Just got a pair of 13a's. I'm now trying to use the ML PBK.

[jimbill]

Before I ran the PBK, I had the controls set at about neutral. It seemed a bit bloated.

Now I ran the PBK and it seems a bit lean.

Can I add more bass through the PBK or do I need to turn it off and try to tune it manually?

 

[Lightloopy]

I don't believe you can manipulate the bass through ARC. I leave the ARC on and manually add the bass as needed.
Enjoy

 

[Brazillnut]

"Flat" bass will always seem a bit lean at first since the bass peaks have been reduced by the EQ. I'd recommend living with it as is for a few days and let your ears adjust a bit. You may find that the result is actually spot-on. After that, you can always go in dial the bass up a notch or two.

 

[sleepysurf]

I don't believe you can manipulate the bass through ARC. I leave the ARC on and manually add the bass as needed.
Enjoy

Actually, if you run ARC Genesis in Professional (Advanced) Mode, you can manually tweak the DSP bass processing. However, unless you really understand what you're doing, I'd start with just manually adjusting the bass settings on the speaker itself. Of course, overall bass response is significantly impacted by room geometry, as well as speaker and listening positions, so you can play around with those latter variables as well.

 

[Stefan_DR3]

If you adjust speakers after running ARC/PBK you will "break" the solution. The correct place to make changes is within the ARC advanced mode, after measurement and before uploading the solution to the speaker. First go into ARC preferences and enable Professional Mode. Now you can open your saved file, without needing to re-measure, judiciously make adjustments to the Targets while examining the graphs, and finally re-upload to the speakers.

A common complaint in the Anthem threads is "ARC stole my bass". Sometimes this is human expectations and sometimes the algorithm cuts room gain for some physical reason. In the latest ARC Genesis there is an optional step 3 "Adjust ARC Settings" as @sleepysurf mentioned. Don't go crazy in here, but the usual remedy is to increase Room Gain a couple dB. If you have a capable subwoofer you can set also set the LFE Extension to FLAT.

 

[Gordon Gray]

I'm a "trust your ears" type and have never used any ARC, etc. for tuning my two channel system. People often prefer a "warmer" mid bass / bass response and if that's what you like, go with it. However, you will get a more transparent, dimensional sound with better mid bass / bass definition if you choose to go with a less prominent bass foundation which impact (muddy) the middle and high frequencies. Listen for the "ambient sound" of the recording venue. Find a well recorded, dynamic classical recording to listen to. I personally use a well recorded jazz CD with an abundance of acoustic bass for tuning the lower end. And use various music genres (not just one or two recordings) to determine your optimum setting. Takes time but it's worth it. Good luck.

 

[ttocs]

Better does not mean more, as Gordon states.

Bar none, the best sounding concert I've ever attended was Pink Floyd at a venue known for poor acoustics, The Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont Illinois. Pink Floyd used only their own equipment, brought in lots of acoustic treatments, and the sound was better than all else I've ever heard. It taught me what I was missing at home, which was chest thumping bass that didn't get in the way of anything else, and as Gordon said, this can have very detrimental effects on the clarity of everything else when done poorly. Everything was crystal clear, not too loud, but definitely loud enough.

At home with my current setup I now can experience the heartbeat at the beginning of Dark Side Of The Moon in a way that almost duplicates that concert. The heartbeat is clearly defined, impactful, dynamic, and for the first time since that album came out I am truly amazed at how it sounds! All it took was more subwoofers, not for being louder, just for being better.