Do I Need a Subwoofer - Please suggest

[bhagwan]

Ok agreed. I tried that myself and can hear it.

But I still feel since Tanoj has two way bookshelves, he will benefit more from 3 way FLs.

Getting a pair of passive subwoofers could be difficult and DIY will be one option.

Passive coz he already has a capable amp. Integerating with Bookshelves wud be another challenge.

Sir,
I need to say - at the onset - that I have played with Subs in the past & have not been successful. Only this SPL 800i has worked. The Martin Logan Depth X 2 pieces etc did not work.
Yet, to try and address the point you have raised - 3 way is better than a 2 way - why ?
Passive Subs - Why ?
Please do shed some light.
The biggest USP of an active sub is - SPL can be Adjusted. Phase can be adjusted & Cut Off Frequency can be adjusted. All this in a Full Range Floor Stander may not be possible or easy.
Your inputs will be much appreciated.
Thank You.

 

[bhagwan]

What is the lowest audible frequency produced by which instrument? Is it a tympani?

Or contrabassoon?

Sir,
These are 'technical' questions & they can be answered by google;
What we are trying to ascertain is not if the human ear can listen to it.
It is the brain that perceives it.
Nothing plays beyond 8 or 10 KHertz.
Yet, human hearing is said to be till 20 K Hertz.
Speakers are made to play till 40 K Hertz.
Why ?
If you get the chance - do give it a try.
Tannoy Dual Concentric Speakers can be installed with a Super Tweeter that plays 14K Hertz ++ & If it is switched off - you can feel the difference.
Maybe I have done to the other side - to get back to Subs.
The Lower Frequencies form the foundation of music.
20 to 40 is the 1st Octave. 40 to 80 is the next.
So, if your speaker is not playing below 40 cycles - 1 full octave from the 10 is missing.
You may never miss it - until it is put on & then taken away.
Loss is always felt when things go away.:sad:

 

[Tanoj]

Hi,

I really Appreciate everyone's contribution to my initial thought and addressing my concern

i dont think my Sansui B2102 amp has a sub-out etc, it does has SpeakerA and SpeakerB terminals which iam using as Bi-wiring my bookshelf speakers

i.e i connected speaker A terminals to the Upper two sockets of speaker and Speaker B terminals to the lower two sockets, removed the bridge between the sockets -and both A+B switch on amp is turned on - i have been using this way since last 1 year or so, it improved the overall SQ.

How much does Velodyne SPL 800i - Sub Woofer cost ?

Also just to clarify iam not looking for disco kid of bass, i am looking for deep/continuous kind of bass ... i dont have proper words to describe here

Just by any chance anyone in Bangalore can Lend me a sub for a day or two ?

Thank you,

Regards,

Tanoj

 

[Tanoj]

Hi,

Posting Pics of My Power Apm

I belive i should Modify by Pass B1 to accommodate the Sub-woofer, will contact Sachin regarding this.

Regards

Tanoj

 

[bhagwan]

Hi,

How much does Velodyne SPL 800i - Sub Woofer cost ?

Also just to clarify iam not looking for disco kid of bass, i am looking for deep/continuous kind of bass ... i dont have proper words to describe here

Tanoj

I got the SPL 800i 3 months back.
That time USD was 'lower' & the Retail was 55 or 58 K
May be 65/- K now.
There is a dealer in Bangalore for it.
SWS too makes good subs.

Just remember buying the sub is on 15 % of the work.
Getting it to work is 70 % of the work.
The last 15 % is GOD - if he wants to 'support' you - just kidding.

Work on it & the set up will sing great.

All the Best !

 

[jls001]

Pipe organs go down to 16 Hz.

One can hear 20 Hz. Some can even hear 18. I've heard 20 from a test CD played through a sub.

 

[Shivam]

Hi,

I really Appreciate everyone's contribution to my initial thought and addressing my concern

i dont think my Sansui B2102 amp has a sub-out etc, it does has SpeakerA and SpeakerB terminals which iam using as Bi-wiring my bookshelf speakers

i.e i connected speaker A terminals to the Upper two sockets of speaker and Speaker B terminals to the lower two sockets, removed the bridge between the sockets -and both A+B switch on amp is turned on - i have been using this way since last 1 year or so, it improved the overall SQ.

How much does Velodyne SPL 800i - Sub Woofer cost ?

Also just to clarify iam not looking for disco kid of bass, i am looking for deep/continuous kind of bass ... i dont have proper words to describe here

Just by any chance anyone in Bangalore can Lend me a sub for a day or two ?

Thank you,

Regards,

Tanoj

I have heard systems in various homes (from beginners to very very expensive high-end ones) and they all have excessive bass. My experience is very limited but now I feel that most of us are used to excessive bass at our homes.

My advice is to use an RTA, pink noise and then place your system. If you are missing some specific sound / notes (which you are able to enjoy on another system) - check them again with an RTA on that another system where you are hearing them and know the exact frequency. If it falls outside the range which your present system can't handle, buy a couple of subs. (Buying two inexpensive subs is usually a better option than buying a single expensive sub).

 

[Srinath_seshadri]

Excessive bass is what I would say my wife likes to listen to.
Oddly, I like treble. I can tell when you replace a ribbon tweeter in an infinity speaker like an emit-r with a better ribbon like a fawafuji.
Cool.
Srinath.

 

[captrajesh]

Although Many of you might already aware about my setup, but still i have listed it below for refrence,

Stereo Steup:
Source : Nakamichi MB2- CDP, sansui Lenier Trakking TT, Sony PS11 TT
Pre-amp : Pass B1
Power-amp: Sansui B2102, 200w/Channel
Speakers: Aucoustic Portrait Bookshelf speakers

i felt that i may be missing the lower Bass extensions and Mid Bass and started thinking i may need a subwoofer, although iam not sure.

I had once played these very speakers while I had them with some test tracks having lots of low frequency information shared by FM GeorgeO. One was that of a goods train taking off and the other of a metro train chugging in and stopping at a railway station. I was amazed to note the huge excursion of the puny looking 6.5" woofers but faithfully reproducing most of those effects. Only, the Cadence Aristas with their bigger 8" woofers could better it.

How big is your room ?

Do post a PIC of your setup..

If you do have a larger room then a nice floorstander or sub woofer depending on your budget.

A good question and a sane advice which got lost in the din of all the posts.

Room gain is significant for low frequency sounds. While those speakers sounded nice in the 14' x 23' living room where I used to play them, I remember how they sounded like subwoofers when I experimented playing them in smallish 10' x 11' children's bedroom once.

IMO the OP shouldn't go in for a subwoofer unless he is willing to spend considerable amount of money, time, resources and effort in buying one and integrating it in his setup.

 

[arj]

My advice is to use an RTA, pink noise and then place your system. If you are missing some specific sound / notes (which you are able to enjoy on another system) - check them again with an RTA on that another system where you are hearing them and know the exact frequency.

+1 to this. and completely agree. if not an RTA you could play around with positions in the speaker to see if there are any changes.

what you may want/desire might be a subwoofer, but the actual Need could be different depending on what the problem is as very often its the harmonics in the 40-100 Hz which are missing and you feel a sub will solve it which it may only slightly as it very often could be due to room placement/sitting position or even overdamped rooms.

If it falls outside the range which your present system can't handle, buy a couple of subs. (Buying two inexpensive subs is usually a better option than buying a single expensive sub).

I have the exact opposite view here but I am assuming Expensive=Good which may not be what you intended ? . ie buying a single good sub is far better than 2 average ones.

 

[Srinath_seshadri]

Actually in my experience car subs pack a good punch. You should get subs that have sound quality in their basic goal, then it woks good. But you need a lot of power to drive them. My friend had a XXX 15" that he ran with a AB international precedent 900.
Cool.
Srinath.

 

[captrajesh]

Room gain is significant for low frequency sounds.

very often its the harmonics in the 40-100 Hz which are missing and you feel a sub will solve it which it may only slightly as it very often could be due to room placement/sitting position or even overdamped rooms.

The above two posts compliment each other and address the OP's issue IMO.

 

[Rupam]

It's a personal choice depends on your music preference. If you like bass then no floorstanders will satisfy you. But I do believe a good sub negates the need for floorstanders.

Even high end floorstanders can't do low bass with any real authority, most speakers will be rolling off below about 30hz-40hz and that is even ones with large 10" and over woofers.

Also you don't need as much amplifier power to drive a sub/sat system as the sub has it's own amp taking the strain off the main amp to drive the lower frequencies.