[sbmumford]


I have a very specific need for a sound system that's a bit unusual.

My tenant below me is a coffee shop, which needs to play music during business hours. We have poor sound insulation between us, specifically for the bass notes which come through the floor even though they are using a small iPod stereo sitting on the countertop. It has no independent knobs for bass and treble adjustment so they cannot turn down the bass, which is, again, pretty much the only thing I'm hearing.

 

Can one get a system with this adjustment, with a knob to significantly turn down/eliminate the bass?

 

And also, is it possible to set up a system so that I can also control the bass settings with a remote from the 2nd floor?

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

[trans_lux]



 

[Gizmologist]

What amplifier system are they using on the Ipad? There must be a volume control. Any AVR will work as there are treble/bass controls of some design on them all. If not, any vintage stereo receiver will have tone controls or even a graphic EQ. T^he remote feature you want is a tad more problematic but not unsolvable.

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sbmumford  /t/1522461/i-need-to-reduce-bass-notes-on-a-stereo#post_24480211


I have a very specific need for a sound system that's a bit unusual.

My tenant below me is a coffee shop, which needs to play music during business hours. We have poor sound insulation between us, specifically for the bass notes which come through the floor even though they are using a small iPod stereo sitting on the countertop. It has no independent knobs for bass and treble adjustment so they cannot turn down the bass, which is, again, pretty much the only thing I'm hearing.


Can one get a system with this adjustment, with a knob to significantly turn down/eliminate the bass?


And also, is it possible to set up a system so that I can also control the bass settings with a remote from the 2nd floor?

One simple way to accomplish your goal would be to obtain a low cost AVR (ca. $100) and take advantage of its bass management facility. What you do is tell the AVR that there is a subwoofer, but not actually have one.


When you set the bass crossover frequency for the rest of the speakers, you effectively roll off the bass.


There are add on devices that have similar filtering capabilies called equalizers with shelving filters, but they generally cost even more.

 

[sbmumford]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Gizmologist  /t/1522461/i-need-to-reduce-bass-notes-on-a-stereo#post_24480523


What amplifier system are they using on the Ipad? There must be a volume control. Any AVR will work as there are treble/bass controls of some design on them all. If not, any vintage stereo receiver will have tone controls or even a graphic EQ. T^he remote feature you want is a tad more problematic but not unsolvable.

Gizmo, their amplifier certainly has a volume control, and they are good at lowering it when I ask them. I just figured that if I could lower the bass, it wouldn't be necessary to lower the overall volume, which a coffee shop needs a certain amount of.

I will look into AVRs - a vintage system couldn't accommodate an iPod, right?

 

I'm pretty ignorant about sound systems, so I think I need someone from a stereo store to help set this up.

 

[sbmumford]



Quote:
Originally Posted by arnyk  /t/1522461/i-need-to-reduce-bass-notes-on-a-stereo#post_24481054



One simple way to accomplish your goal would be to obtain a low cost AVR (ca. $100) and take advantage of its bass management facility. What you do is tell the AVR that there is a subwoofer, but not actually have one.


When you set the bass crossover frequency for the rest of the speakers, you effectively roll off the bass.


There are add on devices that have similar filtering capabilies called equalizers with shelving filters, but they generally cost even more.

Thanks, arnyk.

 

Your advice is a bit over my head, but I will look into AVRs and see if a salesperson can guide me through your suggestion, or simply has something with a direct bass control.

 

The problem has been finding a store that can help. The electronics places have kids who look at me like I'm asking for whale oil for my lamps. A high-end place had a clerk who refused to help, probably figuring that I was not looking to spend over a thousand dollars.

 

What types of places sell what I'm looking for?

 

[lovinthehd]

The ipod itself has tone controls and the dock may or may not have direct control but the ipod can be set. Make sure before you go buying equipment. You'd likely need a radio remote control as most remotes are infrared, too. Could add up and if you improve their system that might exacerbate the problem as the ipod in a dock likely isn't putting out a whole lot of bass unless it's already been set higher. IMHO.

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sbmumford  /t/1522461/i-need-to-reduce-bass-notes-on-a-stereo#post_24481185

Quote:
Originally Posted by arnyk  /t/1522461/i-need-to-reduce-bass-notes-on-a-stereo#post_24481054


One simple way to accomplish your goal would be to obtain a low cost AVR (ca. $100) and take advantage of its bass management facility. What you do is tell the AVR that there is a subwoofer, but not actually have one.



When you set the bass crossover frequency for the rest of the speakers, you effectively roll off the bass.



There are add on devices that have similar filtering capabilies called equalizers with shelving filters, but they generally cost even more.

Thanks, arnyk.


Your advice is a bit over my head, but I will look into AVRs and see if a salesperson can guide me through your suggestion, or simply has something with a direct bass control.


The problem has been finding a store that can help. The electronics places have kids who look at me like I'm asking for whale oil for my lamps. A high-end place had a clerk who refused to help, probably figuring that I was not looking to spend over a thousand dollars.


What types of places sell what I'm looking for?

The internet. One hot spot for cheap AVRs is:

http://www.accessories4less.com


and a solution for your problem might be this one:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavr1513/denon-avr-1513-5.1ch-home-theater-receiver-3d-ready/1.html


The owners manual is here: file:///C:/Users/client64/Downloads/AVR-1513%20Owners%20Manual.pdf


The AVR will let you set bass cutoff frequencies of 80Hz / 90Hz / 100Hz / 110Hz / 120Hz / 150Hz / 200Hz / 250Hz . This may be prefereable to bass tone controls because of the sharper filter characteristic.

 

[sbmumford]



Quote:
Originally Posted by arnyk  /t/1522461/i-need-to-reduce-bass-notes-on-a-stereo#post_24481245



The internet. One hot spot for cheap AVRs is:

http://www.accessories4less.com


and a solution for your problem might be this one:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavr1513/denon-avr-1513-5.1ch-home-theater-receiver-3d-ready/1.html


The owners manual is here: file:///C:/Users/client64/Downloads/AVR-1513%20Owners%20Manual.pdf


The AVR will let you set bass cutoff frequencies of 80Hz / 90Hz / 100Hz / 110Hz / 120Hz / 150Hz / 200Hz / 250Hz . This may be prefereable to bass tone controls because of the sharper filter characteristic.

 

So setting the bass cutoff at 250 Hz would eliminate most of the bass? Is this ability to set cutoffs exclusive to AVRs or do simple stereo receivers have this too?

 

[sbmumford]



Quote:
Originally Posted by arnyk  /t/1522461/i-need-to-reduce-bass-notes-on-a-stereo#post_24481245



The internet. One hot spot for cheap AVRs is:




and a solution for your problem might be this one:




The owners manual is here: file:///C:/Users/client64/Downloads/AVR-1513%20Owners%20Manual.pdf


The AVR will let you set bass cutoff frequencies of 80Hz / 90Hz / 100Hz / 110Hz / 120Hz / 150Hz / 200Hz / 250Hz . This may be prefereable to bass tone controls because of the sharper filter characteristic.
So setting the cutoff at 250 Hz would eliminate most of the bass? Is this feature exclusive to AVRs or do simple stereo receivers also have cutoffs?
 

 

[sbmumford]



Quote:
Originally Posted by lovinthehd  /t/1522461/i-need-to-reduce-bass-notes-on-a-stereo#post_24481194


The ipod itself has tone controls and the dock may or may not have direct control but the ipod can be set. Make sure before you go buying equipment. You'd likely need a radio remote control as most remotes are infrared, too. Could add up and if you improve their system that might exacerbate the problem as the ipod in a dock likely isn't putting out a whole lot of bass unless it's already been set higher. IMHO.

Yes, I understand the irony here - even though I may gain the ability to reduce bass, if the stereo system is bigger and better I may wind up hearing more sound overall...

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sbmumford  /t/1522461/i-need-to-reduce-bass-notes-on-a-stereo#post_24481538

Most stereo receivers lack bass management, so the answer is that in general stereo receivers lack a useful cutoff like this one. There are a few exceptions.


But 5.1 AVRs are generally a better value and the extra channels are not only free, they are saving you money! It is all about economies of scale.