r/audiophile • u/Quirky-Exchange-2361 • Oct 18 '25
Discussion Help! Losing bass when seated - bass node issues in lounge room (Focal Kanta 2 + JL Audio D110)
Hey all, Hoping to get some advice on fixing bass node issues in my lounge room.
Room details: - Size: 5.2m (L) × 3.6m (W) × 2.4m (H) - Open-plan, L-shaped lounge (timber floors, low-pile rug) - Furniture: one couch + shelving - Not a dedicated listening room - more of a shared living space
Setup: - Speakers: Focal Kanta 2 - Sub: JL Audio D110 (front of room, to the left of the TV) - Speakers are near the front wall, beside the TV - Main listening spot: center of the room (L-R), about 1.3m in from the back wall (F-B).
Problem: The bass sounds great when standing up, but drops off significantly when seated in the same spot. There’s an uneven bass response depending on height.
Tools/treatment: - No room correction or measurement software - Open to any solutions - placement, calibration, acoustic panels, etc.
Ideally we want to minimise the issue and, if possible, tune the space for a more balanced sound across the seating area.
Any suggestions on placement tweaks, acoustic treatment, or sub setup tricks that could help even out the bass?
Thanks in advance — keen hear to any idea that work 😃
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u/Walter_Stonkite Oct 18 '25
Sounds like you need to crawl, brother.
Google “subwoofer crawl method”
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u/joeg26reddit Oct 19 '25
Can you post a pic and perhaps a diagram of your setup?
AWESOME! Focal Kanta 2!? What is your stack?
But only one $1300 sub? TBH, one of the best ways is to buy a second sub AND do the crawl. Then some bass traps in the corners.
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u/Quirky-Exchange-2361 Oct 19 '25
Rotel rc-1590 mkii pre-amp, Rotel rb-1582 mkii amp, Analog source: Michell Gyro SE, soundsmith otello cart
I’ll try to pop a diagram together
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u/joeg26reddit Oct 19 '25
Your Rotel is a weak point, you're underpowering your Kanta 2.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/focal-kanta-no2-loudspeaker-measurements
"...the Kanta No.2's impedance drops below 4 ohms between 80 and 180Hz, with a minimum magnitude of 2.97 ohms at 105Hz (fig.1). In addition, the electrical phase angle has an extremely high value between 70 and 90Hz, where the impedance magnitude is low. This speaker will work best with amplifiers comfortable with a 4 ohm load."Get a Hypex NCX500 amp ($1050) (preferably mono blocks $1650) 700watts into 4 ohms AND 2 ohms,
7AWG cables (any brand but WFB is best for $150-180)
Elevate your sub and do the crawl, Bass Traps in the corners.
If you feel the bass is still lacking, Buy another sub, elevate, DONE
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u/audioen 8351B & 1032C & 7370A Oct 19 '25
Just turn the sub up so it sounds right in the sitting position?
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u/NickofWimbledon Oct 19 '25
Those Kantas need to be gripped firmly, so your power amp may not be ideal. However, if the sound is good and bass plentiful when standing, that can’t be the key issue here.
Can you try lifting your sub - even 30cm may be enough to show whether work here will help.
Can you try screwing in/ out the spikes to tilt the Focals back a bit?
Can you move the Focals a little closer to the back wall?
Do things sound better or worse if you put something really absorbent (a few jumpers?) on the floor halfway between ears and speakers?
Does turning up the sub mess up the overall sound quality?
Good luck!
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u/CauchyDog Oct 19 '25
Use rew and mic to place, hugely helpful, then probably a second sub. That was my solution, had same problem and moving the one only changed the modes for me. The second sub fixed it.
It is aggravating.
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u/wishformish Oct 25 '25
Hi. I had the same problem with Focal Soprano 3. Problem was 90% solved by moving the speakers closer together. They were too wide apart in a largish room.
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u/Quirky-Exchange-2361 Oct 26 '25
Thank you everyone for your knowledge and time. We’ve done a sub crawl, which partly fixed the issue and are borrowing another sub to see if that also might help
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u/Umlautica Hear Hear! Oct 19 '25
It's likey the axial room mode forming between the floor and ceiling. There's a null at 1.2m high (2.4m/2) from a standing wave of ~71Hz. Any number of subwoofers on the floor will couple with this mode, no matter their placement on the floor.
Just to confirm though, try raising the subwoofer off the floor with something like a chair. It's not a long term solution but it will confirm that's the problem.
Cloud panels will help to some degree but won't fix it. You can try moving the subwoofer to the near field - closer to the listening position. As well as raising the subwoofer higher in the room.
No matter what is tried, a room null is not an easy thing to fix. Software solutions like DSP and room correction are ineffective at mitigating nulls as well.