Subwoofer recommendation and wisdom


So I have a relatively difficult room 19' x 19' x 9'. I have made a bunch of sound absorbing panels which made a massive improvement. I have worked on speaker placement and landed on the 5/8 ratio......5x from the back wall, 8x from the side walls. I use Harbeth 30.1 speakers on appropriate stands, driven by a Luxman L505 xII integrated. I am very pleased with the sound but sometimes wish I had a bit more foundation on the bottom end. I will listen mostly to classic rock and jazz. I would like to consider adding a sub, but not sure where to start. I don't want sledgehammer bass, I just want a nice, blended bottom end on my music. I think that is one of the only improvements I can reasonably and cost effectively make. Looking for recommendations on a sealed sub that would have a good chance of integrating well in my room.

My preference would be for a single sub solution. Thanks
 

stuartbmw3
Post removed 

yes, one of the popular myths is that two subs is better than one.

My experience: buy the best sub you can afford. Not plural. Nothing made a bigger improvement than selling my cheapo pair and buying a quality sub.

Two subs are better than one generally speaking.  It’s not a myth in my experience.  One quality sub may sound better than two cheap subs but two quality subs will  sound better than one quality sub.  I have two quality subs and the change from one was significant and apparent.  The point of buying the best sub you can afford is solid advice but I would suggest buy the best you can afford with the intention of adding another when able.  With your square room using two subs can be very effective in managing room modes and nodes.

Your room looks like this... Now, you can see why these old men on audiophile forums touting their apparently "full range" speakers never escaped the physics of bass in rooms. Their "full range" didn’t freaking matter one bit....

 

Buy 2 of these best bang 4 the buck starke subs, $499 each. Set a crossover of around 90hz. You need that rotary phase knob (not some 0/180 flip switch), which these subs should come with...very (très très très) important.

https://starkesound.com/products/sw12

(If you have 4 subs, you can get away with upto a 120hz crossover.)

Start with placement as follows, sub1 @ 1/4th from left wall, sub2 @ 1/4th from right wall.

Good luck.