Subwoofer strictly within 15K

[jaudere]

Checked with Norge few days back. Their sub is out of production. They wo't make it even on order.The DNM sub isported one with a slit like port at the base on rear surface. I failed to capture it in haste. I am getting a taste that sub integration is a job needing patience. Needed more than an hour to get effect of my liking and will need some further adjustments. Good that the sub has continuously variable low pass freqency. My definition of good integration of sub is that one should not know that the the sub is playing till it is switched off.

 

[trittya]

Checked with Norge few days back. Their sub is out of production. They wo't make it even on order.The DNM sub isported one with a slit like port at the base on rear surface. I failed to capture it in haste. I am getting a taste that sub integration is a job needing patience. Needed more than an hour to get effect of my liking and will need some further adjustments. Good that the sub has continuously variable low pass freqency. My definition of good integration of sub is that one should not know that the the sub is playing till it is switched off.

Uh Oh for the NSW 100. Nice tight small room bass for about 11.5 K. It only had a 7" wavecor driver but made do well by way of the matching 7" passive radiator. In fact, it looked more like a speaker than a sub from afar. My guess is that the best (read lowest) it could have gone would be around 32-35 Hz. Did you ask Norge whether they plan to make any other? What I liked about it was absence of that dreaded "one note boom". Quite articulate for its price. I always felt a 10" DRIVER WITH AN EQUIVALENT PR would have been great.

That DNM, since its rear ported/slotted will need a lot of breathing space at the rear to prevent boomy standing waves. Do post some pics of that slot please. While you are at it, do check for turbulence from the slot by switching off the music and having only the sub play. My thoughts on sub integration are pretty much akin to yours. I am not all keen on chest thumping bass esp in stereo mode and dont care much for it in HT mode either. Sounds doctored, IMO.

Variable LF at that price sounds like a steal. The cabinets that Mr Dilip Bajaj uses are usually procured from China but that may not be such a bad thing, contrary to popular belief, so long as it is braced and damped well. That slot could well imply that there is likelihood of it being a simple TL design rather than a bass reflex port one, more so if its across the entire rear face. If it is, it ought to sound better at the same price point.
But like I said before, who cares what design it is, so long as one likes the sound.

@Jaudere
BTW, what kind of feet does it come with and how have you placed it on the floor? I mean directly on the floor, on a rug or what? Mark the exact location of the feet on the floor with a soluble marker and then crank it up. It should not move a bit as good subs are designed to move air and not the cabinet. A moving sub is a lousy sub, IMO.

BTW, in case you are not much of a rumble and thunder man, wh dont you consider going in for dual DIY dipole subs to go along with your beloved OBs. Omni-directionality of LF waves, notwithstanding, I feel a stereo setup ought to have bass in stereo, just like in the good old days. Spare a thought in case you have the time and the inclination.

I am by no means suggesting that you (and/or te OP) dont consider the DNM but I guess you are one of the very few FMs who has gone DIY on OBs and appreciates the finer nuances of dipole sound. Thats what made me suggest this. Again,you will need a lot of breathing space at the rear.

@OP
I dont mean to derail/hijack this thread, mate.
OTOH, all I have said here to Jaudere (save the dipole bit) is also applicable to your query in your quest for a budget sub.

Regards

 

[trittya]

If you guys are serious about a sub 15k sub . I can DIY for you guys . However commitment needs to be firm

Thats a generous offer on your part, Flash. NICE.
What kind of subs have you made/would you make?
If you could take some time to elaborate, perhaps we could take this further, especially in the wake of my two phooti kaudies above.

Whatsay you? Looking forward to some details from you . . .

Cheerio All

 

[jaudere]

Trittya,
I am sorry that I have wasted your efforts in writing previous post. I had started another thread in DIY section : Equalizer or subwoofer. T. Antony came up with a suggestion of equalizer settings in Foobar. The effect was so nice that I have decided not to buy the subwoofer and I had already packed the piece before reading your reply so I cannot take any snaps (The packing is too heavy and I cannot manage it alone). I will try to answer few of your queries though.

1) The port is not round but , as you thought, it is a slit of about an inch wide which extends through out the width of the box. The box is very well made and does not vibrate (tested with music only). The box is pretty heavy and you need 2 persons to move it (must be at least 20 kg if not more). The aesthetics are very nice.

It has speaker level inputs, line level inputs and LFE input for AVR .1 out. It has volume knob, continuously variable XO frequency from 50 Hz to 150 Hz and phase reversal switch. Power cord is detachable. There is additional on/off switch.

http://dnmaudio.com/big_img/ds120_a.html

This is what they have on website, The woofer driver seems to be the same but the amplifier is definitely different, the orientation of amplifier is different. The one on website has speaker level outputs also but the one I had did not have those. It had speaker level inputs only.

2) I had kept it directly on the floor, about 2 feet from the rear wall, exactly between the two main speakers.

3) The sound was very good. I got the best response when filter frequency was set at 100 Hz ( as expected after studying the frequency response curve of my full ranger). It was not a single tone boom. It made the whole sound rich.It also gave a nice thump for disco/techno kind of songs.

4)I did play the sub without playing the main speakers. I did not notice anything odd either from front or near the port.

5) I used speaker level in as line level input from my amp was too weak (I don't turn the volume knob of my amp beyond 8 o'clock due to ultra sensitive speakers and that results in weak line level signal).

6) I did not try it for any movie as I do not have AVR.

I do not know the RMS power of the amplifier. Not mentioned on the sub, could not find on net, there was no manual.. I had kept the volume knob on sub at 25% (9 o'clock) while feeding the sub with speaker level signals. Anything above 25% made the sub conspicuous

7) I got satisfactory integration of the sub after some efforts. I am getting equally good results with equalizers without problems of integration. In addition, the equalizers also allow me to cut the upper mid hump. So I am going with equalizers.

All in all, I liked the subwoofer but I am not buying it because my only use is for music and for that I am getting pretty good results for free (with foobar equalizers). I must say here that my experience with subwoofers is extremely limited as I have been a stereo lover. In fact this was my first home audition of a subwoofer. In Past, I have had movies demos with AVRs with subs but I did not like those setups for music.

 

[Audio_Freek]

Try Audition on Onkyo skw204 bass reflex powered subwoofer, I checked for the retail pricing and its around 14K, Spec:10'' , 250 RMS Power handling and frequency response 50-200Hz

All the best

 

[vishug]

I have a question for all - Are subs @ 15K really worth going for?
Dont you think shelling out another 5-7K would get a better Sub which will perform decent enough
15K sub wont deliver on performance i think..

 

[jaudere]

I have a question for all - Are subs @ 15K really worth going for?
Dont you think shelling out another 5-7K would get a better Sub which will perform decent enough
15K sub wont deliver on performance i think..

At every price point, you will always get something better by spending 30-40% (5 to 7k in addition to 15k) extra .

 

[theredcommando]

If its only meant for HT and not stereo, why not get a 2.1 system and remove the satellites? AL MX 6021, Logitech Z623 or Edifier S730 should do the descent job I feel(VFM at least). There would be no brand premium, they are made in China and hence they may give same quality(of 15k branded sub) with lesser price.

I have experienced S730 and it was quite powerful(thunderous, rumbling, furniture shaking etc)
I have little experience and not sure if it would fit the criteria defined by veterans here, though.

Any opinions?

 

[soviet_selva]

I have a question for all - Are subs @ 15K really worth going for?
Dont you think shelling out another 5-7K would get a better Sub which will perform decent enough
15K sub wont deliver on performance i think..

Yes, Active Sub Woofers at or slightly below this price (Rs 15K) are Worthy. Example my Onkyo SL-107 retailed for around Rs 13,500/- i bought it for Rs 4500 (from FutureBazaar). I am using it for 3 years, the bass it produces is clean and Punchy. Extreme Value for Money. I am using it in a 2.1 config. with Onkyo SKC-4700 x 2. Also you can try Polk Audio PSW110 it got 3.5 stars / 5 on bass quality from AV Max (costs Rs 15K, you may get 10% cash discount). The difference in sound quality and build which you will get by paying 5 or 7 Grand extra is mostly psychological, the actual performance variance is minute.

 

[koushik]

Example my Onkyo SL-107 retailed for around Rs 13,500/- i bought it for Rs 4500 (from FutureBazaar). I am using it for 3 years, the bass it produces is clean and Punchy.

You got a SW of retailed value 13500 for 4500/- !!! Which FutureBazaar man?? :licklips:

Also you can try Polk Audio PSW110 it got 3.5 stars / 5 on bass quality from AV Max (costs Rs 15K, you may get 10% cash discount)

Yes I am counting on PSW110 now. But let me wait some more opinions. hyeah:

 

[soviet_selva]

Yes, back then (2008/09) it was some kind of promotional offer to attract more people to their online retail site: FutureBazaar.com - Online shopping | Buy from Home & Living, LifeStyle, Electronics, Supermarket, Kids & Baby, Gift Vouchers belongs to "Future group" who also run retail in the name of e-Zone, big bazaar etc.

back then They were selling SL-107 for Rs 4500 with bill and 1 yr Onkyo India warranty. also some entry level Onkyo floor standers were avbl then for Rs 9500 for a Pair. it was MTM config with dual 5.25" woofer and tweeter. But by the time i tried booking it online it was out of stock. but after that FutureBazaar did not retail anything at this pricing.

Also i bought this SKS-4700, which retailed for 9,500/- for Rs 4,200 from FutureBazaar. Great Value for money.