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Home Theater 101 - Subwoofer question?

I will bet this is as basic as it gets in my first H/T 101 Subwoofer class, so anyone with a decent HT system should be able to advise me.

I have a very basic and simple 2 channel system for TV and movies (music playback is performed on another system). I don't want to change anything but add a cheap, decent subwoofer to what I already have.

[SYSTEM: Pioneer Elite A35 amp (45wpc), Denon 1930 DVD, JBL HLS610 monitors, Kimber cabling]

There is a slight problem, my integrated amp does not have a preamp or sub output. I have read that it is not such a bad thing to use speaker wire from amp to sub to monitors, and better subwoofer integration is possible. I don't know if this is true but I nave no other option than this hook-up. I'm keeping this amp and would rather not add a sub if adding a sub is ill-advised.

Now that the stage is set, what cheap good quality power subwoofer will you recommend?
128x128mjcmt
loomisjohnson
1,905 posts
 
i remember your system--the craigslist special, right? you might look on ebay for an energy or mirage sub--very musical and easily available used for under $100. paradigm pdr-8 or pdr-10 is also nice and cheap. if you can spend more, i'd parrot some of the above recommendations--def tech or hsu.
srwooten's avatar
srwooten
694 posts
 
To clarify: I would run speaker wire from amp to monitors, then from monitors to sub (providing it has speaker level controls). Is this correct?

This is correct, though there are a few different ways to do it. The ownerÂ’s manual will give you a few scenarios, try them all and see which works best in your system. You can use cheap speaker wire to try different configurations. Go online and read a Def Tech sub (or other brands- like the ones blindjim suggested) owners manuals for examples.

Blindjims advice is good. Look for something that has the controls to integrate properly.

A word of advice- NOT HAVING A SUB is better than a sloppy cheap sub. You can pick up a used Def Tech Supercube 1 with speaker level inputs for under $600. Great sub, I have one in my second system.
uncertainsmile
88 posts
 
wait for a mirage bps 150i. i went from that to an onix ufw-10 to dual svs 16-46's, back to the mirage, and now a sunfire true sub eq. to my ears and in my room, the mirage still bests them all in sound quality. the only caveat for me was i tended to bottom out the mirage, but i think, in retrospect, i asked too much of it instead of enjoying what it could do very nicely.
hifitime
715 posts
 
Sorry. My internet has been giving problems.There is a
HSU sub model VFT-2 MK3 selling from HSU for $499,plus
$59 S/h. I haven't heard it,but their products usually
give good bass for music and movies. They give a lot of
product with a lot of tuning options for the dollar,and
true low end bass,usually into the 20-30 hertz region.
mjcmt's avatar
mjcmt OP
710 posts
 
This mid-fi TV/movie system is not my main concern, so the emphesis is on cheap. While I appreciate the HSU, REL and the like suggestions I think the Mirage, Paradigm and similar cheap subs are more to my liking. I will continue to keep an eye out for a bargain as it shows up used.
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