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I need the Kick to kick drums [message #40439] Thu, 27 February 2003 10:11 Go to next message
Garland is currently offline  Garland
Messages: 269
Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
OK, I've got just about everything I need sonically now with my Theater 4's driven by my Foreplay and Heathkit AA-111 amp. I just need that kick-drum kick from a driver dedicated to reproducing just that sound in as small a box that will still give me the "real" quality that is pretty sought after but not often perfected. I've got an Adcom 555 ready to go. What do you guys think. I'd also prefer not to spend more that a couple hundred on the driver. How about those dinky Parts Express subs? - any good? The room is a fairly damped 17.5' x 11.5' x 7.5'.

Thanks for any ideas!

Garland


PiAligned 2245 [message #40440 is a reply to message #40439] Thu, 27 February 2003 11:35 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18792
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
Can you squeeze 10 cubic feet? If so, a pair of PiAligned 2245 woofers would be just the ticket. If you need a smaller box, use 2235's in 4 cubic feet instead. Either way you go, overlap the mains with the subs so you have more bass sound sources. Thgis will help smooth room modes.
Re: you need a plant stand [message #40441 is a reply to message #40439] Thu, 27 February 2003 12:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
bmar is currently offline  bmar
Messages: 346
Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
Try a JBL E140 in a 22" cube. face the driver into the corner if possible. the E140, nice and efficient, inexpensive (used ones around too) and will play well down 25hz in this configuration. The 22" cube will give you 5 cubic foot internal. For home use tune the box to around 25hz and cross out of this thing at 80hz or less. This will give you a shelved response for the most part, and facing into a corner should bring you about same efficiency as your pi4's in the 25-65hz range.

Bill

ps. put a pice of glass or formica on the top and it will make a killer "PLANT STAND" for the corner of you room

bridged mono the 555 does 600 watts [message #40442 is a reply to message #40439] Thu, 27 February 2003 14:43 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Sam P. is currently offline  Sam P.
Messages: 307
Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
and will bring down your walls in that application. I faced a single EV 15bwk driver against the wall, near a corner, driven by a measly 1875 chip amp...30 feet across the room all kinds of stuff was rattling and buzzing, and this was at "reasonable" levels. If you DO use the 555 for subwoofer duty, check or replace the 47uF caps in the feedback loops, my 545 had "premature" roll off at the low end in one channel which drove me batty swapping speaker polarity till I figured out it was the AMP stupid. You may be just as well off to use a "plate amp" from PE, one with a remote control would be nice for setting the level from the listening position, and the built in bass boost won't hurt. Then you can drive the Theater 4's with the adcom:)

adcom 555 driving jbl 4648a-8's
adcom 545 driving altec 902/511's
marchand xm9L set at 800Hz.

ginger baker sounds a hell of a lot better in my LR than my neighbor's drums from across the alley behind my house:) Sam


Re:Turn your frown upside down [message #40444 is a reply to message #40439] Thu, 27 February 2003 16:14 Go to previous messageGo to next message
BillEpstein is currently offline  BillEpstein
Messages: 886
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
I know you love that Heathkit but it's EL-84. They're clean and clear. It's gonna take EL-34's to really get that kick drum. If anything, the ELLA is bass heavy.
The Vance Dickason sub at Parts Express is a fairly small package with outstanding bass, about $350, I think. Give that a shot.
BTW, the death of the Foreplay and putting the Goldpoint's in their own box with the Paramour's is giving me the best sound I've ever had. And the woofers so close to the horns is creating a single driver image you have to hear to believe. I guess it shouldn't be too great a surprise that the $149 Foreplay was hiding some of the qualities of the Paramours. I wonder how they'd sound with a really great pre-amp? Maybe I'll get to find out at Lima?
Re: I need the Kick to kick drums [message #40447 is a reply to message #40439] Thu, 27 February 2003 19:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
LuxmanLover is currently offline  LuxmanLover
Messages: 164
Registered: May 2009
Master
Bi-amping your 4PI's with the Adcom on the bottom will give you your kick drum.....I've tried several different amps on my 4PI pro's and by far the best bass was from a 300 watt ss amp......Stevie Ray sounded so real I thought Double Trouble was right in the room.....drum wise anyway.....big amp will get you there.
Kelly
Re:Turn your frown upside down [message #40448 is a reply to message #40444] Thu, 27 February 2003 20:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
wasteh202 is currently offline  wasteh202
Messages: 137
Registered: May 2009
Master
Till E., so is your preamp passive or active?
Just for Kicks : ) kinda long [message #40451 is a reply to message #40439] Thu, 27 February 2003 21:57 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ToFo is currently offline  ToFo
Messages: 219
Registered: May 2009
Master
Garland,

I should know this after a year plus on this forum, but have you exhausted all usable speaker/listener locations (esp. near corners)?

I wonder if you have a room cancellation prob. I have 4Pi's and I can do bad things to my house in the 20's of hz (broken knick knacs too). I have over 400 CD's and only two of them leave me wanting (very nasty techno ambient bass drops). I can't imagine much better bass drum than I get now, there just isn't much musical info lower than 4Pi's deliver well. Maybe there is a simple solution for you. I do run an Adcom 5400 so this may be apples to oranges.

Have you tried the Adcom in place of the Heath to see if the drums are kickin'? I think the Heath would have enough grunt with 4Pi's, but I'm no amp expert. Could the Heath be Hurting kick performance?

Do you have a quality active crossover? They help immensely with adding a sub to big ported speakers (maybe bad to put in your sweet signal path).

If you don't like active, Some swear by NOT using a high pass on the main woofers (Olsen Ariels). These folks also plug the ports where present. I do not like this, but it was better to me than unloading overlap. You have a speaker that can be plugged. You might need to, without a high pass filter you could have 2 ported 15's unloading below tuning and overlapping with the sub, likely not in phase. A last resort if things get ugly.

I have had some subs and the 4Pi renders them obsolete in my room. Neither Velodyne 1200S nor the NHT 1259 home brew could keep up with the Deltas. Maybe deeper bass, but boingy like a big rubber band and so quiet (85 dB at 20Hz was a good score just before coil hit the back plate). Seems big excursion small area is great for wet/boom sound, bad for dry/kick sound. I like the slam of the short stroke/big piston motor. I would love to hear the low tuned JBL 18 in my setup.

A big JBL with a good active X-O, Wow! It might not play a lot deeper, but with an Adcom 555 mono on it, you could feel bass at the neighbors. I know loud ain't yer thing, but it could overcome nearly any lossy room with sheer force.

Not trying to be negative in this post. Just that I have had some of my worst issues from subs. With different room, gear, ears and taste. No telling what you'll find. Can't wait to hear what comes up
Thomas,

Re:Turn your frown upside down [message #40454 is a reply to message #40444] Fri, 28 February 2003 07:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
DRC is currently offline  DRC
Messages: 169
Registered: May 2009
Master
Till - I can safely say you'll hear a pair o' Mours with a great preamp at Lima. Would an Audio Note M-5 phono pre be good enuff?

Don't forget the source, either. The DVD player is not knocking down any doors on several fronts, including bass extension and impact.

Do you remember Reference Recordings' DAFOS LP? I'll be bringing that baby along, too. Sometimes you kick the drum. Sometimes the drum kicks you! ;-)


Keep your ears and your mind open.

Thanks for the diverse ideas.... [message #40456 is a reply to message #40439] Fri, 28 February 2003 09:01 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Garland is currently offline  Garland
Messages: 269
Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
....I'll report back. First, though I should report that I've just installed all new coupling caps in the Heathkit: .15uF 600V Auricaps which replace the Solen tin foil caps I had in there since my original re-wire job. Wowser!!! I've always liked Auricaps, using them in the Foreplay and Paramours. These caps have transformed the little Heath amp! Now sounds twice as powerfull with gobs of detail and swinging flourishes to the music that is just astounding that a mere swapping of caps can effect the sound so much! If you guys who mess around under the hood of your gear haven't tried these caps, you have a treat in store for you! (Bass is better too)

G.

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