Best subwoofer and crossover options to compliment planar speakers like Magnepan MG-IIc

[dlucy]

I'll soon be the proud new owner my first pair of Maggies, thanks to @hjames, and I'd like to understand two things as I await their arrival:

1. What are the best options for a subwoofer to handle the low end for these particular Magnepans? I've found some chat about Velodyne ULD and DD and similar vintage subs, but there are plenty of other contenders, I'm sure. In the same vein, I'm not stuck on just vintage subs, so what are the best or most-common modern subs that people use to compliment planar speakers like this? I am used to my Kappa 8's handling the entire spectrum, so I'd like to get that same complete performance from the Maggies and... whatever takes over low end duty.

2. When considering the addition of a subwoofer, my understanding is some subs like the Velodyne ULD will have their own servo amp unit and it'll handle prizing off the low frequencies before they can get to the Magnepans. For subs that don't come with such a crossover+amp, what are some of the common options for crossovers?

 

[hjames]

I have an M&K subwoofer I got about 8 years ago off ebay .... I used it with my original MGIIb speakers, later on had it storage,
used it with the MGIIc you bought, and use it with the JBL L212 that did NOT come with the B212 bass subwoofer ...
I find them a VERY musical sub, but they are getting old and harder to find ...

 

[Superampman]

You're far better off getting self powered subs with low and high pass. I use a pair of DPS12 Velodyne subs with my Acoustats. They go down to 30hz so the subs just complete the spectrum. I also used them with my Kappa 9s, JBL L5, L65, etc. Bottom end is always overrated, typically down 3db. The issue with subs is that power is at a premium when they're taxing your main amp.

 

[hjames]

Here is all the research I did when I first bought the MG-IIcs from jjohnson, and after some research time.

I was strongly thinking of following eHoove's example. Tho his speakers are MG-IIIa 3 ways, a lot of what he did can still be applied to the MG-IIc 2-way models -
they have jumpers on the back and are ready to be biAmped!

All the links go to various threads he did on AK over the years
(I hope my posting this is not a problem for him)

eHoove's overall system page
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/ehooves-current-rigs.694546/#post-9285936

info on his reworked magnepan MG-IIIas

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=277101&highlight=MGIIIa

His first pass on refurbing them ...
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/magnepan-mgiiia-refurb-with-pics.172597

And he uses these Ultradrive Pro Crossovers - Beringer DCX2496

Info on his updated TriAmp wiring
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/in...iias-with-subs-an-adventure-in-wiring.721021/


Here's a Photo of the panel on your pair of MG-IIcs -
1 and 2 will accept banana jacks



And the chart on how to biAmp them from the Owner's manual
(I sent the PDF manual to your email box a few moments ago)
I never got a printed copy and never printed it myself.

 

[sqlsavior]

What worked well for me was picking a sub with a good reputation for music, using speaker-level inputs, running the Maggies full-range, and crossing in the sub at the Maggie's 3-dB down point, i.e. low, like around 40 Hz, for starters. Two subs work better than one, IMO.

 

[jazzmans]

Yup, I run my 1.6QR full range, and in addition feed a JL Audio Fathom and a M&K dual 12" push/pull subwoofer a line level input.

1. cross the subs over LOW (mine are ~60hz I think, or maybe it's ~50.) the key is what sounds 'right' in your room with your speakers.
2. Don't turn the subs up too high.
The tendancy (at least for me) was to have the gain too high on the subs for that 'bump' at first.

What I do, is listen to rock and roll, and hip-hop, set the sub where everything sounds 'right' then go listen to male and female predominant vocals that you personally know very well, and adjust the gain on the sub(s) down until the voices sound correct. I found the subs are barely even working most times, and boy howdy! does it sound good.

 

[SaturationPt]

I'd say it depends on the music, much of the vintage rock didn't have much <40hz, classical had more, music mixed in the last 20+ years much more.

I am not running maggies, but do remember fondly the Vokswoofer mentioned above (which I had with the M&K Satellites, not sure how it'd match the maggies as originally it was designed as a set). I too would endorse the M&K Volkswoofer as a musical sub.

Currently I am using and very happy with the JBL LSR6312SP studio sub, self-powered 250W with a single 12" dual-coil driver (triple-coil if you include the dynamic brake coil). I was trying to integrate an Infinity SSW-212 but IMO it overpowered my space, and I do not consider it flat.

The JBL is a little complicated to integrate, it has the option of TRS inputs, but only XLR outs. So for use as a high-pass to your amplifier it will require some adapters to go from XLR to RCA (un-balanced). It also has the disadvantage of the internal crossover being set at 80hz (which happens to work for my system), there is no adjustment for the 80hz crossover.

It also has a nice feature (RMC) that allows you to EQ a room peak out of the subwoofer, which I've found works well.

The LSR6312SP is starting to hit sale prices at Guitar Cntr etc. as it appears to be at the end of its life, and I saw one on the auction site recently for a pretty tasty price (considering trying a second one, can be daisy-chained). Unfortunately for some of us it looks like studio gear, pretty hard to get it to integrate with a living-room environment (charcoal finish, no grille, heat-sink/port on the front).

 

[Drum]

I have found the HSU subs to be very musical. They don't have that lumpy bloated bass that some subs have. They also go extremely low.

Here is one of their less expensive models. No longer has speaker level out (older models did), but you can run the mains full range and then use the sub crossover to keep it mostly below 40-50 hz.

http://hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2mk5.html