B&W 603 S2s 2018 Model + Yamaha AVR A870

[PENG]

Gents, setting a speaker in the AVR to full range or large does not mean the speaker is full range or large. It just mean you are not using the AVR's bass management feature. Sorry to state the obvious but in this case I thought I have to.. If you set the other 3 speakers to small and XOs to say 80 or 100 Hz, you will end up using the L/R as subwoofer, for the 603 S2, that's not a good idea. It is not a good idea to set the small center and surrounds to large either, but it would be the lesser evil, imo, ymmv..

 

[rgbbhat72]

You really need a sub, otherwise you may be better off set all speakers to large and go easy on the volume dial.
Or set them all to 80 Hz to preserve quality and give up on bass. For those small speakers and weak amp, without a sub, you have to compromise, a lot.

Thank you Peng. Sub is not an option and hence will try the various options. When i demoed the 603 S2, I asked Only for the Fronts to be played and they played the Mission Impossible Rogue Nation. The Bass and detailing was superb. Wondering why i cant replicate even 50 % of it. Off course they were using Rotel avr.
I will try setting to LARGE and then checking.

Many Thanks All your Learned Folks. Quite a bit of learning here and so Happy to about it Have a Great Day.

 

[lovinthehd]

Thank you Peng. Sub is not an option and hence will try the various options. When i demoed the 603 S2, I asked Only for the Fronts to be played and they played the Mission Impossible Rogue Nation. The Bass and detailing was superb. Wondering why i cant replicate even 50 % of it. Off course they were using Rotel avr.
I will try setting to LARGE and then checking.

Many Thanks All your Learned Folks. Quite a bit of learning here and so Happy to about it Have a Great Day.

Can we ask why a sub is not an option?

ps what does 50% mean? Rotel means little.

 

[rgbbhat72]

Can we ask why a sub is not an option?

ps what does 50% mean? Rotel means little.

Hi - Sub is not an option as I am living in a Rented apartment, with neighbors having kids and senior citizens. Additionally Wife absolutely hates the bass of the sub.
When the MI Rogue Nation clip and a host of other audio clips played, the spaciousness and detailing along with the Bass was too good to be true. I double checked there were no centre or surrounds or sub that were playing, Only the 603s. When i played the clip and the same set of audio , i got varying effects that were not even close to what i heard that. I am aware that the room acoustics would have a sizable role to play.
I heard that Rotel pairs well with B&Ws and hence their reference.

 

[rgbbhat72]

As I mentioned before, if he opt for that route, he should set the other 3 speakers to large/full range as well, otherwise the poor little L/R will have to carry their shares of the bass load too.

Hi Peng- Today morning , I tried setting all the speakers to Large and I saw a noticeable change for the better. But as i was getting late for work, i was pushed out of the house by my missus . I will play around it and let u know.
many Thanks once again.

 

[everettT]

FWIW that series has always been hot in the midrange. That creates a perception of more bass. It's possible your seat is in a bull.

 

[snakeeyes]

Maybe they had extra bass turned on in the settings during demo to boost that 50hz area.

 

[ryanosaur]

Maybe they had extra bass turned on in the settings during demo to boost that 50hz area.

I was thinking something similar...
Where did you audition these? HiFi specialty store? BB/Magnolia?

 

[rgbbhat72]

FWIW that series has always been hot in the midrange. That creates a perception of more bass. It's possible your seat is in a bull.

I was thinking something similar...
Where did you audition these? HiFi specialty store? BB/Magnolia?

oops- Not too familiar with the phrase "seat is in a bull "
Auditioned in India at an authorised dealer for B&W. Is there anything specific that i should ask them that will help me replicate in my house?

 

[everettT]

oops- Not too familiar with the phrase "seat is in a bull "
Auditioned in India at an authorised dealer for B&W. Is there anything specific that i should ask them that will help me replicate in my house?

Here as a good explanation with visual
http://arqen.com/acoustics-101/speaker-placement-boundary-interference/

 

[rgbbhat72]

Here as a good explanation with visual
http://arqen.com/acoustics-101/speaker-placement-boundary-interference/

Wow this forum Rocks. Thanks a ton. This is an interesting read and lots to read.

 

[everettT]

Wow this forum Rocks. Thanks a ton. This is an interesting read and lots to read.

It can get very technical, but the educational aspects are nice. Obviously most have far from perfect rooms, so with measurements with freeware like REW and a usb measurement mic like this you can understand your room and virtually play with placement.

 

[ryanosaur]

Auditioned in India at an authorised dealer for B&W. Is there anything specific that i should ask them that will help me replicate in my house?

I would hope if you chat with them about what you are experiencing, they could help you out, much as everettT just did. If they are reputable and care about great sound, that is.

 

[PENG]

oops- Not too familiar with the phrase "seat is in a bull "
Auditioned in India at an authorised dealer for B&W. Is there anything specific that i should ask them that will help me replicate in my house?

Are you focusing on getting the bass to your liking in two channel stereo mode first? If not, I suggest you do, report back the results and go from there. Again, set the B&Ws to large, but set the other speakers to none. Trying moving the speakers a few inches at a time in and out from the wall (may also change the toe-in angle) until you find the sweet spot.

How far are you sitting from the speakers? In a small room sitting withing 8-10 ft, a more powerful avr such as the dealer's Rotel may not make a difference for you.

 

[rgbbhat72]

Are you focusing on getting the bass to your liking in two channel stereo mode first? If not, I suggest you do, report back the results and go from there. Again, set the B&Ws to large, but set the other speakers to none. Trying moving the speakers a few inches at a time in and out from the wall (may also change the toe-in angle) until you find the sweet spot.

How far are you sitting from the speakers? In a small room sitting withing 8-10 ft, a more powerful avr such as the dealer's Rotel may not make a difference for you.

Wall to front spkr 10 inches
Spkr to sitting position 12 ft
I set All of them as Large and it was significantly better than before. I will try the nect suggestion of 2 Front n all others as None.
Room size 19 x 13 ft

Thank you for your advise.

 

[PENG]

Wall to front spkr 10 inches
Spkr to sitting position 12 ft
I set All of them as Large and it was significantly better than before. I will try the nect suggestion of 2 Front n all others as None.
Room size 19 x 13 ft

Thank you for your advise.

That's a good size room and sitting at 12 ft means you need a lot of power for reference level (as loud as what you hear in a movie cinema). That should not be an issue for you though since you can't even have a subwoofer due to neighbor concerns, so I assume you won't be listening anywhere near reference level.

 

[rgbbhat72]

That's a good size room and sitting at 12 ft means you need a lot of power for reference level (as loud as what you hear in a movie cinema). That should not be an issue for you though since you can't even have a subwoofer due to neighbor concerns, so I assume you won't be listening anywhere near reference level.

Agreed.Cant play too loud . I was playing around with the Placement and when i kept it facing straight, it sounded extremely good. I had placed the speaker much nearer the wall. I am travelling tomm onwards and will doing the testing. Will come back and report. You have been most helpful. Thank you Peng.

 

[rgbbhat72]

Agreed.Cant play too loud . I was playing around with the Placement and when i kept it facing straight, it sounded extremely good. I had placed the speaker much nearer the wall. I am travelling tomm onwards and will doing the testing. Will come back and report. You have been most helpful. Thank you Peng.

Hi Peng- I have moved my speakers back to the wall, facing them straight and I have changed my speaker cable from Supra Classic 2.5 to QED Strand 79 and the Bass seems to have improved . I think I will have to experiment more. I had read on the SBIR but a bit too technical for me. The back of the speaker is about 8 inches from the wall and i sit around 12 feet from the front of the speaker. The tweeter is at ear level. Would that significantly affect the sound?
Also is there any specific cable that would help as i have a friend travelling to the US and he can get the cables if required. Thank you.

 

[lovinthehd]

Cables are often largely based on marketing and placebos (rather than science) as your belief in the change from Supra Classic 2.5 to QED Strand 79 indicates. There would be no audible differences between such products, just your expectation bias kicking in. If anything the Supra Classic is 13 AWG vs the other's 14 AWG so might be suitable for a slightly longer run. Try this website from a former director of McIntosh http://roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm. Speaker position or your seating position can significantly affect the sound you perceive, tho (as can expectation bias). Please don't waste your time/money on silly cabling.

 

[Swerd]

I agree with what lovinthehd said.

I have moved my speakers back to the wall, facing them straight and I have changed my speaker cable from Supra Classic 2.5 to QED Strand 79 and the Bass seems to have improved .

Moving your speakers back closer to the wall behind them can easily enhance the bass without changing the speaker cables.