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Older subwoofers better than newer subwoofers!

I was considering buying a new subwoofer to replace my Bowers and Wilkins ASW2000, which is a substantial subwoofer with a 12 inch driver.

I spoke to somebody at Bowers and Wilkins and a dealer and there are issues with newer subs where they are tighter but no longer have the ability to fill the room with a fullness that the older subs have. The feedback they receive from new buyers is that the very lowest frequency experience has been diminished with the newer subwoofers because they’re too tight. So if you replace your older subwoofers in a home theater environment you may be disappointed.

So I think I’ll keep my older subwoofer. Sadly people have no appreciation for these vintage subwoofer experiences since most of the current gear offered is built with dsp stuff, smaller drivers and poorly powered Active subwoofers. Further, because of the shortcomings buyers are forced to buy two to ensure a good room coverage. Sometimes progress isn’t what it pretends to be.

jumia

Showing 3 responses by jumia

jumia OP
528 posts
 

What is the dampening factor? Seems the only thing that can dampen the sound on the back of my subwoofer is the volume.

So modern subwoofers have dampening adjustments and are they any good?

jumia OP
528 posts
 

I checked a few noteworthy subwoofers and they didn't have this dampening control.  Do many  come with a dampening control?

jumia OP
528 posts
 

Maybe a more important issue is that subwoofers are designed to address bass frequencies that they were not originally intended to deal with. A larger Driver used wIth subs was intended to provide a blanket at the lowest basslevels where definition is less meaningful.

Over recent years drivers in main speakers have gotten smaller for cosmetic purposes (ie. smaller cabinets) and that leads to bass deficiencies.

So now subs are proliferating all over the place to deal with stereo listening deficiencies from Main speakers. Profoundly sad. With subwoofers to address these deficiencies it leads to more problems coordinating and synchronizing sound which leads to more marketing opportunities in the DSP area. It’s getting crazy out there.

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