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Subwoofer - Genelec 7040 or Svsound SB 1000 - ~187sq feet, 17m²

nosleepdemon

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Hello!

I am looking at investing in a subwoofer to compliment my Genelec 8010 monitors. I'm listening in a small room of size 11x17 feet (187 square feet, 17 square metres). The room can be treated with acoustical foam, and possibly some bass traps in the corners. There appears to be some amount of insulation between it and the bedroom above, it's possibly rockwool. I am doing this mostly as an exercise to improve my mixes - games and film are secondary.

My main considerations in this purchase are:

1. Integrating well with my speakers, which have a low frequency roll-off at 67hz.
2. Not creating a noise complaint upstairs from my kid, who already has to put up with snow plows rumbling by at night!
3. Further to 2, being able to reproduce bass at a moderate volume - I'm playing the 8010s at a max volume of about 65db spl, listening just shy of 1 metre away.

I've narrowed my choice to the Genelec 7040 and the Svsound SB 1000. They are compareable in price for where I live, though notably the SB 1000 is about 10% cheaper.

The 7040 offers the advantage of being built specifically to match my speakers, however it has a smaller woofer and I can't find too much critical analysis on Genelec's Laminar Spiral Enclosure design, and whether that sufficiently compensates for it. I am a bit inexperienced when it comes to this!

The SB 1000 offers many more features, and a bigger woofer that could be future proof were I to move to a larger space - though then I'd likely be replacing or adding to the 8010s already. However I am ignorant of how this more powerful sub will play with my smaller, near-field speakers, and how difficult it would be to contain the sound passing through the ceiling.

So there you go, any help / advice / experience in a similar situation / education on bass would be most welcome.
 
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nosleepdemon

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Cheers! After my initial post I did a bit more research into pairing the 8010s with the 7040. I also improved the acoustics in my room a wee bit by re-arranging the speaker positions slightly. I'm fairly confident the 7040 will be the best choice, and have placed an order for one. Assuming it arrives, I'll post my impression of it to hopefully give some aid to anyone who digs this post up later.
 
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nosleepdemon

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I spent some time finding a good placement for the 7040, and dealing with sitting about 2-3 metres from the wall because of the depth of my desk. I ended up removing my keyboard tray to sit further forward (closer to the wall) and pushing the speakers further back so that they are beside my monitor. I set the -10db dip switches on the 8010s and decreased the bass sensitivity on the 7040 to match the lowered volume on the 8010s. Since I won't be listening anywhere close to the max volume I figured this was fine, as it gave me more control over the volume balance between 8010s and 7040. The 7040 also has the -2db roll-off switch engaged, I noticed that with it off, I had a bit of a null developing near 60hz. I don't know why, but I did take several measurements with it on/off to confirm. I think this has worked out well, and with some measurements from an upright umik-1 and moderate EQ, here is the result:

left speaker

8010 left.jpg


right speaker

8010 right.jpg


left speaker decay waterfall (right is a similar story)

8010 left waterfall.jpg

There's some boominess to the bass and something odd near 600hz, but the room is basically untreated. I do however, have an issue when the left and right output is summed, and I am wondering if that is a problem. I am not sure how to go about solving it. Observe the dip in the 2 - 5k range:


8010 left and right.jpg


Is it worth chasing this? I also ended up having to engage the desktop dip-switch on the right speaker, as otherwise there was a peak and a null happening in a frequency response that was otherwise similar for both speakers. That right speaker is near a door, so maybe that's why?

These seem reasonable, what do you folks think?
 
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nosleepdemon

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I've decided to stick with everything as-is, I think it is decent and further improvements would require hefty room treatment. I just wanted to add a quick thanks to everyone who chimed in with helpful ideas and analysis. When I first read through some of the guides and posts in this forum I was struck by the advanced knowledge of its users. I certainly wouldn't have been able to figure this all out without the massive contribution you guys put forth. Give yourselves a pat on the back.
 
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How much extra bass extension did the 7040 add to the 8010's?
Looks really nice overall for the kit end result.

Been thinking of getting something similar just unsure which sizes would be best to get.
Looking at your data seems even the "worst" option is great.
 
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nosleepdemon

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The 8010s have a quick fall-off at around 67hz, which makes them more or less incapable of producing any sort of low end. For example, you would never be able to mix a kick and bass synth with them. To that end the 7040 helped greatly, while it doesn't go right down into 20hz chest vibrating region, it's allowed me to mix the low end in my music... albeit carefully. I still notice a peak in volume in some low notes, so I must have a room mode close to where I am listening from. The decision to get the 7040 eventually hinged on the fact that it was designed to work with the 8010s. Given my untreated room, I felt the need to get off on the best possible footing with equipment designed to work together.
 

blueone

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Not a fan of the SB 1000, i tried a pair in a similar room and found it lacking headroom
Consider the ported box pb 1000 pro instead
Am yet to use Genelec products, so cant comment on that
I use an SB1000PRO in our HT system, and it works great. Success probably depends on one's volume level requirements; ours are relatively modest. Few action movies. Agree on the PB1000PRO if you have the space and need the headroom. A pair is also a good idea if practical.
 
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nosleepdemon

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Volume requirement was a real concern for me, as I mix beneath someone's bedroom. As such I needed enough bass to be audible, but not more than that. The 7040 suits the near-field configuration of the 8010s. I won't be doing any club mixes since below 30hz doesn't exist for me, but for a single listener about a metre from the speakers (sub is next to the left speaker, slightly offset from room centre) it works well. I would say that if you are planning to seat more than person, or want to sit further away to watch films, then maybe the 7040 alone won't do the trick. But then, the 8010s won't either.
 
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