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-

 

 

bobo2006

@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.

 

I've had sub(s) for many years now and highly recommend them.

Having said that, sometimes I've found it really difficult to integrate them to the room.  I purchased a miniDSK UMIK-1 calibration microphone and the REW (Room EQ Wizard) software to help integrate the subs with the room and full-range speakers.

In our last house, my listening room had terrible bass acoustics, eventually I had to install 10 bass traps to tame the extraneous bass the room added to the music, and could have used more, but my wife was referring to that room as my "padded cell".

We moved to a new home and I had a customized listening room done as part of the build and I'm loving life in the new digs!  This room has some sloping intersections of the walls & ceilings (a good thing in my case).

I have a pair of JL Audio F113V2's (otherwise known as "overkill") and one of the sub's amps died, and while the amp was being repaired by JL Audio I was not a happy camper, as I not only missed the little bit of bass augmentation, I mainly missed the "visceral" experience that the subs add to the music.

@mijostyn +1. You nailed it, as did the @ejr1953  using calibration mic and software

 

I finally sold a 10+ YO pair of SVS powered subs; an Ultra and a Plus (the tall round cylinders). I was never able to get a seamless blend, mostly due to the volume control settings being too coarse, virtually impossible to dial in. In fairness they were not designed for quality 2 channel systems. May be better now, but...

One of the biggest issues I had was because polarity on many discs is out (especially with greatest hits, or multi- recording studios) compared to the rest of the frequencies, and while they have phase/polarity adjustment, it is manual. IMHO, having remote control over volume and polarity is essential to get seamless blending. IMO to achieve great sub bass, you need a separate beefy amp + active XO=$$$$+ SIGH

 

@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.