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Ruining music with a cheap sub

Hi, just want some general consensus on subwoofers. Will a cheap but decent subwoofer ruin a good system? The sole purpose of a sub is to supplement the lower octave of the spectrum by pushing air through. Please correct me if I am wrong, from a tech perspective, bass is non-directional, it can't be listened but can only be felt. I agree that a high quality fast sub is needed to reproduce good tight bass when listening in high volume. But in moderate volumn, there shouldn't be any significant difference between a $100 sub comparing to a $5000 sub. Your thoughts?
kilsho

Showing 1 response by pabelson

pabelson
344 posts
 
There are huge differences between bad/cheap subs and good/expensive subs. It's called distortion. And no, low bass is not *just* felt. Besides, a sub that's reproducing the bottom octave is rolling off in the second (and maybe into the third) octave, so it's going to affect your perception of a lot more than just that bottom octave.

I don't know of any good $100 subs, but there are some good $500 subs out there. And I'd say the point of diminishing returns hits well below $5000. YMMV.
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