• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Subwoofers make all big speakers obsolete?

Pearljam5000

Master Contributor
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Messages
5,129
Likes
5,357
As a kid I always dreamed about the huge towers with a big woofer or even several bass drivers.
But I'm wondering now that subs are priced OK for 10-15 inch and it's possible to add one to each channel, are all the big speakers obsolete?
So a small speaker /monitor combined with a sub basically have the same woofer power as the big guys for much less €€€
What am I missing here?
 

Frgirard

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 2, 2021
Messages
1,737
Likes
1,040
As a kid I always dreamed about the huge towers with a big woofer or even several bass drivers.
But I'm wondering now that subs are priced OK for 10-15 inch and it's possible to add one to each channel, are all the big speakers obsolete?
So a small speaker /monitor combined with a sub basically have the same woofer power as the big guys for much less €€€
What am I missing here?
The woofer reproduce a part of the mid.
 

dasdoing

Major Contributor
Joined
May 20, 2020
Messages
4,209
Likes
2,675
Location
Salvador-Bahia-Brasil
it depends on the SPL you need/want.
in PA you have mains that focus on the range above 100Hz-ish....unfortunatly you don't realy have this stuff in home audio. the small speakers are designed to "sound big" (on low-ish volume)....not as a complement to a subwoofer.
the only manufacturer having this kind of concept for home audio products is JBL afaik
 

abdo123

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 15, 2020
Messages
7,425
Likes
7,941
Location
Brussels, Belgium
it depends on the SPL you need/want.
in PA you have mains that focus on the range above 100Hz-ish....unfortunatly you don't realy have this stuff in home audio. the small speakers are designed to "sound big" (on low-ish volume)....not as a complement to a subwoofer.
the only manufacturer having this kind of concept for home audio products is JBL afaik
Yes a lot of bass reflex designs, luckily you can seal the port and do near-field bass measurements and move on with your life.
 

kongwee

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 22, 2022
Messages
1,024
Likes
276
I used to own ML Ascent on my small room. 10"inch woofer. down to 35Hz. Really enough for me. Now my woofer is 8 inch. Consider adding sub. Not in a hurry.
 

DHT 845

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2021
Messages
498
Likes
436

wwenze

Major Contributor
Joined
May 22, 2018
Messages
1,284
Likes
1,827
Let me just randomly find a speaker

This thing is 15-inch and it is rated down to 65Hz

j7cFum9.png


Size is not the key in the definition of a subwoofer. Role and application is.
 

abdo123

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 15, 2020
Messages
7,425
Likes
7,941
Location
Brussels, Belgium
What designs have highest SPL (with low distortion of course)?
Well the answer is not so simple.

A 12" woofer would need one fourth of the excursion to produce the same note as a 6" woofer at the same SPL. So more surface / cone area is obviously more beneficial than excursion.

But there are some high excursion, low distortion designs like the Purifi woofers.
 

DHT 845

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2021
Messages
498
Likes
436
Well the answer is not so simple.

A 12" woofer would need one fourth of the excursion to produce the same note as a 6" woofer at the same SPL. So more surface / cone area is obviously more beneficial than excursion.

But there are some high excursion, low distortion designs like the Purifi woofers.
Right, but if you have equal cone area? For ex. 4x 10 ich or 1x 15 inch will have higher SPL at given THD? This subject is very interesting in building no-compromise DIY speakers...
 

BrokenEnglishGuy

Major Contributor
Joined
Jul 19, 2020
Messages
1,914
Likes
1,147
as I know in every speaker you can just do a butterworth filter at 80hz and seal the port and now you can just add 2 subs
 

abdo123

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 15, 2020
Messages
7,425
Likes
7,941
Location
Brussels, Belgium
Right, but if you have equal cone area? For ex. 4x 10 ich or 1x 15 inch will have higher SPL at given THD? This subject is very interesting in building no-compromise DIY speakers...
It's really just simple math. here is a link where you can put whatever parameters you wish and compare: http://www.baudline.com/erik/bass/xmaxer.html

The lower the Xmax required the more likely the distoriton would be lower.
 

Steve Dallas

Major Contributor
Joined
May 28, 2020
Messages
1,201
Likes
2,784
Location
A Whole Other Country
In theory, yes. In practice, not really. Or not always.

1. Small speakers often require stands, which take up the same footprint floorstanding speakers do.
2. Properly integrating a sub is not trivial for most people.
3. Even though I have two well-integrated subs in my media room, I normally do my stereo listening without them, because I just prefer that sound for some reason.
4. Not every room has space for subs. I run BMRs in my office, because they hit down to 27Hz in-room and do not need subs at my listening levels, as I have nowhere to place subs.
 

sarumbear

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
7,604
Likes
7,314
Location
UK
To your Question: Yes. Active Subs have many advantages over Full Range Speakers.
Subs also has disadvantages.

They are designed to operate below around 100Hz, which cause strain on the small speakers at high levels. Also achieving correct low pass filter at that frequencies is complicated as the small speaker’s fc is near the crossover frequency.

Finally, even if you have custom stands to place the small speakers on top of the subwoofers, the floor area is much larger than a floor stander’s.
 
Top Bottom