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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
bmckenney
91 posts
 
I don't quite understand your room(s) dimensions. It sounds confusing. Pictures would help. I have no experience with setting up speakers in a huge room, but I believe if you have big enough speakers you can energize it just like you can a smaller room. If I'm wrong, then sorry.

I know what you mean about an energized room, and I know what you mean when its not. And it is all about speaker placement. But if you have L-shaped room or alcoves or whatever you have, and placement constraints because of the wife or living spaces, then you're screwed. And you can have these same issues in smaller rooms too, IMO. I don't agree that medium and small sized rooms will be always energized at all. I've heard enough that suck so badly, including at dealers who just don't get speaker placement, that I know small rooms will sound like your big room. So I feel its therefore just as possible to load a large room like a small room.

If you have appropriate speakers for the room, size wise etc, you're not done. You need to place them properly.
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
3,575 posts
 
Smaller room - let say 15x15 will amplify 40Hz (1150/15/2=38Hz) creating effect of bass pressure while 30x30 room amplifies 20Hz not present in music material therefore sounding more flat (natural).
ghstudio
141 posts
 
You will save yourself a lot of grief by inserting an Audyssey MultiEQ in the system to smooth any Sub you install...and smooth out any other room gremlins. It's amazing how that device will change the entire sound (for the better).
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