Would a subwoofer really improve this system?
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New member Username: Matt_matcukPost Number: 1 Registered: Feb-07 | I am considering buying a subwoofer, but am wondering whether this will produce any additional/better bass response than what I am already getting from my mains. These are 2-way speakers with 10" woofers, and are rated down to 22Hz (a pair of vintage Boston Acoustics A-100s). I am running them (with center and rear surrounds) out of a 100-watt Yamaha HT receiver. My thinking is that I would need to go to something like a 12" subwoofer, powered by significantly more than 100W, and rated at least as low as my mains (e.g. lower than 22 Hz) in order to hear a significant difference. But maybe I'm wrong: maybe just having another 10" woofer, powered by its own amp, would add a lot, regardless of published low-end frequency specs. Any thoughts? |
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Platinum Member Username: Project6Post Number: 12705 Registered: Dec-03 | That rating applies if the receiver you are using is actually capable of supplying that frequency. What model Yamaha are you using? Check your speaker set-up as well to make sure that it is set to "large". |
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New member Username: Matt_matcukPost Number: 2 Registered: Feb-07 | Berny: It's a Yamaha HTR 5730. As you can tell, I'm on a budget. (And, in the interest of my children's college funds, am looking into used subwoofers on eBay, FWIW.) Thanks, Matt |
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Platinum Member Username: Project6Post Number: 12710 Registered: Dec-03 | I can understand that  You may benefit form a separate subwoofer with that unit. Check out what Velodyne has to offer. |
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Bronze Member Username: MvanmeterKY USA Post Number: 89 Registered: Jan-06 | this may be a double post, hand-eye coordination error.... If you listen to Dolby 5.1 digital sound, then you are missing the ".1" low frequency effect (LFE) channel without a powered subwoofer. While all the speakers in a 5.1 setup get low frequency sound, the LFE channel gets special effects as coded on the digital sound track. if your budget is constrained, and most are, check out reviews for this sub... http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-760 you are paying for good components, not marketing hype |
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New member Username: Matt_matcukPost Number: 3 Registered: Feb-07 | Martin: Thanks for the link. Looks like a good deal. Re: not getting the .1 channel, I was under the impression that when you set the receiver to "no subwoofer" in the speaker selection process, that caused the receiver to route those frequencies through the main speakers. But maybe I'm mistaken here... |
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Bronze Member Username: MvanmeterKY USA Post Number: 90 Registered: Jan-06 | Matt: from what I have read, it "depends" on the programming of your dolby decoder chip. Some can be user selected to direct low frequencies to speakers that can handle them, others cannot. Anyway, this little snippet is from Dolby Labs: What is the LFE channel? LFE does not equal subwoofer Dolby Digital programs may include a bass-only LFE channel, but this channel does not correspond directly to a subwoofer output. The LFE channel carries additional bass information to supplement the bass information in the main channels. For example, in addition to the bass information from the LFE channel, the subwoofer output may include the bass information from the center and surround channels when those speakers are unable to adequately reproduce the bass ... http://www.dolby.com/assets/pdf/tech_library/38_LFE.pdf |
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New member Username: Matt_matcukPost Number: 4 Registered: Feb-07 | Martin and Berny: Thanks for the helpful posts. Based on what I've read here, I'm leaning towards getting the subwoofer-- but I think I am going to save up my money and wait until I can afford a 12" model with something in the range of 150 watts behind it. I keep hearing good things about Velodyne, so will probably check them out. Thanks again for the help. |
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