16
TAD Reference One Owner’s Manual
Improving Bass Performance
Select a music track with well-recorded bass, such as
acoustic string bass. Listen for all the bass notes having
roughly equal level. If any notes jump out at you more
strongly than others, try moving the TAD Reference
One loudspeakers until you get the most even
progression of the notes.
Typically, moving them towards the walls will increase
low bass output, but can result in more unevenness
higher up the musical scale. Moving them closer to the
side walls will not produce the same effect as moving
closer to the back wall, so try experimenting moving
both ways for the most pleasing sound.
Also listen to drum sounds. The kick drum should
sound tight and fast, without low-frequency boom.
Changes in loudspeaker position of as little as a few
inches can have a large effect upon bass performance,
so take time and try many positions.
A useful tip to speed up the process is to have a partner
move around the room while talking. Listen to where
the voice sounds most natural, without added
chestiness, and position the loudspeaker in that
location.
Improving Imaging
Now select music with a strong center image. Listen
for that image to be exactly centered between the
loudspeakers, and to be well-focused. If the image is
unclear and spreads wide, the side walls are probably
creating strong reflections. Try moving the
loudspeakers closer together to reduce this effect. If
this brings them too close, try instead toeing in the
loudspeakers so that the axis crosses in front of the
listening position. Because of the superior off-axis
performance of the CST driver, the strength of the
side-wall reflections will be reduced, and at the same
time, the image will be stabilized and focused.
Now listen to music with well-recorded acoustics.
Check that the image is wide and deep. Limited depth
suggests that the speakers are placed too close to the
front wall. Try moving them forward.
Final Optimization
You may find that as you move the loudspeakers to
optimize one aspect of performance another worsens;
for example, trading improved image accuracy for
poorer bass response. If this occurs, try moving your
listening position. Bass response is governed strongly
by both loudspeaker and listening positions, whereas
imaging is mostly determined by the loudspeaker
position. Therefore, you may find that if optimizing
for imaging compromises bass, then changing the
listening position will bring back bass performance.
The room characteristics will also have a profound
influence upon the sound.
Live
rooms, with few soft
furnishings and hard floors, will impart an artificial
sense of spaciousness to the sound but reduce the
intimacy and accuracy. Overly
dead
rooms, with lots
of furnishing, carpets, and drapes will produce a very
dry, lifeless sound and require lots more power to drive
the loudspeakers to adequate sound levels. The
optimum is somewhere in-between. Avoid hard,
unbroken, parallel walls, especially side walls, as these
impart strong flutter-type echoes and will have a bad
influence on the imaging. Try and break up long
expanses of walls with drapes, wall hangings, or
bookshelves, and try not to introduce too much
asymmetry into the room layout, as this will also affect
the imaging.
OPTIMIZING THE SYSTEM
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