A Pyrrhic Audio Victory

[AVphile]

Today, I finished setting up my new Magico A5 speakers, positioning them and integrating them with my two SVS SB17-Ultra subwoofers. This was the final chapter in assembling my "end game" audio system, and I am (with one exception) very satisfied with the way records, CDs, and streaming sound when played on my system. It is that exception which is the rub.

Using the Stereophile CD test disc, I am able to keep the frequency response rather flat, with bass only beginning to drop at about 30Hz and still quite present at 20Hz. More importantly, there aren't any pronounced peaks or nulls between 200Hz and 30Hz. In theory, I should be able to sit back and enjoy all sorts of music. However, I am finding a lot of recordings seem to have enormous boosts in the volume of their mid-to-low bass. A good example of this is "Hey Now" by London Grammar. It seems to me that the recording engineers must have boosted the bass (starting at around 50Hz to 60Hz) 20 db or more. Ironically, this artificial exaggeration spoils the recording for me, with the only recourse being to reduce the output of my subwoofers markedly in order to offset the boominess of that recording.

I cannot be alone in suffering from this problem. What do the rest of you do?

 

[mep]

Today, I finished setting up my new Magico A5 speakers, positioning them and integrating them with my two SVS SB17-Ultra subwoofers. This was the final chapter in assembling my "end game" audio system, and I am (with one exception) very satisfied with the way records, CDs, and streaming sound when played on my system. It is that exception which is the rub.

Using the Stereophile CD test disc, I am able to keep the frequency response rather flat, with bass only beginning to drop at about 30Hz and still quite present at 20Hz. More importantly, there aren't any pronounced peaks or nulls between 200Hz and 30Hz. In theory, I should be able to sit back and enjoy all sorts of music. However, I am finding a lot of recordings seem to have enormous boosts in the volume of their mid-to-low bass. A good example of this is "Hey Now" by London Grammar. It seems to me that the recording engineers must have boosted the bass (starting at around 50Hz to 60Hz) 20 db or more. Ironically, this artificial exaggeration spoils the recording for me, with the only recourse being to reduce the output of my subwoofers markedly in order to offset the boominess of that recording.

I cannot be alone in suffering from this problem. What do the rest of you do?

Don't listen to music that the recording 'quality' bothers you unless you can get past the things about the recording you don't like.

 

[Michaels HiFi]

Don't listen to music that the recording 'quality' bothers you unless you can get past the things about the recording you don't like.

Good advice. Also, if I read the OP correctly there is little-to-no burn in yet on these speakers?

I've always felt it's preferable to burn in speakers for 300 hours before playing with any positioning to find where they best integrate with the room sound-wise. Horn speakers take even longer.

Not saying that is the "right" or only way to do it. Only that speakers typically will change noticeably over the first 200-300 hours.

I like the Jim Smith method of finding the best spots in a room for speakers after trying many different methods. You have a great system and give it some time and I'm sure you'll get it just right.

 

[AVphile]

I am entirely satisfied with the bass in my room at the current positioning of my Magico A5s and my SVS SB17 subwoofers. With a good recording, I have well-produced bass down into the lower 20HZs. What I am finding problematic is the enormous boosting of bass -- done at the time the recording is produced -- present in many present-day recordings, particularly pop ones.

 

[mep]

I am entirely satisfied with the bass in my room at the current positioning of my Magico A5s and my SVS SB17 subwoofers. With a good recording, I have well-produced bass down into the lower 20HZs. What I am finding problematic is the enormous boosting of bass -- done at the time the recording is produced -- present in many present-day recordings, particularly pop ones.

Did you try turning down the bass on your subs?

 

[AVphile]

Did you try turning down the bass on your subs?

Of course I can, and have. What I have indirectly tried to convey is that my system is so good that the limiting factor is the quality of recordings now instead of the capabilities of my audio system.

 

[W9TR]

Of course I can, and have. What I have indirectly tried to convey is that my system is so good that the limiting factor is the quality of recordings now instead of the capabilities of my audio system.

I have found the same thing in many studio recordings, so you are not alone.

All the classical recordings I have, irrespective of format, have well balanced bass and decent tonality. Sure, some are better than others.

With studio recorded music, especially post LP mastered digital titles, tonality is all over the map. It’s like the mastering engineers are using shitty speakers with no bass then cranking it up to sound good in their mastering suites.

Or, maybe they do this baecause they know most of their target audience is using shitty speakers with no bass, or earbuds, or Bluetooth speakers or god knows what else.

Having true full range stereo systems can be a challenge sometimes.

 

[AVphile]

I have found the same thing in many studio recordings, so you are not alone.

All the classical recordings I have, irrespective of format, have well balanced bass and decent tonality. Sure, some are better than others.

With studio recorded music, especially post LP mastered digital titles, tonality is all over the map. It’s like the mastering engineers are using shitty speakers with no bass then cranking it up to sound good in their mastering suites.

Or, maybe they do this baecause they know most of their target audience is using shitty speakers with no bass, or earbuds, or Bluetooth speakers or god knows what else.

Having true full range stereo systems can be a challenge sometimes.

Tom, you are so right! I feel as if you are another candle lit in the darkness.

I am fortunate that I have SVS subwoofers that are controlled via my iPhone. As soon as I detect "artificially induced" bass, I am able to lower by 20 db the output of my subwoofers. Still, it is an inconvenience as well as a bastardization of the original recording.

 

[Mr Peabody]

I started a thread similar to this one some time back. Not about bass but more the poor recording in general. I mentioned after listening to some favorite music I sometimes through on great recordings to ground myself again so to speak

There are many articles on modern recordings, record level wars, compression, etc. Our only choice is to deal with it or not listen. I've had discussions with recording engineers online and in live chat type rooms they just don't get it. Or say that's the way the artist wants it. Pop/Rap especially like big bass, it helps bottom out the subs in the car audio, LOL

 

[AJ Soundfield]

Using the Stereophile CD test disc,

From memory, they may be using modulated tones, not the type of droid we're looking for. That will tell speaker extension, it's poor at exciting room resonances like music would. What you need is actual LF measurements...trivially easy from your smartphone. It's extremely unlikely you have no modal peaks with an all monopolar system.

A good example of this is "Hey Now" by London Grammar. It seems to me that the recording engineer being to reduce the output of my subwoofers markedly in order to offset the boominess of that recording.

I've played that track a ton, including at the last FIAE show on speakers with 14 Hz extension....and that's not what anyone heard. That track indeed has lots of low bass, as does Sound of Silence by Geoff Castellucci and will certainly excite lots of LF room modes with monopoles.