Subwoofer


A couple of days ago I was talking to a dealer and he said that all speakers benefit from adding a subwoofer. What's are your thoughts? 
ricred1

To add to Duke’s very informed post above, Danny Richie’s GR Research OB subs are the "fastest" I’ve ever heard. Danny chose paper as the cone material for the drivers he designed for his subs for a few reasons: He finds paper to provide greater resolution than aluminum at small signal levels, the result of paper’s lower mass and energy storage in comparison to aluminum; he finds paper to provide more natural timbre than aluminum; and paper-coned woofers can be used to a higher x/o frequency, his OB sub being usable up to 300Hz. Danny offers the same woofer with an aluminum cone (marketed through Rythmik Audio), but recommends the paper version for highest sound quality.

The "fast" characteristic of a sub is not, as Duke just said, the result of it starting quickly (bass frequencies are relatively slow), but rather of it stopping quickly (the OB sub has been described as "stopping on a dime"). That results in the sub not filling in the spaces between musical material with noise, from both the cone itself as well as the sub cabinet---self-induced resonance. The OB nature of the sub also lessens the room’s ability to add it’s own noise---the "boom" subs are notorious for creating. An OB sub doesn’t "load" the room the way sealed and ported subs do, exciting fewer room modes.

Danny was already offering OB subs when he learned of fellow-Texas resident Brian Ding of Rythmik, who had developed and patented a new servo-feedback woofer design. Danny proposed they work together at designing a woofer optimized for Open Baffle use and employing Brian’s servo-feedback circuitry. The resulting sub is very special---the world’s only Open Baffle-Dipole/Servo-Feedback sub! Brian himself offers an extensive line of aluminum-coned Servo-Feedback subs through Rythmik Audio, in 8", dual 8", 12", dual 12", 15", dual 15", and soon-to-be-available 18", some of them in sealed models only, some in ported only, and some in both. Very "fast" sounding subs is what Rythmik Audio is known for (Sterling Sound in NYC, famous for their superior-sounding mastering, has six of the sealed 15" in their monitor systems), and GR Research has a few DIY sub models (sealed in addition to the afore-mentioned OB), as well as loudspeakers. There is no longer any reason or need to settle for "slow", bloated, boomy subs!

Í would never advice a subwoofer which is not sealed. Each single part to improve the timing is an advantage in accuracy and integration. When you use subwoofers with a 15 inch driver, you get a more natural sound. Also with more authority.

@ricred1 : I will send you a personal message this weekend. I had to find out how I can send a personal message.
My closed box Miller&Kreisel subs are paper. They can sound shockingly natural with percussion. I strongly felt I got on the right path with CB and paper after having a bunch of good quality OB subs with a range of different cone materials. Rythmik's are my next subs of choice, again with CB and paper. They left me as if not more impressed than the MK's. It wasn't my listening environment and I'm anxiously awaiting to hear what they do in my own space.        
There are many subs with 15" drivers, all sounding a little different from each other. Which gives "a more natural sound"? The one you own, of course ;-) ! The 12" and 15" Rythmik subs, both with aluminum coned woofers, sound exactly the same---not just very similar, but identical. The 15" just producers more output, due to it's larger cone area, longer cone travel, stronger motor, higher-watt amplifier, and larger sealed enclosure. But the sound characteristic? Indistinguishable from the 12". Rythmik designer/owner Brian Ding says so, as do Rythmik owners having both 12" and 15" models. But hey, feel free to "believe" whatever you want.
For me ( born perfectionist) audio is comparing and testing.....over and over again. This part never stops. In almost 18 years of time I have done thousands of tests in sound&vision. Only to find those products who give the best results. Because inferior products don't add anything to the world of audio.

For me audio is not about good, but only about the best. Because this way you will get only clients with a big smile on their face. 

In almost 18 years of time I learned that over 95% of all products in audio are not worth it's money.