Bfd

[Steve N]

It seems I need one of these for sub only.
There seems to be several different types available.
Can someone recommend me one that will do the job but not need a degree in astro-physics to use

 

[Deleted member 30535]

Smurfin is about to sell his. Drop him a note.

 

[Steve N]

Smurfin is about to sell his. Drop him a note.

Already have

 

[eviljohn2]

BFD DSP1124
Is most likely the best choice for you. It has 24-bit DACs and is currently end-of-line so try to snap one up for a bargain price soon if you want.

DSP1120
Is the oldest model with 20-bit DACs. It will still do exactly what you want.

I'm not sure about the name of the latest variant (not BFD IIRC) and some of the Ultracurve models also have a parametric EQ function.

 

[Ian J]

It seems I need one of these for sub only.

Do you know that you need one or are you just guessing as most of us get by without one.

 

[Steve N]

Do you know that you need one or are you just guessing as most of us get by without one.

Guessing/hoping.

My Rel Stadium III sounds very rumbly and you feel the noise/air against your ears ,whereas when I had Thunders SVS demoed to me this did not happen, you felt the sound in your seat/legs and the sound seemed crisp/sharp rather than woolley and muffled.
Probably not the proper language, but I hope you know what I mean.
It was Thunder who suggested a BFD might help.

I know SVS are highly thought of, but my Stadium should perform better than this and I'm getting desparate now I've heard what is possible.

 

[recruit]

For what the BFD costs, it is a worthy investment and even if the notches created are only minor it can still smooth out the response to get the best out of any sub.

 

[eviljohn2]

Do you know that you need one or are you just guessing as most of us get by without one.

It's possible to get by without a subwoofer and AV equipment altogether.

 

[mickey]

It's possible to get by without a subwoofer and AV equipment altogether.

suppose you,ll be telling us it,s possible to do without sex next . mike

 

[IronGiant]

Mike: I think that was irony

1) Do a signal sweep first and if you hear dips/peaks you may have a problem

2) borrow or buy an SPL meter, or use a mike and some of the software recommended here through a PC and check whether your house is creating the problem

3) then consider a BFD

There are lots of things you can try to see what is causing boominess before buying a BFD, not that I wouldn't recommend buying one, I have one.

dave

 

[Steve N]

1) Do a signal sweep first and if you hear dips/peaks you may have a problem

2) borrow or buy an SPL meter, or use a mike and some of the software recommended here through a PC and check whether your house is creating the problem

3) then consider a BFD

There are lots of things you can try to see what is causing boominess before buying a BFD, not that I wouldn't recommend buying one, I have one.

dave

Boominess - thats the word that sums it up.
I have sound level meter - is an SPL something different. And how do you do a signal sweep.

I suppose what I really need is someone knowledgeable who lives near me to come and help me out.
Any volunteers - I'll be happy to make it worth someones while (within reason)

 

[l34052]

You'll have to excuse my ignorance on the matter but what the hell is a BFD????

 

[Deleted member 30535]

You'll have to excuse my ignorance on the matter but what the hell is a BFD????

A Behringer Feedback Destroyer

Have a read here about what it can be used for...........
http://www.nextlevelav.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=201

 

[AngelEyes]

Steve,

I went down this route and although it has improved things for me (a lot) you may find as Ian suggests you don't need to. Once you get the hang of using an SPL Meter (Sound Pressure Level) to do frequency sweeps and plot the graphs you may find moving the sub a few inches / feet might fix 90% of your problems.

Buying a BFD can be like opening a can of worms IMHO. Although relatively easy to use they can become an obsession, forever fiddling and tweaking just because you might not be getting 100% from your system.

I am glad i bought one because if you are unsure of what you should be getting from your sustem it will only cost £60ish plus cables to find out for sure. To me this is only a little money to spend for at the very least, peace of mind, and at the very best a significant improvement to your system (although a lot of time spent getting there).

I would take it one step at a time and only get a BFD if you have no other option

 

[Steve N]

AngelEyes,
Thanks for the advice

 

[karkus30]

Steve,

I went down this route and although it has improved things for me (a lot) you may find as Ian suggests you don't need to. Once you get the hang of using an SPL Meter (Sound Pressure Level) to do frequency sweeps and plot the graphs you may find moving the sub a few inches / feet might fix 90% of your problems.

Buying a BFD can be like opening a can of worms IMHO. Although relatively easy to use they can become an obsession, forever fiddling and tweaking just because you might not be getting 100% from your system.

I am glad i bought one because if you are unsure of what you should be getting from your sustem it will only cost £60ish plus cables to find out for sure. To me this is only a little money to spend for at the very least, peace of mind, and at the very best a significant improvement to your system (although a lot of time spent getting there).

I would take it one step at a time and only get a BFD if you have no other option

I think it depends how keen you are on fiddling. I set my system up in one room and spent weeks with a sweep tone CD, meter, tripod and BFD instruction book eventually settling on something reasonable.

About 6 months ago I moved it all into a purpose made room and although I know I should get down to the fiddling and tweaking I cant for the life of me remember how to set up the BFD. I really cant stand the hours of torture, I would honestly pay someone to set the system up. Any takers ?

 

[bob1]

I really cant stand the hours of torture, I would honestly pay someone to set the system up. Any takers ?

NO

 

[eviljohn2]

I really cant stand the hours of torture, I would honestly pay someone to set the system up. Any takers ?

Do you mean Darlington in Devon? It's quite a trek but I'd like to browse your music collection so if you could make it worth my while...

 

[IronGiant]

SteveN,
Read the first couple of posts in this thread for info on how to do a signal sweep:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176978

Dave

 

[Steve N]

SteveN,
Read the first couple of posts in this thread for info on how to do a signal sweep:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176978

Dave

Thanks mate.
On the other hand - bloody hell, I think I'm going to plead for someone who knows what they are doing, to volunteer to come over and help me - for a fee of course

 

[recruit]

If you can't be bothered with a BFD, wait for the Velodyne SMS-1 which should be out soon and it will be alot easier to setup...

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Come on guys... the BFD is easy... just use the GUIDE! It doesn't get much easier.

Okay, I'll admit, it can be a little intimidating initially for some people, but once you get into it, it becomes easier and fun.

There's not many who won't need a BFD.

 

[AngelEyes]

When I first read the guide I thought I would never get it but as soon as you try you can pick it up straight away.

I was not trying to suggest it was a badly written guide

 

[Steve N]

Come on guys... the BFD is easy... just use the GUIDE! It doesn't get much easier.

Okay, I'll admit, it can be a little intimidating initially for some people, but once you get into it, it becomes easier and fun.

There's not many who won't need a BFD.

But can you actually hear an obvious improvement when you have set it up with a BFD.
Or is just a confidence thing - you know - ah it must be good now cos I've got a nice curve

 

[AngelEyes]

It depends how bad your current curve is.

A trough at the low end of the frequency and a peak at the high end may mean you have to turn up the gain so loud to hear a decent impact from a low end explosion that the higher end bass gets really muddy and boomy.

I noticed quite a difference and I am tone deaf