I think I’m selling my speakers!

[Pharos]

With regard to bass quantity, my Betas are to my friend bass heavy, (flat in free field so room boosts it).
(According to Martin Colloms' book room boost starts at 80Hz, and is a sigma curve which is +7 dB at 20Hz.)

However they are so dynamic, and by that I do not mean a cliched description, what I mean is that bass quantity varies far more than it ever has before between various tracks that is. Voice is also more variable.

Having thought about this I have come to the conclusion that an underdamped woofer, which also has too lower BL factor, will exaggerate low amplitude bass levels, produce overhanging bass beyond the I/P signal's time, and not have enough BL oomph to reach the high peaks which are actually on the recording.

I have never heard such natural sounding bass, and with such attack, and it makes drums exciting, and I now believe that my previous love of polypropylene coned woofers was a sort of comfort zone with a familiar, albeit smooth, sound.

This new quality is preferable because after all it is the reality which we seek, and although it may be that the bass is excessive, I do have adjustment available.

In your position Russell I would look at altering/attenuating the O/P rather than selling a speaker I loved, with positioning and perhaps using traps though they are thought useless by the Mache designer, for the resonant frequencies, as Marco suggests.
I have curtains on walls to help with this and reflections of other frequencies.

[montesquieu]

There's only 2 reasons for an old speaker to get more expensive - either there's a crazy Far East cult about them or they are genuinely really good.

If I were you I'd be getting some bass traps in to sort the bass. Unless there really was some other speakers that I really, really wanted. So depends on how strongly you feel about getting the Martin Logans I suppose. On the other hand they say you regret the things you don't do.

There is a third reason which assumes a clueless muppet thought he was buying a higher-up model or otherwise got carried away with himself. Often the item then re-appears for sale again as the deal didn't go through.

[alphaGT]

There is a third reason which assumes a clueless muppet thought he was buying a higher-up model or otherwise got carried away with himself. Often the item then re-appears for sale again as the deal didn't go through.

This has occurred to me. I saw a pair sell about 4 years ago for $3000. Which I thought was good! On eBay it does happen that bidders get carried away with winning, and make bids they regret later. And I should go back and check to see if they have been relisted. I’ve even considered messaging the seller and explaining myself, I’ve talked to some very nice people through eBay in the past. As the old adage goes, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is”.

Russell

[alphaGT]

With regard to bass quantity, my Betas are to my friend bass heavy, (flat in free field so room boosts it).
(According to Martin Colloms' book room boost starts at 80Hz, and is a sigma curve which is +7 dB at 20Hz.)

However they are so dynamic, and by that I do not mean a cliched description, what I mean is that bass quantity varies far more than it ever has before between various tracks that is. Voice is also more variable.

Having thought about this I have come to the conclusion that an underdamped woofer, which also has too lower BL factor, will exaggerate low amplitude bass levels, produce overhanging bass beyond the I/P signal's time, and not have enough BL oomph to reach the high peaks which are actually on the recording.

I have never heard such natural sounding bass, and with such attack, and it makes drums exciting, and I now believe that my previous love of polypropylene coned woofers was a sort of comfort zone with a familiar, albeit smooth, sound.

This new quality is preferable because after all it is the reality which we seek, and although it may be that the bass is excessive, I do have adjustment available.

In your position Russell I would look at altering/attenuating the O/P rather than selling a speaker I loved, with positioning and perhaps using traps though they are thought useless by the Mache designer, for the resonant frequencies, as Marco suggests.
I have curtains on walls to help with this and reflections of other frequencies.

I feel you may be right. While the initial shock of thinking my speakers were worth so much, my mind raced at the possibilities! Suddenly so many speakers are within my price range. It’s much like finding money in the street. Your first thoughts are what you can spend it on! But in the end you save it for a rainy day.

And I still may sell them, but not right away. As I mentioned earlier, there are other things I want to do, like replace the preamp, and invest in some better preamp to amp cables. I’ve made no attempts at sound deadening. And I know how to make some very nice bass traps. I recall a magazine article back in the ‘80’s that took apart a Bass Trap that was kind of pricey, and inside it was cardboard with several layers of ceiling tiles inside, with a nice burlap covering.

And you’re also right about the quality of bass. While it is too potent on certain program material, on some it is sublime. I’ve got a Uriah Heep CD that has some very extended synth bass that I’ve never heard on any other system! And I use it to demonstrate for anyone careless enough to wonder into my parlor. Legacy claims they reach 16Hz, and it’s very possible.

So now that the shock has set in, I’ll keep it in mind while I try to correct the bass, and try these system improvements. And then, after all is said and done, if it still bugs me, at least I know they’ll fetch a fair price.

And perhaps I can still have my Martin Logans one day? There’s no law that says we can’t own more than one set of speakers! Where I’ll put them? Well, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

Russell