Advice/Recommendation: Adding a sub to Adam D3V near-field setup

[Nearfield_Science]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been using the Adam D3Vs for near-field listening at my desk and have been extremely happy as these are the best speakers I have had with this performance. However, looking at the objective data, I’m interested in filling out the low end and if it is worth it?

My current signal chain is a Topping DX5 II connected via balanced TRS to the D3Vs. According to the Spinorama.org data (derived from Erin's Audio Corner), these monitors have a very linear response but a steep roll-off starting around 50Hz.

The Motivation:
The measurements show a significant potential jump in preference score by adding a subwoofer:

• Standalone Score: 5.27
• With "Perfect" Subwoofer: 7.5
• With EQ + Subwoofer: 8.31

The Plan:
I am looking at the PreSonus Eris Sub 8BT as a candidate, mainly because it offers balanced TRS inputs/outputs and a built-in 80Hz High-Pass Filter (HPF). This would allow me to run:

DX5 II ->Sub 8BT -> D3Vs

My Concerns:

1. Noise Floor: I’ve seen some measurements here on ASR suggesting the Sub 8BT’s pass-through can be noisy. In a quiet near-field setup, is this audible/deal-breaking?
2. Alternatives: Are there other subwoofers available in Europe (e.g., via Thomann) that might offer a cleaner pass-through for a similar price or should I spend more on a more expensive sub?

Technical Specs for Reference:

• Listening Distance: ~0.8m (Near-field)
• D3V -3dB Point: 50.5Hz
• D3V -6dB Point: 47.6Hz

I’d love to hear from anyone who has integrated a sub with these specific monitors or has experience with the PreSonus noise floor issues.

Thanks!

 

[SlowJim]

I don't think you can beat it for the price. Subs with built in HPF's are very rare.

 

[Nearfield_Science]

I don't think you can beat it for the price. Subs with built in HPF's are very rare.

It seems like it from what I can read. Is it generally seen as clean enough or would it be better to spend more?

 

[3125b]

Noise Floor: I’ve seen some measurements here on ASR suggesting the Sub 8BT’s pass-through can be noisy. In a quiet near-field setup, is this audible/deal-breaking?

In my experience that's true for many studio subs but unfortunately I cannot point you to a good one regardless of budget.
Trial and error might be the way to go.
If you can't find a studio sub with a satisfactory crossover, connecting a sub and the speakers in parallel to the output of the DAC is an option. You obviously don't get a high-pass that way, but you can get a home audio sub that will typically have a much better price to performance ratio.

 

[CptKlotz]

I’d love to hear from anyone who has integrated a sub with these specific monitors or has experience with the PreSonus noise floor issues.

I have

I just had to get the D3Vs because they're such a cool product - like a crossover between a studio monitor and a JBL bluetooth speaker with absolutely crazy bass extension.

The DIY subwoofer for my desktop system already existed when I got the D3Vs.

I'm currently running the D3Vs through a MiniDSP 2x4 (the old, non-HD one) that I use as a crossover and for room correction / EQ. I have 12 5" drivers in small sealed enclosures, placed in different locations around my desk (to spread around the room modes a bit) and powered by a 1000W Thomann t.amp.

This probably sounds like a massively overpowered subwoofer for D3Vs but I am not using bass reflex and EQing the system to an F3 of about 20 hz which needs massive power.

I'm crossing over at 150hz which seems to be the highest I can go before the bass doesn't seem to originate from the D3Vs anymore.

The D3V can play a little louder and cleaner this way because they don't have to do the heavy lifting. They still won't do thunderous levels. At an average level of about 90 dB at 1m distance, things still sound very clean. With very subbass-heavy content like games or some movies, the subwoofer will actually run out of steam first (that's probably more like 105+ dB then).

I'm sitting close to a diagonal roof and I initially had some trouble with the pretty wide dispersion of the D3Vs which resulted in overly bright treble (as opposed to my Visaton B100 fullrange drivers that are a *lot* more directional). I added some acoustic material to the roof which helped. I'm running the D3V with the ROOM (=treble) switch set to "moderate" which is the middle position and I'm using some EQ in the 5-6 khz area (but that's not strictly necessary).

The D3Vs sound really clear and open in the midrange and treble with excellent stereo imaging. The volume limitations are not an issue for me in practice because 90 dB average for an extended period of time is already too loud for me. For the size and money, these are incredible speakers. They are *very* portable but can reproduce pretty much fullrange sound (50hz bass extension, perhaps a little lower with some room gain) at moderate levels. They sound even better with a room-corrected subwoofer.

How well they would play together with the Presonus sub I have no idea. With the MiniDSP, I get a very steep 48dB/oct crossover, I can fine-tune the delay down to a few milliseconds and I can apply parametric EQ to my heart's content. But then, the MiniDSP alone costs more than the whole Presonus subwoofer.

It seems to play ok together with Kali LP-UNFs, so it might work for you as well.

Stephan

 

[ChalupaRiddems]

The DIY subwoofer for my desktop system already existed when I got the D3Vs.

I'm currently running the D3Vs through a MiniDSP 2x4 (the old, non-HD one) that I use as a crossover and for room correction / EQ. I have 12 5" drivers in small sealed enclosures, placed in different locations around my desk (to spread around the room modes a bit) and powered by a 1000W Thomann t.amp.

This probably sounds like a massively overpowered subwoofer for D3Vs but I am not using bass reflex and EQing the system to an F3 of about 20 hz which needs massive power.

I absolutely need to hear more about this!

I'm planning speakers for a home office. My current idea is to get the Adam Audio D3V and mount them on either side of my 3" wide monitor using a rail, similar to this setup:

Bass is the obvious weak spot. Not a problem for video calls, but lame for music. It would be fun to do a DIY Sub or 4.

My listening position moves around a lot while remaining near field. Sitting at Desk, Standing at Desk, Sitting in Reading Chair, Sitting at Work Bench, etc. Mounting the low-directivity D3V on the monitor arm should allow me to point them to various listening locations.

So the need for a sub + highly divergent listening positions makes me think I should do a large number of small subwoofers governed by a high quality DSP with multiple listening positions pre-programmed. I run dual subs for my HT and definitely appreciate how multiple subwoofers even out bass coverage. Thus 12 x 5" drivers is a very interesting idea.

 

[CptKlotz]

I think the D3V has absolutely outstanding bass extension for its tiny size.

But sure, it can't compete with larger speakers or active subs.

There really isn't much to show for my current desktop sub system. It's just a bunch of already-existing speaker boxes that I installed the bass drivers into and put under my desks

If you are considering building something like this, you could start with a software like WinISD which lets you calculate the behaviour of different speaker drivers in different enclosure types. I am using sealed enclosures - not the most efficient, especially at smaller volumes but you can EQ it as you like, provided that you have enough amp power and the driver has enough excursion ability / power handling.

I'm using the old MiniDSP 2x4 as a crossover and for EQ. I have a Behringer ECM8000 microphone (uncalibrated) which isn't perfect, but probably enough to get an idea what the bass is doing in REW.

Then I use the parametric EQs in the MiniDSP to get close to a house curve that works for me, measure, listen, adjust and repeat until I'm happy.