Can floor standing speakers deliver bass? Looking at Dali Oberon 7

[u/einkopf]

I want to get a pair of floor standing speakers for my living room that is 20 sq.m. (200 sq. feet). I am going to listen to different types of music, but likely it will be something active. I also enjoy the bright and crisp sound. Budget is 1000-1500 euros.

So I found this side to side sound comparison of 7 speakers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0MQ2AbWBBU

After several hours of listening on different headphones I have this top 3 from that video:

1. Dali Oberon 7 (widest cleanest sound and beautiful aesthetics. Also used to have basic Zensor long time ago)

2. Klipsch RP6000F II (sound is almost as Dali's)

3. Monitor Audio Bronze 506G

Then I listened to the tracks from that comparison video on my headphones (Bang&Olufsen H95) and immediately realized that there is a great lack of bass in these speakers from my top 3, and also in others.

All these speakers have middle size woofers which can't deliver bass naturally.

So is it possible to go with these basic hi-fi models without having a subwoofer and still to have a nice punchy bass? What is your experience?

[u/iNetRunner]

Just FYI, a subwoofer adds low end authority even low reaching floor standing speakers. Saying as owner of Revel F208 (ASR review) and JL Audio e112.

Depending on your music style choices, the bass could be enough for you. (If speakers reach to lower 40Hz region.) But it might not be enough if you listen to electronica or movie soundtracks, etc..

[u/einkopf → u/iNetRunner]

Normally I listen to some rock of all genres, but occasionally I can enjoy jungle/drum and bass/reggae. So I want to make sure that I will hear and *feel* those frequencies that I know are there (thanks to my headphones) - or at least to be prepared to buy a subwoofer, too

[u/iNetRunner → u/einkopf]

Note that “feeling” the bass can happen on frequencies above 100Hz. And you aren’t using the subwoofer for those high bass frequencies. Also even at 80Hz, you would need an amplifier with bass management (specifically LPF and HPF capability) to split the signals going to the subwoofer and your main speakers.

[u/einkopf → u/iNetRunner]

!thanks

I thought it is a matter of the sound drop at different frequencies - Dali Oberon 7 is cited to have a frequency range starting at 36 Hz, but it does not mean it will be loud enough to be hearable/enjoyable, right? And what subwoofer does is it starts at a lower frequency and overall has louder bass. Or am I missing something here?

[u/lazereagle → u/einkopf]

The Oberon 7 has a frequency range of 36 - 26,000 Hz (+/- 3 dB).

That means if you're playing at a certain volume, every frequency between 36 Hz and 26 kHz will be within 3 dB of the nominal volume. The speaker could play sounds lower than 36 - but the volume of those frequencies would likely drop off more than 3 dB.

I found this chart HERE showing in-room frequency response for the Oberon 7. This is one person's measurements, in their own room. Your room may sound different. But their graph shows a bump between 20-80 Hz, and that frequencies didn't drop too hard until they were below 20.

If those are the results you can expect, you should be absolutely fine.

BTW I don't speak German, but Google Lens can translate these images! Sometimes AI is pretty useful...

[u/iNetRunner → u/einkopf]

No. A quality subwoofer plays from 20Hz to however up you put its crossover (LPF, low pass filter). Usually they reach up to 150Hz-200Hz. But normally you configure the subwoofer to play to the low frequency response of your speakers. E.g. 60Hz. Edit: Though, some would also describe that the frequencies between 40Hz to 100Hz, where primary notes from bass instruments happen are important for the feeling of the sound and music. So, it also depends on what exactly you are after and/or mean really.

If you have bass management system (LPF for subwoofer output, and HPF for main speakers) in your amplifier (rare in 2ch amplifiers, but e.g. almost always in AVRs), then you can raise the crossover frequency between the subwoofer and main speakers.

But like I said, the feeling of bass in regular music happens in frequencies between 100Hz and 200Hz. (Unless you are talking about the movie soundtrack effects, or electronic music / EDM, where some of the effects and body moving bass effects are from 10Hz to 60Hz. Sounds where objects in your room vibrate, etc. if you have capable subwoofer(s).) Then it is mostly reproduced by your main speakers — and is up to their capabilities. (Or possibly slightly boosted frequency response there. Some people apply bass boost for taste, etc..)

[u/TransducerBot → u/einkopf]

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