Compact subwoofer to complement JBL 305P Mkii?

[stunta]

Specs for the 305P:
FREQUENCY RESPONSE (±3dB) 49Hz – 20kHz
FREQUENCY RANGE (-10dB) 43Hz – 24kHz
LOW FREQUENCY EXTENSION (-10dB) 43Hz

My in-room response as per REW is below. I am surprised to see extension down to 40Hz and it looks like my room is actually giving it a bit of boost at 45Hz. I've already applied the filters in Roon and overall the bottom end is more controlled.

This is in my living room and I am thinking if a sub would help fill the gap below 40 Hz, but the subwoofer needs to be small and discrete. If it doesn't go flat all the way to 20, thats fine. Any suggestions? Is it even worth considering?

I found this, but not sure how good it is - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1177519-REG/genelec_7040apm_7040a_studio_subwoofer.html

 

[March Audio]

I use 4 of these.

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-cheap-is-your-sub.1967/page-3#post-52578

 

[stunta]

I tried a B&w asw300. The issue is the floor is floating and this is an old,creaky house so the vibrations were disconcerting. The sub is downward firing. I tried placing it on an auralex subdude base but didn’t help much.

Should I be looking at sealed designs.

 

[svart-hvitt]

Specs for the 305P:
FREQUENCY RESPONSE (±3dB) 49Hz – 20kHz
FREQUENCY RANGE (-10dB) 43Hz – 24kHz
LOW FREQUENCY EXTENSION (-10dB) 43Hz

My in-room response as per REW is below. I am surprised to see extension down to 40Hz and it looks like my room is actually giving it a bit of boost at 45Hz. I've already applied the filters in Roon and overall the bottom end is more controlled.

This is in my living room and I am thinking if a sub would help fill the gap below 40 Hz, but the subwoofer needs to be small and discrete. If it doesn't go flat all the way to 20, thats fine. Any suggestions? Is it even worth considering?

I found this, but not sure how good it is - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1177519-REG/genelec_7040apm_7040a_studio_subwoofer.html


View attachment 11379

Genelec make solid, function oriented products. Their subs don’t rattle or shake, they simply emit lower frequencies as stated in specs.

 

[stunta]

I use 4 of these.

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-cheap-is-your-sub.1967/reply&quote=52578

The ASW608 looks great! Alas, its discontinued. I will keep an eye out on audiogon.

 

[March Audio]

The ASW608 looks great! Alas, its discontinued. I will keep an eye out on audiogon.

Its current on B&W website and readily available in a quick online search

http://www.bowers-wilkins.net/Speakers/Home_Audio/600_Series/ASW608.html

 

[Wombat]

I tried a B&w asw300. The issue is the floor is floating and this is an old,creaky house so the vibrations were disconcerting. The sub is downward firing. I tried placing it on an auralex subdude base but didn’t help much.

Should I be looking at sealed designs.

The LF soundwaves are likely to do this with any subwoofer in the conditions you describe. Best to try before you buy if you can.

For the same LF cut-off frequency, all else being equal, the sealed enclosure will produce less LF energy(amplitude) below that frequency - assuming no low end DSP boosting. This could help.

You probably will find that a compromise between LF extension and SPL has to be made.

 

[March Audio]

I tried a B&w asw300. The issue is the floor is floating and this is an old,creaky house so the vibrations were disconcerting. The sub is downward firing. I tried placing it on an auralex subdude base but didn’t help much.

Should I be looking at sealed designs.

If you are going to excite the room with low frequency acoustic pressure then it will.......well.... get excited If you want to decouple the box to the floor you'll need some kind of compliant device. No spikes wont do that

My preference is for sealed speakers. They have better transient response, also with subs you wont get a sharp roll off below the port frequency which could be an issue if you are looking at smaller designs. Possibly easier to EQ to get lower frequency extension as you wont get so massive excursion below port tuning point.

 

[DonH56]

Rythmik L12? Or F12 (that is what I own)?

Define "small" and what is your price range?

 

[stunta]

Its current on B&W website and readily available in a quick online search

http://www.bowers-wilkins.net/Speakers/Home_Audio/600_Series/ASW608.html

I need to get better at finding things or get enough sleep. I cannot find anyone who sells this!

Rythmik L12? Or F12 (that is what I own)?

Define "small" and what is your price range?

The ASW608 would be a good size -
Height 260mm (10.2in) not including feet
Width 260mm (10.2in)
Depth 330mm (13in) including grille and controls

Price should ideally be <$500 USD.

 

[Wombat]

I need to get better at finding things or get enough sleep. I cannot find anyone who sells this!



The ASW608 would be a good size -
Height 260mm (10.2in) not including feet
Width 260mm (10.2in)
Depth 330mm (13in) including grille and controls

Price should ideally be <$500 USD.

Add price after item descriptor in Google Search.

 

[DonH56]

B&W's subs have historically not compared well to most other but I know they revamped their line last year so maybe they have improved.

Rythmik L12: http://www.rythmikaudio.com/L12.html

 

[March Audio]

I need to get better at finding things or get enough sleep. I cannot find anyone who sells this!



The ASW608 would be a good size -
Height 260mm (10.2in) not including feet
Width 260mm (10.2in)
Depth 330mm (13in) including grille and controls

Price should ideally be <$500 USD.

I paid $700 AUD so that should come in your budget

 

[stunta]

Ah, they are dealer only. Forgot about that. I’ll make a few calls. Thanks. I got my asw300 off of Craigslist for 100 bucks a long time ago. Found it hard to integrate with any stereo system.

Don, I looked at the rythmiks. I know mitchco recommends them too.. too large for my living room

 

[RayDunzl]

My preference is for sealed speakers. They have better transient response

How much transient is there to respond to when the sub is limited on the high side to 80Hz or so?

I'll be playing with sealing and unsealing the port on the cheezewoofers soon.

Realizing the volume of the cabinets likely won't be optimal, assuming the electronics don't limit the low end, what do you think I'll see (measured)?

Experiment:

 

[March Audio]

Remember the driver is acting against a different "supension" and this controlling behaviour is different between sealed and ported. Ill find some links but here is one

http://audiojudgement.com/sealed-enclosure-closed-box/

But if you take the term "transient" in a more subjective sense, sealed always sounds more controlled to me. Im making far too many subjective observations lately, have to stop it.

 

[stunta]

Looking at the connection options for the ASW608, I don’t see how it can integrate with the active JBLs. It doesn’t have a line out.

The Genelec 7040a I mentioned earlier only goes down to 30Hz. Not sure if that is adding enough value.

I may have to settle with my dogs being the only woofers in the living room. They are quite compact and go really low (to the ground)

 

[March Audio]

Looking at the connection options for the ASW608, I don’t see how it can integrate with the active JBLs. It doesn’t have a line out.

The Genelec 7040a I mentioned earlier only goes down to 30Hz. Not sure if that is adding enough value.

I may have to settle with my dogs being the only woofers in the living room. They are quite compact

I need to clarify what you intend here. I have just looked at the JBLs and would I be correct in saying you are feeding them with balanced xlr? Does your source only have balanced out?

 

[svart-hvitt]

Looking at the connection options for the ASW608, I don’t see how it can integrate with the active JBLs. It doesn’t have a line out.

The Genelec 7040a I mentioned earlier only goes down to 30Hz. Not sure if that is adding enough value.

I may have to settle with my dogs being the only woofers in the living room. They are quite compact

In room response may deviate from stated specs (so it will go a bit lower). However, its stated SPL is 100 dB only, which means it lacks ideal headroom if you play louder than 75-80 dB (headroom of 20-25 dB is a safe margin).

There is a subjective listening here (Google translate):

https://m.bonedo.de/artikel/einzelansicht/genelec-7040a-test.html

 

[stunta]

I need to clarify what you intend here. I have just looked at the JBLs and would I be correct in saying you are feeding them with balanced xlr? Does your source only have balanced out?

Yes, I am using balanced XLR. Source is Topping DX7s which has unbalanced RCA connectors as well. I suppose I should check if both output pairs are active at the same time on the Topping.