Subwoofer for classical music listener

Well, I hope I am not one of the discouraging one's. My point is, subs can be great, but the Total Cost of Ownership is a lot higher than people realize to use them well.

I have to disagree, but with qualifications regarding what @thebestaudio posted.

Not using subs for (especially) classical music is better for multiple reasons: subs are slow(er) than your main speakers and will ’muddy’ way up to the lower midrange,

Kind of sort of.

I know for many people this has been their experience, so it’s not exactly wrong.... but it’s incomplete.

Properly integrated (well placed, good room treatment, accurately calibrated EQ), many inexpensive subs will sound great, and suffer none of these effects. The problem is "properly integrated" is damn hard and damn rare. Very few hobbyists have the background to pull it off well, so few have ever heard it. They rush out, spend hours messing around, and are never are very happy because they suffer everything this quote suggests. It is not however mandatory that this occur, and with the right effort a sub can be a phenomenal addition to any music system.

Good room acoustics will make smaller speakers sound bigger, and subs easier to integrate. Room acoustic treatment will make your room friendlier to a wider variety of speakers as well. For this reason it is your first step.

The other thing that makes success for a hobbyist who is not going to engage a pro is a great audo-eq/room correction system. Right now my favorite is from JL Audio. I really like their final curves, but $$$.

Since I have all the tools to make loudspeakers, I save mega-bucks by doing my own DSP in house. :) Not everyone can afford this. So my strong suggestion to the average hobbyist who doesn’t want to pay a good pro is to get a sub with a great built-in EQ system, or rely on your receiver/processor to do this function for you.

So unless you are an acoustician, I strongly suggest relying on pros. Rely on GIK Acoustic's advice. Rely on auto-EQ systems like JL Labs, or rely on an acoustician to come and integrate the sub for you. Otherwise, budget a lot of time learning, getting measurement tools, and EQ, etc.

I went the latter way, but I started with a background in professional audio. Like with other things, I have to rely on pro's for things I don't now how to do myself if I expect good results.

My current work is in IT by the way, I won't make money on anyone following this advice or not.

Best,


E

Hi Sevs,

If you want to commit to doing it right, as opposed to just playing around for months, this is the order of things to do:

1. Room Tuning. Contact GIK acoustics for proper help, especially with their bass traps.

2. EQ/DSP

When you get here you can decide if you need....

3. Second Sub

Also, lots of new and not extremely expensive DAC's do GREAT with Redbook and streaming.

Best,

E

Hi Dragon_vibe,

EQ / DSP in subwoofers is almost mandatory and has more to do with how difficult room integration is, than creating better specs.

I strongly encourage anyone considering a sub to get it with EQ/DSP. Right now the bet models I know of fare in JL audio subs, but they are super pricey, so I roll my own with Hsu and miniDSP.

Best,

E

rvPiano,

Your room will have powerful room modes.

Get a subwoofer which has very good auto-EQ. The best right now is JL, IMHO for music, but they are also super pricey.

Also consider bass traps.

Best,


E

Hi RvPiano,

I think you have the right approach, in that money and size won’t solve your issues as much as careful integration will.

First, what are your current main speakers, and what are your room acoustics like?


Best,

E