BK Electronic subwoofer - any experience?

[Foxenfurter]

I am thinking of buying a BK Electronics subwoofer. BK are a UK based manufacturer, which is a plus for me and seem to be a respected brand, and the on-paper price performance looks great. I am probably going to get a 10 inch one to complement my main speakers, and I would like the smallest sub I can get away with.

The main Speakers in room response is -6 db approx at 35 Hz and -3db at 40 hz. and the room is 5.5 m * 4.5m with 3.2 m ceilings, the lounge is semi-open plan with an adjacent room 4m * 4m and also 3.2m high ceiling. To keep domestic harmony I am likely to place the sub in a corner behind the right speaker.

I will be applying room correction through DSP and the three other corners of the room have furniture placed in them (hopefully ameliorating bass standing waves somewhat)

Given this I would like some views on whether

• I would benefit from such a sub.
• placement in a corner like this going to cause more problems then it solves
• a downward or forward firing sub would be better.

Thanks in advance for any observations.

 

[LTig]

What are your satellite speakers? The sub should be a match regarding max SPL.

 

[Foxenfurter]

NB this is for music not HT, so I amonly using front speakers and they are an Opera SP3 a very limited run and I don't have the spec sheet. they have 2 6.5 inch scan-speak drivers from memory one is mid-bass and the other is a bass driver. I can easily get 100 db at listening position, and haven't tested louder than this

 

[diablo]

When I set up my first cinema system in 2010 I bought a BK XXLS400 FF sub. Placement options were limited and it had a pronounced single-note boom until I got a DSpeaker Antimode box to flatten the response. It then worked very well, until last year when the amp died. The solid box is now a hall seat with shoe storage. Replaced with SVS2000pro in my new cinema room.

Also bought a Double Gem when I moved to my present house in 2018 - to go behind the TV. That also worked well (now with MiniDSP correction) until it developed an intermittent hum. I bought a new plate amp from BK and it is now working well again.

Maybe I've been unlucky but I've found out since that I could probably have sent the amps of both to BK for repair at moderate cost.

From what you say about your present set-up I think a small sub will enhance your system. My lounge tower speakers have reasonably good bass and go quite deep, but the sub helps if I want more than just 'flat' bass.

FF or DF? Depends on your floor. Shouldn't actually sound much different.

 

[Glasvegas]

I’ve been using a BK Gemini II for just over a year in a room just a bit smaller than yours.

I’m very pleased with the result, using DSP (Dirac).

I’ve tried it in various positions and can’t hear any difference, maybe thanks to Dirac.

I always thought of the Gemini II as a cheap introduction to using a subwoofer. Recently, I decided to buy an SVS SB-1000 at a good discount, as I wanted to try a larger FF sealed unit.

So far, I can’t decide which one I prefer!

 

[Sashoir]

I have two of their Gemini II which are much more than I need, output-wise (but I listen to music *much* more softly than it seems most people do on here).

In a ~4.5×5×3.5m room (well, the floor boards are over a void) they do very well for my musical tastes. The build quality seems pretty sturdy, too; my loudspeakers used to be on wall brackets until one failed, and one of my sub-woofers took a direct hit from a Kef R3 from about 5' unscathed.

I didn't think very highly of their logistics company, though.

 

[XpanD]

When I set up my first cinema system in 2010 I bought a BK XXLS400 FF sub. Placement options were limited and it had a pronounced single-note boom until I got a DSpeaker Antimode box to flatten the response. It then worked very well, until last year when the amp died. The solid box is now a hall seat with shoe storage. Replaced with SVS2000pro in my new cinema room.

Also bought a Double Gem when I moved to my present house in 2018 - to go behind the TV. That also worked well (now with MiniDSP correction) until it developed an intermittent hum. I bought a new plate amp from BK and it is now working well again.

Maybe I've been unlucky but I've found out since that I could probably have sent the amps of both to BK for repair at moderate cost.

From what you say about your present set-up I think a small sub will enhance your system. My lounge tower speakers have reasonably good bass and go quite deep, but the sub helps if I want more than just 'flat' bass.

FF or DF? Depends on your floor. Shouldn't actually sound much different.

Can echo the sentiment on the XXLS400 here, excellent sub. I got mine at the end of 2010, and it's still going strong. Plenty of output as well, sitting in the corner of a room with roughly similar volume -- it'll happily knock things off of shelves and make the walls make terrifying noises, and I'm only at ~60% gain.

 

[FeddyLost]

Double Gem looks like a good compact support, but to be sure it would be great if you download REW and use Room Sim to check how it shall work with your exact placement.
I don't think that any other subwoofer solution will have less floor space and will be cheaper that this, including delivery.

 

[Deleted member 54137]

I've had an xxls400 for years. It's still working and is currently giving a little extra bass in the kitchen. I also have a pair of Double Gems sitting under a pair of Elac DBR62s. I run them via a minidsp 2x4 HD. Having 2 does even the bass out a bit (but I do have an almost square room).