So I think I have decided to get a sub…

[admin_exported]

So I think I have decided to get a sub, I love the sound of my set up it just doesn’t handle the bass all that well. It’s depressing when I’m listing to a great bass line and the bass suddenly disappears when I hit the bottom of the lector’s frequency response.
But I really do like the sound of the Lektor/Marantz combo. I have been trying out different amps and speakers including NAD, Wharfedale and B&W and I can’t seem to find anything I like more than the set up I have.

So that leaves me with getting a sub to compliment the Lektors, anyone got any ideas?
I was think around a £400-200 budget and have had a look at the following subs
- BK Gemini II
- BK XLS200
- BK XXLS400
- Wharfedale Diamond SW150
- B&W ASW610

The sub will be used from the second set a speaker terminals from my Marantz and will only be used for music. I know people will say the sub will ruin the balance but it will only get used for parties and when listing for bass heavy music that isn’t well produced anyway (drum and bass, Liqiud funk, Dub and IDM)

Another option is to change the speakers to Dali concept 6’s which I have been offered for £400, however I don’t think I have the space to use then to their full potential.

Anyone’s thoughts would be great!

 

[Anonymous]

Sell the Lektor 2's, save on the sub and get some floorstanders. That's my view.

 

[Anonymous]

I have considered this but i don't think i have room for floorstanders and the floorstanders i have tested seam to be needed to be driven quite loud to get the kind of bass i am after.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

ValianTX:Sell the Lektor 2's, save on the sub and get some floorstanders. That's my view.

Standmounts & Sub combo can be an underrated option - for those who like a fast but deep sound, they can be better than the price of comparable floorstanders.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Agreed. Plus, the more bass the floorstaners produce, the better the amplification is needed to control it, which can become expensive. A sub has it's own amplification, so no need to even change amplification in the first place.

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for the responses guys. Anyone got any thoughs on any of the subs mentioned? Also will my Marantz be able to drive both a sub and the Lektors?

 

[Anonymous]

My Mordaunt Short sub has inouts for left and right channels, so balance isn't such an issue. Except, of course, I don't have it positioned between the main speakers.

 

[pete321]

Stevie_Blaze:Anyone got any thoughs on any of the subs mentioned?

More on the one you missed out, BK XLS300/PR. I'm using one with my Proac's. I've found it produces a deep clean bass and is able to keep pace with music.

It'll be better with music than the similarly priced 400 as it's forward firing, it's 10" driver will be able to keep pace better than the 400's 12" driver, plus you get the benefits of the Passive Radiator (have a search elsewher on google for info).

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks, the xls300 looks really nice. However i am worried it might be a little to much as it will live in a small room so i'm leaning more towards the 200.

Anyone else got any thoughs on the BK subs or just subs in general?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mate,

I have an xls200 DF and in my opinion it is a superb subwoofer with a beautiful finish and an excellent sound, the only thing is to be patient as delivery can be slow!!!, it takes a bit of time to run in and it's really worth getting an SPL meter to calibrate your system, hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Ciaran.

 

[jaxwired]

Have you ever demo'd dynaudio speakers? You can find a pair of Dynaudio Audience 52s used for very little money and they will deliver much more pronounced and satisfying bass. I doubt you would still want a sub. This would be a cheaper solution. No sub to buy and you could sell your Dali's.

 

[sometimesuk]

Dont waste your money! Your going to make an expensive mistake.

I tried to add a subwoofer to my Audiovector Mi1 Sig's. What I would was that the quality of the amp was nowhere near that of the speakers, and I just ended up with a slow lumpy bass, and even thought that I had more tunefull, extended bass without it!

I would audio either floorstanders, as they take up the same footprint and standmounts with their stands, or listen to a pair of Dynaduio standmount speakers which are known for offering far more than most in the bass department.

If you must by a subwoofer, then buy the same brand as your main speakers, as is would have the same sound siganture and may even be designed to work with your speakers.

 

[Vimeous]

Having listened to the Lektor 2's at the Bristol show this year I was surprised and deeply impressed by the quality on offer for little outlay.

However I agree they lack oompf especially compared to my aging B&W's which really deliver stunning drive for their age.

As a result I'd agree with other suggestions that you should audition more substantial stand-mounts before settling 100% for a sub. The Dynaudios suggested also sounded stunning at the show and deliver the scale the Lektor 2's lack.

I'd suggest you look at the Lektor 3's and see if their move upscale retains what you love about your 2's.

Finally I'd audition B&W's 685's. If they're the setup beyond my 602's I expect they may be your aural nirvana

 

[matengawhat]

sometimesuk:

Dont waste your money! Your going to make an expensive mistake.

I tried to add a subwoofer to my Audiovector Mi1 Sig's. What I would was that the quality of the amp was nowhere near that of the speakers, and I just ended up with a slow lumpy bass, and even thought that I had more tunefull, extended bass without it!

I would audio either floorstanders, as they take up the same footprint and standmounts with their stands, or listen to a pair of Dynaduio standmount speakers which are known for offering far more than most in the bass department.

If you must by a subwoofer, then buy the same brand as your main speakers, as is would have the same sound siganture and may even be designed to work with your speakers.

So you bought one sub no mention of make and it didn't work for you therefore all subs must be rubbish!!!! How many pairs of speakers have you ever listened to that you just didn't feel were right? It takes some time and effort with both different makes and tuning options to get the perfect setup but is really worth it. Biggest mistake most ppl make is turning the sub up to loud and having crossovers set to high.

Being on my 3rd sub/stand mount setup now and having used many different speakers and subs - I would never go back to floor standers - a good sub is far more versatile than speakers could ever be offering a massive amount of flexibility in terms of tuning and setup, also many amps no longer have tone controls so this gives another option to tailor your setup. To me subs add far more to the overall sound and one thing they are fantastic for is if you want to listen to music quietly sometimes but still enjoy the full sound you don't have to put a load of power through your mains speakers to get them to sing. Also if you want to cut the bass for late night listening you just take it out of the loop.

Just make sure you buy a fast sub that has lots of integrate options also decide if later you are going to make it part of a home cinema setup and make sure you but a make that allows you to connect both stereo and home cinema inputs at the same time with separate crossover and volume settings - rel and BK are both good for this!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the diffrent opions guys, its good to hear both sides.

I have tryed diffrent speakers including floorstanders and the 685's,and although the bass was better they just sounds as good as the Dali's imo. And nothing i could find seamed to give me the kinda bass i am after which i feal a sub would be able to give.

 

[pete321]

sometimesuk: I just ended up with a slow lumpy bass, and even thought that I had more tunefull, extended bass without it!

That could certainly be the case if you use the wrong sub! I'm using mine with Proac Studio 140's which are fast speakers rated at 24hz so you would assume, as I used to, they would need no help from a sub. I'm not using the sub to get deeper bass (although it goes slightly deeper), it produces a clean punchy bass, the speakers sound somewhat 'muddy' by comparison. In addition, if you're using an av amp, it doesn't have to work so hard driving the speakers as you can set the crossover from the amp, 60hz in my case. This has the effect of opening up your loudspeakers. As long as you choose a the right sub, one that's fast rather than a monster that's just about going to the depths, the benefits can be great, and not just for bass light standmounters.

 

[Craig M.]

jaxwired:Have you ever demo'd dynaudio speakers? You can find a pair of Dynaudio Audience 52s used for very little money and they will deliver much more pronounced and satisfying bass. I doubt you would still want a sub. This would be a cheaper solution. No sub to buy and you could sell your Dali's.

audience 52's are good speakers but will need a very firm hand from the amp, my 42's were definitely harder to drive then the focus 110's i replaced them with, themselves not an easy speaker to drive. i had them on the end of a kandy L.lll and thought it was struggling.

when did you get the contours jax? i was very impressed by them when i had on home dem, if i'd had a bigger room i might have bought them.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the responses. I think i will be getting the bk sub! If its really that bad i can always sell it. Just got one last question though, will the Marantz be ok driving both the dali's and the sub?

I presume that as the sub has its own built on amp that it won't put much load on the Marantz?.

 

[matengawhat]

the sub takes no power from the amp - just a signal so will not efffect the sound of your speakers and will place no extra strain on the amp

 

[Anonymous]

Cool thats what i though. Theres a 10-14 day wait for the XLS200 so i'll post back once i got it all set up!