Besound Theatre and Bass Management

[CrazyButGood]

Short SUMMARY:  If anyone has 28s paired with a Theatre and 50s, I would be curious how much LF effects you feel are routed to the 28s?

Setup:

I have a pair of BeoLab 50s that I have always adored the sound since the day B&O set them up.

Recently purchased a Theatre with the intent of moving and connecting the 50s to create a surround setup in our shared living room space.  B&O set it up initially as a straight soundbar, but that was always temporary.  Space is not a dedicated movie room, but the intention is to have as impactful as possible setup for movie watching (do not even have cable so TV is not really a factor) while keeping the living room feel/aesthetics when not in use.  I have height speakers but they are irrelevant to the discussion so I will not otherwise reference them.

Originally I was going to pair everything with BeoLabs 8 for the surround.  However, I have been considering 28s, primarily for the possibility of having better bass capability.  Not bass capability for surround effects (which are overall not a very large part of a movie soundtrack), but the possibility of them also adding to the overall LF capability of the system as balanced by the Theatre.  Supposedly this is a key feature of the Theatre’s bass management.  Which brings me to the question…..

QUESTION / THOUGHT:

How much bass handling will the 28s do considering I have 50s up front?  I have read this article written by Geoff Martin on the subject, but it really just gives intro thoughts to how bass management “could” work.  I realize room acoustics and source material do effect the answer so it is not a technically “this or that” answer, but—given that B&O proudly states (and the same article references) the fact that every B&O loudspeaker dating back decades has been meticulously tested and their sound profile recorded in to the Theatre for the express purposes of Bass Management and properly deciding how to route LF sound at various output—>it should still be possible for B&O to give more insight as to the end effect based on one’s speaker configurations.

There is an obvious cost difference between 8s and 28s, but also 8s would integrate physically much better in to my space.  I would be willing to comprise the physical and spend the extra dough, but if the Theatre will barely route any extra bass to the 28s….it does not seem worth it.

Or similarly, going with 8s and a BeoLab 19.  19s have more bass power, but the 28s would also allow the bass drivers to be physically spread out.  My wife is pretty against the idea of a 19; she would not mind the 28s but would be very unhappy to accept the 19s.  So again….it would be helpful to have a sense of what Bass Management would do in a scenario of 50 in the front with “8s versus 28s” or “8s and a 19 versus 28s”.

I have spoken to my local B&O store but honestly they seem to be a little cagey, and I gather really only have a vague sense of how this works.  Overall they repeat that the Theatre is very advanced in its bass management capabilities, and will make any setup sound better.  I would prefer to have a much more substantive answer.

———
Side Thought:

The other issue that really put this thought in my mind is that moving the 50s from their old dedicated music spot to this room, I can tell the bass is much more “pulled back.”  I realize this is due to their placement and a particularly odd wall I have which is not ideal from an audio perspective.  After the 50s were recalibrated for this room, while the overall sound is still technically wonderful, it is obvious that the bass is much more reserved.  So my thought/concern is that while theoretically the 50s have immense bass capability, I worry the Theatre might have this programed and not pass LF to other speakers, whereas in my setup it might help to have some loudspeakers in the rear that can handle LF and are not as restrained.

[DanteM]

I’m curious about this topic as well.

[cklit]

Hi 🙂

In short Theatre’s bass management uses all defined outputs to maximise the system’s bass performance, based on each speakers individual capability.
And you’ve selected a VERY capable set of front speakers, and regardless of whether you pick BL28’s or BL8’s, the gap between them and the BL50’s will be quite large.

Here you can see some quick examples of the default redirection-values Theatre will set:
Setup 1: Theatre + BL50 + BL28
Theatre: -10dB
BL50 (each speaker): 0dB
BL28 (each speaker) -11dB

Setup 2: Theatre + BL50 + BL8
Theatre: -10dB
BL50 (each speaker): 0dB
BL8 (each speaker) -13dB

0dB means that the speaker is getting 100% of the incoming audiosignal below (default) 120hz. BL28 can output a little more bass than BL8, but I definitely would not let THAT difference be the deciding factor for what to choose. I would pick the solution that fits your home. The effects of the surrounds will have a much larger impact than the 2db bass performance difference you see above.

Also, remember that the measurements that these valued are calculated from, are based on precise measurements in a controlled environment (the cube). That may not translate to your likings or your room, and if you feel that you need more bass, you can always edit the redirection levels e.g. 1dB up (see example below). Now all of the speakers play a little more bass, but you’ve stole that one dB from “the maximum volume”. So you may not be able to go to (I’m just saying a number here) volume 82, before the ABL kicks in, now it’s 80 or 81. I personally do not see that as an issue, remember to protect your ears 🙂

Example based on a Theatre+BL50+BL8 setup, where you need a little more bass:
Theatre: -9dB
BL50 (each speaker): 1dB
BL8 (each speaker) -12dB

Hope this helps.

[jacope]

My understanding is that from Beovision 11 to Beovision Harmony, the default Bass Management settings would send all low end below the crossover threshhold to the MOST capable speakers in the system – meaning your 50s would get all of the bass (and rightly so). The Theatre’s updated Bass Management however will send every speaker the amount of bass that is is capable of producing, providing a slight increase in bass performance overall compared to previous sets.

The technical comparison between BL8 and BL28 is interesting because they are both three-way, and the 28s while significantly larger only have a 6.5 inch woofer compared to the 8s 5.25 inch woofer – PLUS the 8s are rated to go as low as 28hz, while the 28s are rated for 27hz. My point being the THREE 10 inch woofers PER BL50 (and 15hz rating) are massively more powerful than both the 8s and 28s, and the two are shockingly close in bass performance anyway – pick the one that looks better in your space, you will be happier.

My B&O Icons:

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