What is the best way to test how low the system can go to using an spl meter? |
If your system main speakers are measurably flat to 20hz, then what is the point of the sub? |
I don't suppose adding a sub in my small room would even generate clean signals that low beecause the room is too small for those frequencies to form correctly, am I right? That is why in my room; 5 full range 5200's sounds better then when I had only 3 full range (8000's and 5500hc) up front. If I have crunching bass now, I worry that a sub will just muddle things up. |
yeah, what Mrpoindexter said... |
No way the Meridian will do 118 db at 18Hz. I could do that with my old system but it had 32 12" woofers. I ran that for quite some time and still miss my old speakers (Infinity IRS V mains, IRS Betas for surrounds and IRS Gamma for a center channel) but it is a rare system that doesn't need a sub.
Certainly there are more people who think they don't need a sub than ones who actually don't need a sub. |
I ran a pair of Infinity Kappa 9 speakers in a home theater setup. The room was 22 ft by 70 ft. No sub was needed. The Kappas have two 12" woofers per tower. A subwoofer would have been overkill. |
First of all johnmcelfresh, your Meridian DSP8000's HAVE POWERED SUBS BUILT INTO THE SPEAKER! (what, like 6 8" ACTIVE woofers?). Essentially (no, correction, DEFINITELY!) your speakers are high end active minimonitors sitting on a powered bass module! So, dude?...I hate to tell ya, but you have some subs in your system! Just as the Infinity Prelude MTS and NHT modular series speakers are towers sitting on bass modules, so are the Meridian 8000's. So,your speakers are no different!
However, that said your speakers (subs!!) don't put out 118db at 18hz, I garantee it! Infact,they won't do 118db anywhere near down that low! 118db is an average of the speakers frequency response, probably around 1k! I'd bet you money your speakers won't do 118db bellow 30hz!!! |
Do bear in mind that the DSP 7000's have 1/3 the number of woofers as the DSP8000s - quite a difference. |
Like a hitchhikers night out here!
I have some of the processing some of the meridian owners here have, plus a pair of Sophias, which have all the bass I need for music, however much like a listening session I did with a pair of excellently set up DSP 7000 (one drop down from 8000) the bass was good enough but not heavy enough to carry a lot of the LFE I seem to get in the action movies I watch.
I know Adidadi has a smallish room so his 5200s can make great use of it and pressurise it. I guess it depends on your room - and your taste. |
Rex,
As John points out about his DSP8000's, I used to have these 8000's in my theatre and swapped them out for what I have now. When you have these speakers; there is NO need for a sub. They are full range. My system now is even more dynamic and bass accurate then when I had the 8000's in my room, because they were over powering. I have had a Revel sub in my system and as good as it was, with my current 5 channle full range set up, I do not miss a thing. |
You can't make a blanket statement like "All home theater needs a sub." My main speakers are Meridian DSP8000s and there is absolutely no need for a sub - they are flat to 18 Hz in my room, up to 118 dB (God forbid). My Meridian 568.2 is programmed to send all frequencies below my crossover setting to them and, believe me, it's high-end home theater. |
Yeah, you defintely need powered sub(s) to help that sytem respond like the soundtracks were designed, that's all. If you like what you hear, then it's all good. However, you are indeed missing the full impact of what's intended...nothing more, nothing less.
To say what you have is better or worse, is subjective. But the companies mixing your soundtracks would definitely agree you don't have it set up right. |
It would be worth borrowing a sub to see what if any difference exists. |
I used to own Aerial 10ts and a Meridian processor.(One dynamic combo this is.)It depends on your room and what you are comparing your bass to.--?? The high end store that tries to deafen you with multiple subs?? Is that what you like??--You in the end get to decide,but Aerials and Meridian make lots of bass. I now run Sophia's for the fronts and have more bass than I need.---Your needs may be different--- BUT, trust me it's still HT w/o a sub;and especially with full range speakers that go down into the 20's.(or near that). |
Adidadi - the Meridians are nice speakers. They cover nearly all frequencies you'd find in most music (excluding techno and similar genres), and they have very good mid-bass slam.
For action/adventure/epic movies, you are missing out on a substantial amount of low-frequency information. |
I have a Meridian Reference 800v4 and 861 v4 with 5.0 full range DSP 5200 and there is clearly no need for a sub. It slams and crunches with bass. |
If you were watching sitcoms and sports it would be acceptable, but for movies a sub is a must. In fact, ROTS is out tomorrow and I can't wait to watch it and hear it - with the sub. |
Without a subwoofer for LFE, it's just loud TV. |
i have a 4.0 system using gershman acoustics avant garde rx-20 in the front and mirage frx-r for rears. however, i wouldn't totally classify it as a high-end home theater. it's a high-end two channel system with a mid-fi home theater around it (denon avr-3805, dvd-5900, mirage frx-r, sony vpl-hs3 projector). the gershman's go deep enough that i don't really want for a sub. |
