Theos & Disappointing Bass Response

[Stereonerd]

I recently upgraded from my Puritys to Theos, and very happy with the much, much better overall sound dispersion from the panels - they practically had me in raptures. But I'm very disappointed with the bass, which is quoted the same as the Puritys but is actually really underwhelming. The Puritys have two 6-inch drivers and a rare port and they go lower and are more prodigious in the bass volume. So, two questions. What do other owners of the Theos have to say about this? And what solutions have they come up with to enhance the bass response? Obviously, a sub could be a solution but it would have to be well matched. Any recommendations that don't cost the earth? Thanks in anticipation!

 

[jda99]

I use a REL t9, purchased 2nd hand to go with my pair of Theos. Works fine for me.

 

[twich54]

sub(s) ............

 

[Bevensee]

I am sorry to hear that the bass of the Theos are not at the same level as the Purities you had before. Perhaps the tonal balance is a tad brighter du to the larger panel? I would encourage you to experiment with placement and toe-in (I have a thread about toe-over that may be interesting for you to read). Moving 5-10 cm back and forth and sideways can sometimes alter the woofer/panel balance quite a bit due to room interaction. If I were you, I would also wait another couple of months to let the new sound "settle in" with your ears. If you still lack bass at that point, a sub may be a good choice. I am very pleased with the integration between my REL 328 and my Vantages. I find REL subs very good for music since they are fast. Their filter and internal amp have a total group delay aroun 8ms, which is quite low. They don't, however, have room correction DSP, so be ware of that. If your room have many challenging modes, perhaps look elsewhere. For me, I leave all of that to my Lyngdorf amp, as you know.

Keep posting your experiences here - it is a vast resource of helpful people with decades of Martin Logan experience!

 

[Robert D]

I am sorry to hear that the bass of the Theos are not at the same level as the Purities you had before. Perhaps the tonal balance is a tad brighter du to the larger panel? I would encourage you to experiment with placement and toe-in (I have a thread about toe-over that may be interesting for you to read). Moving 5-10 cm back and forth and sideways can sometimes alter the woofer/panel balance quite a bit due to room interaction. If I were you, I would also wait another couple of months to let the new sound "settle in" with your ears. If you still lack bass at that point, a sub may be a good choice. I am very pleased with the integration between my REL 328 and my Vantages. I find REL subs very good for music since they are fast. Their filter and internal amp have a total group delay aroun 8ms, which is quite low. They don't, however, have room correction DSP, so be ware of that. If your room have many challenging modes, perhaps look elsewhere. For me, I leave all of that to my Lyngdorf amp, as you know.

Keep posting your experiences here - it is a vast resource of helpful people with decades of Martin Logan experience!

If your receiver or tuner has Audyssey, im pretty sure that it adjusts things on the sub just as it does the other speakers. I use it on mine and it sounds good. I just had to set the phase and Audyssey seemed to do the rest.

 

[Bevensee]

If your receiver or tuner has Audyssey, im pretty sure that it adjusts things on the sub just as it does the other speakers. I use it on mine and it sounds good. I just had to set the phase and Audyssey seemed to do the rest.

My amplifier doesn't have Audyssey - it has Lyngdorf's own room correction, which is called RoomPerfect. It does indeed include the sub in the room-dsp, so I don't need the REL to do it by itself.

 

[Stereonerd]

To anyone reading this and now thinking, "maybe the Theos don't have very good bass", I'm sorry I started this thread before auditioning a second amp. The first was a mere stand-in. I've now purchased a better amp and can report that the Theos' bass is phenomenal. I was WRONG. In my smallish room, the bass can actually be overwhelming. I'd still like a well-matched sub just for the electronic music I occasionally listen to that demands a lower bass, but generally, am very happy.

 

[spkrdctr]

To anyone reading this and now thinking, "maybe the Theos don't have very good bass", I'm sorry I started this thread before auditioning a second amp. The first was a mere stand-in. I've now purchased a better amp and can report that the Theos' bass is phenomenal. I was WRONG. In my smallish room, the bass can actually be overwhelming. I'd still like a well-matched sub just for the electronic music I occasionally listen to that demands a lower bass, but generally, am very happy.

I can easily recommend the ML Dynamo 1600 sub. Not all that expensive and in Audioholics testing the Dynamos have fantastic performance for the price. They are in the best subs of 2020 list.

 

[Stereonerd]

I can easily recommend the ML Dynamo 1600 sub. Not all that expensive and in Audioholics testing the Dynamos have fantastic performance for the price. They are in the best subs of 2020 list.

Sadly the ML Dynamo 1600 costs $3,699 in NZ, which is more than my second-hand Theos! If I had the cash...

 

[Robert D]

Sadly the ML Dynamo 1600 costs $3,699 in NZ, which is more than my second-hand Theos! If I had the cash...

Dang, that's more than 2x the cost now that there is a sale. I know someone that lives in Australia and he mentioned an Audi auto that was around $120,000 there is $65,000 here in the US.

 

[jake9]

I have Theos model running with one ML Dynamo 1000 as a sub. I really enjoy this combination.

 

[Bevensee]

Glad to hear that a new amp can drive the bass of the Theos better. Which amp did you buy?

 

[Stereonerd]

Glad to hear that a new amp can drive the bass of the Theos better. Which amp did you buy?

It's a humble Bel Canto S300 Dual Mono power amp matched with my Rotel preamp. I know I could do better if I had the cash, but for the price this combo really rocks.

 

[Stereonerd]

I

I have Theos model running with one ML Dynamo 1000 as a sub. I really enjoy this combination.

I'd love to match it with an ML sub. If only the wife would let me...

 

[Stefan_DR3]

How about a used ML Depth or Descent sub?

 

[BigDDesign]

I have a ML Dynamo 1000 and 2 REL S3 subs. REL is so much faster and 10X better. Buy used and save. I now use my Dynamo 1000 with my Vision X soundbar. Works great there. After 5 years with Dynamo 1000 and ML ESLs, I went to ML Montis and 2 REL S3. OMG. RELs going straight from my Krell speaker terminals. Matches the cadence of the Martin Logan Montis. 2 RELs are way better than one. Buy used, if you can find them. They cost more, but they are the only way to make Martin Logans sound like they should. Don't bother with other brands. They just don't do the things that REL can do. Read about it. I have 4 RELs. I hope to experiment adding the other 2, just need to figure out where to put them in the room. Cheers

 

[Robert D]

I have a ML Dynamo 1000 and 2 REL S3 subs. REL is so much faster and 10X better. Buy used and save. I now use my Dynamo 1000 with my Vision X soundbar. Works great there. After 5 years with Dynamo 1000 and ML ESLs, I went to ML Montis and 2 REL S3. OMG. RELs going straight from my Krell speaker terminals. Matches the cadence of the Martin Logan Montis. 2 RELs are way better than one. Buy used, if you can find them. They cost more, but they are the only way to make Martin Logans sound like they should. Don't bother with other brands. They just don't do the things that REL can do. Read about it. I have 4 RELs. I hope to experiment adding the other 2, just need to figure out where to put them in the room. Cheers

REL vs JL Audio seems to be a big rivalry. Wondering if anyone here has owned both and can compare.

https://www.jlaudio.com/collections/home-audio-fathom-v2

 

[spkrdctr]

It is really apple vs oranges to do a non-servo sub vs a servo sub. I think the Dynamo 1000 is not a servo? I'm not sure. I know the REL's are. The servos bring cone accuracy to another level that a non-servo sealed sub can't match. That cone accuracy (quickness) of the servo will really show. Plus you have to tune a sub frequency wise so that you don't have a huge 50 to 70hz 10db bump. Then the sub will boom at that frequency area. I had to really work at getting my sub to a decent fairly level sweep from 30 to 90hz. I had two major problems that I eq'ed out of it. It is not gone 100% but it is a huge difference and any boom is gone. I wish people would pay to have their speakers and subs set up. I could make some money in my retirement! Heck, I'd probably just do it for pizza..........

But, alas, I'm on a diet, no pizza for me. But I really like pizza, oh, and cheeseburgers, fries and heck almost anything!

 

[BDH55]

I wish people would pay to have their speakers and subs set up. I could make some money in my retirement! Heck, I'd probably just do it for pizza..........

But, alas, I'm on a diet, no pizza for me. But I really like pizza, oh, and cheeseburgers, fries and heck almost anything!

Well, the price is certainly right, and I might even throw in some beers, or your preferred libation! I'd hire you in a second at that price... it's just the 1800+ miles round trip that might be a challenge!

 

[codesx100]

Not sure what companies ship to NZ but, definitely needs a sub. I use 1 HSU VTF-15h mk2 and it is a total game changer having a large sub with my Theos. If possible I would go with 2 subs depending on your budget. Besides HSU, MLs are good too, but as other recommended REL, SVS, or JL audio are others that should match well.