Quad ESL help appreciated!

[Barry]

I love my 57s but have to be realistic as to what they can and cant do.

Last time i plumbed them in i was shocked...sadly it sounded like a duvet had been thrown over the hi fi.

I had considered stacked 57s but just felt it was a losing battle.

If they sound like someone has thrown a duvet over them, then either they are faulty, or there is something wrong with the rest of your system.

Stacking Quad 57s has to be carefully considered. It is not the panacea that some claim. But if done properly you will be rewarded with a palpable sense of presence that is uncanny, and once heard is hard to live without. Other bonuses are a better sense of scale and dynamics (but only +6dB) and a perceived extension to the lower bass. The disadvantages are the sheer volume and visual intrusion of a stacked pair, and if wired in parallel the exacerbated load they present to the driving amplifier.

[Opti-cal]

Hi guys, so I hooked up the sub after initially presuming this would exacerbate the current issues.

It's just a tiny REL T3 but works well in small rooms just to underpin the main speakers, nothing earth shaking.

Took a while to dial the correct setting with roll off and volume level but I've managed to get somewhere close to no boom. It still occurs on acoustic basslines (guitar, double bass etc) but only on certain tracks and at a touch above average listening levels. I can't actually see the back of the sub as its tucked around the corner behind my vinyl but I think the phase is set to 180 so I'm guessing this is having a cancelling effect to some of the standing waves and room modes.

It's really letting the midrange of the quads shine through again and I reckon with a few more strategically placed pillows/books along the back and side walls I could well achieve zero boom.

I may also move the sub around a bit to see if the cancellation effect can be improved.

Thanks for all the suggestion and help I'm pretty humbled so many were willing to give their opinions and advice.

Will update with any further findings anyway.

Cheers,

Chris

[Barry]

Good news Chris!

Can you show us where you have positioned the sub and give us the setting. I ask because I experimented with a KEF sub-woofer and couldn't get on with it at all.

But it's good to hear it is working out well for you. Once a Quad lover - always a Quad lover!

Cheers
Barry

[Opti-cal]

Good news Chris!

Can you show us where you have positioned the sub and give us the setting. I ask because I experimented with a KEF sub-woofer and couldn't get on with it at all.

But it's good to hear it is working out well for you. Once a Quad lover - always a Quad lover!

Cheers
Barry

No problem Barry I will get behind there and check all the settings when I can as I'm just out until tomorrow morning. From memory the roll off is set to around 55hz and the volume is low (about 4 out of 20) and I believe the phase is set to 180. I'll check all of this along with some pics for you when I'm back tomorrow.

Too right on the quads, I'd be devastated to let them go especially after forking out for the service.

Cheers

[Opti-cal]

IMAG1348.jpg

Barry, here is a pic of the rear of my subwoofer with the settings. As I thought the roll off seems set to around 50-60Hz (why don't they mark it properly!!) and the volume is 5 steps out of 20. Hopefully that will give you some indication of where to start.

Interestingly the phase switch is set to 0, I had assumed that inverting it would have the cancellation effect but if I do flick it to 180 the bass boom is back and actually worse!

In the next picture you can see where the subwoofer is placed. Far from optimal in theory but with different speakers (that roll off quite sharply around 80Hz) it provided a real underpinning to the bass and drum kicks without ever being boomy or overhanging. If my room was a perfect rectangle or just normal dimensions I'm sure there is a better place for it but tucked away around the corner provides the best results for me.

Also I think it helps that its only a small 8" driver so doesn't plumb the depths but is quite responsive.

I know people have had success with dipole subs and other custom setups with Quads but this sounds good. Not perfect by any stretch I must admit and like subs in most setups what sounds great on one track might be way off for another depending on the mastering/mixing of the recording. I really can't be dealing with changing the settings all the time so this is a kind of half way house. I was going to get one of those REL's with a remote but this will suffice for now.

Best of luck,

Chris

[Opti-cal]

I'm very sorry about the quality of these pictures I can't get the flash on my camera to work properly, I'll see if I can clean it up a bit. Hopefully you get the idea.

The sub is situated roughly 5 feet to the left of the left speaker between the pitched roof and my vinyl shelves. This probably acts as a kind of rubbish resonance chamber anyway but it sounds decent with the right settings.

I know its hap hazard but its all I can do in the room given its weird dimensions!

IMAG1351.jpg

[Macca]

The optimal place for a sub is often somewhere bizarre. I read an article about experimenting with dipole subs where they found the best place for the sub was right next to the listening position and nowhere near the main speakers. Low bass is a funny thing.

Good to hear that you have found a solution to the problem!

[Opti-cal]

The optimal place for a sub is often somewhere bizarre. I read an article about experimenting with dipole subs where they found the best place for the sub was right next to the listening position and nowhere near the main speakers. Low bass is a funny thing.

Good to hear that you have found a solution to the problem!

Cheers Macca,

I don't think I'll ever really understand acoustics properly but another example was when I had vinyl stacked about with other speakers and amps all around the room there was no bass boom at all and the speakers sounded wonderful. Then I tidied up and it appeared . . .

Must have been interrupting the waves and taming the bass response with all my crap laying around without realising it.

Moral of the story being - collect loads of hifi in an untidy mess and keep playing around. Oh and never tidy up . . .

[Firebottle]

I underpin my 57's with a REL copy, the turnover is set to 40Hz.
It never draws attention to itself but fills in the bottom octave beautifully.
I did have it set to a higher frequency for a few years but upon revisiting the he setting it woks better with a lower frequency but a bit more gain.

[wee tee cee]

delighted you are finding a solution...