SBB's arrived ... impressions

[fallenguru]

Finally got my SBB today to complement the SB2. Impressions so far:
- It looks great and feels rather sturdier than I'd expected.
- It sounds strange. I'd say too much bass, only adjusting the bass down to -10 or even -15 doesn't help, at some point the sound just goes from "booming" (no pun intended) to "flat" and I kind of miss the "natural" in between. The only comparison I can think of is "riced-up car with overblown car stereo setup to match". Are there any equalizer presets or the like I might have turned on by accident?
- What's the point of the new mini-remote? Without navigation-by-first-letter it's basically reduced to skipping songs and adjusting the volume. The form factor may be cute but doesn't fit AAA rechargeables ... oh well, I'd have preferred the SB1/SB2/Transporter remote or even no remote at all.
- In the olden days I'd just have ordered a full-size remote but Logitech doesn't seem to sell them seperately. The whole bought-by-Logitech deal sucks. Having to wait for the local channel to pick products up is one thing but the price is far above what I'd have had to pay had I still been able to order direct. Still worth it

Now that I have an SB in the bedroom please do get on with it and make a portable player already, with the same open-and-flexible philosophy. :P

[maggior]

You can buy the classic remote here on the accessories page:
https://secure.slimdevices.com/order/upgrades.cgi

[mvalera]

You might try moving it around a bit to adjust the bass. The closeness to a wall, and the object you have it on affects the sound.

I personally have never had to turn the bass down.

Mike

[seanadams]

I'm puzzled by your comments about the bass - Boom (ironically?) should not sound boomy at all. Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, "boomy" refers not to merely _loud_ bass, but to a spike in frequency response around some tuned resonance on the low end. This is typical of ported woofers, but not sealed woofers, which is what boom has. In fact Boom's frequency response is very well equalized.

I wonder if you have some other familiar speakers that you're comparing to as a point of reference?

[Phil Leigh]

I have to agree - the Booms response is ANYTHING but boomy. Maybe the unit is faulty?.

[ccrome2]

I was wondering the same thing. Something is mis-calibrated, either the
boom or your ears :-)
If you're comparing against a table-top speaker, boom may have much more
bass, but shouldn't sound boomy.

On the other hand it's possible that the unit is faulty. We do test 100% of
the devices on the production line, but who knows.

When paused, listen closely to each of the 4 drivers. There should be very
slight hiss on both sides, and should sound the same on both left and right
sides.

-Caleb






On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 2:16 PM, Phil Leigh <
Phil.Leigh.3fwhnb1221686402 (AT) no-...limdevices.com> wrote:

>
> I have to agree - the Booms response is ANYTHING but boomy. Maybe the
> unit is faulty?.
>
>
> --
> Phil Leigh
>
> You want to see the signal path BEFORE it gets onto a CD/vinyl...it
> ain't what you'd call minimal...SB3+Stontronics PSU - Altmann
> JISCO/UPCI - TACT RCS 2.2X + Good Vibrations S/W - MF
> Triplethreat(Audiocom full mods)- Linn 5103 - Aktiv 5.1 system (6x
> LK140's, ESPEK/TRIKAN/KATAN/SEIZMIK 10.5), Townsend Supertweeters,
> Kimber & Chord cables
> Outdoors: Boombox+Creative Sub (If I remember to turn it on...)
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85
> View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=52747
>
>

[SuperQ]

I also find my Boom to be a bit on the bass heavy side. Mine is setup in the corner of my bedroom on a very solid wooden bedside table. I have hardwood floors, and fabric curtains. It also may be that the previous setup I had was so lacking in bass in that room that it's just taking me a while to get used to it. I mostly notice it's bass heavy in the 20-30 volume range. Maybe I'll have my SO help me do some blind tests, and take some measurements with my studio mic. I don't have a calibration mic yet, but my AKG is fairly good.

[Phil Leigh]

I also find my Boom to be a bit on the bass heavy side. Mine is setup in the corner of my bedroom on a very solid wooden bedside table. I have hardwood floors, and fabric curtains. It also may be that the previous setup I had was so lacking in bass in that room that it's just taking me a while to get used to it. I mostly notice it's bass heavy in the 20-30 volume range. Maybe I'll have my SO help me do some blind tests, and take some measurements with my studio mic. I don't have a calibration mic yet, but my AKG is fairly good.

Maybe you are used to a bass-light balance? Also, this may be level-dependant...I never listen below 60 and (I think) there is level related EQ in play? - Caleb?

[lanierb]

I also find my Boom to be a bit on the bass heavy side. Mine is setup in the corner of my bedroom on a very solid wooden bedside table. I have hardwood floors, and fabric curtains. ...

The boom itself has a pretty natural sound. That said, bass response for any speaker is a big issue in any small room (meaning anything in your house, not a concert hall). The reason is that the room acts like a giant cabinet and the resonant frequencies and harmonics of the room are right smack in the bass range. Response will be very uneven and will also be location specific: move either the speaker or your ears around a bit in the room and bass response can drastically change. The first time you see an in room measured frequency response in a real room you will be shocked at how bad it is in the bass range. Also, unfortunately even large amounts of fabric won't help much with bass frequencies.

In your specific case, corner loading tends to enhance bass, so this could be your problem. Try moving the boom out of the corner. However, it could also just be that your room has unpleasant peaks that you just can't get rid of by moving it around. No way to fix this besides adding "bass traps" (basically bass insulated panels) to the room.

BTW if you want to hear the boom's own natural sound, try taking it outside.

[ghostrider]

Mine is not in a corner but does have a bit of bass grunt. I like it!