Dual Captivators, not enough BASS!!!!!

Well, I've been doing a lot of listening to my new dual Captivator/Triple 12HT setup. It's music only and I have the Caps HPFed at 20Hz and crossed over at 100Hz.

I'm running my iPod and CD player through an Alesis MultiMix USB to a Behringer DCX-2496. From there, I have 2 ouputs to a Crown XLS5000 running the T12s in stereo and 2 other outputs to 2 other XLS5000s running the Caps in 8-ohm bridged. Dedicated circuits for the amps, each one run with 10AWG.

I absolutely love the sound of this setup. It's soooo much better than the Klipsch RF-83s they replaced (louder AND sounds better at all levels). However, I think I may have developed Carp's disease of not enough bass......

For everyday whole-house listening it's great. Perfect, as it may seem. But when I really push it, the clip lights on the XLSes for the Caps start lighting up before I get to the level I want. The gain on them is maxed out, and the gain on the amp for the T12s is just above halfway, which gives me a good system balance at "normal" levels.

Here's what I'm looking for.....If I turn it up until I get the clip lights for the Caps and then max the gain to the T12s, I get the volume I'm after. The only problem is the amps for the Caps are already maxed out and the T12s run off and leave them.

So I have one of 2 problems. Either the Caps are sucking so much power that I'm getting a line voltage drop that limits the output and causes the clip lights (the lights in the house don't go steadily dim, but they do pulse pretty good with the bass) OR the 91dB sensitivity is just plain outmatched by the T12s.


I'm thinking it's the latter. I've been looking at other options and think I would prefer to stay with JTR. Looks like my choices would be the Orbit Shifter or Orbit Shifter PRO. I'm really liking the PRO version because of its 103dB sensitivity and passive operation.


What thinks the masses???? (about my dilemma, not sanity)

EDIT: Update with graphs -- http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1#post21712821

EDIT 2: To alleviate some confusion, these are set up in my music room, which is supposed to be a 10x12 dining room. It's open to the rest of the house and fills about 8k cuft. Not a big open space with high ceilings, just several rooms with 8' ceilings. My "listening position" is dynamic, meaning I am using it to fill the house when I'm moving about. I am NOT listening at insane levels, right by the speakers.

Wow. Quite the attention I've drawn. Sorry for seeming absent, I'm a day sleeper.

I apologize for leaving some information out. I thought it might have been assumed. The dedicated circuits are on 20A breakers. I ran 10AWG to reduce the chance of voltage loss over the distance because the cost was negligible.


As Archaea pointed out, I did have initial problems with severe lack of bass. However, after a few hours of operation, everything opened up and there was plenty. Made me fall in love with the new setup.

That's still not a problem at normal levels.

I usually run about 110-115 dB at 9 feet. Remember, though, that I'm not hanging out at the doorway. My LP is all over as I tool around the house, so I wouldn't imagine it's a LP null since the LP isn't static and I have good bass in the sweet spots at normal levels. When I want to crank it more than this is when the problem arises.

I have already tried running one sub and no mains. The pulsing of the lights is reduced, but the clip light doesn't change. And I can't imagine it's lack of input because the mains don't have any problem. Increasing the input, as someone suggested, is what is raising the volume and that's when the clip lights show. I've tried lower gain and higher input with no change except the position of the knobs (as I would expect).

I plan to get some REW sweeps this week, but it may have to wait until the weekend.

For now, I'm going to try lowering the XO to 70Hz and increasing the rolloff of the 20Hz HPF to take some of the load off the Caps.