Lowther Bass Reflex and Subwoofers


Well, after reading about how difficult it is to marry a subwoofer and single driver speakers I think I now understand what all the fuss is about.

My speakers are Lowther DX2 in a Lowter America 2.5 I bass reflex cabinet. The subwoofer is a REL Strata II. A quality 300b SET interstage coupled amplifier is the power. Primary music is diverse; jazz, rock, reggae, classical, indian. Most of the mate rial is acoustic and some with very high dynamic range.

The REL is set on third position for both crossover (fine, coarse) settings which is around 60hz. The REL is driven with speaker level via the standard Neutrik connector.

I was listening to material with pretty good dynamics the other night; ie, Shakti, Roger Waters In The Flesh, Bob Marley Survival. There was just no bass impact on the bottom to speak of. When I walked over to the woofer there is all sorts of low end energy happening. Sitting in the sweet spot of the Lowthers and it just sounds kind of muddy.

The Lowthers are placed about three feet from the rear wall and one is near no side wall; the right speaker is three feet from a side wall.

My understanding is this REL is one of the better subs out there for use with "quick" speakers. Might it be that I just need to spend more time with crossover points and positioning of the Lowthers? The sub is to the left of the system; ie, about one foot to the left of the left Lowther and two feet from the rear wall.

The walls and ceiling are bare at this point as I just moved in. I am just about ready to acquire another woofer, or two, to audition. Some of the woofers I've been considering are the Magelland and the PMC. I'd like to find an older Hsu 8" passive woofer and run an active crossover but I have never seen one for sale.

Advice?
c123666
Try running your subwoofer 180 degress out of phase. Also you may want to check the volume of the subwoofer with a SPL meter to see if you have it set too high.You should not be able to locate that sub in the room when it's set properly.
I've tried the phase repeatedly; makes a subtle difference but that is not the issue. Perhaps I need to rearrange my system so I can move the Lowthers closer to the rear wall to increase their bass output and then try to integrate the REL again.
I've been reading the 2.5 I has a in room response down to roughly 40 Hz.... Minus 3 or 4 dB. Your subwoofer crossover may actually be set a little too high at 60 hz. Just a thought.
With patience it will come together for you.

Good luck!