise setting of the volume and xover frequency proved to require a lot of trial and error experimentation and was the most time consuming portion of my DBA setup and configuration, even though these controls only need to be set once on the sub amp control unit for all 4 subs.
     My goals were to not constantly hear the bass contributions of the DBA system and for it to only be active when the music or ht content required it. I was also aiming for the bass from the DBA’s four 10" dynamic cone drivers to blend or integrate seamlessly with the full range output from my Magnepan planar-magnetic main speakers, which are very fast and detailed but only have bass output that extends down to 35 Hz. My experiences using 1 and 2 subs was that the bass seemed to lag behind my main speakers and the bass seemed to be disconnected. I found the Swarm sounded best integrated in my system with a xover of 40 Hz, a bass volume of just under 50% with all subs run in mono and configured as ported (with the port plugs removed).
     I sometimes find it a bit difficult to accurately describe just how exceptionally close to a state of the art bass system a properly configured DBA system actually performs but I’m very confident it would only take a single in-home audition in their system and room to convince virtually anyone.

Tim

My main speakers are 3 dB down at 20 Hz and I really need no bass reinforcement for audio use, but most of today's movies have artificially enhanced bottom end for impact so I use a pair of powered subs (3dB down at 16 Hz)  and cross the mains over at around 80 Hz.  But playing organ music with 16 Hz content and no subs on is no issue with the mains alone.

BTW, everyone should grab a test Cd at least once - the ones where they play increasingly low tones for a few seconds each so you can see whether your speakers are really reproducing the tones or not. Very interesting results in many cases.

Very very few speakers can reach their -3db point at realistic volume at the listening position. Maybe at a foot away at very low volume. 

Hello wspohn,

     I'm just curious what source material you use that contains organ music with bass extension down to 16 Hz?

Thanks,
  Tim