Counselling required - XPS burn-in

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Will this bass boom which manifests itself in the form of a one note bass line on well recorded modern CDs such as the latest Ferry/Giant Sand/Lambchop where bass is well extended disappear as my XPS burns in?

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Bosh, I know *exactly* what you mean. I have the Lambchop and still have problems with boomy/one-note bass in my room even on Kans. Will it disappear ? Well my XPS is about two years old and I recognise what you are saying. I don't think it's going to get better, I think you've probably tipped over the edge of acceptability in your room.

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I am sure this is due to the room which has solid floor/dry-lined walls (18x12 foot) where the bass has always teetered on the brink of unnacceptability.

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18 x 12, that's luxury ! My inclination would be to say that SBLs should work fine in a room that size. What's more, dry-lined walls should be a cause of less bass not more. Sounds like you've got something weird going on there.

I'm currently experimenting with a pair of ported speakers in my problematic room and surprisingly enough they can actually be made to work really well. I'm beginning to wonder now if speakers like SBLs that *have* to work close to a wall aren't actually a liability in problem rooms. You end up with a very limited flexibility re distance from wall before they become too compromised. A ported/free-space speaker has far more flexibility, allowing the freedom for tuning to take place to better match the room. I'm having a go with ES11s, I love 'em, one of the most fluid, tuneful speakers I've ever heard.

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Can anyone reassure me this will burn in or will I have to forgo the (eventual) 500 route and go back to active 250/135 which will allow me to roll the bass off on a SNAXO

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The 500 certainly has way more grip on the speakers than 135s or a 250. This can fix one set of problems but at the same time it'll drive the frequency response of the speaker down further and may open up a whole new can of worms. Home dem is the only way of knowing.

Not convinced that the bass can be succesfully rolled-off with a two way crossover. Isn't reducing the bass-pot just the equivalent of raising the level on the tweeter ?

Allan

Bosh,

The problem is the room. 18 and 12 are both multiple of 2,3. They resonnate in the same harmonics.
The one note you hear should be 93 Hz, which is the first frequency where both dimension resonate.
You have to cut the room. 17'5" is the nearest acceptable dim (only acceptable).

Good luck

Emmanuel

Bosh

it needs to both burn in and warm up - I beleive warm-up takes at least 2 weeks with XPS. Quit trying to sort it out, you're aiming at a moving target. Just listen to it bed in, and marvel at the changes. Once it's stable, then you can start nailing down the best SBL setup and position, and the pletora of system setup details.

HTH

Rico - SM/Mullet Audio

Thanks for the replies.

Omer - The 135's are 1996 vintage.

The in-home demo/problem solve is the only route to go I think. I demo'd the XPS vs CDPS and the in-home results are the opposite of the in-dealers result where the XPS bass was leaner and drier.

Allan - what other speakers did you try? (PS i'm glad I did not follow up my query about your 500 a few months ago!!!)

Rico - we posted at the same time just seen your reply. This is just what I wanted to hear. I am hopeful (but currently doubtful - see Allans reply) that burn in and warm up will resolve the issue.

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what other speakers did you try?

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Other speakers I've tried in my room over the years, all the usual suspects really. Some bought, some just demmed. Most of the Naim speakers - IBLs, SBLs, Credos and DBLs, Kans, Katans, Shahinians, couple of Neats etc plus quite a few just listened to in shops.

ES11s are the first ported speakers I've actually bought to try and seriously get a handle on whats going on in my room. I wanted something good but not expensive as it only started out as something to experiment with. I'm seriously impressed with them. When it comes to speakers that can do 'tune', price has no correlation.

Allan

against the 14ft wall, 1ft into the room.

I'm picking up some Royd Minstrels for home demo in my second system (Planar2/Nait2/Kans - latter are a bit too forward/harsh as its in the kitchen/family room)on Weds. It will be interesting to see how they and the Kans fare in the main system (I may resist this for a couple of weeks Rico)

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This is just what I wanted to hear. I am hopeful (but currently doubtful - see Allans reply) that burn in and warm up will resolve the issue.

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Indeed, Bosh - I am not discounting the posssiblility that burn-in and warmup will not sort this out - Allan has much experience in this area, and his is a well considered post I agree with. My post only focusses on the point (my usual soapbox, sorry!) - that one needs a stable platform to tune from.

Good luck!

PS - Allan, the ES11's are looking nice!

Rico - SM/Mullet Audio

ES11's - a design classic IMHO !

Allan

Bosh

I don't think the XPS burn in will help this problem. I had a similar problem with SBL's but recently got my 135's back from service and this largely cured the problem. However some albums (the latest Lambchop is a prime candidate having very deep and loud (too loud) bass) still have too heavy bass. I have the latest Lambchop on Vinyl and have this problem with it.

In my quest to gain bass acceptability with the CDS2/XPS I have neglected to play the LP12. It does seem however that this quest has almost totally eradicated any bass boom with the LP12 (just buy vinyl I hear you say).

Ken - as you have a very similar system to mine (except 2x250 in lieu of 135s), could you please comment on the difference in CD and LP bass quality in your system.