Audiophiles! Are you ready to consider a subwoofer?

Video quality	The size	Download

Information Audiophiles! Are you ready to consider a subwoofer?

Title	:	Audiophiles! Are you ready to consider a subwoofer?
Lasting	:	9.52
Date of publication	:
Views	:	119 rb

3:54 cool
Comment from : Blue Matrix

Many years ago, Bob Carver made a very good sub that was sold by the 1000s… Are the new Rel subs really that much better…
Comment from : GTR GUY IN AZ

The REL subs with the Speakon connection is the best option to connect to a receiver etc that doesn’t have a sub out It’s is specifically made to send a proper amplified signal to the sub
Comment from : Greg Bartley

The only thing better for stereo than one subwoofer, is 2 or more properly integrated with the main speakers, with proper placement in the room and EQ to give them the most linear bass responsebrbrThe main reason why subwoofers got a bad reputation with stereo/music enthusiasts is mainly due to improper placement and adjustment of their in-room responsebrbrWith many loudspeakers (even tower speakers) it might actually be a good idea to have a high pass filter on them, since like you said (in this is easily shown), the best place for the main speakers (in regards to stereo imaging, and other low-mid, mid,and high frequencies is RP very rarely the best for low end performancebrbrWith most speakers, leaving the lower end of reproduction to the subs only has the added advantage of leaving more headroom in the amplifier, as well as being less demanding with the woofers of the main speakers, which reduces the distortion at most listening levels, thus improving the whole audio performancebrbrAnd you’re absolutely right when you say that a properly placed and tuned subwoofer is the one that gives the impression that all the bass is reproduced by the main loudspeakers
Comment from : MrRocktuga

Never been crazy about my Maggie 37's but they work great with my stereo REL S510 subs
Comment from : Keith Moriyama

The Bass Mix music on my channel should sound excellent for this subwoofer! 👍
Comment from : Grotesque Bass

My friend I have been using a dual stereo subwoofer setup 22 since 1997 still the same system of today And man some vinyl classical pieces it is amazing not speaking on electronic music it flies the sound through your muscles :) but what I mean is like in classical music there is so much on the instruments like the double bass on the Rachmaninov symphony nº2 by Eliahu Inbal it is a bliss !!!brbrLast month one of my subwoofers was giving problems, I send it to the repair man and all I can say was I was felling depressed without the subs while they where in maintenance I noticed I cannot live without them anymore I was really getting depressed lol listening audio without the subwoofer was like eating food without salt brbrThey needed some lubrification on the polarity button and that was it they are back and I feel so happy :D Some of my friends music producers and band members come here sometimes to listen the final master :) to have a full feeling of the dynamic range (lets face it studio monitors are just that monitors) and they always feel all right
Comment from : csxlab

I just ordered the SVS PB-1000 pro sub , kef speakers and a Cambridge CXA81 Stereo amp, and I’ll also soon be getting an Atmos AVR with preamp outputs so I could use the Cambridge to continue driving the fronts in Dolby Atmos mode I’m curious if it’ll work fine in a home theater setup to continue feeding the sub from the Cambridge, or would it be better for the Anthem or Denon Receiver to handle sub signal? I assume I’ll be able to handle all the crossover/EQ from within the SVS just fine, but maybe the AVR sub DSP could benefit the setup better?
Comment from : Adams Brew

Just bought a second hand one for 31 euros, lets see how it sou ds
Comment from : The Communist

Hi Steve,brCan you share some insights on choosing a Hifi AV receiver? I looking forward to learn more on how to build a Hifi Home Theater setup using a Hifi Amplifier units
Comment from : Shaiju

What if a subwoofer has speaker level inputs AND speaker level outputs Do you have to use them?
Comment from : Mark Hanson

Wait a minute, even the smallest bookshelf speakers will go down to at least 150Hz and an 18" sub can easily go up that high
Comment from : jimthvac100

Hi, Love the videos I want to add a subwoofer to my system I have a pair of Harbeth 301 moniters and an Mcintosh 6500 integrated amp Any suggestions ? Thanks Alex
Comment from : Alex Sinclair

Well i'm lucky i have mj acoustic kensington just right next to me
Comment from : Michael

Yes a sub does matter just make sure you buy a good one, i just think you need to get in at least$1000 range but more is not bad
Comment from : Andreas Möller

Rhythmik or Rel?
Comment from : Chandramouli Roy

SVS
Comment from : michael

What's a good subwoofer to pair with The Fives by Klipsch?
Comment from : WeJammin

I have a different type of home surround sound because I have car subs I have four plus a monorprice 15" sub When I watch a movie I want to feel like I'm in the scene That means I want to feel the rumble and the explosions With my setup I can feel the bass My wife thinks it's ridiculous but I don't care I love to feel the bass, lol
Comment from : Jorge Martinez

It’s a sin not to have a subwoofer 🔊
Comment from : Victor Valenzuela

That is so odd And you are so wrong Placing decent subs away from the corners of the room is a recipe for flabby bass, with such a noticeable overhang, it just doesn’t sound right Thinking about how the bass frequencies are energized in the room, how can that not be, acoustically Unless you are talking about “mid-bass augmentation”, which is not the business of a real subwoofer So what are we talking about here
Comment from : Declan Farber

Other than asthetics, Mark Seaton sub woofers are better than SVS in every way Seaton are significantly louder, better bracing and balancing, with less distortion, and at a cheaper price I have no affiliation with Mark Seaton, I don't know if he still sells them, but I own two of his dual 15's, and they are easily the best audio purchase I've made
Comment from : Akash Chopra

U r gonna need a BIGGER place to really appreciate the sound Trust me! I did the crawl thing brSub is now across the room 15 ft from listening spot brBut u xperament !
Comment from : Peter Richard

Hey guys what subwoofers would you recommend for the kef reference 1 metas?
Comment from : Obito Uchiha

If you consider subs, dont go with svs They are bad Sq is really bad on them
Comment from : Cheri

I just added a REL T5X to my Rega/ProAc system I can’t believe the difference It’s so much more than lower notes The energy in the music, the richness of the sound is dramatically better The left hand on the piano or a stand up bass just come alive
Comment from : Andrew Bardwell

X c lant!!!! Thnx SteeVo
Comment from : laika25

My greatest audio revelation in a long time has been the acquisition of a pair of brKEF KC62sbrI have these set at 40hz and they just add that fantastic “feel it” sub bass to my recordings, particularly effective with my brorgan vinyl and CDs, you can now really experience those big pipes properlybrAnd to other music the benefits continuebrMy listening room isn’t that large so their diminutive size is absolutely perfect
Comment from : Stephen Garratt

I ordered an Emotiva SE8 to complement a pair of B1+'s (pretty much music only) I bought it to get the extra octave that would be provided by a tower without using a tower I love the B1+'s and I think I'll also love getting that extra octave (since I am a former double-bass player in symphony workand the E string is about 30 Hz) Anyhow, that's my excuseand I'm going to stick with it !!
Comment from : James Bevan

The subwoofer user needs to be defined Some listeners want base amplified, and perhaps this can be done with a graphic equalizer There might be others who want base so excessive that the experience is akin to Shaken Baby Syndrome Think carsound-freaks with an extra battery to run the multiple amplifiers and subs so that any music is not heard but felt, who find actualization when the car windows shatter, and they want the same experience in their apartment
Comment from : M Ark

Thx for very good information regarding subwoofers I have a comment about how to connect it to a stereo system This is another way to do it, and the obvious question is if my method is better!? I connect the signal cables from the preamp to the subwoofer And via the subs filter I connect signal cables from the subwoofer (80Hz and up) to the power amplifier This is What Jack Gilvey at SVS wrote to me:brbrThe filter on the SB12-NSD high-pass out is fixed at 80Hz so the best settings of the sub's Low Pass knob is also 80Hz to avoid a gap in response brbrAnything in the signal path, like a high-pass filter, can effect transparency to some extent In most cases, though, the increase in dynamic range and decrease in distortion allowed by sparing the speakers and amp having to deal with bass below 80Hz will be more noticeable, especially at high playback levelsbrbrVery Nice if you could test this out!
Comment from : StormyV58

I was hoping that you would have touched on the musicality of a sub woofer Some subs can translate musical notes at the lower registers better than others Thats important to me in production more than the "Rumble" A sub is actually not necessary like you mentioned however, a sub can give the engineer / Producer the feel of live music as well as take the weight off your main FRFR's and pick up the bottom end Thought you would've at least TOUCHed on that And at least talked a bit about frequency ranges and maybe demonstrated a couple of different subs for the listener to wet their ears and interest :-( brHow would a symphony sound with out the double Basses and Timpani percussion ? brNot SUB scribing
Comment from : Jesse Feliciano

Piano: 28HZWhich "entry level"/ It is a beautiful expression of marketing/ knows this or only listen to piano if you’ve spent enough dollars? Solution:21Your wallet and ears loves this
Comment from : Chiago Chico

Still need more sub reviews ;)
Comment from : Joseph Chamberlain

I don't mind noticing my bass from my subwoofers Lows, mids, and highs from my speakers I prefer the master of it's job, as opposed to a jack of all trades
Comment from : Jeffrey Bischoff

Yes sir, I have one sub as a end table and the other one just behind me seat Best placement Ive found for four 15” woofers
Comment from : novisnick

what about the timing issues?
Comment from : Tranceporter

I have to have it, there is just no way around it
Comment from : Hellseeker

how does subwoofer sound with Vinyl Records?
Comment from : Sheryl Baker

Listening music without a SUB? brNo way brMusic is not music…without a SUB
Comment from : arkdark555

I’ve got two little REL T5s positioned adjacent to my stand mounts They not only add the missing base but somehow improved the quality of the midrange I turn them of sometimes just to remind me just how good they are brbrI would recommend two subwoofers to anyone who’s thinking about adding subs
Comment from : Greg Clark

Hi Steve Pls advise between passive and active subs? Yes its true active sub generally common now But still,is passive any good for 2 channels set up?
Comment from : hA

Used to build my own back when I was a teenager I couldn't get the live sound that I experienced while playing drums with my friends or when going to concerts with what I had
Comment from : Mike Dav

Subwoofer destroy medium details scene
Comment from : Alex Sogno

Try adding powered subwoofers inside the left right towers via Goldenear Tight bass from 13 up to 150 cycles blended perfectly with the midrange… this is the way
Comment from : Matthew Bowler

I just got my first sub two days ago, an SVS SB 1000 Pro paired with Revel Performance M106 speakers, and I couldn’t be happier The set up was super easy, and I can’t believe how much better everything sounds
Comment from : Los ríos profundos

I want the sub near me so I can feel that Kettle Drum!
Comment from : Eddy Gass

I have large vintage Pilot speakers from about 1960 I use a velodyne sub with them to fill out what the old Pilots cannot easily reproduce He is right, it would not be obvious
Comment from : Sidney Frederickson

Now you have 190k sub That’s a good amount Btw, I learned a lot from your channel :)
Comment from : KS

Subs are well paired with sealed-box satellite speakers where the satellites roll-off at the same frequency used to low-pass the sub If a higher-order high-pass is desired, it can be added by the preamp to compliment the speaker's natural 2nd-order slope If the sub's low pass xover is 80hz, sealed speakers with an 80hz F3 & 05 Q will blend seamlessly w/o any high pass added to the speakers
Comment from : xxxYYZxxx

Im using Car audio subs and amps in my house setup Kicker amps and Solobarics
Comment from : DarthKane

nope
Comment from : John Holmes

I use a pair of Dynaudio subs matched to Evidence Temptations You’d think there would be little point, but it is simply not the case They provide that little bit extra that makes listening magical My subs are 24” off the ground and placed on the outside of the Temps
Comment from : Stevo G

I haven’t had a “sub-woofer”, BUT I had a pair of AR-9’s, which handled bass well I love organ music, and have a number of good organ recordings Bass on them sounded heavenly when needed
Comment from : Gil Knutson

The only amp you cant wire up like that is Naim you need to take another speaker cable from each of your speakers to the sub high level in
Comment from : Bob Angel

There are actually musical instruments that can go far down in frequency such as a piano or organ well below 50 HZ
Comment from : Anders Ljungberg

A sub adds to the flavour its not meant to dominate the sound it compliments the sound, you don't have it sounding like Godzilla is walking past your housebrIts not to replace poor bass sound, speakers with good bass drivers can have a sub
Comment from : clive silver

I think you need to look at your record storage That stack in the top left looks painful
Comment from : Klaus The Duck

The suggestions on sub placement on various manufacturers websites have convinced me that it's simply not a practical option for me My listening room is my living room and I don't have the luxury of re-arranging the furniture in order to accomodate a sub I've got monitors, so I'm sure a properly-located sub could make a noticeable difference but again, audio is not the first priority when it coms to the living-room
Comment from : Jazz_Addict

I’m ready to rumble, but my neighbors aren’t! They get upset when I turn my subwoofer on 😂 So Steve you live in NY City right? How do you listen to music without pissing off your neighbors? It might be interesting to do a video on that topic For me that’s the challenge It’s either low volume with no subwoofer or headphones PS I think you are right about placing the subwoofer closer to you Mine is right behind my couch in the center seat position
Comment from : Brent LeVasseur

don't you need a stepdown for connecting it to your speaker terminals?
Comment from : E B

It seemed no matter where I moved my sub, I got a different sound pattern Even if I went to different places, especially close to corners, the bass was severely enhanced Yes, brick walls, concrete floor I didn't have $20,000 for diffusers
Comment from : Dwayne Hendricks

Just catching up to this clip here but I proudly run a subwoofer with my 2-channel rig, because it helps compensate for my 60 year-old ears
Comment from : Will Cate

I like having loud subs I like the excitement of it feeling the bass I know it's not technically correct but Idc it's alot of fun
Comment from : Rob 44

Propaganda! Communist propaganda!!!!!
Comment from : Phil Barone

No!
Comment from : Phil Barone

He's right about the near field placement comment I run two JL f110's right behind my listening chair and it sounds awesome and integrates perfectly with my L&R towers
Comment from : Big Adventure

So, what you are saying is: the sub doesn’t have to face you like speakers would do?
Comment from : Ulf P

The wharfedale diamond SW150 is a really fantastic budget option I have one and it completely transforms speakers very musical and fast but weighty
Comment from : Ellis Fletcher

Another request - would love to hear your thoughts on using a powered sub with a low-powered SET amp like the Zen triode Would that combination address some of the concerns folks have about using low-powered SET amps? Namely, that you won't have much bass in a system like that?
Comment from : JoshinDC

I'm no high end audiphile, BUT I just wanted to share my setup, which is a pair of Elac B5 paired with an SVS PB1000 Also I'm in a 20-25m2 room Overkill? Yeah, but it keeps the neighbourghs quiet when they get too loud :)
Comment from : TheForgoten100

I have Arcam Muso (mini-monitor) and Logo (sub) in 21 setup The woofers in the in Muso 35 inch, so the 10-inch driver in the sub helps You have to tune the sub to the room, so that it disappears Subs help small speakers in bigger rooms provide a fuller sound Since the pandemic, I had moved the system out my listening room to make a home-office/home-schooling room It's in a box-room/guest bedroom I don't run the sub in such a small room, small rooms have resonances higher up the frequency range (speed of sound 340m/s divide by 35m largest dimension (length, width or height) of the room means I have fundamental resonance at 97Hz and harmonics of that will be 2x, 3x etc All that is well within the human hearing range Adding a sub or having bigger speakers in the room will only compound the problem as bass frequencies have more energy, deeper the bass the more the energy, and you'll end up exciting more resonances
Comment from : DaysOf Grace

Beatles Day in the Life has 30 seconds you won't hear at all without a sub
Comment from : keywestjimmy

Subwoofers are trouble Taming them and the room is a chore and forget it if you have neighbors I got rid of mine when I realized I had it off 90 of the time Getting a subwoofer to integrate is too much work and I enjoy the simplicity of not dealing with it
Comment from : AwwterGirl

SVS SB3000 here, a pair Very musical and fill in so much that is lacking with a straight two channel system I'm keeping mine
Comment from : Michael Wright

i need help setting up my subwoofer
Comment from : G D W Lawrence

I use the speaker level in and out connections for my stereo systems and the RCA in for my home theater I have never listened to music on my theater system since I initially set it up so sound wise it doesn't matter I prefer the high level in/out for music
Comment from : Mike Campbell

Hello all, Hi Steve! Quick question everyone I keep looking at Steve's diagram for Sub woofer set up I have never seen this configuration before With all of the subs I own,(many at this point) if the sub has speaker wire line inputs it would have outputs as well for the main speakers Is there any advantage to bypass the in/out pass through of the sub? I have never seen in Steve's diagram where the speaker output from the amp is split by two lines before One thought is that by going in and out of the sub to the main speakers, is you would be using the crossover built into the sub, and instead of striping those low frequencies caught by the sub you would want all the sound to go to the speakers Of course I thought that was the advantage of using the sub crossover Let the sub focus on what its good at, and let the speakers focus on the mids and highs Thanks guys (love you Steve!)
Comment from : KingSeptopus

It's imperative that you review a PSA subwoofer (Power Sound Audio -Tom Vodhanel)brI own 2 Rel subs My goal is to own PSA subwoofers, that’s another universe !!!brCheers from Portugal
Comment from : rmabgoi

For home theatre action movies FX, subs, absolutely ok For electronic dancing party, ok For cumbia villera, reggaetón, cachengue and that stuff offered by Spotify instead of music, ok Subs for real music let me think about that
Comment from : Marcelo Gd

Steve ! Yes to the subwoofer world 👍🏽
Comment from : BA 23

my sub has speaker ins and outs, self powered sub so no worries! my older denon receiver worked just fine! a dedicated sub or better two can be set up to have one set as low as it goes and the other can handle the slightly higher lows and wen volume is matched right you get an amazing accurate full sound!
Comment from : the toneknob

So I have a subwoofer and I love it So much It really helps liking drum n bass, obviously But also it adds to the system Most bookshelf’s fail what I call ‘The Obituary Test’ But a sub woofer tends to resolve that I couldn’t live without one
Comment from : Dan Rickard

For hometheater yes For stereo, no :)
Comment from : Jossher700

I ordered a Klipsch sub over thanksgiving to help my LaScalas They were half off for Black Friday It’s supposed to arrive today I’m looking forward to trying the placements you suggested
Comment from : Adam Weeks

exaclty ! the brand who actually make this better(space) is REL to me the best on the business
Comment from : lucc

I used to have a Sunfire subwoofer Too distracting Gave it awayfor free Will not get another subwoofer, ever Am quite satisfied with the bass from my KEF LS50
Comment from : Carlos Bauzá

I've got a pair of NHT Super Zero speakers (1993) with a Bic America F12 sub The NHTs go down to 85 Hz while the sub's maximum frequency response is 200 Hz, so I've got 115 Hz to play with And yes, I did the subwoofer crawling
Comment from : J Sz

Sub sizing never heard it put like that Makes sense Thank you
Comment from : dk

Twenty years ago when I acquired my VAF DC-Xs, TLs that are "flat" down to 29 Hz, I borrowed a sub and only succeeded in muddling the bass Now this idea of a near-field sub intrigues me I have gone deaf in my left ear so listening pleasure has declined considerably But I have fond memories of the organ music in church services when I was a schoolboy in UKLand in the 1960s The low notes were in that bottom octave and I felt the sound through my anus Thanks for the notion Steve You're a gem
Comment from : Jonathan Sturm