2.1 System with deep subwoofer for 500 - 700 USD

[electric93]

Hello masters of the audio and ear candy,
this is my first post in this forum so please bear with me.
I'm having trouble finding a good 2 studio monitor + 1 subwoofer combo for my budget, because there's simply too many choices and possibilities and frankly my knowledge about soundsystems is very small.

About the room and setup placement:
The room in question is 30 square meters big (72 cubic meters if it's important) and will receive a bit of treatment (I heard that it is almost equally important if not more to invest in room treatment). I plan on placing the setup on my PC desk, meaning the two monitor speakers will rest on my desk pointed at my head and the subwoofer will likely be placed on the floor. The room is in the basement by the way. I heard that downfiring subwoofers are a nightmare for neighbors. Is that still true even if the subwoofer will be in the basement? My apartment is a rental so I do share some walls with my neighbors, but no shared basement walls.

What it should be able to do:
So I recently came across my first deep bass experience with an SVS SB-1000 subwoofer and I have to say it was amazing. I was basically sold on the idea of having a subwoofer that could do 20hz, but it's a bit pricy, so I'd be willing to negotiate on that. Generally this setup is mainly aimed for making music (I produce music as a hobby), which includes everything from EDM, trap, jazz, classic rock, classical pieces, alcapella, ... But as a cool feature it would be really nice if it could also deliver when used for movies (I love it when the SFX hit the low hz range), because I plan on having a retractable projector screen, which will be placed on the ceiling over my desk, so I don't need to move the speakers as much.

What I have so far:
Not much really, I planned on using my Behringer UMC1820 audio interface as an amp and directly plug in the speakers through there. I'd like not to have to invest in an additional amp if not absolutely necessary.

Price:
I plan on buying everything used, so please do recommend me multiple setups if possible. The budget I've put in the title is quite loose depending on how much every additional buck will improve the quality, but I definitely want to stay below 1200 USD. I've found an SVS PB-1000 for 450 USD, so that sounds like a good start for me, but I don't know what woofers to pair it with.


Thank you so very much for your help and insights and wish you all a wonderful day
electric

 

[tifune]

How close will they be to your head? Neumann and Genelec's 80x0 series are the most common responses to this use case. Kali and JBL LSR also good if you're aiming to keep costs as low as possible.

Don't forget the UMIK and room correction software. REW is free; Dirac, Sonarworks, etc are easier to use but add to the cost.

 

[electric93]

Hey, first of all thank you for the swift reply, I really appreciate it

The speakers will be around 95-100 cm from my head (depending on their size). And these are all speakers that would match the SVS subwoofer? And would you recommend for example the JBL LSR 308 over the JBL LSR 305, or does it not matter because I'm going to use a sub anyway?

Thank you

 

[antcollinet]

Just to be clear - your audio interface is not an amp, and cannot drive passive speakers. If you get powered or active speakers, then the amp is built into the speaker, and you should be able to drive them from your audio interface. Though. you would need to use one of the headphone outputs if you want a volume control.

 

[electric93]

Ah okay, good to know My audio interface does have a main volume control though, so I'll be probably using that. But thank you for the hints! I'm still learning ...

 

[Koeitje]

ADAM T5V with a T10S (or the SVS you mentioned)? Just need to EQ the T5V with a simple shelf filter then its perfect.

 

[ZolaIII]

Kali LP 6 V2 new pair for 400$. Would rather go with SVS-SB1000 my self which probably can be found new for 450$. UMIK-1 75~100$ and for beginning use EQ-APO with REW which are free software as you will use PC anyhow as a DAW. That's total 950$ so far.
Best regards, have fun and enjoy.

 

[tifune]

Hey, first of all thank you for the swift reply, I really appreciate it

The speakers will be around 95-100 cm from my head (depending on their size). And these are all speakers that would match the SVS subwoofer? And would you recommend for example the JBL LSR 308 over the JBL LSR 305, or does it not matter because I'm going to use a sub anyway?

Thank you

All else being equal, bigger is almost always better if physical space, budget, and aesthetics are not a concern. But, 1m is not always great for 8" speakers. Even 1-1.5m tends to be the realm of 6" speakers.

ADAM T5V with a T10S (or the SVS you mentioned)? Just need to EQ the T5V with a simple shelf filter then its perfect.

I had not seen this ADAM before, but it's also worth consideration. Doubly so since our host directly compared it to a LSR.

 

[electric93]

Thank you so much everyone for your help! I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to use this forum because some tech forums can be extremely gate-keeping, but not you So kudos to you!

I will probably go with the JBL LSR 305 because there seems to be an abundance of them around my area that go a lot cheaper than the ADAMs or Kalis.

Again, thank you and have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

 

[Chrispy]

Thank you so much everyone for your help! I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to use this forum because some tech forums can be extremely gate-keeping, but not you So kudos to you!

I will probably go with the JBL LSR 305 because there seems to be an abundance of them around my area that go a lot cheaper than the ADAMs or Kalis.

Again, thank you and have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

Another sub consideration then is the matching JBL 310S sub, and can implement a high pass filter for the speakers.

 

[nat1]

A used SB1000 sounds perfect if you've already heard it and approve, it also has high passed outputs so you won't need an additional crossover

 

[electric93]

I managed to grab a PB-1000 for 400 USD today

On that note, what's the best way to connect my UMC1820 with the PB-1000 and then the JBL LSR 305s?

I imagined it something like:

Main Output of UMC1820 (which is two mono female 6,35mm jacks) via a jack -> cinch adapter cable into the plugs labeled as "IN" on the sub and then from the plugs labeled "OUT" via a cinch -> jack adapter cable into the JBL LSR 305s? Or is XLR better?

Thanks a lot! Here are the backsides of all of the speakers/audio interface:



Behringer UMC1820 Audio Interface:

SVS PB-1000 Subwoofer:

JBL LSR 305 Speakers:

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

The matching sub for the 308s is the 310s.

You run cables to the sub, the sub crosses over at 80Hz (sub and monitors are designed for that), then you run cables from the sub to the 308s.

Not sure of the US prices or deals available. Actually, direct from JBL it’s $900.

 

[electric93]

Right, but what kind of cables through which ports? I imagined I won't be using the high level outputs at the bottom, since the JBL LSR 305 are active speakers. So I guess my only remaining question is if XLR vs jack makes a difference.

 

[antcollinet]

Right, but what kind of cables through which ports? I imagined I won't be using the high level outputs at the bottom, since the JBL LSR 305 are active speakers. So I guess my only remaining question is if XLR vs jack makes a difference.

Not if you only have RCA at the sub end.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Right, but what kind of cables through which ports? I imagined I won't be using the high level outputs at the bottom, since the JBL LSR 305 are active speakers. So I guess my only remaining question is if XLR vs jack makes a difference.

All XLR, or TRS.

So, from the output of your source, XLRs to the sub, the XLRs from the sub to the monitors. Or TRS to TRS, or (if you have them) TRS to XLR, or vers visa.

Note - I believe the sub is a choice of XLR or TRS in, as are the monitors, but the sub’s output is XLR only.

 

[Koeitje]

I had not seen this ADAM before, but it's also worth consideration. Doubly so since our host directly compared it to a LSR.

I have both the T5V and the 305 (first version), and when you equalize the T5V with a shelf filter (otherwise its a bit bright) it is the better speaker imo. The 305 also has some hiss from the tweeter that you might find annoying. Neither are bad speakers though, I use the 305's as surround speakers now while the T5V's sit on my desk.

All XLR, or TRS.

So, from the output of your source, XLRs to the sub, the XLRs from the sub to the monitors. Or TRS to TRS, or (if you have them) TRS to XLR, or vers visa.

Note - I believe the sub is a choice of XLR or TRS in, as are the monitors, but the sub’s output is XLR only.

His sub only has RCA, so you need XLR/TRS to RCA adapters and set the input sensitivity to be more sensitive on the 305.

 

[AnalogSteph]

I would try to implement crossover in software if at all possible, so that the sub can get its own pair of outputs on the interface. Running unbalanced audio connections from an audio interface through a consumer sub to studio monitors is just begging for ground loop issues. You have been warned.

 

[Bach]

It seems you already have all the gear. Wish you a lot of fun with it.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

I have both the T5V and the 305 (first version), and when you equalize the T5V with a shelf filter (otherwise its a bit bright) it is the better speaker imo. The 305 also has some hiss from the tweeter that you might find annoying. Neither are bad speakers though, I use the 305's as surround speakers now while the T5V's sit on my desk.

His sub only has RCA, so you need XLR/TRS to RCA adapters and set the input sensitivity to be more sensitive on the 305.

Unless I’m missing something, he doesn’t have a sub yet.

I believe there’s a clear attraction to buying the sub designed to go with the monitors, especially as the crossover is designed to work on pass through.

His mileage may vary though, of course.