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Role of sub woofers?

I had begun thinking about changing out the KEF Reference 1s for floor standers, something like Wilson Sophias, Revel Ultima Studios, or the expensive KEF Reference 207/2s. Then I reset the crossover for a pair of Velodyne HGS-15s from 40 Hz to 80 Hz, and the sound stage size, sound stage depth, and sound stage detail improved so strikingly thoughts of changing anything vanished. I did redo the speaker setup extensively, including redoing all the SMS-1 bass manager connections, so I suspect the vast improvement was due to more than just adding 40 Hz to the range covered by the the subs — I must have fixed some previously unknown problem. Anyway, a setup that I thought was best for jazz and baroque now does large orchestrations convincingly with a sense of spaciousness I had previously imagined only floor standers could deliver. One detail I’ve noticed is that the power-on LEDs of the subs that were previously rarely activated are now usually lighted, suggesting the subs are playing a much more active role.

Well about not changing anything: I have a third HGS-15 I might install on the wall opposite the setup for a three sub distribution.

db
dbphd

Showing 1 response by james633

james633
1,052 posts
 
Imo the best thing you can do for a system is use subs with a high pass crossover (like JL CR-1) to the mains. I wish more preamps had bass management in them. It could really cut down on the clutter. 
I have found most speakers cross over best at 60hz give or take. Not low passed but crossed over. If you are going to just low pass the subs they need to come in under the speakers. I like to be 1/2 octave  above the minimum motion of the mains bass driver if using a 24 dB slope.  
60z is good because a lot of bass drivers start to roll off around 60hz. 
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