Views on adding subwoofer to stereo amp wanted

[CnoEvil]

The bass was good but also in a way missing also

Sorry, you've lost me...what speakers are you referring to.

 

[Andrewjvt]

The bass was good but also in a way missing also

Sorry, you've lost me...what speakers are you referring to.

Kefr700

 

[CnoEvil]

The bass was good but also in a way missing also

Sorry, you've lost me...what speakers are you referring to.

Kefr700

OK, thx.

 

[davedotco]

The sub bass is not what is missing in this instance, it is a lack of 'mid' bass punch that is the issue.

A good sized driver with a decent transient response is what is required along with sufficient power. This as you pointed out is not cheap, think of the Heco Direkt, currently starring in their own thread, plus some decent amplification.

Speakers of this type (Also think Audio Note, Snell, Klipsch etc) major on speed and dynamics and the result is a very live sound. Sometimes the sound is not as 'sophisticated' as the better conventional hi-fi speakers but whether that matters or not depends on you.

For several reasons, primarily to do with their designed purpose, active studio monitors have a lot of these qualities at a cost well below the conventional hi-fi alternatives. Something like the Adam A7x costs just £800pr, a 7 inch bass driver with a 100watt direct connected amplifier sounds much bigger than you would expect and the bass punch is, for the price, phenominal.

Add the advantage of bass and treble shelving controls and for the right person these speakers really take some beating.

You may be right.

In my case, I've got Kef Ref 205/2s, which I mostly prefer without the Sub...but on certain types of music, it's amazing how much of the really deep bass is missing, which isn't obvious until the Sub is used.

But not in the OP's case. He is clearly missing 'slam' rather than extension given the music examples he gives. In a different world, one in which I do not (mostly) live in a 2nd floor apartment, I would add a sub to my Artist 6s, primarily for orchestral music and some live recordings where the character of the venue can be lost.

Mind you, the sort of 'live' presentation I am discussing will not suit everyone, but for those who get on with it, the active solution offers fantastic value at the price levels discussed.

 

[theelitigator]

Can not go wrong with the svs it's great for music it provides loads of clean, precise, deep clean powerful bass with subtle percussion

Lovely sounding woofer that will add value to your music and hi fi system

 

[andyjm]

My system consists of Marantz PM8005, Marantz SA8005, Tannoy Precision 6.2, Pro-ject 2 Xperience SB DC, the speaker cables are Gale XL315 (quite old) fitted with banana plugs. I've never biwired or grounded the speakers as when I have enquired on this forum the overwhelming opinion was it does not make a significant difference to warrant the expense.

Perhaps I should have considered speakers with bigger bass driver but I looked at the frequency range of the Precision 6.2's and assumed they would be fine. The speakers are working ok I'm sure. Thank you for your alternative speaker suggestions you have given me a lot to consider.

I am going to try adjusting the speaker position but I don't really have many options.

Get some cheap speaker cable from Maplin, B&Q even, and try grounding and / or bi-wiring. It can't hurt.

Try connecting your main speaker cables to the LF terminals instead of the HF ones. it can't hurt.

I'm not familiar with your speaker cable, but you could try making up some "jumpers", about six inches long, to link the HF and LF +s, HF and LF -s as well. it can make a difference.

All of the above are because of a lot of bi-ampable speakers use little brass jumpers to link the terminals externally, and they can have an awful effect on the sound. And NO, bi-ampable speakers like this do NOT have a PROPER crossover. Decent speaker wire has got to sound better than stamped out brass links, right?

And yes, I am of the school that thinks bi-amping can make a huge difference, given the right amps (in the plural), speakers and cables, of course. Bi-wiring from a single set of amplifier terminals, no. Bi-amping, yes.

You could try balancing a potato on your head. It can't hurt.

- which may well be true, but I am afraid it will have as much effect on the sound of your system as the suggestions above.

Actually, that's not quite true. The 'little brass jumpers' supplied with speakers are very low resistance, have high contact area and can be nipped tightly under the binding posts. Replacing these with higher resitance connections (which the cables will certainly be) can only be detrimental to the sound. The detriment will be negligable, but it will be there.

 

[thewinelake.]

A fun thread....

My ha'pence worth:

- The size of a room makes a huge difference to bass. I recall a demo of a very modest hifi system in the auditorium at college once (it was an Arcam alpha) and being blown away by the sound of it, whereas the exact same kit in a student's room sounded pathetic in comparison. So there's one option: get a bigger house. Much bigger!

Secondly, agree with Davedotco that it's a chunky amp you're mostly missing.

A good dealer will let you borrow kit (be it subwoofer or amp) to try in your home.

 

[Andrewjvt]

There is no substitute for old school large 12inch - 15inch drivers for the real sound

There is also no substitute for the very deep pockets required to buy genuine full range speakers, along with an amp to drive them (unless you follow the Lindsay route).

The right Sub allows a small taste of this, at a more realistic budget.

Even though i 100% agree with lindsyt and how he sets up his hifi for real sound for pound, not many on here would even consider that aproach to system building due to all the practical problems possibly present.

What is hard is when youve heard such systems and then hear people complain about the sound and you want to shout about it lol - hope you understand what i mean

 

[Andrewjvt]

Can not go wrong with the svs it's great for music it provides loads of clean, precise, deep clean powerful bass with subtle percussion

Lovely sounding woofer that will add value to your music and hi fi system

Yes thats very good advise the svs is the best value for money sub about in many peoples opinion.

Frank harvey in coventry sell them so if the op is interested give them a call. I even think they deliver also if you shop online.

 

[Andrewjvt]

There is no substitute for old school large 12inch - 15inch drivers for the real sound

There is also no substitute for the very deep pockets required to buy genuine full range speakers, along with an amp to drive them (unless you follow the Lindsay route).

The right Sub allows a small taste of this, at a more realistic budget.

The sub bass is not what is missing in this instance, it is a lack of 'mid' bass punch that is the issue.

A good sized driver with a decent transient response is what is required along with sufficient power. This as you pointed out is not cheap, think of the Heco Direkt, currently starring in their own thread, plus some decent amplification.

Speakers of this type (Also think Audio Note, Snell, Klipsch etc) major on speed and dynamics and the result is a very live sound. Sometimes the sound is not as 'sophisticated' as the better conventional hi-fi speakers but whether that matters or not depends on you.

For several reasons, primarily to do with their designed purpose, active studio monitors have a lot of these qualities at a cost well below the conventional hi-fi alternatives. Something like the Adam A7x costs just £800pr, a 7 inch bass driver with a 100watt direct connected amplifier sounds much bigger than you would expect and the bass punch is, for the price, phenominal.

Add the advantage of bass and treble shelving controls and for the right person these speakers really take some beating.

Upon reading i have to agree that the amp power and slam is a larger part of the problem.

I also agree with the active route.

Ive only heard a sub and monitor sound natural as one
In a true active set up