My iFi bass sounds weak. How can I check if the subwoofer is functioning correctly?

[magnu55]

I just set up my iFi last night and when I power on, the bass was not what I had expected. I have read so much about them being so much better than the subs from the Promedia seriesand the Logitechs. And yes, I have cranked up the subwoofer level all the way up. From my subjective impressions, the bass from other much cheaper systems seem to have louder (note, I said louder and not tighter or defined or any other word I don't really understand) bass. Is this normal? Or am I simply putting too much hope and expectations in this system?

If they are functioning the way they are made to, I would have to live with it. But if they are faulty then I should get them replaced. I guess all I would really need to know is how can I check to know that the subwoofer is indeed functioning correctly?

Also, would placing the subwoofer at the corner of the room (against two walls) help with the bass? Right now it is on a table beside me. Would Monster cables help? I can get those from Best Buy.

Thanks in advance!

[againstthagrane]

thats what i thought at first too, but i found that the further you sit

from the ifi, the more pronounced the bass seems to be. the whole

unit seems like it was designed to be listened to from a distance,

unlike most computer speakers(which the ifi's really aren't).

according to most of the info i have seen putting the sub in a corner

would help too. mine isn't due to space restrictions, but i still get

awesome "snappy" bass (as long as i'm sitting fairly far away from the

unit)

[Larry1]

Same initial observation also. The sub-woofer needs to break in, it takes a few hours before this happens. Recommend normal volume not cranking it when breaking it in. Placing the sub woofer in a corner or a few inches from a wall will increase the bass somewhat.

The monster cables won't help, but remember clear large gauge AC line cord from your local hardware store is just as effective as monster cable.

Are you using a computer or Ipod or both?

[magnu55]

ok, I'm feeling a LITTLE better hearing you guys say these. I can think of two things i can try right now...

1. place sub on ground, against corner of wall, as far from me as possible

2. i've only run the system for about an hour last night so, I'll let it break in for a few hours at least. Questions: how high should the sub setting be for break in? Any type of music I should be playing for break in?

And Larry1, I'm playing music from my computer through the sub's line in.

Any more suggestions I could try? Keep'em coming in!

Thanks.

[Jay481985]

Hi Magnu55 and welcome to the forum.

First off the ifi has lower bass, not boomy bass. The difference is

that the ifi hits lower in the hertz range as opposed to many logitech

which emphasize the upper range. Since the human hearing is 20-20000

hertz but the thing is your ear is not linear. They start falling off

near the extremes. So you will hear upper bass (60-120 hertz) better

than say lower bass (60-20 hertz).

Punchy bass is associated with 40-80 hertz range. It has a kick

feeling mostly in music. Like of like the kick drum would give, a good

rythm or beat.

Tight bass is the distinction where the bass is not slow. Usually

also associtated with punchy bass. It's sorta means quick where the

bass is not sloppy and slow (think those car subs that just pass by...)

Tight bass should completement the music as opposed to making making

the music all bass.

Low bass is the type that you feel more than hear. Its the one

that shakes your insides, blurs your visions, puts pressure into your

ears and whole room.

To get the best sound from any subwoofer:

Place on floor +3 decibals.

Place in corner +3 to +6 decibals.

Give the port some room to breath. The port is that slot in the

back of the subwoofer that pushes air in or out when playing bass.

minimum of 6 inches must be given from the back of the sub to the wall.

12 inch I would says is better as this not only improves the bass but

it allows proper airflow over the metal heatsink of the amp plate. The

amp plate is the black metal plate that is used to dissapate the heat

from the subwoofer.

As per breaking in the subwoofer. Maybe as when they manufacter

subwoofer cones they make them extra stiff and it might take a few

hours to break them in but that is debatable.

Also you might want to try this, place the subwoofer exactly

where you sit and get on your hands and knees and crawl around the room

to listen to where the bass is most prefereable to you. Though bass

waves are mostly omni waves (meaning that your ears cannot localize

where exactly the bass is coming from, the whole idea that bose says

you can place their bass module behind a sofa) there is such a thing

call room nodes. Since each room is different its hard to have an ends

all approach to where the best placement is. Hence the crawling and

listening approach. Really try it or even if you do not believe me, try

playing a bass song and then walk around the room and listen if the

bass is weaker/stronger in some parts of the room.

Remember bass waves are long. A 20 hertz (though the iFi cannot

belt too much as even some two thousand dollar systems cannot) is 54

feet from crest to crest, Think AM radio wave versus FM radio waves, FM

is clearer because the wavelength is closer so there is less chance

that the wave is actually going over you car and hitting your car. AM

has a much longer wave length that needs less energy to drive it many

times more distance than FM but sometimes you cannot get a reception.

I know this is overwhelming and there lots of studies out there and no definite answer to how to make the perfect subwoofer.

As per reason why the speakers sound better at a distance. The

ifi use RSX-3 Reference speakers from the klipsch line (think of it as

the cheapest of the best model). They were and are meant for the home

theater/home music system and not directly meant for computer. Since

the iFi was made for the iPod and they give a remote most people would

place it opposite a sofa or such. Most computer speakers are near field

meaning they are made to sound best from 1-10 feet range. Since the

RSX-3 were originally designed differently, they start to sound better

from greater than 5 feet.

Speaker wire will mostly not matter. Although the wire is thin,

its not wise to spent more than 10% of the original price of the

speakers. Remember humans are picky, electrons are not. As long as they

are copper wires that have a good size (I would start at 16 gauge, 14

gauge will max the possible connection with the amp). Home depot or

lowes sells them for 20 cents a foot?

I hope I helped

[Larry1]

As Jay481985 stated the Klipsch iFi sub-woofer doesn't have any noticable boom or cavity noise

(bass peak usually 40 to 60 hz). These speakers have a pretty flat frequency response with only a few dips (one mild one in the upper bass - crossover region). There are also some mild dips on the high end which explain the lack of pop that some other owners have observed (you can adjust your EQ to counter this).

Music with extensive use of a kick drum shows off clean bass response of the Klipsch iFi.