Go with two of the Vandersteen subs. Two are the minimum. Never consider just one. IMHO the problem for most commercial subwoofers is their enclosures. When auditioning a subwoofer put your hand on it, any vibration or shaking you feel is distortion. Martin Logan and KEF make "balanced force" subwoofers that are quieter. Another problem is the use of plain low pass filters for crossing over. A complete 2 way crossover removes bass from the main speakers lowering distortion
Looking for a new Subwoofer
I am looking to replace my Definitive Technology Supercube 6000 with a new subwoofer to augment my Fyne F-702 speakers. My listening room is about 13 x 22 ft with 8’ ceilings and an 8’ opening to the dining room to the left of the listening area. I try to avoid major products made in mainland China—in spite of their at times very good quality, and I have narrowed the brands down to Paradigm, Vandersteen, and JL Audio, specifically, a single Paradigm XR11 or dual Defiance X12s, the Vandersteen Sub Three with “required” crossover, and the JL Audio Fathom f110v2. My budget is about $4K, with the XR11 and Fathom right at that price, the dual X12s at about $3K, and the Vandersteen with required crossover at about $5300 (including two crossovers, as they are sold in pairs). I may be able to audition the Paradigms and the Vandersteen; a friend has told me the room correction software with the JL Audio sub is way behind that of the Paradigms. In light of the excellent advice I have received in this forum, I wonder if folks out there have had an experience with these subwoofers and what they might recommend. Many thanks.
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i would go w GR research dual open baffle servo subs either a DIY kit if you have build skills or already made multiple subwoofer home theaters. The benefits include: ► more even bass distribution across the seating area ► better seat to seat consistency for more effective EQ ► more output and LF coupling factor for deep extended bass response Ever wonder why some AV receivers have only one subwoofer output while others have two or more? How do you determine if the dual subwoofer outputs are independent or parallel and why does that matter? We discuss all of this in this video and show you with measurements why it's so important to get the proper time alignment in a multi-sub system. Multi-Subwoofer Set Up & Calibration •Choose your subs wisely-preferably all identical subs or subs with near equal f3 (3dB rolloff) points •Place your subs wisely-in home theater rooms, nothing is more important for achieving good bass than proper placement of your subwoofers and listening seats Multi-Subwoofer Set Up & Calibration •Make sure all your subs are playing the identical signal -all of your subs should be playing a mono signal that consists of summed bass from all speakers set to "Small" plus LFE info •Setup bass management-in your A/V processor/receiver, set all speakers to small, use 80Hz crossover setting as a start, and defeat the internal LPF of all of your subwoofers the common question of whether or not you can mix sealed and ported subs into your home theater system and get good bass. I discuss the problems in doing this and how to overcome them to ensure you get good bass integration and avoid losing very low frequency response due to phase cancellations. Many good YT videos on the topic! https://youtu.be/xo2xkjJ_-zk?si=iiUQTqK81djMtHaB https://youtu.be/w1LG1m1tR8w?si=a2vvxTyS46b6vxQk https://youtu.be/ypQu4FncAjk?si=t7sXlonDb-dLpBrY https://youtu.be/8XE1JsfqKtA?si=pjR9cPiF-RJXvXBz https://youtu.be/CbAO4-F5Ejo?si=erIyC3pXTW-ea0TP https://www.youtube.com/live/qxKRinIaGnc?si=w6fHQrNid6jkI8D9 https://youtu.be/7ieX40Ktaxs?si=ZSNaLN4w_m8vdChN multiple subwoofer home theaters. The benefits include: ► more even bass distribution across the seating area ► better seat to seat consistency for more effective EQ ► more output and LF coupling factor for deep extended bass response Ever wonder why some AV receivers have only one subwoofer output while others have two or more? How do you determine if the dual subwoofer outputs are independent or parallel and why does that matter? We discuss all of this in this video and show you with measurements why it's so important to get the proper time alignment in a multi-sub system. Multi-Subwoofer Set Up & Calibration •Choose your subs wisely-preferably all identical subs or subs with near equal f3 (3dB rolloff) points •Place your subs wisely-in home theater rooms, nothing is more important for achieving good bass than proper placement of your subwoofers and listening seats Multi-Subwoofer Set Up & Calibration •Make sure all your subs are playing the identical signal -all of your subs should be playing a mono signal that consists of summed bass from all speakers set to "Small" plus LFE info •Setup bass management-in your A/V processor/receiver, set all speakers to small, use 80Hz crossover setting as a start, and defeat the internal LPF of all of your subwoofers the common question of whether or not you can mix sealed and ported subs into your home theater system and get good bass. I discuss the problems in doing this and how to overcome them to ensure you get good bass integration and avoid losing very low frequency response due to phase cancellations. Many good YT videos on the topic! https://youtu.be/xo2xkjJ_-zk?si=iiUQTqK81djMtHaB https://youtu.be/w1LG1m1tR8w?si=a2vvxTyS46b6vxQk https://youtu.be/ypQu4FncAjk?si=t7sXlonDb-dLpBrY https://youtu.be/8XE1JsfqKtA?si=pjR9cPiF-RJXvXBz https://youtu.be/CbAO4-F5Ejo?si=erIyC3pXTW-ea0TP https://www.youtube.com/live/qxKRinIaGnc?si=w6fHQrNid6jkI8D9 https://youtu.be/7ieX40Ktaxs?si=ZSNaLN4w_m8vdChN World Class Subwoofer KitsOur Open Baffle Subwoofers use Direct Servo Technology and offer the quickest, cleanest bass that money can buy. There is no other subwoofer system that will give you this level of control and customization.
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Four cabinet Bass Array systems go low and provide an unparalleled room lock while using less power and EQ with minimal location restrictions. Most if not all -3dB subwoofers require standing wave bass mode room (crawl test) positions to providing them the least restrictive path within the room allowing full advantage of their delicate extra low frequency presentation. These are typically side wall locations. Another point to consider. Using one costlier processor equipped subwoofer as a master to control less expensive basic models or brands.
Any brand -6dB unit is a sub-bass speaker. Like the -3dB subwoofer they will augment your main speakers mid 30Hz region at the expense of the subwoofers delicate sub sonic presentation present on most recordings. Because of the -6dB sub-bass speakers dramatic low frequency roll off they simply do not excite a rooms standing wave bass modes. This gives them the convenient ability to be located most anywhere in the room with just a volume adjustment. All the best with you search. |
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