Will larger speakers contribute to a better bass at lower volumes?

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Hey everyone,

New at KVR so I might be in the wrong subforum. I currently am producing on KRK RP5's, and I have the idea I have to turn up the volume too much in order to hear the presence of the bass, which in turn leads to my ears feeling hurt. Seeing I produce drum & bass and more bass-genre music, I often need to check this out. I have a lowpass around 60hz on the master bus to focus on my sub specifically. But I'd rather hear it in harmony with the rest of my track.

My question: will bigger/better/more expensive monitors as my KRK RP5 (I'm looking at Yamaha HS8's or Adams around the same price range) give me a better impression of the subs at lower volumes?

Thanks!

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nek - the next ~ 7 replys will ask about your room, treatment, etc . . .

in the meantime; I will suggest that monitors with a front port design and at least 6" woofer will satisfy you more than that 5" woofer on your KRKs will. The beautiful Yamaha hs8s will sound great in a larger room that would allow their rear-porting to breathe.

Ading a subwoofer only creates more problems than it solves in most small listening environments

best of luck
expert only on what it feels like to be me
https://soundcloud.com/mrnatural-1/tracks

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nekbaard wrote:I currently am producing on KRK RP5's, and I have the idea I have to turn up the volume too much in order to hear the presence of the bass, which in turn leads to my ears feeling hurt.
Larger speakers can help, though RP5's can have good bass extension. Try moving your setup around to different parts of your room (especially move it away from a wall) and try listening from different areas of your room. I once worked in a studio that had some beautiful $3,000 KRK E7 monitors but, because of the way it was set up, I had to sit at the other end of the room to make judgments about the bass balance.

Personally, my main reference monitors, PMC TB2's, have 6.5" drivers and I monitor bass very quietly through them.
I have a lowpass around 60hz on the master bus to focus on my sub specifically.
That's good. Try 150Hz, as well.
But I'd rather hear it in harmony with the rest of my track.
Pitches aren't very discernible down there.
My question: will bigger/better/more expensive monitors as my KRK RP5 (I'm looking at Yamaha HS8's or Adams around the same price range) give me a better impression of the subs at lower volumes?
Yes. I prefer HS8's over the budget ADAM's.

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Mister Natural wrote:nek - the next ~ 7 replys will ask about your room, treatment, etc . . .
Thanks for your reply. This is my current placement. The bad thing about my room is that it's in the living room. The good thing is that (I think) there is not a lot of reflection going on. Except for the wall behind my PC, which rings like a motherf# around 130hz:

Image

My livingroom itself is 6 x 4 meters/20 x 13 feet. I don't know how large this is considered and whether it's too small to have 8" drivers or that they're placed too close to the wall for the HS8's, seeing they have backfacing bassports.
Uncle E wrote:Larger speakers can help, though RP5's can have good bass extension. Try moving your setup around to different parts of your room (especially move it away from a wall) and try listening from different areas of your room. I once worked in a studio that had some beautiful $3,000 KRK E7 monitors but, because of the way it was set up, I had to sit at the other end of the room to make judgments about the bass balance.
Uncle E, also thanks for your lengthy reply. Seeing my setup is in my livingroom there's not a lot of moving around I can do. I can try to pull them from the wall. But would that actually make my bass louder?
And isn't that the whole thing with bigger drivers, that they can make more bass at lower volumes?
The thing is, I feel I really have to turn up the volume to feel what the bass is doing. And after a session my ears just hurt. I see myself constantly wanting to turn up the volume to grasp the bass segment. Also, I admit that I'm more eager about buying something new than to actually make major adjustments to the placement of my desk ;)
Yes. I prefer HS8's over the budget ADAM's.
The budget Adam's being the F7/F5 series? And if you'd had to compare it to the A5x/A7x series?

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nekbaard wrote:Image
Cool setup! Move it away from the back wall, that will make a difference.
My livingroom itself is 6 x 4 meters/20 x 13 feet
It's an excellent size for a control room, you just need to be further towards the middle of it.
Seeing my setup is in my livingroom there's not a lot of moving around I can do. I can try to pull them from the wall. But would that actually make my bass louder?
Do what you can. Where you are now, the bass is probably reflecting off the wall and canceling itself out. Even if you can't keep your speakers away from the wall, you should at least try it for a bit so you'll have a better understanding of what's happening in your room.
And isn't that the whole thing with bigger drivers, that they can make more bass at lower volumes?
Bigger drivers combined with bigger cabinets. KRK claims that RP5's go down to 45Hz, which is low enough for you, but the resonant point is higher and you're probably hearing too much high bass. Anyway, you have a good point because your room does become less of an issue when you monitor quietly and the sub frequencies will be more clear to you on bigger speakers.
Also, I admit that I'm more eager about buying something new than to actually make major adjustments to the placement of my desk ;)
Hah! In that case, you do have a very good point about the HS8's being rear ported, go for the A7X's. Get Event Opals if you want the best bass balance available in a nearfield/midfield.

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