Adding more power to an awkward room

[Siddass]

Hi. I'm currently using arcam rdac, arcam fmja19 and kef ls 50s. My listening room isn't the best acoustically as have a suspended timber floor. Tried some floor standing speakers that sounded terrible, way too much bass. The ls50s were my last purchase and have been so happy with them. Listening to other hifi now I feel like I want more power. I've been thinking about upgrading my dac but thinking maybe dac and amp upgrade together. I really like the audiolab mdac and 8200mb. The mono blocks are much more powerful than my current amp - would they be too much for the ls 50s? do people think that the extra power would be a problem with the suspended floor? Would anyone offer any alternative comparable upgrades? I wouldn't be able to afford to buy new so don't really have the luxury of a home audition. Any help/advice gratefully received.

[realysm42]

Tbh it sounds like you're a little unsure of what you're after; if you can't define your question, how will you what you really want? Easy for me to say i know, you do't know what you don't know after all. Having said that, hopefully some of the following will be of use to you:

More power is generally a good thing. Its when you don't have enough headroom/power that really causes damage to speakers; amps clipping is where the pain happens.

My speakers have a maximum power rating of 100 watts and my power amp is rated at 500. Think of the speaker load as a weight to be lifted, my amp is so powerful lifting said weight is 'easy' and this comes through in the sound. Clean, clear, no compression etc, my speakers are very happy :)

Remember that not all watts are equal; quality and matching the amp carefully to the speakers is just as important. This can take experimentation. If a dealer won't loan it may be worth trying second hand in case you don't like your combination?

My speakers are floor standers on suspend wooden flooring. When i moved in i just plunked them down and had no bass, everything was muddled. Then i set the system up properly with my isolation platforms and bang! Everything was right with the world again. Good stand and experimenting with isolation/decoupling could pay huge dividends to your speakers performance, a lack of power may/may not be the root cause of your issues.

The above is an extremely crude explanation but will hopefully serve to answer your question.

[Firebottle]

What is it about the sound that you feel you are missing to say 'Listening to other hifi now I feel like I want more power'?

Do you feel you haven't got the bass extension you want.
I would have thought 100W is enough power, which is what you have. Do you like it LOUD and are you hearing any 'thickening' of the sound at high volume?

:cool:

[Siddass]

Thanks for your comments.
It's fair to say I'm not sure what I'm after and I'm definitely willing to source 2nd hand. It's all about where I start!

I think my current set up sounds as little bit 'thin'. Maybe this means I need more bass extension but I'd describe my bass as quite punchy, it's more that I want the sound to be 'bigger' generally. Apologies for my terrible terminology I hope this will improve by reading more on here. I had thought more power would help with this but possibly not although it seems that a more powerful amp will actually help my speakers possibly.

Not quite sure where to start as I said. I listen at medium volumes mostly.

Very interesting about isolation/decoupling. Not an area I've really thought about yet but having had a brief look this morning perhaps this is a way to improve things using my existing stands. I hate to say this but my wife has been suggesting I put the ls 50s on the wall so our child doesn't get crushed by a toppled speaker. Is that just a big no no? Are there wall brackets that could be used that used to isolate the speakers better? Should I just invest in a lock for the door?!

[walpurgis]

More bass extension is just that. Deeper bass, not necessarily more impact.

More powerful amplification may give you what you want, but I doubt that's the real answer. Your present amp has 50 useful watts and should really be more than adequate, especially as you say you listen at medium levels.

Some frown on wall mounted speakers, but it can work OK and being close to the wall should reinforce the bottom end a bit. I'd give it a try.

My feeling is that perhaps the KEFs are not giving you the 'wallop' you need. Have you ever listened to vintage JBL speakers? They are very dynamic and may have the kind of presentation you like. As might modern Rega and Triangle speakers. If there's a dealer near you that stocks those makes, try and get a listen.

[Siddass]

ok there seems to be a consensus that my amp can do what I want but its my beloved Kef ls 50s that may be the issue.
my new proposal:

1. maybe I can get the best out of my kefs by isolating them better so ill look into this - and consider the brackets at the same time. Both appear to be much cheaper options than buying new amps!!
2. If option 1 doesn't work ill maybe try and source some older speakers - I like the look of the retro JBLs and see how that goes.

So all in all a completely different plan....but a much cheaper one and ill prob learn a little in the process...

[struth]

Ls 50's are good but doubt they will give you what your looking for. You,d need a bigger box I think

[Firebottle]

Possibly add a good sub woofer. It can give a bigger impression overall, not just deeper bass.

[walpurgis]

I like the look of the retro JBLs and see how that goes.

Get advice here before buying older JBLs. There are some to avoid.

Your amp should find them easy to drive, as they tend to be reasonably undemanding. The same goes for the Rega and Triangle speakers.

[Macca]

Almost certainly an issue with the speakers I think. There is only so much a little box will do and the KEFs are not an easy load in the bass so a current shy amp will not do them justice in any case. Plus they don't do low bass just port enhanced mid-bass which is fine for a lot of programme but some material will sound a bit 'thin' - i,e music that depends on lower bass to drive it along and does not have much in the mid band.

There are a few larger speakers that will work in a smaller room just fine, Tannoy DC being the obvious one.

A sub might also work but proper subs (not the a/v things you can get for £200) are expensive and you will need to be prepared for much time experimenting with it to get it right in your room. There are no hard and fast rules for sub placement despite what you may read, way too many variables of which the room is only one of them.