First off, here's a run down of equipment used and a rough description of requirements... No specs. Sorry. I'm thinking most who use this class of equipment and brand, may know well enough the capabilities of the kit.
NAD C350 integrated amp, with Gale 3030, bi-wirable two-way floor-standing speakers.
Hope to gain a little more er... Warmth(?)/prescence(?) in the bass-region of the atmosphere, without going far into boomy, hip-hop, shake-da house, crazy land...
Don't get me wrong - I am VERY happy with this arrangement. The detail, pace and vivid presentation is all to my liking...
But perhaps I sometimes crave a little more 'Umph' in the aforementioned region of the music.
It's been suggested to me, that I try introducing a sub-woofer into the plan. That a powered unit would be okay to use, in addition to my two, main speakers. That placing it in the corner of the room, would give just that extra little 'feeling' in the air.
Ooookay... But the main issue, before I start asking 'which to buy?' must surely be one of pure technical ability of the amp, to drive an additional woof-box safely. I'm sure you'll be familiar with the nature of my first concern. Up until now, I've always been a humble, 2-channel kind of listener, and sub-woofery is really uncharted territory for me.
But I'm not looking for surround sound... Just to improve a simple, 2-channel set up.
Any suggestions and introductory info. on the adding of subwoofers you think I should know, would be most welcome.
If not, then I may start looking into just a more refined pair of speakers, when money allows. I'd like very much to read about your own experiences with matching speakers to the NAD C350 and what you enjoy most about your wisest choice.
I've just swapped over to my other pair: Acoustic Solutions, 3-way speakers, as an experiment. A much cheaper pair, I bought before the Gales. They have a re-firing port and do give out a deeper bass. I don't feel they allow as much detail in stronger, more complex passages of rock. Now I'm just not sure. I tend to notice more differences with time...
If you are buying a powered subwoofer, you won't have the opportunity to divorce the amplifier from the driver. You will buy the whole enchilada and must live with your decision. If you are asking which poered sub to buy, the "subwoofer" section of the forum might garner more response.
Thanks. If, by 'divorce', you mean the ability to 'switch it off' when the Mrs. goes to bed, then I would imagine a powered unit to have this facility.
I will check out the subwoofer section, as you suggest. I'm also becoming more of the mind that some people have found speaker-amp matches that fulfil this requirement.
I've been advised that 'any cheap unit will do...' on the basis that it only needs to put out the lowest, sometimes barely audible, but nevertheless 'tactile' frequency/feeling to the music... I can't help but feel sceptical, pending a more thorough investigation of the subject.
By "divorce" I mean you cannot remove or bypass the amplifier from the driver itself when buying a powered sub. A powered sub implies a package which combines an amplifier, usually referred to as a "plate amplifier" due to its construction, and a low frequency driver all in one package. When you decide which powered sub to buy, you are choosing both components.
If you wish to use a separate amplifier which would drive a passive subwoofer, you can choose which amp, which enclosure style and which driver will result in the sound quality you desire. However, there are few - if any - passive subs of any quality available today in the ready to buy audio market. The choice of amp divorced from driver is, at this time, generally left to the DIY crowd who can build their own box and figure Theil-Small parameters to make a workable passive subwoofer. If this is not the route you wish to pursue, then you'll be buying a powered sub with an amplifier in situ.
Are any companies in existance that still manufacture subwoofers that are passive and can be powered by a receiver, but are decent?
I have yet to come across any recently. Cambridge Soundworks had one for casual listening that was discontinued, but it was nothing you would want for serious listening or a large room IMHO.
Most of the passive boxes I have found are built so the user can customize the amp to the room size and/or output level required.
I put together a simple passive sub using an Adire Extremis 6.8 driver I purchased from Tim. Adire has several variations in enclosure designs though their preferred method is a slightly less that 1 cubic foot box with a relatively short port. The spec'd/guessed at low frequency limit of one enclosure is approx. 27 Hz in room. With the driver the total cost to me was about $150. Of course, I had the construction tools and an amplifier to use, though you can purchase a decent plate amp for $100 or less, and the crossover cost me $59. The point becomes you can buy an active sub kit for just a bit more money and not have the problems of constructing something yourself while relying on a bit of faith that it turns out the way you planned. Unless you are in a position to have the tools and able to use left over gear as I did, I don't see much point in not buying a powered subwoofer. The particular Adire driver I used is rather low efficiency and is not going to pair up well with all front speakers.