@tweak1 , I am a fan of passive subwoofers. Most of the amps included with subwoofers are of inferior quality and they interfere with the rigidity of the enclosure. All of the digital preamps that include bass management have separate level controls for all four channels and they all operate by remote. Mine is unique in that I can change crossover frequencies and slopes by remote, very useful.
What do you guys think of adding a subwoofer to this system?
I am just getting back into 2 channel music and critical listening. My system is comprised of B&W 805 Diamonds and a Hegel H390 integrated amplifier. My audio source is primarily Tidal MQA files streamed thru a Bluesound Node 2i. I stream digital out of the node 2i using a decent coaxial cable into the Hegel. I use decent cables from the Hegel to the speakers.
The rom is quite large 15x20’ with quite high sloping ceilings. 16’ over speakers and 12’ to the rear behind me.
the system (imho)sounds very good. In fact I think it is the best system I have ever assembled. Imagining, detail and separation is excellent . Midrange is detailed and sharp. Low end is tight. I think the speakers roll off at 49 hz.
I can’t say enough positive about the Hegel H390. That is one fine piece of audio equipment and is certainly a keeper. I gush every time I turn it on!
I have tried subwoofers in the past but have always been disappointed. I know subs have come a long way and would be interested in your thoughts especially people who have a similar system.
I have found some discussion on this subject but thought I might ask the question directly. I apologize in advance if I missed some relevant discussion.
Thanks for any advice.
Bob-
Showing 3 responses by mijostyn
@jim5559 , Listening to 95% of the subwoofered systems out there I can understand how you would have that opinion. Most people only go 1/2 in when they get subwoofers. If you are critical it has to be an all or none proposition. To do this correctly you need at least two very sturdy subwoofers, digital bass management including selectable crossover points and slopes, phase and time alignment and room control, at least 1000 watts/subwoofer and decent room acoustics. If you could hear a system set up this way your opinion would change. Shoving one sub under a system with nothing but a low pass filter is a sure recipe for inferior sound. Doing it the same way with two subs is also a dismal approach. You are correct in stating there is a music preference for this kind of an approach. However, listening to a large symphony orchestra through a big system with SOTA sub bass is a thrilling experience.
|
Bob, unless you go to the extreme of buying a digital preamp with bass management and room control bypassing the low pass filter in the subwoofers, and get two very high quality subs you are always likely to be disappointed if you are critical with your bass. But, done right it would add greatly to your system increasing head room, lowering distortion and extending the bass down below 20 Hz. People will say the it is unnecessary to go below 20 Hz because you can not hear it. This is dead wrong. You can't hear it but you sure can feel it. Big venues breath at very low frequencies and with digital playback you can feel this in good live recordings. One problem with vinyl is that the very low bass is confused by record irregularities and to prevent your woofers from flying across the room you have to use a high pass filter below 20 Hz. |