B&W 805S - Where is the bass?

[GCE]

Here you can see the B&W805 response grafics ,

and they have a good bass extension under 50 Hz

and not only a 150 hZ- ish's bump... and an "easy" impedance > 4,7 Ohm

in bass dept; perhaps you have to wait for a 200 hours for breakin';

Marantz too has a warm sound and bass.

You can also try another amp of a friend ...*drinks*

Here 686

 

[CnoEvil]

I'm not sure what music you are listening to but the PM8005 is fine in the bass department in my system.

Chris

That's they key phrase. Some small speakers need more "welly" than big Floorstanders, to bring out the bass.

 

[Vladimir]

The CM series is the most coloured, non-neutral, music lover oriented series B&W has ever made. They were made more to be furniture with appeal to non-refined ears, with embedded loudness curve feel. The FR specs are dreadfully, with huge mid-bass humps and upper midrange dips. Moving from that to a fairly neutral 800 series with front ported reflex, the sound may feel really light, to some to an extent sounding like cheap plastic PC speakers.

Move the speakers closer to the back wall to get closer to the original sound you were used to from the CM5s.

BTW I own the CM1s and chose them intentionally over the CM5 because they had less bass, but they still have too much of a hump. I flaten it out in JRiver parametric EQ and get a sound that is less appealing at first listen but more accurate. More midrange details appears as the small woofer is assigned less bass to strugle with and it becomes machinegun super fast.

 

[davedotco]

The CM series is the most coloured, non-neutral, music lover oriented series B&W has ever made. They were made more to be furniture with appeal to non-refined ears, with embedded loudness curve feel. The FR specs are dreadfully, with huge mid-bass humps and upper midrange dips. Moving from that to a fairly neutral 800 series with front ported reflex, the sound may feel really light, to some to an extent sounding like cheap plastic PC speakers.

Move the speakers closer to the back wall to get closer to the original sound you were used to from the CM5s.

BTW I own the CM1s and chose them intentionally over the CM5 because they had less bass, but they still have too much of a hump. I flaten it out in JRiver parametric EQ and get a sound that is less appealing at first listen but more accurate. More midrange details appears as the small woofer is assigned less bass to strugle with and it becomes machinegun super fast.

You get really fast bass from a Kandy and a pair of CMs......*shok*

That is a seriously good trick, that JRiver must be some player.

 

[ErwinC]

In my experience, speakers with the bass reflex port on the front have "less" bass than speakers with the bass reflex port on the back. The difference is even bigger when the speakers are placed close (less than about 1m) to the back wall.

 

[Vladimir]

You get really fast bass from a Kandy and a pair of CMs......*shok*

That is a seriously good trick, that JRiver must be some player.

The kevlar cone is light and small. If it was a 12" aquaplas treated paper cone, or the heavy bextrenes, I would get deeeeecaaaaayyyyy like driving a Cadilac. This way I have a pimped up Citroen Saxo. *biggrin*

 

[davedotco]

In my experience, speakers with the bass reflex port on the front have "less" bass than speakers with the bass reflex port on the back. The difference is even bigger when the speakers are placed close (less than about 1m) to the back wall.

That is an interesting observation.

The positioning of the reflex port on the front or rear baffle should have no effect on the quantity of bass produced.

Neither should it have an effect on placement, unless you are within inches of a wall which may disrupt the flow from a rear mounted port.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

To the op.

How are the speakers positioned?

Have you experimented with placement/position.

It may be worth taking them to a dealer and get them checked.

Did you hear them before purchase?

Even rubbish speakers have audible bass, if you're getting no bass at all, sounds like a fault.

 

[plastic penguin]

In my experience, speakers with the bass reflex port on the front have "less" bass than speakers with the bass reflex port on the back. The difference is even bigger when the speakers are placed close (less than about 1m) to the back wall.

That is an interesting observation.

The positioning of the reflex port on the front or rear baffle should have no effect on the quantity of bass produced.

Neither should it have an effect on placement, unless you are within inches of a wall which may disrupt the flow from a rear mounted port.

All ported speakers need a little breathing space to hear them at their best. I have my TB2s a tad over 18". Any closer and they'll start to sound flumpy.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Lol.... I find front ported speakers have 'more slam' - the bass is thrown out into the room.

Rear ported is warmer/softer less in your face and deeper... Well less midrangey, if you know what I mean?

My 1st ever speakers were front ported, my 2nd rear and my current side ported.

In my experience, speakers with the bass reflex port on the front have "less" bass than speakers with the bass reflex port on the back. The difference is even bigger when the speakers are placed close (less than about 1m) to the back wall.

That is an interesting observation.

The positioning of the reflex port on the front or rear baffle should have no effect on the quantity of bass produced.

Neither should it have an effect on placement, unless you are within inches of a wall which may disrupt the flow from a rear mounted port.

 

[davedotco]

In my experience, speakers with the bass reflex port on the front have "less" bass than speakers with the bass reflex port on the back. The difference is even bigger when the speakers are placed close (less than about 1m) to the back wall.

That is an interesting observation.

The positioning of the reflex port on the front or rear baffle should have no effect on the quantity of bass produced.

Neither should it have an effect on placement, unless you are within inches of a wall which may disrupt the flow from a rear mounted port.

All ported speakers need a little breathing space to hear them at their best. I have my TB2s a tad over 18". Any closer and they'll start to sound flumpy.

Absolutely agree, but the position of the port (front or back) makes no difference.

 

[GCE]

************* ******

 

[davedotco]

Lol.... I find front ported speakers have 'more slam' - the bass is thrown out into the room.

Rear ported is warmer/softer less in your face and deeper... Well less midrangey, if you know what I mean?

My 1st ever speakers were front ported, my 2nd rear and my current side ported.

There is absolutely no reason why that should be the case. It is all about the way the designer chooses to balance his speaker.

There are good reasons not to use a front port but they have nothing to do with 'throwing bass out into the room' or not.

 

[GCE]

Here you can see the B&W805 S

response grafics ,

and they have a good bass extension under 50 Hz

and not only a 150 hZ- ish's bump... and an "easy" impedance > 4,7 Ohm

in bass dept; perhaps you have to wait for a 200 hours for breakin';

Marantz too has a warm sound and bass.

You can also try another amp of a friend ...*drinks*

686

 

[Vladimir]

No sound comes out of the bass reflex port (except some chuffing if it's a bad implementation). The concept of bass reflex is to make the woofer driver behave as if it was in a bigger box.

Bass is omnidirectional, however placement of bass port has effect regarding phase cancelations, time domain issues and smearing.

 

[iceman16]

To the OP.. I think theres something wrong with the speakers . have them check as other suggests. I used to have a pair of 703s and one bass driver is'nt working as it should. You're not coming from floorstands b&w to your 805S so its really puzzling .The 805s have a decent bass but that depends on your room IMO.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Weeeelllll....

Back in the day front ported speakers were always used for that reason as 'long throw' speakers - you could dry your hair from the breeze being pumped from the port on a 18" bass bins port.

That breeze Carry's the sound out into the room.

The designs for a reason - compare a sealed box with a ported design.

I'm not making this up. PMC transmission line is based on this..

Lol.... I find front ported speakers have 'more slam' - the bass is thrown out into the room.

Rear ported is warmer/softer less in your face and deeper... Well less midrangey, if you know what I mean?

My 1st ever speakers were front ported, my 2nd rear and my current side ported.

There is absolutely no reason why that should be the case. It is all about the way the designer chooses to balance his speaker.

There are good reasons not to use a front port but they have nothing to do with 'throwing bass out into the room' or not.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

No so......

Look at a cross section of any ported design - the rear of the speaker emits sound what do you think happens to it?

Do you think it's absorbed by the box?

The chuffin is caused by air but it carrys sound. It's how sound moves.

The boxes radiates sound the port throws it out directed wherever down, sideways forward, backward.

No sound comes out of the bass reflex port (except some chuffing if it's a bad implementation). The concept of bass reflex is to make the woofer driver behave as if it was in a bigger box.

Bass is omnidirectional, however placement of bass port has effect regarding phase cancelations, time domain issues and smearing.

 

 

[davedotco]

Weeeelllll....

Back in the day front ported speakers were always used for that reason as 'long throw' speakers - you could dry your hair from the breeze being pumped from the port on a 18" bass bins port.

That breeze Carry's the sound out into the room.

The designs for a reason - compare a sealed box with a ported design.

I'm not making this up. PMC transmission line is based on this..

Lol.... I find front ported speakers have 'more slam' - the bass is thrown out into the room.

Rear ported is warmer/softer less in your face and deeper... Well less midrangey, if you know what I mean?

My 1st ever speakers were front ported, my 2nd rear and my current side ported.

There is absolutely no reason why that should be the case. It is all about the way the designer chooses to balance his speaker.

There are good reasons not to use a front port but they have nothing to do with 'throwing bass out into the room' or not.

Thompson, you are talking nonsense. Even deep bass is an alternating waveform, there is no air pushed into the room, only a series of compressions and rarefactions.

Long throw and short throw speakers are an excersise in controlled dispersion. Difficult at bass frequences and all but impossible at the lowest frequences.

Irrespective of the design or shape of the enclosure, position of port or any other factor, diffraction effects make sure that bass is radiated in an omnidirectional manner. It is how this off axis bass radiation reflects from boundaries and arrives at the listening position that matters.

 

[Vladimir]

I should have said no directional sound comes out of the bass port. Lower frequencies are all omnidirectional, spreading in the shape of a sphere arround the speakers.

 

[Vladimir]

Double-clicked on Save.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Dave I swear I love it when you're here cause I know I'll get a decent argument with you before the night is out when things are dry around here.

Anyhow..... No!

The compression from a port is air - what do you think it is?

Like I asked Vlad, what do you think happens to the sound waves coming of the back of a driver unit?

Every time you get a duff do you think the sound comes only from the front of the cone and the enclosure and nothing from the port?.

Sound waves are carried by air - bass is non -
directional like any other soundwave but it can be directed. Like cupping your hands around your mouth to shout.

Why do you think speaker manufacturers give advice on speaker placement regards port placement from walls?

This is something any one with a ported speaker can test.

Just read pmc blurb ref there transmission line tec.

Weeeelllll....

Back in the day front ported speakers were always used for that reason as 'long throw' speakers - you could dry your hair from the breeze being pumped from the port on a 18" bass bins port.

That breeze Carry's the sound out into the room.

The designs for a reason - compare a sealed box with a ported design.

I'm not making this up. PMC transmission line is based on this..

Lol.... I find front ported speakers have 'more slam' - the bass is thrown out into the room.

Rear ported is warmer/softer less in your face and deeper... Well less midrangey, if you know what I mean?

My 1st ever speakers were front ported, my 2nd rear and my current side ported.

There is absolutely no reason why that should be the case. It is all about the way the designer chooses to balance his speaker.

There are good reasons not to use a front port but they have nothing to do with 'throwing bass out into the room' or not.

Thompson, you are talking nonsense. Even deep bass is an alternating waveform, there is no air pushed into the room, only a series of compressions and rarefactions.

Long throw and short throw speakers are an excersise in controlled dispersion. Difficult at bass frequences and all but impossible at the lowest frequences.

Irrespective of the design or shape of the enclosure, position of port or any other factor, diffraction effects make sure that bass is radiated in an omnidirectional manner. It is how this off axis bass radiation reflects from boundaries and arrives at the listening position that matters.

 

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Again Vlad no.

You can direct sound - like a trumpet - stand to the side you'll still hear it but it's when directly in front of it you'll appreciate how loud it is.

A port works in a similar way. Just look at the shape of your standard port.

The port..... What's the word I'm looking for.... It's not compliments... Is is auguments?.... We'll it's some word ending in ments.

Basically it pushes the bass towards the listener into the room at the same time the driver drives and the box rediates the sound.

I should have said no directional sound comes out of the bass port. Lower frequencies are all omnidirectional, spreading in the shape of a sphere arround the speakers.?

 

 

[Vladimir]

For years I've believed that bass ports pump out bass frequency, thus when too close to back walls causing boom. Then an authority figure schooled me differently that the air coming out of the bass port doesn't matter in a well designed speaker. The added boom is because as bass expands spherically, as you bring the speakers closer to a back wall, the back sphere part reflects back to the room and bass is accented (thickened). Regardless where you put the port or the woofer driver, the sphere is equally 360 degrees and will behave the same. Transmission lines and nautilus spirals serve as efficient ducts for reducing cabinet reflections and more efficient pumping out of the back wave. They don't serve as tubes for pumping bass in a desired direction.

Now another authority figure (anyone more knowledgable and more experienced than me) tells me differently. So, what am I to do?

*help*

 

[Thompsonuxb]

lol.... Just trust me.

Think about that theory for a second. Before any bass frequencies have exited the port the sound/air would have bounced back and forth inside the speaker box/enclosure how many times?

I mean just because the speakers are round does not mean the sound waves are round.

You know how sound travels, I mean why do you think bungs are supplied with ported speakers?

For years I've believed that bass ports pump out bass frequency, thus when too close to back walls causing boom. Then an authority figure schooled me differently that the air coming out of the bass port doesn't matter in a well designed speaker. The added boom is because as bass expands spherically, as you bring the speakers closer to a back wall, the back sphere part reflects back to the room and bass is accented (thickened). Regardless where you put the port or the woofer driver, the sphere is equally 360 degrees and will behave the same. Transmission lines and nautilus spirals serve as efficient ducts for reducing cabinet reflections and more efficient pumping out of the back wave. They don't serve as tubes for pumping bass in a desired direction.

Now another authority figure (anyone more knowledgable and more experienced than me) tells me differently. So, what am I to do?

*help*