What modern subs do you use?
- Thread starter thedelihaus
- Start date
thedelihaus
Nocturnal transmissions
Very impressive, but much too big for my room!
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
The JL's are the best I've ever heard as well. Second place would be some of the upper end Velodyne's. For low end subs where one doesn't care about aesthetics the Hsu Research subs are a killer bargain at their prices.
slippers-on
Music...let it move you!
I guess subs are what I have hardly in info on....I have a very nice 15 inch Klipsh from about 10 years ago in my main home theater, and a 8 inch Mirage sub in the second home theater in the basement. they both go very low and do a great job, but I really don't watch movies as I use too.....The kids and wife do more so than I.
Poultrygeist
Lunatic Member
I have a Bob Carver Sunfire Signature for HT use but would never spoil my 2 channel system with it. I don't care for plodding subs which means I don't care for any of them especially those that pressurize your room. I've found subs to be great for sound effects but not so great for producing realistic sounding bass.
Fusion
Active Member
From reading posts of hardcore subwoofer users, it is easy to get subwoofer setup wrong and requires more than a little effort to get right. The results should not be plodding or boomy bass, rather it should lay the proper foundation for music and even help the mids and highs as your mains are freed up to produce only those frequencies. And the results should be spectacular! I believe many use technologies such as DSP to help with integration. In addition, multiple subs are used (2-4). These additional subs do not add more bass as many think, they are there to tame the room (canceling bass in some parts and filling in null points in others). Basically, a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th subwoofer will smooth out bass response and I believe even negate the necessity for bass treatments in some cases.
Anyhow, this is the gist of what I know on the topic and is something I'd love to explore someday if I ever have a room and pocketbook big enough to do so.
Anyhow, this is the gist of what I know on the topic and is something I'd love to explore someday if I ever have a room and pocketbook big enough to do so.
Permanent Waves
Digital Man
:thmbsp:
If you know what you are doing (and can spend the money) "musical" subs are very beneficial to a system. None of the subs I ever had (even the cheaper sub $500 ones) ever produced anything but tight, taut, and articulate nuanced bass. Nothing overwhelming (unless the volume is cranked or the FR is set too high) but only subtle and perfect blended integration of the bass with my stand mounts that you can feel and adds a real depth and power to the music.
Still I don't usually, as noted above, desire the added bass from subs. The stand mounts usually are enough for me, even in large rooms/open areas. But contemporary quality subs and the proper integration of them put them far beyond their reputation in the 80's and 90's in the audiophile world as just "big boom boxes" for kids to use in cars or so the HT system builder could feel explosions in movies. Many of the serious audiophiles I know use subs in their main 2.1 systems in fact, even when they have large quality floor standers.
Nothing wrong with not liking subs of course, but they shouldn't be dismissed as mere consumer audio playtoys. Some time spent with some quality subs properly set up and integrated into a quality system will put to rest that misconception!
Last edited:
Poultrygeist
Lunatic Member
Instead of subs I use these OB H-frames which are known for their musicality and fast bass transients. I agree with Linkwitz when he says "open baffles reproduce bass with less room interaction and are more articulate than box speakers". OB bass is the most "live" sounding bass I've heard and it does not penetrate walls and load the room like conventional subs.
Poultrygeist
Lunatic Member
pete_mac
Super Member
Indeed, REL subs are fantastic.
I owned a little REL T2 and it integrated seamlessly. Best of all, they are optimised for speaker-level input connection which suits vintage and most 2 channel amps perfectly.
jblnut
Don't Overthink It
My approach may be a little unconventional but hear me out. As both a bass and keyboard (heavy on the synths) player I know good "musical" bass when I hear it. I decided to use an old 8 cubic foot 15" bass cab I had lying around (makes a great end/lamp table actually) as a start. I picked up a nice xover from that auction site (an Audio Arts 2-way stereo unit although I only use one channel) cheap, as well as a Carver PM175 which I bridged to mono. Total initial investment was well under 5 bills. This got me started and sounded pretty nice. The next level came when I grabbed a monster JBL SUB1500 driver on close out from PE. This 60+ lb 15" driver (!) was the heart of a $3k Revel sub by the way. Now I have bass to die for. It can be subtle or organ-rearranging loud depending on music and mood. I like this " component " approach as I can easily swap in different drivers, amps and x-overs as I need to over the years.
The best all in one modern sub i have heard lately is a triangular klipsch unit that a friend has. It has it's own remote which seems like a gimmick, but it is very useful.
Jblnut
The best all in one modern sub i have heard lately is a triangular klipsch unit that a friend has. It has it's own remote which seems like a gimmick, but it is very useful.
Jblnut
Last edited:
craigmclella
Sony ES Nut.
I use a single MJ Acoustics Reference 100 MKII for movies and music, which is saying something.
I adore it.
I adore it.
