Bass reinforcement for very large room


My main system resides in the great room of our open-concept house - essentially a 30x30 open area (entryway, family room, dining room, kitchen) with 15' ceilings.

My second system resides in the 11x15 master bedroom.

Recently I have become especially aware at how much better the much more modest system in the BR sounds - it is weighty and more authoritative. Why? Because no matter what sort of main speakers I use in the large room, it seems they cannot produce enough space for that very large space. In contrast, the BR speakers, with smaller drivers and lesser bass extension, pressurize the room and fill it with sound so easily.

The speakers (now) are Hyperion 938s. They are a quite-capable full-range speaker, solid to the low 30s or so. (The 'lack of weight' that plagues the great room is something that surely extents all the way up to the upper-bass, probably 125-150 Hz, so the speakers' extension is really not too vital. IOW, if they were flat to 20 Hz it wouldn't be much different.)

I am thinking subs are the only/best way to cure this. I could use some kind of EQ - but that would undoubtedly result in great driver excursion and an extreme load on my (modestly-powered) amplifiers. I think I need a lot more driver *area*. In other words, in this case there's no replacement for displacement. (And, by the way, I am no 'bass fiend'.)

I've had subs before. I don't like them because it seems they just never integrate *perfectly*. Especially if they must be relied on all the way up to 100 Hz or higher (which is something I've never even tried).

I don't really have any questions per se and am really just ruminating out loud, but if anyone has any thoughts to share, be my guest. (Moving might be my best bet.)
paulfolbrecht
They still needs lotsa help below 60 Hz tho.
Paulfolbrecht (System | Reviews | Answers)
Not the Classic Audio T1 or T3.

They need no bass reinforcement whatsoever.
Tvad

This guy should of just posted that he is interested in multi sub applications instead of all this other BS he has going on here! He's just wasting everyones time who may have recommendations for the core of the problem.

Its his money and someone will be ready to take it
Apache, was that really necessary? Your childish response strikes me as the time-waster here. Just couldn't handle being told politely that you did not grasp the nature of the problem? This sort of nonsense is one of the reasons I don't post much around here.

Let me explain things to you in a little more depth. Your recommendation for "more power" was intended to do - what? Radically alter the frequency response of the speakers? Of course it would not do that, but my explanation of the issue makes it clear it is primarily a frequency response issue. Adding more power just might improve dynamics, which isn't what I complained about, but it sure wouldn't fill in the low-mid bass region unless I *also* turned the *volume up*, which I had/have no reason or intention to do.

Manufacturers (good ones at least) voice speakers with the notion of some room-reinforcement of bass in mind. Most speakers do sound 'thin' in an extremely large acoustic space, which is what we have here. Thus, the problem could be stated as replacing the room-reinforcement that occurs in a small-medium room, which means somehow boosting that bass. That means more driver area for producing bass one way or another.

Tvad's idea of going to horns with 15" bass drivers is not bad, as they have so much direct-radiating area that it might make a difference, but I don't think it would really solve the problem completely and is not viable for financial and other reasons.
You have been very closed minded to anyone with advise other than multi sub applications. I told you I agree with the idea and you keep referring back to one suggestion of more power.

Another poster made the same recommendation.

You are being very condescending to people offering advise that you may not agree with. Do yourself a favor and get some social skills before opening up a topic with good natured people only trying to help you

The end!