Well, very spirited discussion indeed! To settle a couple of points raised: my existing Adcom back-end can very successfully drive the a/d/s L1090 towers...unfortunately the original data sheet on the speakers was lost in a move, so I can't determine speaker efficiency vis-vis the B&W CM-4s, which are rated at 90dB/W/m, but I would presume the former to be a bit more efficient than the latter. I'm still going to carry on evaluating some raw speaker wire, but definitely coming round to the view that the CM-4 constitutively lack strong bass presence, and perhaps best to work in the sub in a more blended fashion to support music playback of all genres.
Can cables of any cost and quality provide bass response missing in my B&W speakers?
I'm sure variants of this question have been offered previously, but let me ask in light of the following: I have a very modest main system powered by an Adcom 555II amp, Adcom GFP-750 pre-amp, and run into a pair of B&W CM-4 speakers (6.5in woofer, 6.5in. woofer/mid. and tweeter, and bi-wireable). Any music with a moderate-to- heavy bass component (organ, bass fiddle, etc) just doesn't translate to my ear. I'm using a mid-range pair of Monster cables, and in fact tried a second pair of Z-Series to no audible difference. On the other hand I have a legacy pair of a/d/s 1090L tower speakers (2x7.5in woofers, 6in. mid-range, tweeter) that deliver thundering bass when needed regardless of cabling used, and powered by the same system. Even tried passive bi-amping for the B&Ws by using an old Carver M-500t amp for HF input, and Adcom amp for LF input...no diff. Is there any point really in looking at higher-end speaker wire of, e.g., thicker gauge, or exotic geometry, or multi-conductor "shotgunning", whatever, in order to induce greater LF response from the CM-4s? Thanks for your patience.
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One last thought from the OP here: a thread on AudioKarma caught my eye just today, where a commenter has both the CM-4 and a/d/s L1090 speakers, and also finds that the CM-4 is rather thin in bass, especially doing an A/B test v. L1090. Exactly my finding as well. http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/a-d-s-l1090-info.761221/ |
I agree with a lot of comments here. Attenuating your speaker’s capabilities through cabeling doesn’t seem like the best solution. I would add stereo subs to handle 35hz and below. Pretty impressed with my SVS subs, great price, look and sound of course any quality sub will work great. Speaker placement can be a factor and something to look out for when you add subs so you aren’t sitting in a null or peak due to your room characteristics. This can be controlled to some extent by EQ but even better then stereo subs is a sub array (4 or more subs.) Getting involved in the physics of sound and measurement is fun but also gets complicated quick. Be careful chasing the white rabbit, you never know what you’ll find. |
Compass_Rose. Others here spoke of "polarity." But, what I can gather from what they spoke of? Was to check the "phase" to make sure both speakers are wired the same. You may find if you reverse both speaker's leads - red to the black, and black to the red- that will reverse polarity. If one pair of speakers was designed with reverse polarity one pair will produce less bass. Simply reverse the leads to BOTH speakers. Then listen. Correcting the polarity should produce more bass. |
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