How to reduce bass on speakers capacitors or EQ?

[SpeakerJoe]

I have a set of ADS L520 and I find the bass boomy, it also might be volume related. When i listen to the speakers at what I consider a live setting, the bass cleans up by a lot, but at low listening volume the bass is boomy.

My question is what would be the best to reduce bass on the speakers, would an inline capacitor or the bass eq on my amplifer?

If I do need an inline capacitor what would be the right value or values to try and test?

I am also running a 10" subwoofer, that I've set around 33 currently.

Thank You.

 

[DEANO222]

Have you checked the screws on your bass drivers on your speakers ? Are you using spikes ? What crossover frequency to the sub are using , I had the same problem and I use an inline 70 Hz crossover to the sub coupled to 10 dba attenuater because the volume on my dual subs was just to high .

 

[onplane]

If your amp has a built in EQ, that would be the best way to cut those low frequencies.

Sometimes low volume "boomy bass" is cause by loudness controls. If your amp has these, turn them off before making any other adjustments.

Regards,
Jerry

 

[SpeakerJoe]

I'll check the screws. I am using isolation feets, that are soft rubber. I set my sub down to around 33 to 35Hz.

My amp has EQ for treble and bass, and I set the amp at 50% volume.

I'll play with the bass EQ to clean it up.

 

[onplane]

I'll check the screws. I am using isolation feets, that are soft rubber. I set my sub down to around 33 to 35Hz.

My amp has EQ for treble and bass, and I set the amp at 50% volume.

I'll play with the bass EQ to clean it up.

Just remember your "booming" bass is a function of volume, so as you increase volume, you should increase bass.

Regards,
Jerry

 

[bshorey]

Is the boominess coming from the speakers or the sub? If you disconnect the sub, do you have the same problem?

Where are the speakers/sub located? If the speakers are the problem and they're on the floor, you might try raising them up a bit. Try moving them relative to the rear wall and the side walls, try moving them further away, closer, etc. Do things change?

bs

 

[SpeakerJoe]

Boominess is coming fro the speakers, the speakers are placed with tweeter at ear level and there is bass traps to tame the bass from the walls.

 

[DEANO222]

Not being familiar with the speakers you mentioned. But you could try using some speaker dampening material in your speakers. Just pop a woofer out put some in. Okay just had a Google and saw the speakers. They are sealed pair with a fair internal volume and thin side walls. I would definitely have a look inside at the dampening and the bracing of the speakers. It might be the speaker cabinet resonating

 

[unfairlane]

Try to move the speakers like 2-4 inches out from the rear wall. Are they standing directly on the floor? Try to put something under, a newspaper or a magazine as a test..

 

[DEANO222]

According to what I just read they should be on 12 inch ( 30 cm ) stands or thereabouts. Just reading the reviews. You might just exciting a room mode, so try a pair of milk crates / stands and move them out in slight increments.

 

[sax6]

In any way would I place a capacitor in line ( serie ) with the woofer itself nor the entire speaker cabinet.
You would tweak impedance a lot thus frequency response. I know, that is what you want to achieve but
place your speakers a way from walls, place them on '' stools '' about 12 to 18 inches from the floor, kill the loudness
function ( I would never ) then, in a last attempt, EQ your signal for low volume listening is what I would do.

Boominess, in my humble opinion, is not linked proportionally to volume. Room treatment, speaker placement and the speaker itself is related.

Now, I don't believe any ADS speakers could be boomy. No.

 

[bshorey]

Boominess is coming fro the speakers, the speakers are placed with tweeter at ear level and there is bass traps to tame the bass from the walls.

Have you tried it without the sub? Bass in a room is usually a sum of all the parts, so even though it seems to be coming from the two ADS speakers, the subwoofer could be contributing.

How are things wired? Are the ADS speakers wired from the subwoofer, and therefore crossed over? If not, then there are certainly some frequencies at which the ADS speakers and the sub are both producing. You could inline a capacitor with the woofer in the ADS, but you'd want to be sure to make sure it's aligned with whatever the high cutoff is on the subwoofer. If you can drive the ADS speakers from the sub, then the sub should provide a high pass filter for the speakers.

I'd try to raise the crossover frequency, and make sure that the ADS speakers are set up so they have a high pass filter at the same frequency.

bs

 

[toxcrusadr]

I set my sub down to around 33 to 35Hz.

Looks like the crossover frequency to the sub is 35 Hz. That seems very very low. What is the usable range of the ADS? Their published specs say 35-20KHz but we don't know whether that's -3 db at 30 Hz or -6, -10, etc. I would think a sub should be crossed in a little higher than this, although I am no expert on integrating subs. It does seem to be either a room/placement issue, or the balancing with the sub. I'd agree with the above posters to work on those issues and if necessary use the tone controls rather than inserting a cap inline, etc.

 

[baco99]

"Boominess" is often associated with lower mid bass frequencies and not bass under 80 Hz. That bandpass between 80-150 Hz is where room placement can play a large role. Sounds like you have a room placement issue. You are probably picking up some "room modes" which are more apparent at low volume because the hi end is not getting enough power to over come the modes. It could also be that at higher volume there's some other cancelation coming into play.

Try moving the speakers closer/farther from the wall.

Adding a filter capacitor will not help your situation unless you want to cut of the ADS's bass at around 150 Hz and use the subwoofer solely from 150 and down. I would not recommend this.

Another option could be adjusting the subwoofer placement and phase alignment, if you have that setting on your sub.

The THIRD option is you have your subwoofer connected to the wrong output and it's not controlled by the volume on your main amp...

 

[sKiZo]

All of the above.

First things first ... if the easy stuff doesn't work for ya (speaker placement, furniture shuffling, the usual) get a copy of REW (Room EQ Wizard) and a calibrated mike and find out exactly what frequencies are giving you problems. Otherwise, it's pretty much a total crap shoot, especially in the mid bass ... feeling lucky?

 

[DEANO222]

Totally agree that it's probably a room mode in and around 150 Hz, moving the speakers out a little at a time. I added another sub and that cured the mode I had.

 

[Freds.Bands]

Is your "loudness" switch off? Also are your speaker wires too small or too long?

 

[baco99]

I'm beginning to think the sub is connected through a fixed output, like "tape out" so it's not volume controlled.

 

[unfairlane]

Again, try moving them a bit out..

 

[SpeakerJoe]

I ended up recapping the speakers and it solved the problem.