Do I really need a subwoofer? Please answer! [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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mariusga
01-28-2006, 12:22 AM
I use my system mainly for music listening.
Recently I changed the AV receiver to Yamaha rx-v657 that it’s a really great receiver.
The rest of the system: Sony C222ES SACD player, Tannoy R3 front speakers, B&W surround and center. The Tannoys R3 have very good low frequency response and with my audioquest cables (I made them by myself) the bass is full, very musical and sound great for my taste.
I wonder if adding a subwoofer I’ll get something more? Especially if I don’t want to spend big bucks for this.
Thanks

ruadmaa
01-28-2006, 03:41 AM
I use my system mainly for music listening.
Recently I changed the AV receiver to Yamaha rx-v657 that it’s a really great receiver.
The rest of the system: Sony C222ES SACD player, Tannoy R3 front speakers, B&W surround and center. The Tannoys R3 have very good low frequency response and with my audioquest cables (I made them by myself) the bass is full, very musical and sound great for my taste.
I wonder if adding a subwoofer I’ll get something more? Especially if I don’t want to spend big bucks for this.
Thanks

A decent quality subwoofer will "compliment" just about any system. It would most likely add a fullness to your system and enhance it. It would certainly bring out very low frequencies with much more authority than a regular floor standing speaker would. The true test is whether you think your system sounds better with or without it. For my money, I would never be without a powered subwoofer, especially since they are so very reasonably priced. There was a time when only the wealthiest could afford one, you are living in a golden age of audio.

markw
01-28-2006, 04:18 AM
The Tannoys R3 have very good low frequency response and with my audioquest cables (I made them by myself) the bass is full, very musical and sound great for my taste.Your audioquest cables add enough LFE boost to make a subwoofer redundant.

Seriously, if you're satisfied then leave it that way. Subs do add a new dimension in that octave (those octaves?) below which your speaker can handle but for music that makes up a very low percentage of the time. It's more needed if you'e into organ recitals and such or HT, where LFE effects have their own channel devoted all to themselves.

But, don't kid yourself. Those cables didn't do anything for the bass that a good 12 gauge wouldn't do. It's the speakers,amp and room interaction that does that.

Smokey
01-29-2006, 11:56 AM
Do I really need a subwoofer?


The short answer to that question probably be a yes. As ruadmaa and Mark pointed out, subwoofer will ad another dimension to your system.

And another advantage would be that with subwoofer, one have option of placing it where bass notes sound best (which might be different from speaker locations). For a system without sub, that option will not be available :)

zepman1
01-30-2006, 11:27 AM
For only music listening, it can be somewhat difficult to seamlessly integrate a sub with your main speakers. It can be done, however, I generally prefer two-channel music better without a sub, provided the speakers can provide the required low frequencies. A sub will definitely help define the bottom end, but sometimes at the expense of accuracy and coloration of the sound. There are many cases though, were the main speakers simply cannot produce a good enough LF response to not use a sub.

Home theater would be another matter, and I wouldn't be caught dead without a subwoofer.

dmb_fan
01-30-2006, 02:39 PM
The only person who can answer this is you. And it looks like you're answer is here:


the bass is full, very musical and sound great for my taste.

There you go! Be happy with what you have!

I have never heard your main speakers, never been inside your listening room, and I don't know what type of music you listen to, so I can't speak to the quality of the bass you're hearing now. If the Tannoys are small speakers that only respond down to 50 or 60 Hz, then a sub will enhance your low-frequency response. If your room has standing wave problems and 10+dB peaks at some low frequencies, then a powered sub with a parametric EQ will bring improvements. But a powered sub will not always be beneficial, so please take recommendations to this effect (Yes! Everyone needs a sub!) with a grain of salt.

I went down the powered sub road five years back or so with a Hsu VTF-2, an inexpensive but highly regarded subwoofer. I placed it optimally in my room and used a popular parametric equalizer called the Behringer Feedback Destroyer to flatten the sub's response at the listening position in 1/6th octave intervals, and I thought I was in heaven. My speakers at the time were quite loose in the low end (boomy) and I had never heard bass this tight and extended in my home listening room.

It wasn't until I bought my current full-range speakers (Thiel 3.5's) that I realized what I had been missing. The bass from the Thiels was so clearly and obviously better and more realistic than it had been from the sub that it wasn't long at all before I unplugged and sold my sub. I don't know how to explain this. I did everything a person can do to properly integrate my sub with my main speakers, and the results sounded better than probably 90% of home stereo setups. But the sound paled in comparison with actual full-range sound from high-quality speakers.

In retrospect, I wish I had spent the money on the full range speakers right off the bat and never messed around with the sub. But hey, it's another lesson learned on the long path toward happy listening. :)

This is just my $.02, and your mileage may vary. My point is simply to illustrate that a powered sub won't always bring improvements. Ultimately, you won't know for sure until you try one out in your own home and decide for yourself.

I hope that helps a little!
-Adam