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Should I bother to try a subwoofer?

My speakers are listed as going down to 40 HZ (Dynaudio 1.3 MkII monitors).
There is an REL Strata III available locally that I might snag, try out and re-sell if I don't like/need it. My question is this: since I would not be using this for movies, do I even need this? I mostly listen to classical music, more chamber than symphonic, and occasionally listen to rock, jazz and other pop styles.

Am I likely missing something without that lowest octave? I'm thinking that 99% of the time the sub might not even be in use if it kicks in at 40 Hz.

Any comments, purely theoretical or from experience, will be welcome.
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Showing 1 response by djohnson54

djohnson54
396 posts
 
There are reasons, other than filling in missing frequencies, to use a sub. One of the benefits of using a sub is that it can free the speaker from trying to reproduce frequencies at the bottom of its range. Many times this will have the effect of allowing the speaker to produce more coherent mid-bass frequencies and decrease the distortion at the lower end of the woofer's range. Because of this I would encourage you to experiment with the crossover frequency. Trust your ears and set it where it sounds best. Everyone's room is different. I also agree that you should not turn it up too high. The effects should be subtle (except for movies!).

Dick
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