Others' views on Powernode sound
Answered
Have now had my Powernode for about 4 months and I feel that I have now really got to know it and I understand how to get the best out of it in terms of sound performance.
I find that at lower volumes, having the bass set at 4 and treble on 2 gives a lovely rich sound with some deep bass undertones. Whereas at high party volumes the sound is much better in the default neutral "reset" tones, as the sound is much richer and better balanced in terms of the mids, highs and lows. Having the bass at 4 and treble at 2 muffles the vocals somewhat at high volume and it all sounds less bright. So that's my personal view.
I'm using Q acoustics 3050i floor standers and I appreciate that the speakers will also make a huge difference, as do personal tastes, but that's my take.
Would be interested in other views, perspectives and experiences?
Ali
-
Official comment
I also use little Q Acoustic speakers with a POWERNODE, bit of a purist and never fiddle with bass or treble setting so leave them flat.
What you describe is exactly how the human ear perceives bass at lower listening levels, quite a few modern amps now have an EQ setting which boosts bass at the lower levels - looking at you NAD.
Personally if I want to listen at low levels I just wear headphones BT AptX or wired, this way any noises in the house don’t interfere and I get reasonable bass. Wife came down last night when I supposed to be listening out for the children and was told… you won’t hear a thing listening at that level 😂 - oops.
-
Thanks Seppi, that was an interesting read. I tend to have an ear bleeding blast when I'm working from home (or supposed to be!) and everyone's else is either at school or work! But don't tell anyone!!!
0 -
Hi Seppi - I think I'm coming around to your preference ie. listening to the Powernode in its default tone settings at all volume levels, other than when it's on as background.
Everything just sounds crisper and you get the full soundstage. I guess Bluesound engineered the sound to perform at its optimum. So why mess with it?0 -
Hi Ali, glad to hear you are enjoying your POWERNODE as I am, yes after a while your realise that what a “flat” sound has going for it. Subwoofers are the most extreme where you think you want a pumping sound but in reality filling in the missing bass give you the best sound.
0 -
Hi both, interesting read. I have a PowerNode with Kef ls50meta and a tel t5x sub. Seppi - I agree with your comments on sub integration.
I use the sub out setting with crossover set at 80z. I have the rel crossover and gain also set fairly low.
I have noticed a difference in sound profile between tone on (settings at zero) and tone off. I prefer it on. Have you noticed this and which do you prefer? Thanks in advance, Al0 -
That should read REL T5x sub!
0 -
Hi Alastair, I keep the tone controls off on the POWERNODE. I think however if I used it in the bedroom at much lower listen levels I would probably turn it on to add a little bass to small speakers.
0 -
The only difference I notice with the tone switched on (and bass & treble untouched) is a slightly lower volume as you say Alastair to provide the necessary headroom but no difference in sound quality. I tend to still have the bass set at 4 and treble at 2 for low volume listening and then I reset to the defaults when I want to blast the house down.
I have also noticed that when I play the POWERNODE at ear bleeding levels (ie, even louder than it would be played at a party, other than perhaps by my teenagers!) the sound cuts out if I have the bass at 4 - the POWERNODE has obviously reached its ceiling in terms of its 80 watts per channel. That's at about 75% of max volume. I do like it loud and bassy but even I wouldn't listen to it at those types of volumes! Interesting though to test its limits.
0 -
Bass / LF speakers require more amplification than HF / treble at the same given volume level. So what you experience rings true.
I suppose you could supplement your bass by adding a big powered subwoofer and take some of the load off the main speakers and the POWERNODE.
or buy very efficient speakers, I built some fostex based horns years ago and they were so efficient a slight touch of the volume control would send the volume Sky high.
0 -
Thanks Seppi - if I listened at those types of volume levels I would soon be deaf! So I'm happy with the performance as I can get it louder than I would ever normally listen to it (and even the teens haven't complained when they crank it up) without any issues and the bass from my Q Acoustics is good. As you said a few months ago, my speakers don't really need a sub-woofer in most average sized rooms.
I do find that certain genres of music sound better than others though which I guess comes down to the sound character of the POWERNODE and my speakers?
0 -
Thanks guys. I use the sub to improve bass extension and also to relieve the very low bass power demand on the amp and main speakers - trick is to get the crossovers right I think. Still experimenting.
Separate to this I’ve still noticed a difference between having tone controls off and tone controls on (and set to zero). This is not only the volume but the sound signature. Have you noticed this?1 -
I haven't personally but you've probably got younger and more receptive ears than me!
Seppi will know better than I whether this is a feature, or Bluesound may need to respond to this question.
0 -
Not noticed any difference with the tone controls on and set flat, the difference in volume when the tones controls are on / off could actually be the cause.
0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
13 comments