What you refer to as 'warmth' is highly subjective. In my circles the expression 'warmth' generally refers to bass frequencies, the kind of bass that lingers a little and tries to hug you before it leaves.
What you refer to as warmth in the midrange is likely good, old-fashioned reverb. In certain, multiple speaker configurations you can enhance midrange reverb by sealing and 'porting' a separate bass/mid driver. Tune the driver to 250hz / 500hz and those frequencies will literally reverberate around the cabinet before exiting the port.
What you refer to as warmth in the midrange is likely good, old-fashioned reverb. In certain, multiple speaker configurations you can enhance midrange reverb by sealing and 'porting' a separate bass/mid driver. Tune the driver to 250hz / 500hz and those frequencies will literally reverberate around the cabinet before exiting the port.
I'm going to stand behind an earlier answer; don't discount the unique properties/distortions/resonances of a given cone material, surround, former.
We can tune two midwoofers for the same acoustic response in front of a mic, and yet they will leave different signatures when playing music with harmonics and undertones; real life distortions, I guess. Same for tweeters.
We all have commercial speaker companies whose sound we just don't like, and vice versa. Sometimes this correlates to driver material stuffs.
We can tune two midwoofers for the same acoustic response in front of a mic, and yet they will leave different signatures when playing music with harmonics and undertones; real life distortions, I guess. Same for tweeters.
We all have commercial speaker companies whose sound we just don't like, and vice versa. Sometimes this correlates to driver material stuffs.
My solutions for midrange "warmth"
- about 6db of EQ tilt a from 100-10kHz.
- optional 2-4db cut (depending on volume level) centered on 2kHz, with Q=1
- tube simulator on my PC audio source, and an actual tube driven pre-amp when I set my PA up for DJs.
however, if your speaker has a poorly matched dispersion pattern at the mid-high crossover, it's likely the tweeter is "blooming" at its low end and you are getting a boosted power response there that you can't really fix with EQ.
or you might be hearing the tweeter distorting while struggling to play low, and the mid-woofer breaking up at its high end, or both!
- about 6db of EQ tilt a from 100-10kHz.
- optional 2-4db cut (depending on volume level) centered on 2kHz, with Q=1
- tube simulator on my PC audio source, and an actual tube driven pre-amp when I set my PA up for DJs.
however, if your speaker has a poorly matched dispersion pattern at the mid-high crossover, it's likely the tweeter is "blooming" at its low end and you are getting a boosted power response there that you can't really fix with EQ.
or you might be hearing the tweeter distorting while struggling to play low, and the mid-woofer breaking up at its high end, or both!
Bass? So many people keep saying bass. But then they talk about what I would call low mid. Like the lower midrange. 500Hz ain't "bass".
But I usually find that it's speaker and room dependent. On some headphones "warmth" for me is a boost circa 70 Hz. That really is bass. If you have access to a typical 1/3 octave EQ you can play around with EQ setting to find what adds or subtracts warmth from your system.
But I usually find that it's speaker and room dependent. On some headphones "warmth" for me is a boost circa 70 Hz. That really is bass. If you have access to a typical 1/3 octave EQ you can play around with EQ setting to find what adds or subtracts warmth from your system.
My trick is tube preamp with volume pot on both, input and output. Yes, thats right. If i want mellow tubey sound, i turn the input pot way up, and use output pot as master volume. You get plenty of second harmonic distortion, even too much.
If i want clean, i use input pot as master volume, with output pot all the way up. Running low distortion preamp.
Cheers.
I have not read the thread, except the first post, so this may be a repeat.
Few time before i asked in goldmund thread why the goldmund pre has two sections, pre with gain, volume pot, then another pre with lower gain. Not just goldmund. Many preamps first amplify the line input, then attenuate it and buffer it.
Its more complex then after signal selector to have volume pot, balance, and just one active preamp stage.
After many experiments, i prefer goldmund approach, except i put volume pot on input and output. You can run low clean signal, or musical warm signal, depending on the ratio between two volume pots.
When you run your line level signal through preamp at very low level, because your amp has plenty gain, it can sound thin and dry.
If you run the same preamp with significantly more line level signal, even directly, you will need to attenuate it before the amp, but it will tend to sound ritcher, more musical.
Experiment, and see if you agree.
Perhaps running preamp at higher level maintains all those low level harmonics above the noise. Perhaps some compression effect happens. Anyway, analog needs to be run around zero dB, even to red on occasion. I grew up on rtr vu meters.
Few time before i asked in goldmund thread why the goldmund pre has two sections, pre with gain, volume pot, then another pre with lower gain. Not just goldmund. Many preamps first amplify the line input, then attenuate it and buffer it.
Its more complex then after signal selector to have volume pot, balance, and just one active preamp stage.
After many experiments, i prefer goldmund approach, except i put volume pot on input and output. You can run low clean signal, or musical warm signal, depending on the ratio between two volume pots.
When you run your line level signal through preamp at very low level, because your amp has plenty gain, it can sound thin and dry.
If you run the same preamp with significantly more line level signal, even directly, you will need to attenuate it before the amp, but it will tend to sound ritcher, more musical.
Experiment, and see if you agree.
Perhaps running preamp at higher level maintains all those low level harmonics above the noise. Perhaps some compression effect happens. Anyway, analog needs to be run around zero dB, even to red on occasion. I grew up on rtr vu meters.
Last edited:
Btw, when i talk about goldmund, its a solid state. But i used the same concept in tube pre.
Just to avoid annoying questions.
Just to avoid annoying questions.