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Do Plugged Virgos sound better?

I recently set up a pair of Audio Physic Virgo IIs and was having a hard time controlling a mid-bass hump. At first I used them on the carpet without their spikes, but when I spiked them to the floor the sound (and the bass) did not change all that much. I tried some other measures, messed with positioning and subwoofer settings on my Servo-15, etc., but still could not entirely rid myself of that boom. Then, on a whim, I plugged the bass ports with some rolled up foam. That actually seemed to help reduce the mid-bass boom and tighten them up a bit. Now the bass is pretty respectable (has good articulation and solidity) over a wide range of recordings. So for me, plugging the Virgo's ports worked well in my room. Have others done this, and if so, how do your results compare?

I used to have a set of B&W CDM 9NTs that came with foam port plugs for exactly that purpose, so that's probably why I thought of it.
plato
snickelfritz
42 posts
 
I've measured the 1/3 octave response of my room both ways, and plugging the ports definitely reduces interference between the mains and sub where they overlap.
I found this to be especially true if the mains are running fullrange(not high-passed).

The downside is that the deep bass power handling of your woofers may be reduced slightly, due to a reduction in port damping at resonance.

BTW, maybe we can measure the response at your listening position later this week.
plato OP
1,543 posts
 
Hi Snickelfritz; what you said makes sense because if I run the Virgos without the sub the midbass hump is not nearly as prominent (presently I'm running the Virgos full-range). With the sub, no matter how low I cross it, it seems to increase the midbass too much.

And sure, if you have an accurate "kit" to measure the bass response, maybe we can chart the response and possibly fine-tune it a bit further. That would be great. Thanks!
jfrech's avatar
jfrech
1,816 posts
 
Ever try some bass traps? In the corners?
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