C

clubkid

Audiophyte
I just got these speakers and they are gorgeous! It sounds great but it lacks bass. I'm no audiophile by any means. I could use some help though.

I bought these speakers after watching this youtube video of them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtTPAZT1aVE

The lower channels don't "flex" like the ones in the video. The video sounds like it has more bass to it. I did a comparison when I played the video and played the actual track, the video had a higher bass sound. What do I have to do to achieve these results? Why aren't my channels flexing much? I'm playing them as loud as I can stand it. I also have the speakers on max bass setting. They are directly connected to my PC (on board sound card....I know it sucks...) so maybe lack of prop equipment is my issue?

The person in the youtube video has a Beresford DAC. Does that make that much of a difference?
 
digicidal

digicidal

Full Audioholic
Not really in the right place (I'd put this in the Loudspeaker thread) - however, I'll throw a quick couple of answers at you.

#1: You can't ever determine the sound of speakers via a YouTube video... since the audio was either captured by the camera's microphone, and therefore reflects more of it's signature as well as the signature of the speakers that are currently connected to your PC that you viewed the video on.

#2: The DAC used (unless it has tone controls or DSP modes that can be 'tweaked') will make little to no difference at all in the sound. Other than reducing the noise which can come from a sound card operating inside a computer - the DAC should be the least altering component in the chain.

Although very stiff woofers will 'break in' slightly over time, most of this occurs very quickly. So there could be two possibilities for the difference (barring the one that's least likely IMO - your speakers aren't identical... which I doubt if you're sure they're the same brand/model). You notice that his are turned up to maximum volume on the dial, and that the tone controls are at the mid position. However, this does not show what settings his computer's output is set at (i.e. he may have the bass boosted in software on his Mac rather than boosted at the speakers via the bass knob).
 
Davemcc

Davemcc

Audioholic Spartan
What is the rest of the system that the speakers are connected to?
 
C

clubkid

Audiophyte
Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking Dave, but my speakers are just hooked up to my on-board sound card "ATI High Definition Audio Device."

If it matters: AMD Phenom II X4 3.40 Ghz
4GB of Ram

I tried playing my itunes with equalizer on high bass, but I'm still not getting any flex on the bottom channels. I know these speakers aren't suppose to have high bass, I'm just wondering why my speakers function differently.

One thing is...the youtube video has the older version speakers. Mine is the newer 08 version.
 
B

bikemig

Audioholic Chief
The dac won't help with the bass; a 2.1 system might have worked better. The Swans are great powered speakers; enjoy them.
 
digicidal

digicidal

Full Audioholic
One thing is...the youtube video has the older version speakers. Mine is the newer 08 version.
And there is likely the entire reason for the difference. Different driver designs, materials, etc... will have very different excursion levels. If I had to guess at the reason you don't see as much movement (provided again that you are setting yours up exactly as the ones in the video) is they may have moved to a stiffer and more durable driver due to returns/replacements of the previous models. Like almost everything in speaker design - it's a set of compromises.

What you should be more concerned with is how they sound to you. If you think they sound great, but are disappointed that you can't make your own video of flagellating woofer cones... then just go buy a cheap pair of cerwin vegas and power them with a budget car amp and shoot your video. Then go back and enjoy the music coming from the monitors in private. :)

On the other hand, if you have a significant problem with the sound coming from the monitors... then you should try addressing that with the manufacturer or dealer immediately. Cone excursion is not the signature of accurate bass (or even necessarily deep bass, just LOUD bass) - sure it's fun to watch, but some of the best speakers I've heard had drivers that were barely moving visibly. Of course, much of that has to do with what music I listen to and perhaps if they'd been fed some techno with overmixed synth-bass they might have been bouncing all over the place. ;) Not to mention I value my hearing so I have never taken any nearfield monitors and turned their volume pot all the way to maximum... I find it difficult to believe the sound coming from them was superior in any way (despite the fun woofer-dancing).
 
just-some-guy

just-some-guy

Audioholic Field Marshall
i have the ones in the vid. they are darned good speakers.
i would advise NOT trying to make them output like that. if you like the sound, just get and inexpensive sub to round em out.
 
Davemcc

Davemcc

Audioholic Spartan
I'm not sure exactly what you are asking Dave,
Nothing specific really. Sometimes it helps to have more info, for instance if there was a known issue with the sound card, somebody here might spot it. I think Digicidal hit the issue on the head with point #1. The speaker in the video was playing an original music file. You are trying to play a recording of the speakers playing that file via Youtube.

You may want to download the song yourself and try the experiment again with an original file.
 
Z

Zool

Audioholic Intern
The dac won't help with the bass; a 2.1 system might have worked better. The Swans are great powered speakers; enjoy them.
What's the best way to integrate a sub in this environment? Is there a DAC that has a sub output along with the two L/R rca outputs for the Swans?
 
its phillip

its phillip

Audioholic Ninja
From your soundcard (provided there is a subwoofer out), you could just do 3.5mm -> rca to a sub.
 
B

bikemig

Audioholic Chief
What's the best way to integrate a sub in this environment? Is there a DAC that has a sub output along with the two L/R rca outputs for the Swans?

You'll be hard pressed to find a dac that will let you manage a sub. I've seen this question asked on other forums and there just isn't much out there.

I run a line out from my powered speakers to a sub and that works fine. The Swan speakers don't have a line out though.

You might look for a sub that has a line in and out and connect the speakers to the sub (I think the audioengine S-8s have both a line in and out).
 

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