Combining 2 Acoustimass 16 serie II for a Dolby Atmos system

[lovinthehd]

More like only into the high 40s/50hz range before it drops like a rock for that module.

 

[Denx4100]

I forgot to mention I have the AVR X4100 Denon. It has Dolby Atmos, and the DSU upmixing feature only, as I'm an early adopter. I'm not really concerned about DTS X. With 4 overhead speaker configuration, you will have front to rear height, as well as side to side overhead audio effects. If a tornado is touching down ( if the sound mixer does his job) you will hear the swirling sound moving left to right, and rear to front etc.... GO FOR IT MY FRIEND!!!!

 

[mazersteven]

I understand what you are saying, it's just that I believe the " bass module " of the Bose system will only go down into the maybe 35hz range.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I do not see an elegant solution here. I would try and sell the Bose gear and invest in a real sub, and some speakers.
@Fafanboat, I really think you don’t know what your missing. I understand the point of experimenting with what you’ve got, but the a acoustimass is nothing compared to what’s out there. You asked for kindness, and I’m trying to say it in the nicest way. Use any money you have towards real gear.

 

[Trebdp83]

You f#%kers. You’re the guys who razzed your buddy in high school over his plain looking girlfriend who didn’t shave her legs above the knee. “Dude, you can do so much better!” Well, maybe he really liked her and maybe Fafaneboat really likes his Bose speakers? Maybe I’m full of s#%t and am having a hard time keeping a straight face. No, that's not it. You guys are just d#%ks. Yeah, that sounds right.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

You f#%kers. You’re the guys who razzed your buddy in high school over his plain looking girlfriend who didn’t shave her legs above the knee. “Dude, you can do so much better!” Well, maybe he really liked her and maybe Fafaneboat really likes his Bose speakers? Maybe I’m full of s#%t and am having a hard time keeping a straight face. No, that's not it. You guys are just d#%ks. Yeah, that sounds right.

Lmfao!!!

 

[Kingnoob]

You really can only use one set of the Boase AMs.

Bose is very proprietary. So the AVR signal will be processed by the Bose bass module. The crossover to those small speakers is at a much higher frequency than the bass management of an AVR. However the bass module will mix in the LFE signal.

You can not wire those speakers in series, as if you alter the impedance you will drastically alter the crossover frequency between the satellites and the bass module. This crossover in those Bose units to the satellites is passive. So the impedance can not be altered.

As with all Bose units you can only use them as intended.

I really don't understand why you are so committed to Bose. The fact is, yes fact, they are not very good. The have a an exaggerated bass in a fairly narrow band to cover for a large frequency gap between the bass module and the satellites. In addition there is no low bass. This gap is known as the Bose hole. This is not just my opinion, but is well documented and known. If you are in any way used to natural sound systems, the shortcomings of these Bose systems are glaring. So there are very good reasons why these systems are on the not recommended list.

The Bose hole.

View attachment 43472

That is the very definition of one note bass. That tends to be a problem with all higher order coupled cavity bass systems not just Bose.

This is a typical Bose bass module arrangement.

That is a sixth order bandpass loading. That is considered high order and not recommended.

This is where it gets technical, but there is also a question of bass quality, which relates to Q, which is related to bass quality. Low Q systems have a nice tight bass, but high Q ones have a "fluid" bass. Now in these coupled cavity systems if Q is low, the bandwidth of the bass in low and tends to the one note bass I was referring too. As you widen the bandwidth Q increases and bass quality of the bass decreases. As you increase the order of these coupled cavity systems then this problem I have outlined is increasingly exacerbated.

What the hell ... it’s like some sort of car sub with little drivers ?
How did the design stay around so long ?

Some soundbars probably are superior to this system .

Well If he likes the speakers....

This is a subwoofer

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don’t really use it anymore , or my bedroom system.

 

[Fafaneboat]

What the hell ... it’s like some sort of car sub with little drivers ?
How did the design stay around so long ?

Some soundbars probably are superior to this system .

Well If he likes the speakers....

This is a subwoofer

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don’t really use it anymore , or my bedroom system.

Hahaha, well, there are 8 inch subs, 10 inch, 12 inch and 15 for the common sizes, then there are rounds and squares, some have side ports, some don't, some are front firing, other are down firing. Bose AM15 and 16 modules (and these only!!!) have three 5.25" woofers down firing together in a massive enclosure with a large port in the front and a vent underneath, I let haters do the maths!

The special feature that haters don't quite understand, I think, is that those drivers are also driven by internal crossovers and electronics allowing to send power to one, two, or all three to reproduce needed frequencies to complement satellites (to make them sound like larger speakers using the omnidirectional frequencies that blend with those from the satellites thus suggesting your ears that they come from them). Nice huh!
Well it's however very thru that they aren't designed for audiophiles but rather for A/V systems and they are good at that. If you take time to adjust distances, volumes, frequencies and so on for each and every channel to your liking you'll end up with a great system as I did. And no, it won't sound great for every ear nor every melodies but I do like the result. I can't talk about AM 10, 6 and so on but I bet they are no match against AM15/16.

 

[mazersteven]

Here you keep trying to convince us you don't have to convince us you have to convince yourself. We Know Better

 

[Kingnoob]

Hahaha, well, there are 8 inch subs, 10 inch, 12 inch and 15 for the common sizes, then there are rounds and squares, some have side ports, some don't, some are front firing, other are down firing. Bose AM15 and 16 modules (and these only!!!) have three 5.25" woofers down firing together in a massive enclosure with a large port in the front and a vent underneath, I let haters do the maths!

The special feature that haters don't quite understand, I think, is that those drivers are also driven by internal crossovers and electronics allowing to send power to one, two, or all three to reproduce needed frequencies to complement satellites (to make them sound like larger speakers using the omnidirectional frequencies that blend with those from the satellites thus suggesting your ears that they come from them). Nice huh!
Well it's however very thru that they aren't designed for audiophiles but rather for A/V systems and they are good at that. If you take time to adjust distances, volumes, frequencies and so on for each and every channel to your liking you'll end up with a great system as I did. And no, it won't sound great for every ear nor every melodies but I do like the result. I can't talk about AM 10, 6 and so on but I bet they are no match against AM15/16.

I’d say just keep your system if you like it , why even upgrade ?
I only want to upgrade my amplifier because my Yamaha no longer produces bass . That acustomass still makes more bass then my crummy Yamaha I got used . Which does nothing...
I’m tempted to use my old Sony stereo for 2ch .. it lacks digital optical input tho . So
I cannot try using any newer TVs with it.

My bedroom system wipes the floor of Any Bose speakers even there tower speakers . But I hate that Onkyo 40 pounds and too large to move downstairs..... sounds good tho . My Onkyo would fry those little satellites

I wish Bose would go back to making actual speakers ... and less of these soundbars and stuff , but they too cheap to invest in sound engineering...

And for all I know maybe some of there stuff is good or they are just amazing at marketing??

I’m not sure how acustomass will work with Atmos , does it have a sub wire output ?
Good luck make some pictures of you set up Atmos With Bose . Bose 301-V Stereo Loudspeakers (Pair, Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006L7RV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_jBv-FbEQQPW7F
These are bigger Bose ... not sure how good they sound
Heck these are cheap af $&!! https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=33832
I’f you just love tiny speakers try these , or google = satellite speaker packages

Prime Satellite 5.1 System

Compact 5.1 home theater surround sound speaker system with five big sounding Prime Satellite speakers and the commanding bass from an SB-1000 powered subwoofer.

www.google.com

 

[Fafaneboat]

Here you keep trying to convince us you don't have to convince us you have to convince yourself. We Know Better

Not really trying to convince anybody, just maybe trying to help haters understand a bit more...
By the way some "audiophiles" here are probably not all real audiophiles after all since real audiophiles took time to answer and explain with technicalities the pros and cons of doing this or that illustrating with valuable posts exemples and informations to help me and or people browsing this kind of forums pickup here and there tips that they can apply to their own setups.
Haters comments tend to be negative and might demonstrate how snob they actually are. Just sayin'!

 

[mazersteven]

Not really trying to convince anybody, just maybe trying to help haters understand a bit more...
By the way some "audiophiles" here are probably not all real audiophiles after all since real audiophiles took time to answer and explain with technicalities the pros and cons of doing this or that illustrating with valuable posts exemples and informations to help me and or people browsing this kind of forums pickup here and there tips that they can apply to their own setups.
Haters comments tend to be negative and might demonstrate how snob they actually are. Just sayin'!

Audiophiles is a Marketing word. This is a Hobby and Lifestyle for a lot of us.

 

[Kingnoob]

Not really trying to convince anybody, just maybe trying to help haters understand a bit more...
By the way some "audiophiles" here are probably not all real audiophiles after all since real audiophiles took time to answer and explain with technicalities the pros and cons of doing this or that illustrating with valuable posts exemples and informations to help me and or people browsing this kind of forums pickup here and there tips that they can apply to their own setups.
Haters comments tend to be negative and might demonstrate how snob they actually are. Just sayin'!

The problem is Bose hides there specs too so no idea what kind of wattage those satellites can handle ...
if there in good condition might make more to sell the risk blowing them up.

I’m clueless about the back of your sub can you connect it to a receiver??
Does the sub power the satellites ??? I tried googling it but clueless lol

I say try whatever you want but if it sounds bad , you didn’t lose anything.. you can always upgrade speakers later on .

Looks like each set worth $500+ or so on eBay ... not sure how often anyone buys it .

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fafaneboat]

I’d say just keep your system if you like it , why even upgrade ?
I only want to upgrade my amplifier because my Yamaha no longer produces bass . That acustomass still makes more bass then my crummy Yamaha I got used . Which does nothing...
I’m tempted to use my old Sony stereo for 2ch .. it lacks digital optical input tho . So
I cannot try using any newer TVs with it.

My bedroom system wipes the floor of Any Bose speakers even there tower speakers . But I hate that Onkyo 40 pounds and too large to move downstairs..... sounds good tho . My Onkyo would fry those little satellites

I wish Bose would go back to making actual speakers ... and less of these soundbars and stuff , but they too cheap to invest in sound engineering...

And for all I know maybe some of there stuff is good or they are just amazing at marketing??

I’m not sure how acustomass will work with Atmos , does it have a sub wire output ?
Good luck make some pictures of you set up Atmos With Bose . Bose 301-V Stereo Loudspeakers (Pair, Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006L7RV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_jBv-FbEQQPW7F
These are bigger Bose ... not sure how good they sound
Heck these are cheap af $&!! https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=33832
I’f you just love tiny speakers try these , or google = satellite speaker packages

Prime Satellite 5.1 System

Compact 5.1 home theater surround sound speaker system with five big sounding Prime Satellite speakers and the commanding bass from an SB-1000 powered subwoofer.

www.google.com

Well it all started with a few wine abused evenings after a sad divorce when I discovered how good it felt to be embraced with those bass heavy songs my daughter showed me. I know listen to that on a daily basis very often and my well adjusted AM16 serves me well enough. I must say however that when I'm drunk, I feel like being shaked even more so it stayed like that for months in my head. Lately, I downloaded a film encoded in H265 in 4k with a great AAC Atmos mixed soundtrack. The only device that could play it in my house to the 4k tv is a tiny Mibox. When attached to the tv via HDMI, the picture is great but sound is horrible as the tv decodes a stereo signal and send it through the optical to the receiver wich detects Dolby digital ex but plays only stereo.
I tried using a good reviewed splitter allowing to connect the Mibox via HDMI to the tv in 4k and the amp in 1080p at the same time allowing me to have a great hdr result on the the tv and a great soundtrack on the amp with a Dolby digital plus decoded ( no Atmos because it can't). It created however strange behaviours and unwanted things and was not stable to my liking so I ended up returning it. I finally connected the 4k Mibox to the 1080p receiver to extract the best sound possible and send an okay image that the tv scales up.
Result is somewhat satisfying but having 4k tv and Mibox without a 4k receiver isn't great especially when the tv does a bad job as processing soundtracks. That's why I went searching for a new receiver and learned why it now needs HDCP 2.2, HDMI 2.
I tried to understand these new specs and it leds to this new Atmos/DTS X thing wich then leds to wanting at least 9.2ch wich then made me realise how tech changed in the last 15 years. I also learned that if I wanted something with enough inputs, outputs, watts and so on, I would have to pay a whole lot more than I paid for my VSX-1080AH only to get 2.1 more amplified outputs and a 4k decoder. I guess I went for the cheapest receiver that suits my needs but I also realised that my old AM had only 6.1 channels so I needed more speakers then the "more bass idea" came back resulting in buying another identical AM to avoid size issues when mixing different systems (even if there are a lot of adjustments to prevent that, having 9 identical speakers promised less head scratching). So long story short, here I am with a new amp and 2 AM16 asking people who hate Bose for help . Note that I did post the same question on a Bose forum and still got no answer yet! Huh! :-D

 

[mazersteven]

 

[Fafaneboat]

The problem is Bose hides there specs too so no idea what kind of wattage those satellites can handle ...
if there in good condition might make more to sell the risk blowing them up.

I’m clueless about the back of your sub can you connect it to a receiver??
Does the sub power the satellites ??? I tried googling it but clueless lol

I say try whatever you want but if it sounds bad , you didn’t lose anything.. you can always upgrade speakers later on .

Looks like each set worth $500+ or so on eBay ... not sure how often anyone buys it .

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, that's why I wasn't trying to convince anybody but educating a bit.
Those modules are two thing in once, part non powered crossover/electronic handling device using regular 10 to 200 watts receiver outputs up to 6, part amplified subwoofer using an LFE input.
They have three 5.25" drivers used by either the subwoofer part of the module or the crossover part and work independently or in unisson to reproduce the desired frequencies. Satellites produce directional highs and mids while module give the omnidirectional lower frequencies that tricks our ears into believing the satellites are bigger than they actually are but also provide punchy or fat bass as needed. These systems need a good amp and a lot of calibration. You must also orient the satellites as needed to use the walls, floor and ceiling as reflectors to truck your ears even more. It took me weeks to adjust my system and I'm about to redo the whole process with more speakers and a new receiver. It may suck but I enjoy it.
They are said to be 4 to 8 ohms but actually are more like 6 ohms (to the receiver so satellites may be 4 and bass probably 8 or something).
The satellites can't be used without the AM modules, they would sound horrible and would most likely not survive for long without some kind of frequency filtering.
You may read the whole post to find more details I tried to explain earlier.

 

[NINaudio]

Massive enclosure?

Powered Acoustimass module: 14.0"H x 23.3"W x 7.5"D

 

[Fafaneboat]

Massive enclosure?

Powered Acoustimass module: 14.0"H x 23.3"W x 7.5"D

Oh my god, you're so annoying!!!

Speaker weight/size
Each cube speaker array and center front speaker: 2.4 lb (1.1 kg)
6.2"H x 3.1"W x 4.0"D
(15.7 cm x 7.8 cm x 10.2 cm)
Acoustimass module: 45 lb (20.3 kg)
16.3"H x 8.1"W x 29.1"D
(41.4 cm x 20.6 cm x 73.9 cm)

Manual download available here:

Customer Support

www.bose.com

Are you being like that on purpose? Bashing a post without knowing is bad! If you don't like it, just don't comment and try another, thanks!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

@Fafanboat
Sorry to hear about your divorce. That’s a tough thing to endure. You’ve probably included me in the haters group since I didn’t offer anything technical. That’s because I just don’t see a way to get done what you want. Bose makes it very hard to play nice with “normal’ equipment. I can only guess what their motives are but I have a few ideas.
I understand that you are trying to educate people about your gear. That’s cool. But the reason there’s resistance is because almost everyone here already knows about the design, and psychoacoustic ideology. IE: making something tiny sound big. My first exposure to an AM system was at least 25 years ago. You said you want to be literally shaken. My suggestion to move on to more capable bass systems was sincere. Not to simply bash Bose, but because I honestly think you don’t know what’s out there. To your original question, I just don’t see how to get it done without spending a bunch of money. Money that can go to a better experience.
Good luck.

 

[Fafaneboat]

@Fafanboat
Sorry to hear about your divorce. That’s a tough thing to endure. You’ve probably included me in the haters group since I didn’t offer anything technical. That’s because I just don’t see a way to get done what you want. Bose makes it very hard to play nice with “normal’ equipment. I can only guess what their motives are but I have a few ideas.
I understand that you are trying to educate people about your gear. That’s cool. But the reason there’s resistance is because almost everyone here already knows about the design, and psychoacoustic ideology. IE: making something tiny sound big. My first exposure to an AM system was at least 25 years ago. You said you want to be literally shaken. My suggestion to move on to more capable bass systems was sincere. Not to simply bash Bose, but because I honestly think you don’t know what’s out there. To your original question, I just don’t see how to get it done without spending a bunch of money. Money that can go to a better experience.
Good luck.

It's ok, thanks I appreciate you being honest and I'm sorry if I unintentionally included you in the haters, I understand and they are everywhere on each and every platform, it's really annoying, especially when you need pertinent advices.
Even if a guy doesn't like something, being an a/v system or a car (like Gm vs Ford vs Chrysler), he should at least be honest and consider that if it ain't good for him, it might for another. My question was not about knowing if my system is good or bad but rather about technicalities that I wanted to know more about.
I remember a guy with Dodge Neon who spent thousands on it to make it look and perform better. It was his choice, disputable but undeniably his. And how do you think he would have felt if he went onto a general car enthusiasts forum to learn about how to wire his new set of lights and every body bashed him saying that he'd better just change his poop car and spend money elsewhere?
The poor guy might have inherited it from his dad or a dear friend so then how fair is it?
Do we have to expose our personal life in details just to get valuable technical infos on forums? That is very sad in my opinion! :-(

One more thing, you say most everyone knows about my gear and I think it isn't thru since there still are guys comparing apples with oranges, because they listened to a badly calibrated 2.1 or basic 5.1 Bose system in a showroom were uneducated salesmen did their very best to make it sound okay in an less than ideal environment, they assume that the whole brand sucks, it is not "knowledge" to me but rather uneducated judgement exactly as do kids at school when they bash their siblings.

Or when people think they can plug Bose satellites directly to a receiver, it's not knowledge, it's pure ignorance because even if Bose sucks at giving useable technicalities or details, it's quite easy to understand they are sold as a system thus all components are working together and are not much upgradable except for the opportunity to add a satellite or some kind of mounting devices.

Well Apple is doing that with it's gear and iPhones are still selling well and are very expensive on top of it.
So what do you think then? What about I bought a system 15 years ago and decided to upgrade with another identical bought used for a fair price, it's not a huge amount of money comparing to those Klipsch or Nad or Cabasse set of speakers that would set me north of 5000$ and my living room would be cluttered with audio stuff and look more like a showroom than an actual living room.

Make sense huh? ;-)