Are the RCF's considered 'bassy'?

plyall

plyall

Power User
Folks -

I just took delivery of a pair of the fabulous RCF (12) monitors, courtesy of Mike Pyle! They sound great, and really make the presets blossom nicely. I have them connected to my Output 2 jacks with XLR-> TS cables (I believe they are wired the same as the 'humbuster' cables in the manual - two pins to ground [sleeve], one pin hot [tip]). One thing I did notice though was that many of the presets (I'm using firmware 7.0) sound somewhat heavy in the low frequencies. I have temporarily remedied this by applying a roll-off curve in the Global Output 2 graphic EQ. Obviously this causes Output 2 to sound a bit different than Output 1. I know I could adjust the global Output 1 EQ as well and have them match, but I thought that the proper use of these EQ's was to adjust for any anomalies at a gig/performance space, and for making sweeping fixes in a hurry. This isn't a big problem for me, as I will likely be in the basement studio 95% of the time.

I have been really turning down the bass in the stock presets as well (like to 8 or 9 o'clock). For additional background, I am running the Output 2 knob at about 11-12 o'clock, and on the RCF's the level is about 1/2 way up. I have the cabinets oriented vertically on the floor (cement ingressing onto a rug), and have the 'freefield' switches pushed in to reflect this. This whole situation seems odd to me - I seem to be doing a lot of compensating to reign in the low end of these patches. So I guess the question(s) are: 1) Are the RCF's somewhat bassy? If they are true, flat FRFR speakers, that is probably not the case. 2) Is it the presets themselves that have additional oomph in the lower frequency ranges? 3) Is it me perceiving the sound incorrectly? My reference is a pair of 20/20 BAS's with a BAS 15 subwoofer, and a pair of Tech 21 PE 60's that I'm about to retire.

I'm looking for feedback from other folks that have gone with the RCF's to see what their initial and current impressions are.

Thanks!

Pete
 
I can't answer whether they are flat in the low end or not, but I have to wonder about how you have them oriented - "Vertically on the floor". Does that mean you have them on the end and not tilted back towards you? I have tried setting mine like that and it didn't work for me. Sounded bass heavy and I'm guessing it's because of the enclosed monitor design as opposed to an open back guitar cabinet. Sitting on end, the more directional energy from the mids and highs is pointing at my knees. Have you tried tilting it back and turning down a bit to compensate for it pointing straight at your head? Does it still sound bass heavy to you that way?

Also, try playing a CD through the monitor. Does that sound bass heavy to you?
 
I also wondered about the orientation. I know that bass coming out of a cabinet seems more pronounced when the cabinet sits on the floor (or in a corner), and maybe that's exactly what is going on. I don't have them configured as wedges, as I am across the room/studio when I am playing, near the Axe-FX. I really don't have room to move them in much closer, so I figured that vertical was the way to go. I'm betting that if I were to mount these on speakers stands, that would trim off some/all of the bass, but that probably won't fit into my studio area either, and stands are overkill for someone like me that plays primarily at home.

I will look at orienting the monitors as wedges to see if that relieves some of the bass issue. The problem I have then is that then they are pointed a the next floor up, and into my wife's reading/TV area http://forum.fractalaudio.com/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif ! I will likely be beaten severely...

Thanks!

Pete
 
Try the "freefield"-switch pushed out. That's the correct setting if you're not using it on a stand.
If you have it vertically on the floor, is it still aiming at your ears? If not you're not hearing it correctly. It's rather directional (60 degrees) and that will add to your "bass heavy" impression.
 
Aha! I will give that a shot directly! Question - I thought that the setting was in for 'freefield' (vertical?) and out for wedge mode? Is this not the case? In any event, I'll give this a shot.

Thanks very much!

Pete
 
Reread my post, I edited it.
Freefield does mean no coupling, so as soon as you have it coupled to a surface it's not freefield anymore.
 
Merlin -

Wow! What a difference. I have the speakers exactly as they were, but with the freefield switches out. I also reset the Global 2 EQ to flat. and it seems to have killed most of the excess bass. You're also correct in that the monitors are not pointed directly at my face, but shooting at roughly knee-level when I'm sitting down, so I'm not directly on access with the tweeters (wherever they are - do you know?).

Thanks - this is a BIG step forward!

Pete
 
The RCF is a coaxial speaker, the tweeter is right in the middle of the woofer, essentially right in the middle, period! That's why the sound is so even all around as long as you're in the dispersion area. Great speakers!
 
i have two of the 10's and they sound a bit bass heavy to me at bedroom level, but once they're up at gig level, they flatten out nicely. when i use them at home, i usually drop some bass in the global eq a bit and then put it back in for gigging. i have the global eq set flat, except for a slight bump at 64Hz, because there's a bit of roll off under 100Hz with the 10's and it helps to get the old trouser legs flapping when i kick in the Diezel.
 
simeon said:
i have two of the 10's and they sound a bit bass heavy to me at bedroom level, but once they're up at gig level, they flatten out nicely.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree. I had one for a few weeks, and it certainly felt as if it had a bit of bass lift at low levels, but I didn't really notice it when turned up, that could be because I don't really get the opportunity to thrash the pants off it at home, and our rehearsal space responds differently, but to my ears, there was a a little bass lift at low levels.

I didn't take any measurements, so I cannot confirm one way or the other if thats actually correct though, and I no longer have it.
 
Crazy/all -

For me. turning off the 'freefield' switch made a LOT of difference. It took the extra bass right out of there at even relatively low levels.

Which brings me to another question:

I bought some of the Auralex MOJO's today (sturdy foam mounts that go underneath your studio monitors), and so far I like them. While at GC, the sales guy (good dude) also told me about ones that they have for floor monitors. Like the MOJO's, they have some foam legs at the base. and then a carpeted wooden platform for the floor monitors. I was wondering whether using these would affect whether I should turn the freefield switch back on, as they are raised from the floor (albeit a couple of inches). Does anyone have experience or thoughts about this?

As always, any help/opinions are helpful!

Thanks!

Pete
 
I received my pair of RCF NX 12-SMAs just this Friday, and ......... wow! Not bassy and what a difference in clarity! Cranked them up and the Axe output down and now everything feels like like a guitar-amp-cab is present ...... wow!

Wow!

Did I say, wow?
 
Ditto - I rarely play them above 'home' volume and they just sound great. I am very happy with the investment. I wonder who ever found/found out about these great Italian monitors?
 
Well, my home volume has been measured at 88-90 dB and they sound great. This afternoon I fell in love with all the clean presets all over again. Melin hit, they sound great at any level ....... +1
 
What are you using to connect them? I have found that standard 1/4" TS jack to XLR cables work really well, and may actually behave a bit like the humbusters that are referenced in the manual (wiring looks the same - I checked it with a meter). I found these for about $18 each at the local money pit for 20 footers. I'm also using a couple of Auralex platforms under them (discussed above) and I find it cuts just a hair of the bass out, but not too much. Cleans up the midrange nicely, which IMHO is a plus. Actually on or off the 'Grammas' (the platforms' name) they sound uniformly great. I have given some thought to hooking them up to my small Mackie mixer (1402 VLZ) to use them both as system wide monitors as well as for the Axe-FX. Gawd knows they can handle it!
 
how loud do these things get? Are they as loud as a QSC K12? Can they keep up with a loud drummer?
 
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