Bass Heavy B&W 682 S2

[dangerouspartridge]

Hi all,

I've had my B&W 683 S2's - running off a Roksan Kandy K2 BT - for around 3 weeks now. I've been playing then for a couple of hours a day at a moderate sound level (have to keep the wife happy; and the neighbours) in order to 'run them in'.

I've noticed that these speakers, whilst they sound good, can be a little bass heavey at times, meaning the mid and higher frequencies are drowned out.

I have a carpeted floor and wondered if this could be the cause? I've attached the supplied plinthes and these sit directly on the carpet. Would I be better putting the spikes on the bass of the speakers and resting the speaker on the plinth? These speakers have front firing ports so am i right in thinking that the distance from the back wall won't matter?

Any help would be great!

 

[matthewpiano]

Front ported speakers are still sensitive to wall reinforcement. How close are they to the rear wall, and also to the side walls? Is the excess bass a problem wherever you sit or stand to listen or only in certain listening positions?

 

[dangerouspartridge]

My speakers are around 10 cm away from the rear wall, 1.5m away from the side walls and 2m apart. I sit 4m away from the speakers, directly in the centre. The speakers are slightly toed in. I've tried putting in the provided bungs but they don't seem to make much of a difference.

 

[davedotco]

My speakers are around 10 cm away from the rear wall, 1.5m away from the side walls and 2m apart. I sit 4m away from the speakers, directly in the centre. The speakers are slightly toed in. I've tried putting in the provided bungs but they don't seem to make much of a difference.

It is my experience that most modern floorstanders in this sort of price range are 'heavy' in the bass, apparently it is what sells....*unknw*

They invariably need a lot of space 'to breath' if you want anything resembling tight controlled bass. Very difficult in many rooms but just to see the difference, try them as far out into the room as you can, at least a couple of feet, more if possible.

The K2 may not help either, I have always found it over full and verging on the overblown in the bass region, others disagree but what you are describing sounds pretty much what I would expect for this combination, especially set up close to the wall as you describe.

 

[matthewpiano]

10cm is far too close to the rear wall for those speakers. As Dave suggests, you need to move them much further out. In fact, it would be worth experimenting with placement and your listening position in general. Always helpful to try starting with an equilateral triangle between you and the speakers and experiment from there.

I also share Dave's reservations about the Roksan amp, but before you start thinking about changing either the amp or the speakers it would be worth spending some time experimenting with the speaker position.

 

[manicm]

There's no need for theories and personal experiences that a few have espoused here as to why you're being bass beaten. It's very simple really. Read your 683 manual, what does it say??? And surprise, surprise, B&W are usually spot on in this regard. With the speaker size, despite it being front-ported, 10cm is way, way too near the rear wall. You'll need at least 50cm I'd say. Do you have the space? Did you consider this when you bought the speaker?

If you do have the space, bring the speakers forward and you'll immediately notice an improvement - not only optimising the bass but probably in imaging and depth as well. That 10cm is destroying more than just the bass.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I can't remember whether the bungs supplied with the 600 S2 range come in two parts or not, but if they do, remove the centre, and place the foam "ring" in the port - this may or may not solve your problem. It will calm the bass down, but not destroy the intended sound of the speaker.

 

[ISAC69]

The B&W 683 S2 are bass heavy speakers and the Roksan Kandy is excellent amp but tend to have "aggressive" sound ,

This combination needs a lot of space and should be at least 50 cm away from the rear/side walls .

What is the size of your room ? What is your source CDP , DAC or other ? What cables do you use ?

We need more information to find the problem .

 

[manicm]

I can't remember whether the bungs supplied with the 600 S2 range come in two parts or not, but if they do, remove the centre, and place the foam "ring" in the port - this may or may not solve your problem. It will calm the bass down, but not destroy the intended sound of the speaker.

I still maintain 10cm is too near the back of wall for this calibre of speaker. If the purchaser does not have more space, I would suggest he swop it out for a more suitable speaker at the dealer. The bungs ultimately compromise the speaker. Well it did to my 685s S1.

 

[dangerouspartridge]

I've taken the 'anti-topple' base off the speakers and used the supplied spikes. They pierce the carpet and sit on the solid floor beneath. I've moved the speakers 45cm (most I could reasonably go) away from the rear wall and toed them in a little more.
The change is notable and made a huge improvement! Bass has calmed down and sound stage opened up. Sound like different speakers.
Thanks for help guys!

 

[davedotco]

I've taken the 'anti-topple' base off the speakers and used the supplied spikes. They pierce the carpet and sit on the solid floor beneath. I've moved the speakers 45cm (most I could reasonably go) away from the rear wall and toed them in a little more. The change is notable and made a huge improvement! Bass has calmed down and sound stage opened up. Sound like different speakers. Thanks for help guys!

Just for fun, and maybe just temporarily, get them even further from the walls and see what happens.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I still maintain 10cm is too near the back of wall for this calibre of speaker. If the purchaser does not have more space, I would suggest he swop it out for a more suitable speaker at the dealer. The bungs ultimately compromise the speaker. Well it did to my 685s S1.

Full bungs yes, which was why I recommended just the outer bung.

 

[Jota180]

My KEF LS50 (standmounters) are about 2 and a half feet from the rear wall or the bass dominates too much. I can imagine a floordstander would need a little bit of space from the rear wall.

 

[ellisdj]

dont forget as already mentioned equilaterail triangle - same distance apart as you are away from them