This comes up so often I wrote a post about it:
Do I need a subwoofer?
Hopefully I’ve framed this in a way to help people answer. Up until recently I have had a combo 2-channel/home theater system (Krell preamp with home theater bypass, Bryston 5 channel amp, PSB Synchrony 1s bi-amped speakers, Marantz home theater receiver, Power Sound Audio XV15 subwoofer, Oppo CD player). I wanted extra oomph for surround sound movie watching and occasionally some rock music, hence the sub. I was never really impressed with the XV15 sub (have it for sale now). It is insanely large and I wasn’t sure it was adding the oomph I expected, even after having a local hifi shop owner come out for a listen and tune.
What’s changed: A few weeks ago I inherited my late father’s B&W 801 speakers circa 1980, which I have put in place of my PSBs and am enjoying thoroughly despite the age difference.
My questions: (1) would a sub still be of value in my setup (I still like a lot of bass) and (2) what might folks recommend?
Thank you.
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- 63 posts total
@erik_squires That was a nicely written piece. Very informative. Room treatments has been something I have lacked in. |
I would use at least 2 subwoofers for the best ultra low bass that even the B and W's are missing. SVS is a decent sub, but I would not get anything less than the 3000 series and I'm partial to sealed or servo controlled subs. You can get SVS with a return window in case you don't like them. What is your room size? In general the more subs you have the fewer the null or dead zones in the bass. I agree with the need for room treatment. |
There is a lot of information in the bottom octaves that are related to soundstage and ambience, and other spatial cues. As decently low as those B&W,s go on their own, adding good quality subs, will create a more open, larger soundstage, than without. This tends to be more obvious with music that is recorded, with all musicians playing at the same time, and in the same acoustic space, such as: classical or jazz. But all types of decently recorded music will benefit
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I just added a 2nd SVS SB2000 to my system and it's so much more balanced now. I'm running them as a stereo pair right next to my mains. I'm able to run them at a lower power compared to the one single so it doesn't excite the room modes nearly as much and still fills in a lot more evenly across the board with easily reaching into the upper teens . It takes a huge amount of the congestion out of the lower octaves that I never knew were there previously. As for your choice, I'd recommend sealed are definitely the way to go unless you have the space to do full open baffle servo subs. |
- 63 posts total