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Subwoofers for Magnepan 1.7 + Bonus positioning question

I have a Hegel H400 pushing my happy Magnepan 1.7s and am thinking about adding either a single or pair of subwoofers that complement the Maggies. I currently have a 30+ year old Yamaha YST SW-160 that sorta does the trick. I'd love to have a sub that came with a phone app for tweaking the settings. It's always a pain, jumping back and forth from the sub to my listening spot until I get it right.

Positioning question: Would it make sense to stack the 1.7s on top of the subs where they currently are? (Assuming it would be physically possible) Sounds good on paper anyway.

baconboy
rocray's avatar
rocray
1,542 posts
 

I have found SVS to be a great value. Are there better? There is always better. However I don’t think you can find better for the price. The app is awesome.  I have a pair of 3000 Micro in my dedicated listening room,and a pair of SB 2000 pros in my secondary room.  They are so easy to adjust,even I can do it. And that’s saying something! 

thriftyaudio's avatar
thriftyaudio
190 posts
 

I utilize the SVS 1000 for the HT. Very nice solution.

For my main music system the Rythmic F12SE (dual) is amazing. 

Many years ago I stacked bookshelf speakers on subs. Only after I compared the sound of stacked versus dedicated stands did I make the decision to keep the subs and speakers separate. YMMV

Enjoy the music!

 

jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,925 posts
 

op

you did not talk about your room (it matters a lot when it comes to deploying sub(s))

general advice is get a pair of rel's (t7, t9 series), use the high level inputs (follow rel's instructions meticulously for setup)

subs on the floor, alongside each 1.7 panel

gdaddy1
512 posts
 

@soix   +1

The advantage of stacking them is the physics involved. When done properly you get a +6db increase in output. That's a lot!  This allows for a decrease in gain level and renders lower distortion in the process.

Another stacked option is to set the bottom sub @ a low crossover around 40hz and then set the top sub higher around 70hz. This fills in a wider range of low to mid bass.

Tight, punchy and rich sounding throughout the entire bass region. 

kennymacc
723 posts
 

Under no circumstances would I stack the Maggies on top of the subs!!!  And, yes, a "PAIR" of quality subs of your choosing would absolutely take your speaker system over the top.  Not sure if any of the REL subwoofer models offer any phone apps for tweaking, but, even without additional phone app tweaking, and using just the standard adjustments on the back of the subs, I found great success using REL subs with Maggies.  Happy listening.  

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