Castle Howard S2

jct

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Hi
I have the S2 and I need som advice on the Howard.

I run them with ELectrocompaniet equipment.

I find them a bit lightweight and thinking of adding a sub.
Any opinions on this? I am thinking of a REL sub.

Since they are bit lightweight I feel they are a bit bright. But I am not sure.

My room is 35 m2. I wonder if they are undersized for the room.

Does anybody know if there is any sonic difference between S1 and S2?

Kind regards
JCT​

 

Jules_S

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Howards shouldn't be bass-light, the TL bass is pretty well-defined ("tight") and goes low. There is a certain amount of adjustment possible by adding or removing spacers between the bottom plinth and the cabinet itself, where the TL exits. Maybe experiment with adding more spacers to increase the gap? I'd be careful about placing them too close to walls though, they like a bit of space to breathe. 35m2 is a good sized room but I wouldn't think it was too much for them. I hear a pair in a room of just under 30m2 and they fill the space very well.

The S3 Howard has a different driver set but I think the S1 an S2 are quite similar
 

jct

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Hi

Great answer. Thanks.

Do you know how I add these spacers? I guess I need to remove the base plinth from the cabinet?

Since I listen a lot to mainstream pop I am looking for some punch. I know the Howard is not a party speaker in that sense therefore I thought of adding a sub.

And did you ever find them being bright?

Kind regards
JCT
 

jct

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This is how big the gap is for the moment.
 

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Jules_S

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That gap looks quite small to me, and is probably constricting the output from the TL. You're correct, to add spacers you will need to lay the speakers on their side and then the plinths unbolt from underneath. Adding spacers is as simple as finding something to slip over the thread of the bolt, between the cabinet and the plinth. Washers, either metal, plastic or nylon, would do the job if they are a reasonably snug fit.

I wouldn't say that the Howard was bright, no. The smaller Harlech (which I owned - the Howards I refer to belong to my father) could be quite "forward" in the upper-midrange and extended in the highs - a lot of people don't like this style of presentation, finding it fatiguing over time. The Howards are smoother I find, although accompanying amplification will also have an influence here. I'm not familiar with your Electrocompaniet so can't comment here.

The later S3 Castle models with the carbon fibre mid-bass have a darker tonality. I had the Conway 3 and couldn't adjust to the ported bass and change in tone over the Harlechs; many would probably prefer it overall.
 
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jct

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Great thanks. Very useful.

And last things. Did your father ever tried adding a sub to his Howard’s?

Kind regards
JCT
 

wHIZZY

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I owned the MK1 and they had a very healthy bass output. From memory and from images on line the gap at the bottom is not meant to be that large. Have you checked (felt) to check all the drivers are functioning. 1.jpg
 

jct

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I do feel that the bass goes deep but at the same time I feel there is little punch to it perhaps because the mid bass is a little lean?

That’s why I was wondering if any felt like adding a sub or did add a sub?

Could my room of 35 m2 be too big?

Did you ever try a sub with the Howard?
 

Jules_S

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If it's not the depth of the bass but more the quality of it (I'm reading "punch" as "dynamics" and thinking that perhaps you're missing the initial leading edge of bass notes and drums) then it could just be that these speakers aren't for you.

We never tried a sub with Howards, didn't feel the need

I agree with Dave that the plinth gap isn't meant to be huge, we're not talking about anything more than perhaps 5mm max, but Castle did supply spacers with their speakers AFAIK so you could experiment.
 
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jct

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Yes I guess it’s the quality or quantity of the bass I mean and I therefore feel that they a bit lightweight. The overall sound though is very good and natural.

That’s why I came with the idea to add a sub to create more bass.

Are there any other Castle speaker which produce more bass and has the same sound signature of the Howard?
 

bencat

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Looking at that picture I would still say it looks too small . First things try letting the bass output breathe a little and open that gap . Small increase at a time then have a good listen . If it gets better add another shin and then have another listen . Do this too adding a shim until it makes it worse then go back to the previous gap . Then give it some good listening time and see .
 
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Jules_S

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The Howard was the flagship (and biggest) of the range - I don't think anything else they made will have "more" bass. Caveat: I'm not familiar with the current models.

Integrating a sub successfully is quite an art - search this forum and you'll find some recent threads on the subject. Done correctly it can genuinely augment the sound in positive ways, but it can also spoil things too if not done sympathetically. If you're going down that route make sure you choose something with plenty of adjustment - at the very least crossover frequency and phase, as well as level. If it has Q adjustment too that would be useful.

Not sure what the rest of your system is apart from your amp brand (if you update your profile to include this, others can offer advice in future). It may be possible, if you only use a digital source, to introduce some DSP that will help you with the integration.
 

Jules_S

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Oh, forgot that one, very good point. (hangs head in shame at lack of brand knowledge)
 

jct

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What amp would be suitable for the Howard?

I have Electrocompaniet 250R power and 4.8 pre.
 

wHIZZY

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I do feel that the bass goes deep but at the same time I feel there is little punch to it perhaps because the mid bass is a little lean?

That’s why I was wondering if any felt like adding a sub or did add a sub?

Could my room of 35 m2 be too big?

Did you ever try a sub with the Howard?
I remember replacing the Howards wth Ruark Crusaders and the bass from the Crusaders certainly had more impact, although probably did not go any deeper. So you may be right and it might be more about the character or lack of dynamic punch in the bass. In which case you might be better off changing your speakers rather than the amp.
 
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jct

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Yes indeed or keeping the Howard and adding a sub. I do like the sonics from the Howard a very natural sound and things sound right with them.
 

Jazid

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Well adjusted subs dont tend to add much bass bizarrely, they do add greater depth. This all in my humble opinion. If the music is bass light it could be the speakers, or it could be the room. Try moving the speakers around a bit perhaps? Or try adding damping if the room is minimally furnished?
 

jct

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Yes the idea was to add more fullness to the sound and a bit more punch with the help of a sub like a adjustable REL sub.
 

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