Currently I have some kind of cheap subwoofers. They tend to really get lousy when I turn it up loud. I have been looking around to see what alternatives I have in this venue. Can anyone speak to the best mid-priced alternative?
Subwoofers are great, but to function properly they must seamlessly blend with the overall sound of the home audio speaker system, never drawing attention to the bass alone. The best subwoofers integrate so perfectly that it sounds as though the loudspeakers are creating the bass themselves.
gofar99 Messages: 1902 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, Not an easy thing to answer precisely as we don't know what you have and how you like your music. If all you want is a little oomph for classical music it is one thing, if you want chest pounding bass to listen to volcanoes that is another. Also cost is a definite factor in determining what to do. Anyhow, I find what separates really useful subs from most others is the ability to adjust the phase continuously from 0-180 degrees. Not just 0 or 180. Additionally it seems that many individuals set the subs for too much output. Try reducing the crossover frequency to about the same as the actual frequency that the mains start to drop off. I find that this is often in the 60 HZ or lower range. Then gradually increase the output of the subs until there is better sound, but not so far as you can actually hear them. My general rule of thumb is if you can locate where they are by the sound they make then they are too loud and will muddy up the bass response of the system. All of the above presupposes that the subs actually do respond well in the bass region. I have seen many that claim ridiculous response at super low frequencies that can not possibly achieve it. The smallest ones I have seen that can actually help have 8 inch drivers. Most of them are strained to reproduce 30HZ at sufficient levels to be useful. Ten inch ones usually do better and 12s and 15s can deliver serious bass.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18676 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
I agree with Bruce with respect to the quality metrics of an individual subwoofer.
I'd like to also bring to your attention the concept of multiple subwoofers. I believe that is the most effective thing you can do to achieve good bass response in your home.
A single subwoofer can only possibly sound good in a few places in the room, and even those few places won't be great. Add another subwoofer and sound quality improves dramatically. Add two more and you'll get bass that can't be beat.
There are several threads on the topic of multiple subwoofers, and of the ways to set them up. Look for stereo flanking subs and distributed multisubs. This is the way to get great sounding bass in your home.
Thanks for the great information here. I always look for ways to improve my sound and I have noticed that you really need more than one sub to make it sound good. You guys are the bomb and I appreciate your time.
Very cool info here. I really appreciate your knowledge of the audio world. The fact of the matter is that I practically know nothing about what makes a good system so any information that I can get helps. Thanks.
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