Your sub experience: Easy or hard?


For those of us with subwoofers, I'm curious whether you thought integrating it was easy or difficult.  That's it.

Of course, lots of DBA people will chime in. No problem but please ask that everyone stay on topic.  If you want to discuss all the pro's and cons of DBA take it to a brand new thread.  Thank you.

The focus here is just to ask how many people had easy or difficult times and what you thought was the difference.

erik_squires

According to my experience the choice of a sub (or more than one) depends also very much on your room and its acoustics - and, of course, on the quality of the components in your stereo system (low, middle, consumer, high end). 

I assume nobody out there knows or remembers the make of the sub I use: Acustik-Lab Stella Novus (originally spelled name), a Swiss made component which was very in demand in Asia in its time (and very costly, unfortunately). It allows settings in many ways, which was prior to today's DSP. (The company no longer exists.) So my favorite crossover setting  is 42 Hz...quite discreet. 

Set-up was quite easy, and I needed just some days to find the right listening setting (for me). As another A'goner wrote, the recordings (LP & CD) vary, and depending on that I am able to adjust the sub's settings (by remote control). 

Just a quick note to everyone.

 

Thank you very much for sharing your insights and staying (mostly) on topic.

 

Erik

Trying to integrate one was very difficult. Never blended right and never sounded balanced to me. But integrating two was much easier and sounded great. I settled on line-level with a cable from amp speaker taps to a powered subwoofer for each of the two channels. 

I've run REL s/510 SHO with focal Sopra 2, Harbeth 30.2 and Harbeth SHLs 5 with generally good results in a purpose built room about 13x22. I then changed to a JL 113v2 and the JL crossover, CR-1 and now run this with Wilson Sabrina, crossed over at 60 hz. This set up is the best so far, very seamless integration due to both the JL's auto DSP room tuning and the flexibility of the CR1. I also use GIK room treatment and bass absorbers. The bass is subtle and tuneful, no boom. Roon also provides another means of EQ on the fly btw. I think most times subs get set to be too loud and then can border on being perceived as boomy. 

I've been using my Hsu sub for more than 20 years. I stick it in the corner and don' t turn it up too loud. It ain't that hard.