Front speakers are FAR from wall. How to bring the bass forward?

[househead]

Any cheap methods? I don't really want to (can't) spend lots of money on room treatments.

In my horrible configuration my FL is about 10 feet from the wall behind it and the FR is about 6feet from a closet with metal doors. Laminate floors too.

UGHHHHH!

My living room layout is fail for audio! Am I doomed?

Please help!

[Beta Man]

my speakers came with foam "plugs" to put in the ports...... the center even pops out so you can block "less" of the air-flow if you want..... I'd do something like that, if your speakers are rear-ported of course (which given the nature of the question, I'm assuming they are )

[Lucy Diamond]

Dude, I dont think you have a bad setup at all, unless I'm reading you wrong.

It sounds like you have what we'd call a "dead" room meaning that you are without reverberation.

As long as your speakers are a set distance from EACHOTHER and you are in the middle of them at a decent height, you should be fine.

I don't think you are doomed at all.

Never forget, Eddie Van Halen recorded all his guitar solos for the first Van Halen album IN HIS BATHROOM.

There is no right and wrong. I love that you are using what you have and making it work for you.

Keep plugging away and I'm sure you will find something you like.


Dial in more bass and keep making small adjustments...I think you will be good.

[househead]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

my speakers came with foam "plugs" to put in the ports...... the center even pops out so you can block "less" of the air-flow if you want..... I'd do something like that, if your speakers are rear-ported of course (which given the nature of the question, I'm assuming they are )

hm. ....yup rear ported. i wonder if that's an option. thanks for the idea

[househead]

lucy diamond you are making it sound not that bad. i hope you are right!

i never knew that about eddie van halen. thanks for the info!

[richteer]

Originally Posted by househead

Any cheap methods? I don't really want to (can't) spend lots of money on room treatments.

In my horrible configuration my FL is about 10 feet from the wall behind it and the FR is about 6feet from a closet with metal doors. Laminate floors too.

UGHHHHH!

My living room layout is fail for audio! Am I doomed?

Please help!

Not doomed. Too many people put their speaker wayyyyyy to close to the walls. Do you have a sub?

[househead]

Originally Posted by richteer

Not doomed. Too many people put their speaker wayyyyyy to close to the walls. Do you have a sub?

yup, got a sub and 5.1 sounds good. I've been doing a lot of 2 channel music listening lately and the bass is just not there. i wonder does audessy (sp?) help with 2 channel calibration?

[richteer]

Originally Posted by househead

yup, got a sub and 5.1 sounds good. I've been doing a lot of 2 channel music listening lately and the bass is just not there. i wonder does audessy (sp?) help with 2 channel calibration?

A few things come to mind:

1. There's nothing wrong with your setup, but it is just accurately depicting the little bass in the recordings your listening to. I had the same complaint about my stuff until I listened to some records with decent bass. It made me realise that many of the records I listen to have poor bass. Short of artificially boosting the bass using tone controls (something I'd never do, even if my gear HAD tone controls!), there's nothing I can do. One of the downsides of using high end equipment is that it reveals shortcoming in the recording chain lesser gear leaves hidden. In my book, that's a small price to pay for better realism.

2. The bass is there, but you're expecting the overblown levels one usually experiences in a home theatre. IME, what passes for "good" bass in HT applications sounds nothing like the real world.

3. Your speakers are bass-shy (I'm not very familiar with Klipsch's stuff, so I could be wrong), in which case you could try using a pair of subs to help with the bass, or better speakers.

Of course, any or all of the above could be wrong, but hopefully this has given youa few pointers...

[Beta Man]

good point..... spin some Classical.... a lot of bass in various classical works.

[househead]

great points above!


i'm frustrated. if i move to the next room (dining room) the sound is more smooth and better balanced. i thought maybe the polarity was mixed up on one but that's not the case.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by househead

great points above!


i'm frustrated. if i move to the next room (dining room) the sound is more smooth and better balanced. i thought maybe the polarity was mixed up on one but that's not the case.

Good point about the polarity: check that you haven't accidentally inverted the absolute polarity.

When you move to the dining room, do you leave your speakers where they are, or into the dining room with you?

[richteer]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

good point..... spin some Classical.... a lot of bass in various classical works.

Agreed! (I'm partial to Beethoven's symphonies myself.)

There are some well-recorded rock albums with good bass too: Transformer by Lou Reed comes to mind, as does Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I keep meaning to draw up a list of a dozen or so rock albums with great sound--including bass, but I haven't got round to it yet. A weekend project one day, perhaps!

[househead]

Originally Posted by richteer

Good point about the polarity: check that you haven't accidentally inverted the absolute polarity.

When you move to the dining room, do you leave your speakers where they are, or into the dining room with you?

I leave them where they are. there's a cut out between the two rooms so the sound isn't restricted too much.