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Turned Off My Subwoofer ... And My Speakers Sound Great

I’ve had a pair of JA Pulsars (non-Graphene) for a couple of years now, and have been using them with a subwoofer. Today, I noticed that my Pulsars sounded very different. There was an expansion of soundstaging, the bass was more articulate and robust (i.e., it had more weight to it), and the highs really sparkled.

This was somewhat different from the sound to which I had become accustomed, so I looked on the panel and discovered that the sub had been turned off. Apparently, my wife had been dusting around my listening room and had accidentally hit the off switch.

I am kind of befuddled by this because I thought use of the subwoofer was supposed to achieve those sonically pleasing effects. Apparently not in my case. Have any ’Goners had this happen? I’m really happy with the "new" sound sans subwoofer, but continue to wonder why that is. I mean by all objective measures, the sub should improve the sound, not detract from it. I just don’t get it.
rlb61

Showing 4 responses by turnbowm

turnbowm
353 posts
 
@rib61 - Looking at the Stereophile-measured FR of the JL Pulsars, the "knee" where the LF starts falling off is approximately 50-55Hz. This is a good starting point for setting the sub crossover. Then it’s just a matter of adjusting the sub’s gain/volume to provide the sound you’re looking for. The biggest mistake people make is setting the sub’s crossover too high, which mucks up the LF quality of the main speakers. Been there, done that with the result that you experienced.

I think that If you give the JL Audio E110 sub a fighting chance, it will reward you with a new and more enjoyable listening experience.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/joseph-audio-pulsar-loudspeaker-measurements
turnbowm
353 posts
 
"....A rule of thumb is 1 foot equals 3 millisecond"

Actually, the speed of sound is 1125ft/sec or 1.125ft/ms.  
turnbowm
353 posts
 
Sounds like your sub settings (Xover, etc.) need to be re-examined.
turnbowm
353 posts
 
@rib61 - TAS reviewed the JL Audio E110 sub that you have and talked about the software available for dialing it in. Something that be worth exploring....

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/jl-audio-e-sub-e110-subwoofer/
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