Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 123
Results 21 to 24 of 24

Thread: Would a Rythmik still benefit from an MBM?

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    307

    Default Re: Would a Rythmik still benefit from an MBM?

    have you compared the SPL freq. range independently for each piece in your system from your listening position and their destined location? just because your mains go to 27hz doesn't mean that you should run them down that low, or maybe i misread that OP
    Last edited by scape; 11-22-2009 at 09:43 AM.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    17

    Default Re: Would a Rythmik still benefit from an MBM?

    Quote Originally Posted by scape View Post
    have you compared the SPL freq. range independently for each piece in your system from your listening position and their destined location? just because your mains go to 27hz doesn't mean that you should run them down that low, or maybe i misread that OP
    Thanks for the response. I'm actually getting ready to go off to the beach with my dogs but it just so happens I added a 125"-long corner bass trap (a ceiling/wall junction) and 'fiddled' with the Rythmiks' cross-overs (while verifying the results with REW). I use Audyssey multEQ because my aim is to get the best overall balanced FRs at each of the 8 seating positions in my theater. If I chose to use a BFD to dial in a single listening position I can get it dead flat but unfortunately at the expense of a decent FR at the other seating positions. So the graphs I've attached come from sitting in the middle-right rear listening position and though the FR varies from one position to the next (greatest is between front row seats and back row seats) they all are comparable smoothness-wise. The dip at 30Hz is everywhere and nothing I do can remove it so I figure it must be a room mode... the broader dip at 85Hz-110Hz is more position related and is a trade-off to compensate for a smoother response at other seating positions. The bump ~50Hz I reduced some by lowering the Rythmiks' cross-over but unfortunately that also seemed to lower the 30Hz dip as well, so it too is a result of a compromise and will remain about where it is. (BTW, no form of octave smoothing was used on those graphs below) These graphs were created while running both Rythmiks, the MBM. and both Infinity mains with an Onkyo providing bass management cross-over from MBM to mains at 80Hz and the Rythmiks' own cross-overs dialed-in at somewhere around ~45Hz to compensate for the MBM's natural roll-off below 50Hz. The whole bass frequency region sounds just great from any listening location. I need to now work on the above 300Hz in-room frequency response...

    Anyway I'm now off to the beach and will 'fiddle' some more over the long Thanksgiving weekend... that's when I'm also planning on building two rather large QRD diffusors (4'X3') for the back of the room (targeting the 350Hz-4500Hz range because of some troublesome deep combing) and am also going to be building a rather large absorber (4'X8'X4") to cover the first reflection points on the ceiling up front... I suspect it might have a small effect in taming the upper mid-bass region but I'm really trying to target the higher-frequencies with these additions due to the unforgiving nature of the two and a half cement block walls and poured concrete flooring of my listening space (its a basement theater) and the resulting acoustical challenges they present for me.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by monomer; 11-26-2009 at 08:21 PM.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    17

    Default Re: Would a Rythmik still benefit from an MBM?

    And yet another update... (actually the final up-date)
    The large QRD diffusor I placed at the back of the room... bummer, didn't seem to improve the higher freq combing by much as I had hoped... the thing weighs ~180lbs!!!
    The large broadband absorber panel on the ceiling actually caused an unintentional dip in the 200-400Hz FR range, 'nuther bummer. However its all still a work in progress. (Its not all bad... Reverberation time is reduced and the sound is quite tight and sounding very well defined, that's a good thing)

    Ah, now about the bass end of things... I've decided after much music listening (music is a great love of mine and so I do a lot of it) to leave the mid-bass to the Infinity mains as they really do sound the closest to "real" plus I'm blessed in that the mains' best positions for imaging also happen to work quite well together for the bass freqs at all the listening positions (meaning no moderate or serious nulls are created). Therefore after judging through lengthy sessions of critical listening and then verified with REW readings, I've settled on simply removing the MBM entirely from the system and using the AVR to cross-over from the mains ~50Hz and letting the Rythmiks take it on down into the sub-sonic frequencies. This is probably the best sounding bass I've ever experienced in any room, so now I'm back to working on the in-room response at higher frequencies .

    So to bring this topic full-circle I will now say the answer to my original question is "No" I don't need an MBM because my large Infinities actually sound better and as luck would have it, provide for a smoother in-room freq response. I no longer have that little extra kick for movies in the 50-80Hz range that the MBM gave me but then the increased definition and nuance of the Infinity woofers makes for a sound that's closer to "real" which is actually "the sound" I am after.

    My experience here won't necessarily apply for everyone else (maybe not even anyone else) but because of what I'm running for my mains and the fortuitous balance of the mid-bass being exactly the same location as best imaging from the mains, it happens to work out for me. So it appears to have taken me about 5 months after purchasing my first Rythmik to finally settle the original question but based upon my past experiences dialing-in audio componets I'd say that's about par for me.

    Guess that's it for this thread, unless someone has any questions or comments to add I will move on and let this thread slowly sink to the bottom.
    Last edited by monomer; 12-22-2009 at 07:31 PM.

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    307

    Default Re: Would a Rythmik still benefit from an MBM?

    that's good that it's resolved to your liking. in the past after reading up, I realized letting my avr do all the xover work was important, and just easier haha. I have a denon and it tries its best to make things work for the room I have it in; but I'll be darned with the setup. not only is my sub a bit lackluster (if you rated a HTIB sub as 1-2, and a highend 1000$ sub as 8-9, i'd fall in under 4-6 I'd say, depending on the placement) but the whole layout I have it currently setup in is just plain terrible, but what am I to do as I am in a temporary situation and it is not my room. which sucks b/c my last place was all to my own and the whole living room was situated around my speakers haha. ultimately I ended up running 3 channel + sub for my music, just b/c it ends up sounding a heck of a lot better.
    I guess the whole point to bumping this thread is simply that I like that you found where you are comfortable with the setup, and I think that's really important. b/c you could tweak this crap all year long and may never find your 'perfection'.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •