[gtommers]

Just curious why the published frequency response graphs for the Songtower are from 200Hz - 20,000Hz? Is there one which shows the 20-200Hz range?

[newzooreview]

Just curious why the published frequency response graphs for the Songtower are from 200Hz - 20,000Hz? Is there one which shows the 20-200Hz range?

I expect Jim or Dennis will chime in, but I think an actual measurement below 200Hz requires an anechoic chamber (very expensive and unless you're a big speaker corporation you don't have one). The thing is, room interactions will tend to dominate the frequency response below 200Hz, so any measurement in a room at SalkSound (or Dennis's house) is irrelevant to what you'll hear. The speaker itself is capable of excellent bass (down to 38 Hz), and if your room and speaker placement in the room allow it then you won't miss a subwoofer for music (but might still want one for LFE in home theatre).

Hope that helps, and I hope it's not completely wrong! 

[gtommers]

That totally makes sense. So the lower portion of the published response (42-20k +/- 3db) is based on the specs for the drivers? Or was the FR response for this region somehow simulated on a PC taking the TL design into account? I'd be curious to see how this lower region drops off, even if it's only a simulation.

[newzooreview]

That totally makes sense. So the lower portion of the published response (42-20k +/- 3db) is based on the specs for the drivers? Or was the FR response for this region somehow simulated on a PC taking the TL design into account? I'd be curious to see how this lower region drops off, even if it's only a simulation.

Better let Dennis answer.

I can say that I've heard the SongTowers and bass is excellent (assuming they are not in a really bad room or an especially crummy location). Many comments here support that (as do the professional reviews).

[lowtech]

I expect Jim or Dennis will chime in, but I think an actual measurement below 200Hz requires an anechoic chamber...

Not exactly.  Accurate, gated low-frequency measurements can be taken near field.  If this is done, the output can be overlaid with the above-200Hz plot.  You can also use RTA measurements, but those will include the effects of the room.

[cacophony777]

I'm curious about this as well. When I compared my Songtowers to the Sierra-1 (A/B switched in my room with my equipment), I thought the Songtowers had a much fuller sound, which I've assumed was due to the increased bass extension.

Looking at the Sierra-1 FR chart, it seems like the Sierra-1 should have good/comparable bass extension. Yet in my comparison, the difference was night and day. Perhaps somebody can explain this?

[cujobob]

Isn't that saying it starts dropping off around 55 hz?  The Songtower is specced down to 42 hz +/- 3 db.

[cacophony777]

Isn't that saying it starts dropping off around 55 hz?  The Songtower is specced down to 42 hz +/- 3 db.

The specs for the Sierra-1 are 44-20kHz +/- 3db, which is pretty close to the Songtower ... yet ... 

[ricardojoa]

The sierra are 44hz-22khz +/-3db which the graph correspond. If you take a look at the Song center, they are rated at down to 45hz, yet the song tower is only 3hz lower? I was a little suprise that the song tower only got 3hz lower then the smaller ported center? I would say that Salk are probably conservative in the specs or the slope is different which make the song tower sound alot deeper. Hopefully Dennis will chime in.

[DMurphy]

Hi   Greetings from Denver--should be in Aspen tomorrow.  My measurement software shifts over to a room response below 200 Hz.  I find that very useful in voicing the woofer, because I can see just how prominent the inevitable 70 Hz peak will be for a given woofer in my room, and I can use that as a reference point for building in an appropriate amount of baffle step compensation.  My room is very similar to rooms many users have, and although there will be variation, it's still better than just relying on a near-field plot of the woofer, spliced with the port.  Sometimes Jim shows frequency response curves with the room response below 200 Hz, and sometimes he doesn't.  The problem with showing is that a lot of people will freak out.  There will always be a big dip centered around 150 Hz, which is floor bounce cancellation and impossible to avoid unless the woofer is right at floor level, and there will be the 70 hZ (or around that frequency) room peak.  So it looks uuuuuggggglllllly.   As for bass extension on the ST vs. the Song Center and the Sierra, the ST is pretty much flat down to 37 Hz with room gain.  The Song Center is going to start going South quickly just below 50 Hz.  I'm just guessing that the Sierra in room will go into the mid 40's. 

[Paul K.]

If I did it correctly, below will be a graph showing the SongTower's low-end response (red line in the graph).  This is the anechoic response as I modeled it for the current drivers for the SongTowers, showing an F3 of ~42 Hz, F6 of ~38 Hz and F10 of ~34 Hz.  As Dennis and others have said, the actual response in a typical room will not be this smooth.  Also, the response as shown is prior to Dennis having incorporated baffle step compensation into the crossover, which won't change the shape of this response, but will lower the overall output by 3 dB or more.
Paul