Adding a subwoofer to Bose AC16

[tdst]

I'm no audiophile, and I'm confused, which is easy to do. I have the Bose Acoustimass 16 system. I needed more bass, so I added a Cerwin Vega HTS 12 subwoofer. I still have the speakers connected to the bass module, still plugged in, but I have my new subwoofer connected to the sub output on my receiver. It's in a rather large room, but sounds pretty darn good. Am I going to hurt anything doing it this way? Can I use a splitter and run both my subwoofer and the bass module using the receiver's sub woof output? What, if anything, would I gain by this? Am I making any sense at all? Ye gads. Any help would be appreciated. Remember, I'm new at this, so please keep it simple. Thanks.

P.S. I'm pushing the Bose AC16s & CV HTS12 with the Onkyo TX-SR701 receiver, and according to the audiophiles, it's not a good choice.(Speaker wise anyway) But guess what? To me it sounds wonderful!

[Bryan]

The way you have it set up now is the way it should go. Your CV sub is handling everything below 80Hz. The bass module is going from 80Hz - 200Hz. The cubes go from 280Hz - 13,300Hz. Do not use a splitter. Not a big fan of either the speakers nor CV sub but the choice is up to you.

[Resident Loser]

...and that is all that counts! No matter what anybody says...Bose is the whipping boy in the minds of some...as is Polk, and Polk was at one time the darling of the "golden-eared"...but they done gone commercial...shame, shame!!!

Use your new sub as you are AND you MUST use the Acoustimass module as indicated by the manufacturer...check out the owners manual. It is a part of the system and is not a subwoofer. Connecting the sound cubes directly to the receiver is definitely a no-no as they themselves will not withstand the low frequencies...

jimHJJ(...good listening and enjoy the music...or the special effects...or whatever...)

[Woochifer]

Nobody "needs" more bass, you just want more. To use an actual subwoofer with the Bose Acoustimass systems, you have to keep that bass module installed and have all the speaker outputs set to "Small" and set the LFE/Bass output to the subwoofer (not to the mains or to both). This will redirect all of the frequencies below 80 Hz into the subwoofer output.

You don't want to use a splitter or have the outputs going to the Bose set to "Large" because all that does is add to the amount of bass you get. If all you want is more bass, you'll get much more bang for the buck by just dialing up the gain on the subwoofer. A 12" subwoofer has a lot more low frequency capacity in reserve than the Bose bass module does, and when you got a bass module and a subwoofer with completely different tonal characteristics (the Bose bass modules have a rise in the midbass that's intended to compensate for their deficiencies in the lower bass range), the type of bass you'll get in that kind of setup will be very inconsistent and potentially horrid sounding.

Rather focusing on the quantity of bass, you really should focus on the quality of the bass. Bad bass is what we call "one note" bass, i.e. a boomy sound that's really loud with specific frequencies, but not necessarily full and even sounding. Ideally, what you want in your lows is something that's powerful, deep, and even all the way through the low frequencies. You want to minimize the peaks and dips.

In order to get this, you need to start by properly placing the subwoofer. The best "rule of thumb" method is to just put the subwoofer at your listening position and play the wideband test tone through the subwoofer. Go around the room and listen for which location has the fullest and more even sounding bass (not the loudest or boomiest) -- THAT location is where you would ideally place the subwoofer. Other methods like parametric equalization or bass traps are more advanced, but can have incredible results if you're serious about getting the best sounding bass possible.

[tdst]

Nobody "needs" more bass, you just want more. To use an actual subwoofer with the Bose Acoustimass systems, you have to keep that bass module installed and have all the speaker outputs set to "Small" and set the LFE/Bass output to the subwoofer (not to the mains or to both). This will redirect all of the frequencies below 80 Hz into the subwoofer output.

You don't want to use a splitter or have the outputs going to the Bose set to "Large" because all that does is add to the amount of bass you get. If all you want is more bass, you'll get much more bang for the buck by just dialing up the gain on the subwoofer. A 12" subwoofer has a lot more low frequency capacity in reserve than the Bose bass module does, and when you got a bass module and a subwoofer with completely different tonal characteristics (the Bose bass modules have a rise in the midbass that's intended to compensate for their deficiencies in the lower bass range), the type of bass you'll get in that kind of setup will be very inconsistent and potentially horrid sounding.

Rather focusing on the quantity of bass, you really should focus on the quality of the bass. Bad bass is what we call "one note" bass, i.e. a boomy sound that's really loud with specific frequencies, but not necessarily full and even sounding. Ideally, what you want in your lows is something that's powerful, deep, and even all the way through the low frequencies. You want to minimize the peaks and dips.

In order to get this, you need to start by properly placing the subwoofer. The best "rule of thumb" method is to just put the subwoofer at your listening position and play the wideband test tone through the subwoofer. Go around the room and listen for which location has the fullest and more even sounding bass (not the loudest or boomiest) -- THAT location is where you would ideally place the subwoofer. Other methods like parametric equalization or bass traps are more advanced, but can have incredible results if you're serious about getting the best sounding bass possible.

Well, not to be disagreeable, but I did "need" more bass, because in a room as large as I've got, it sounded like you were listening in a tin can. With the added sub woof, it really did make a difference; I was just trying to make sure I was doing everything right for optimal performance. Once again, it sounds really good to me, and I'm just happy as a clam with the whole setup! I really appreciate your prompt response and help, and thank you very much!

[tdst]

...and that is all that counts! No matter what anybody says...Bose is the whipping boy in the minds of some...as is Polk, and Polk was at one time the darling of the "golden-eared"...but they done gone commercial...shame, shame!!!

Use your new sub as you are AND you MUST use the Acoustimass module as indicated by the manufacturer...check out the owners manual. It is a part of the system and is not a subwoofer. Connecting the sound cubes directly to the receiver is definitely a no-no as they themselves will not withstand the low frequencies...

jimHJJ(...good listening and enjoy the music...or the special effects...or whatever...)

Thanks for the reply; I really appreciate the help. I guess I'll just keep things the way they are since I'm happy with the sound. As far as Polk goes, I bought a pair way back in the 70's when they first came out, and I was bowled over with the incredible sound. I absolutely loved them, and to this day I still think they were the best speakers I ever had. But once again, especially back then, I was no audiophile, and hadn't really listened to too many different brands. Thanks again!

[tdst]

The way you have it set up now is the way it should go. Your CV sub is handling everything below 80Hz. The bass module is going from 80Hz - 200Hz. The cubes go from 280Hz - 13,300Hz. Do not use a splitter. Not a big fan of either the speakers nor CV sub but the choice is up to you.

Thanks so much for the help! I've read where some people were having trouble with the CV sub humming, but I haven't had this problem at all. Appreciate the prompt response!