What does a subwoofer solve?


My previous amps were BHK 300 mono blocks.  The bass they provided for my Monitor Audio PL 300ii speakers was exceptional.  For several reasons I replaced the BHKs with a Luxman M900u.  Very happy with the new amp, except for disappointing bass performance.  Would a set of good subwoofers help resolve this, or do subwoofers only address a lack of bass in standard speakers?

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.

lldd

Showing 1 response by jon_5912

This has probably already been said but a sub, or subs, can solve the problem of placement.  The best location for bass is unlikely to be the bast place for the rest of the spectrum. 

In my opinion the ideal situation is to have large speakers with big woofers that provide a lot of punch and upper bass energy, but that roll off the deep bass gradually starting around 80hz.  Speakers that have deep bass extension flat to 30hz almost always have negative room interactions.  These would be greatly reduced if they had a -3db point at 60hz and typical sealed box roll off.  The deep bass is ideally filled in by multiple subs placed where they provide the most even response.  Taking deep bass duty away from the main speakers and amps reduces distortion and the amount of power required.