XT F100 lacking bass

[amshah97]

Trying to figure out why the XT F100s are lacking bass. Does the 72 hour break in period really make that much of a difference?

Background:

They sound great as part of the 7.1.4 setup and in 2.1 with the SVS PB-2000 Pro. But recently I tried them out in just 2.0 without the sub and while the highs and detail sound good, they are missing the bass I remembered when I listened to them at the store before purchasing. I recently went back to the store and listened to them connected to the same receiver I have (Denon 4800) without a sub and the bass was so much better, as I had expected.

If not the break-in, what else should I be checking?

I removed any in-wall wiring/connections and even the external amp so they are now connected directly to my Denon 4800.

I flipped the wiring on purpose in case phase was off. I couldn't tell a difference.

I believe I have the receiver set to 2 speaker Full with no sub.

As for break in, i've got about 12 hours of movie time (with 60Hz crossover) but only another 10 hrs of dedicated 2.0 time at full.

Open to anything else I should be doing.

 

[Cowpunk]

You didn't mention anything about the placement of your speakers, your room characteristics, or your listening position. All these things have a huge impact on the perception of bass performance. Because bass sound waves are longer than a typical room, there will be areas of your room where bass frequencies are exaggerated or nullified, unless you have bass coming from many sources. If your bass is weak, you probably need to adjust the position of your speakers and/or your listening position since you seem to be listening in a null area of the room.

 

[amshah97]

My apologizes for the late reply - finally got a little free time as we get into the holidays. I appreciate your suggestions in things to look into.

I've attached a rough diagram of my room. it's 13.3' wide with the speakers in the corners. And 13' from front of room to the MLP. There's roughly 1' of space on the two sides of the speakers. The left speaker has a opening to a hallway. the room goes longer in the back behind the sofa.

I can walk around the room and don't notice a difference in bass. Turning the sub on makes everything sound good but from what I heard at the store, these speakers should sound better w/o a sub.

I do have carpet that we plan to replace with wood flooring. not sure if that plays a matter with the downfiring ports.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Cowpunk]

According to some reviews I've read, these speakers do need at least 72 hours to break in(I bought mine used), but I would assume you've achieved that already. With the bass ports only 1 inch off the floor, I think it is possible the carpet could be affecting the sound. It's also a big room, but I would think having the speakers that close to the walls would amplify the bass. Maybe that hallway is robbing the room of some bass energy. If possible, you might try a completely different layout, just temporarily. I think my F100s put out more than enough bass with the amount of room gain I'm getting. I have them about 8 feet apart, 1 foot from the front wall, and about 3 feet from the side walls. I have to use EQ to get it under control because I can't move them any farther from the wall. I will be getting bass absorbers soon. One piece of advice I've heard is that you shouldn't put the speakers an equal distance from the front and side walls. Hope that helps.

 

[Duke]

Trying to figure out why the XT F100s are lacking bass. Does the 72 hour break in period really make that much of a difference?

Background:

They sound great as part of the 7.1.4 setup and in 2.1 with the SVS PB-2000 Pro. But recently I tried them out in just 2.0 without the sub and while the highs and detail sound good, they are missing the bass I remembered when I listened to them at the store before purchasing. I recently went back to the store and listened to them connected to the same receiver I have (Denon 4800) without a sub and the bass was so much better, as I had expected.

If not the break-in, what else should I be checking?

I removed any in-wall wiring/connections and even the external amp so they are now connected directly to my Denon 4800.

I flipped the wiring on purpose in case phase was off. I couldn't tell a difference.

I believe I have the receiver set to 2 speaker Full with no sub.

As for break in, i've got about 12 hours of movie time (with 60Hz crossover) but only another 10 hrs of dedicated 2.0 time at full.

Open to anything else I should be doing.

Go nearfield sub and remove most of the listening space from the possible null you have at your seat. I can go on and on about it, but this is my summary.
Consider elevating it to a height where the ports and 12" speaker are beneath your shoulders when sitting down. Then put the sub directly behind your seat, 1" to a foot away. You will need about a 15-20' RCA and whatever length of IEC to connect to any outlet to try this, so the cost is not much. Try using a kitchen chair as a temporary measure.
A nearfield setup does not have to be in a confined space or room but if committed to, I recommend having the subs nearfield too. Nearfield all the way. Having the mains cut off from bass output entirely, say 80Hz butterworth allows for nearfield bass to work even better, but I would not bother at first. Having a sub speaker not relying as much on excursion helps with impulse control too.
Your 12" will become a tactile sub. I have done that but I use a different sub(s) and then I used a preamp that got rid of standing waves or nulls in my seat but the preamp had very little to do.
Near field Subwoofer revelation
Nearfield subwoofers

 

[amshah97]

According to some reviews I've read, these speakers do need at least 72 hours to break in(I bought mine used), but I would assume you've achieved that already. With the bass ports only 1 inch off the floor, I think it is possible the carpet could be affecting the sound. It's also a big room, but I would think having the speakers that close to the walls would amplify the bass. Maybe that hallway is robbing the room of some bass energy. If possible, you might try a completely different layout, just temporarily. I think my F100s put out more than enough bass with the amount of room gain I'm getting. I have them about 8 feet apart, 1 foot from the front wall, and about 3 feet from the side walls. I have to use EQ to get it under control because I can't move them any farther from the wall. I will be getting bass absorbers soon. One piece of advice I've heard is that you shouldn't put the speakers an equal distance from the front and side walls. Hope that helps.

I actually doubt I've hit the break in period yet. I'm probably only at 25 hrs and even that was at a crossover of 60Hz. I've recently changed my stereo config to full range and no sub just to get more hours on them.

Agree - I may just need to move the speakers around just to see if anything changes. I could move the sub to the corner and place the towers away from the side walls. I think I read somewhere about placing something hard under the speaker as well. Some things to try. Thanks!

 

[amshah97]

Go nearfield sub and remove most of the listening space from the possible null you have at your seat. I can go on and on about it, but this is my summary.
Consider elevating it to a height where the ports and 12" speaker are beneath your shoulders when sitting down. Then put the sub directly behind your seat, 1" to a foot away. You will need about a 15-20' RCA and whatever length of IEC to connect to any outlet to try this, so the cost is not much. Try using a kitchen chair as a temporary measure.
A nearfield setup does not have to be in a confined space or room but if committed to, I recommend having the subs nearfield too. Nearfield all the way. Having the mains cut off from bass output entirely, say 80Hz butterworth allows for nearfield bass to work even better, but I would not bother at first. Having a sub speaker not relying as much on excursion helps with impulse control too.
Your 12" will become a tactile sub. I have done that but I use a different sub(s) and then I used a preamp that got rid of standing waves or nulls in my seat but the preamp had very little to do.
Near field Subwoofer revelation
Nearfield subwoofers

Thanks, I'll have to look at that but I don't have any issue with the sub turned on. It's without the sub that the XT100's alone are lacking the bass that I remember hearing at the store.

 

[Jeroen Miersemann]

I actually doubt I've hit the break in period yet. I'm probably only at 25 hrs and even that was at a crossover of 60Hz. I've recently changed my stereo config to full range and no sub just to get more hours on them.

Agree - I may just need to move the speakers around just to see if anything changes. I could move the sub to the corner and place the towers away from the side walls. I think I read somewhere about placing something hard under the speaker as well. Some things to try. Thanks!

I have done the speaker set up by the link under here. I hope it will help you.https://youtu.be/84Pf0ycbyBM?si=ujTobaip-GgWCabl

 

[Brad225]

You could reach out to Meghan Trainor. She's all about the bass.