Subwoofer for music

[rab9090]

Hi all,

I've been thinking about adding a sub to my system and so far have been looking mostly at the B&W ASW610, BK XLS200 and Gemini II. The sub would be used only for music. Does anyone know of other subs that could be worth a look?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I've been thinking about adding a sub to my system and so far have been looking mostly at the B&W ASW610, BK XLS200 and Gemini II. The sub would be used only for music. Does anyone know of other subs that could be worth a look?

I recently recieved the BK XXLS400 and it's excellent. One word of caution is it took well over a month to come. VFM wise though, you cannot come close AFAIK.

 

[rab9090]

Thanks for the reply. From the other threads I've seen about BK it seems I'd be silly to spend £200 more the the B&W. Just can't quite decide between the Gemini II and XLS200! The XXLS400 would be too much for my room I think.

Does anybody have some experience with either of the smaller BKs?

 

[Anonymous]

How big is your room? The 400 is not "that" big for a 12" sub (roughly a 40cm cube), and of course the gain (volume) is infinitely adjustable. Of course if you're referring to size then I understand.

I also have an MJ Acoustics pro 50, and that is also an excellent, and tiny sub. Not sure on pricing, but I think they tend to be a little higher.

 

[Inter_Voice]

Thanks for the reply. From the other threads I've seen about BK it seems I'd be silly to spend £200 more the the B&W. Just can't quite decide between the Gemini II and XLS200! The XXLS400 would be too much for my room I think.

Does anybody have some experience with either of the smaller BKs?

The other alternative is MJ Acoustic Pro 50 or 100 MKII which is very similar to BK but seems to be a bit dearer than BK. I am now using 50 MKII and it is really good to extend the bass department for music reproduction using the high level input.

 

[rab9090]

Physical size isn't a problem but I thought the volume it puts out could be too much. My room is around 5x5meters. Although with adjustable gain then the volume for the room might not be a problem?

 

[Anonymous]

Physical size isn't a problem but I thought the volume it puts out could be too much. My room is around 5x5meters. Although with adjustable gain then the volume for the room might not be a problem?

Exactly. You tune it to what you want it to sound like. And 5x5 metres is certainly big enough. The bigger subs aren't just about volume, rather frequency response too. A smaller one will struggle to hit 30 Hz. The 400 will hit 20.

 

[rab9090]

It is more depth and punch that I'm looking for. Seemed to be under the impression that the more powerfull subs are better suited for home cinema rather than just music. Thanks for your help!

 

[rab9090]

Another quick question! If I were to use the pre-out on the amp to the low level inputs on the sub, would the volume of the sub be at a fixed level - the gain control for the low level input? As the pre-out isn't controlled by the volume control on the amp, where as the high level would be.

Feels like I could be missing something obvious here! Hopefully not a too silly question.

 

[Inter_Voice]

Another quick question! If I were to use the pre-out on the amp to the low level inputs on the sub, would the volume of the sub be at a fixed level - the gain control for the low level input? As the pre-out isn't controlled by the volume control on the amp, where as the high level would be.

Feels like I could be missing something obvious here! Hopefully not a too silly question.

I cannot comment on the other subs but for MJ Acoustics Pro that I owned both the high level and the low level inputs are adjustable by separate volume knobs at the back. The cut off freq. is also adjustable. If you use the sub purely for music listening I strongly suggest you to use the high level input.

 

[Anonymous]

Another quick question! If I were to use the pre-out on the amp to the low level inputs on the sub, would the volume of the sub be at a fixed level - the gain control for the low level input? As the pre-out isn't controlled by the volume control on the amp, where as the high level would be.

Feels like I could be missing something obvious here! Hopefully not a too silly question.

There is a gain control for low or high level. I use ADM9T speakers so I am forced to use low level. Actually I have the sub plugged into 2 systems 🙂 One on high level, and the other, low. Works just fine.

 

[Anonymous]

Another quick question! If I were to use the pre-out on the amp to the low level inputs on the sub, would the volume of the sub be at a fixed level - the gain control for the low level input? As the pre-out isn't controlled by the volume control on the amp, where as the high level would be.

Feels like I could be missing something obvious here! Hopefully not a too silly question.

There is a gain control for low or high level. I use ADM9T speakers so I am forced to use low level. Actually I have the sub plugged into 2 systems 🙂 One on high level, and the other, low. Works just fine.

Hi, I am in the process of getting a sub for my ADM9 set-up and would like to know your thoughts on the two options I have to set it up.

Firstly, Im in the process of building out a 'main' system in the living room 2 channel for music and tv/movies. As such Ive got a Bel Canto DAC2.5 and will add power amp and speakers to this early next year and my ADm's will be used with my mac in the study.

The sub is a Tannoy PS-350B which has only XLR inputs. My options are:

1. Use the ADM's sub out with an rca/XLR cable to the sub

2. Use XLR out from Bel Canto DAC to the sub

Do you know how these would compare? Are both low level?

Thanks

 

[rab9090]

Thanks for the advice. So once I'd connected the sub and adjusted the gain controls, would volume also be affected by the main volume control on the amp, whichever connection was being used?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice. So once I'd connected the sub and adjusted the gain controls, would volume also be affected by the main volume control on the amp, whichever connection was being used?

Yes, the gain sets the relative volume. So the amp controls the overall sound. The best way to think of a subwoofer is as an extra drive unit for your speakers that does bass. And because low bass is such a long waveform, it's not directional.

 

[Anonymous]

Another quick question! If I were to use the pre-out on the amp to the low level inputs on the sub, would the volume of the sub be at a fixed level - the gain control for the low level input? As the pre-out isn't controlled by the volume control on the amp, where as the high level would be.

Feels like I could be missing something obvious here! Hopefully not a too silly question.

There is a gain control for low or high level. I use ADM9T speakers so I am forced to use low level. Actually I have the sub plugged into 2 systems 🙂 One on high level, and the other, low. Works just fine.

Hi, I am in the process of getting a sub for my ADM9 set-up and would like to know your thoughts on the two options I have to set it up.

Firstly, Im in the process of building out a 'main' system in the living room 2 channel for music and tv/movies. As such Ive got a Bel Canto DAC2.5 and will add power amp and speakers to this early next year and my ADm's will be used with my mac in the study.

The sub is a Tannoy PS-350B which has only XLR inputs. My options are:

1. Use the ADM's sub out with an rca/XLR cable to the sub

2. Use XLR out from Bel Canto DAC to the sub

Do you know how these would compare? Are both low level?

Thanks

Option 1 should be fine. Yes, they are both low level (pre amplifier). I'm not sure how they would compare, but I assume option 1 is preferable if you'll be using the DAC in another system?