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Poll: Do you use a subwoofer? (Explain why/why not)

Do you use a subwoofer? (Explain why)

  • Yes

  • No


Results are only viewable after voting.

typericey

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Just wanted to pick the brains of the ASR crowd on the subject matter.
 

thomasjast

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Definitely do. A pair of SVS SB-2000s. They can do that lovely musical thump and kick that most ported subs cannot and don't take up a lot of room doing it.
 

Wombat

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Stereo 14 cu.ft. ported enclosures, with 1xAltec 416 8B ea. tuned to 32Hz: minus 8dB @ at approx. 27Hz. They do not accentuate the bass. Upright Bass sounds very natural. It is not so easy to match a subwoofer to these speakers. Most Altec guys go without one because tapped-horns for bass are very large.


For TV(not home theatre) JBL LSR305 Mk11s, no subwoofer. Considering one for music DVDs but space is tight. Down to 35Hz may be enough.
 
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SIY

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Used to, but no room for them, so they're sitting in the garage. Two JBL2245H, each in a 10 cu ft sealed enclosure, downfiring, EQed flat to 18 Hz.

I'm currently building a pair of small tapped-horn woofers to augment the various powered small monitor speakers I have rotating in and out of my lab listening area. Not really subs since they don't go super deep, but they're the idea of subs.
 
OP
typericey

typericey

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Definitely do. A pair of SVS SB-2000s.

Love my (single) SB-2000 too. Although I'm thinking of upgrading to the SB-3000. The 3000 may be too much for my needs but on the other hand, it's been getting a lot of good reviews, and I feel I'm missing out on the push button controls and the app where you can dial down the settings to the last DB. Upgrading to the 3000 would also theoretically mean lower distortion because lower excursion for the same output. Going dual is out of the question (WAF considerations).

All that being said, sometimes I think about removing the sub altogether. A part of me wants to pare down and reduce the complexities of my system. Sometimes I feel that the added clutter, room modes, subwoofer crawl (placement), correct phase, ideal crossover frequency, level matching, integration, etc. etc. is just too cumbersome for one octave.

I think you now have an idea why I created this poll. :D
 
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Davelemi

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I have a SVS SB-2000 paired with Paradigm Prestige 15Bs in a small (10x12ft) room. As great as the Paradigms sound, there isn’t much below 80hz. Dirac correction (DDRC-24) makes a significant difference.
 

Vintage57

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I use 2 with HT, 15” HSU subs

Purchased 2 marching subs for my incoming Neumann

Thanks Amir. I forgot the Energy 10” under my desk
 
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jhaider

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I interpreted the question to read, "do you use subs?"

Here, 4 in the living room (total cabinet volume less than one of SIY's mothballed subs!), 2 in the desktop/nearfield setup, and depending on perspective either 0 or 2 in the bedroom system (speakers with passive 5" coax and integrated powered 8" woofers).
 
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Patrick1958

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Subwoofers are integrated into the L/R floor-standing speakers. Top passive 2-way d'appolito configuration, bottom closed active subs.
 

cjf

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I've added two Rythmik 15's recently and was finally able to see why so many people like them for 2Ch listening. They've increased my listening enjoyment in a big way. The key is to have them setup properly (With real room correction software). I suspect this little piece is why some end up either not using them at all or removing them from their system. If they are setup properly I can't fathom why anyone would not enjoy their contributions
 

House de Kris

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I've always used at least one sub in my systems since 1978. Why? I like to strive for coverage of as much of the bandwidth as possible. As the saying goes, "no frequencies left behind." Or, something like that.
 

STUDIO51

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Jun 19, 2019
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I read Dr. Gedess' paper and used multiple subwoofers. At that time, I was a student, so I used an inexpensive Yamaha subwoofer .It was quite effective at that time because I was suffering from room mode. But the bass quality wasn't great. Over time I had two good adam sub12s. I used this as a stand for the bookshelf instead of putting it in the best position. The whole position of room's balance was a bit worse, but it was more satisfying when I listen alone.

Now I use JBL M2 which doesn't need subwoofer. I wanted to use a subwoofer to solve the room mode, but it was always low bass quality and poor satisfaction. So I use two adam sub12s as a stand for JBL LSR306P in my living room. This position always looks good and sounds good. For me
 

soundwave76

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Yes, in my desktop system. It has a nasty -15dB drop around 80Hz because of the room and the sub fixes that nicely.
 

digicidal

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I have to as I have neither the space, nor the financial resources, to run truly full-range speakers. Of course, I might still want one or two to help with nulls/nodes even if I did - but that's a non-issue. I have one each in 2 setups now, but I'll consolidate soon and have 2 in the main system.
 

cjf

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Hey @mitchco ..Nice wall of sound you got going on there :)

I'm curious if you've managed to get your F18's to even blink (in terms of driver motion) with your setup?

In my case, its kind of funny, even on the loudest VOL level I listen to (about 105db at listening chair) the E15HP2 Rythmik's don't even visibly move at all. I think this is a good indication that the correct driver/sub combination was chosen for intended purpose/room size. The less motion the less distortion. But...it does make you wonder if some cash could have been saved by going with a smaller Sub combo?

I think the Rythmik offerings are so well priced that buyer remorse doesn't really come into play and that going big, just in case, has no downfalls :)

If anyone doesn't mind to contributing to China's economy the Rythmik is a real winner here. Highly recommended!!
 

Krunok

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No. My floorstander speakers are linear downto 32Hz (-6dB) which is enough for the music I'm listening.

I do use SW with the soundbar in another room where I watch movies.
 
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