[Chuck_M]

Charles,

I didn't listen to him in the beginning. When he shipped my Spirit 1's he tweaked the xover and it wasn't what I heard on his tour model , so through his guidence I put the xovers back to the way I first heard them. 1.5 years later I decided to put the xovers back the way he shipped them and I immediately heard what he kept telling me they should sound like. Flat response and lots of air. Amazing . I guess I was too impatient to let them break in.

     At least you had plenty of time to get familiar with the old sound so you could more clearly hear the differences the crossover tweaks made. 

Bob may be a mad scientist, but when it comes to painstakingly perfecting his speakers;  that's a good thing!   

[Chuck_M]

lonewolf,

And when you do....simple...just move "up the line".....gets even better.

 

Been trying to save to "finish" my current system.  Need better stands and a decent source (since cd's are fading fast in favor of digital downloads).  But my furnace gave out and had to be replaced, followed by garage door opener, followed by unanticipated medical expenses (like my house, I'm getting oldish). 

Quandary:  Should I be saving for the 3.0s?  Or optimize existing system first? 

[stlrman]

I say optimize your system. I used a sub with the Minis. You may not need all the bass of the 3.0

[Chuck_M]

I say optimize your system.

   Agreed.

I got the Minis intending to add a sub later (at least for movies).  So far I haven't felt the need.  My room isn't very large and I don't listen to much bass-heavy music.  Given their size, the Minis perform admirably in their lowest registers, and surprise me with their impact during movie playback.

[Pez]

The room is acoustically untreated but well furnished so it is not overly lively.  Also, when I pull the speakers away from the front wall, I am almost sitting in the nearfield position.  At moderate volumes, room interactions don't seem to be an issue.

Sorry to say it but you're kidding yourself. An untreated room is always a bad thing. Whether it's really annoying like some or just mediocre it will always bottle neck your system. Do yourself a favor and give Brian with GIK a call. Their room treatments changed my life.

[Chuck_M]

Hi Pez  -  Good point,

I put up some inexpensive acoustic foam at the first reflection points (side walls, ceiling) once many years ago.

When my wife got home from work, she was not happy (I don't have a dedicated listening room).  She did not like big foam panels in our family room.   

I have a spare bedroom upstairs I can use as a dedicated listening room, but it is so small (think large elevator), that I fear that it's size would cause more problems than acoustic treatments would solve.?

I know my room would benefit greatly from bass control too.  That may be another reason I haven't bothered with adding a sub with this new setup.  I have learned from past systems that bass response in my room is very uneven.  I have a lot of problems with larger floorstanding speakers and/or subwoofers in my room.

Since I didn't get away with the acoustic foam panels, I never dared trying to sneak bass traps into the room.   

My best compromise til now is listen in the near/midfield position away from all room bounderies at low to moderate volumes.   

But thank you for the advice.  I have no doubt that you are right.  In many rooms, acoustic treatments can often return the biggest system improvements for the money spent.

Oh...I have seen absorptive panels "disguised" as paintings.  Very clever.  I can't get away with hanging one on the ceiling though. 

Also I have learned that plants behind the speakers can help with dispersion.  That's an old "trick" - but a good one.

If anyone knows "sneaky" (visually aesthetic) ways to tame bass, please pass them on.  My room would definitely benefit from bass control.

[Pez]

The best solution for WAF that I have found to date:



If your wife objects to this then your best bet is to try this one.



That usually will do the trick.

[roscoeiii]

Hi Chuck,

I grabbed stlrman's Minis and am loving them as much as you are.

I have found that Skylan stands (filled with clay kitty litter work great).

And for that bass below 40 Hz, I highly recommend a REL subwoofer using the speaker level Speakon cable from the amp. The Storm III hooked up that way integrates wonderfully. Well worth auditioning a REL.

[Chuck_M]

Pez,

 


roscoeiii,

Thanks for the help - gonna Google Skylan now.

[roscoeiii]

Think you will like them. Loads of discussion on what to fill them with, but when I called the company the clay kitty litter was what the company suggested.

Sound Anchors are also very well thought of, but are considerably more expensive.