What to do in my situation...


I'm using some older equipment and have Alon II MK2 speakers and an Acurus DIA-150 Integrated amp driving them. I generally like the sound quality, but would like a little more bottom end. I've read good reviews about the bass qualities on the Alons, so I'm wondering if I just need more power to drive them or if a separate subwoofer would be a better solution?

The problem with the DIA-150 is that there are no line outs to drive another amp or a subwoofer, so if I went the subwoofer route, I'd have to use the high-level outs. Is this a bad solution sound-wise? Anyone had success pairing a sub with the Alons using high-level outs?

The Alons are bi-ampable, but again since there are no line outs, I don't think there's another way to add an amp to this setup that wouldn't involve a large cash outlay?
oenophile
edensound, audiopoints, walkeraudio validpoints/discs. There are lots of options out there. I've used all 3 to great effect in various situations. Given your budget, I'd consider radiused Bearpaws from Edensound.

BTW, to increase bass, you would move the speakers closer to the wall. Unfortunately, this negatively affects imaging and soundstage.

Before spending big on anything, get a test cd and a sound meter, and try to figure out what your room is doing. That will make things much easier for you. Cheers,
Spencer
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I tried moving the speakers out from the wall a bit, and it didn't seem to do much for the bass. Wondering whether the factory spikes were useless, I took them off and placed the speakers directly on the floor. Big mistake, as it didn't improve the low-end at all and made the midbass sound cheap and boomy. The factory spikes do seem a bit cheesy...any suggestions for more solid spikes/cups or rounded cones that won't dig into the hardwood floors?
You've got a lot of issues here. As a former Alon II and Alon V owner, I would suggest:

Even if just for an hour, try remove the discs from under the spikes, and see if it makes a difference. Better yet replace those cheesy spikes with something better(not getting into brand names here).

All the room/placement suggestions are good. These are very sensitive to placeement. If you are limited in where you can put the speakers, don't forget to experiment moving your seat. Even a few inches will make a difference in what room modes are picked up by your ears. Frequencies get cancelled out in certain spots depending on reflections in the room. If you get a spl meter you can easily see this for yourself with any test tone CD.

As for the gear itself, Alons were voiced for tube amps. They don't need tons of power. They do need clean power, and although I have always liked Aragon/Acurus stuff, you will probably get better satisfaction with a tube amp.

Spending on a sub, and the integration issues there are exactly the wrong way to go. Money out the window; you will end up with bass at too high a musical cost. You've got some problems that will take a little work, but you can solve this. Cheers,

Spencer
placement of the Alons may be part of the problem but you are apparently limited in placement options. try moving the speakers even a little bit and see if your impression changes.
Don't buy anything until you do some work looking into your room. You say you want some more bottom end and your comment that you may be running out of power to me often says that the bass is out of control and loose/muddy/undefined (pick your term). With some acoustic issues addressed for your room, you are likely to find that the problem is neither the amp or the speaker as much as the room.

I changed listening rooms recently and had my system in an untreated room for a few months before I got around to addressing that issue. I did this yesterday - and let me tell you the difference is much bigger than changing any component would have delivered!
Jrinkerptdnet - We listen to a variety of things...lots of rock from '50s to new stuff, with some country, and a little jazz, classical and standards thrown in. We use the setup also for video, but don't watch a ton of movies, so I'm not concerned with rattling the windows.

The room is the upper floor of an old daylight ranch, so it's about 12 x 25, with an offshoot dining room in an "L" shape. The stereo system is placed on the short wall, with the speakers facing into the living room but facing away from the dining area. They are about 6 feet apart and about 15 inches from the back wall. Due to the way the house is with the short wall there, I don't have a lot of placement options, as there's only about 9 feet on that wall until the fireplace. I'm using all of the stock Alon stuff, including the Black Orpheus wire and the spikes sitting on metal cups so they don't scratch the hardwood.
Alon speakers have excellent bass ... what type of music are you listening to or are you looking for "home theater bass"?? It is also possible your room is too big for the speakers.
He said he has "NO" line outs, therefore what's he connecting a Y adaptor to? Ahendler obviously misread your post.
KR4 - Thanks, do you think the 150 is enough power for the Alons? At low to mid volume levels it just doesn't have much low-end punch.

Ahendler - Can you explain? Maybe I'm just being dense, but if there aren't any line out jacks (other than the tape monitor out), how will a "Y" help? Or will that work with the tape monitor outs?
The REL sub setup might work but I would consider attention to room acoustics and speaker/listener placement first. Bass from these speakers is pretty good.