Powered Sub options or move to towers?

[titan7]

I am now looking for a powered sub for my audio system. I have had many people tell me the best thing out there is the Velodyne SPL-800R (8" 1000w). I have not heard it but folks say it's small in size but blows just about everything away.

I have a small system, Denon receiver 60 watts per channel pushing, Energy RC-10 monitor speakers. Sound is great but I would like more bass. the Velodyne costs $1000.00 so now I am wondering if I am better off just purchasing the Monitor Audio RS-6 speakers for more bass since they also cost $1000.00, however I do not think the MA towers are going to provide the same bass response as the Velodyne?

Any suggestions!

Thanks

[swgiust]

The tower speakers will NOT produce the bass that a good subwoofer will.

Velodyne is a very good company, but certainly not the only one to look at.
Based on the system you have, there are many subs that you could buy
for $500 that would make a vast improvement.

Keep looking and learning. You will find what your looking for.

[titan7]

Any suggestions on where to start?

[Florian]

Sure,

1. REL
2. Velodyne (HGS, DD)
3. REGA Vulcan
4. Sunfire TrueSubwoofer



Or a Fullrange speaker but those are damn costly. Make sure to have a good acoustic in your room.

[MikeyBC]

I agree with the rest of the replies so far, your Energy's will probably image better and reproduce mids and highs of similar quality to the Monitor Audios. But theres not many full range speakers that will do what a good 10" sub can do for under $2000. My PSB Stratus Silvers would still benefit from a good 10" sub.

[titan7]

I agree with the rest of the replies so far, your Energy's will probably image better and reproduce mids and highs of similar quality to the Monitor Audios. But theres not many full range speakers that will do what a good 10" sub can do for under $2000. My PSB Stratus Silvers would still benefit from a good 10" sub.

Thanks, so how much do I need to spend to get something in the same class as what I have as far as my system? $500 $750?

Brands, models?

thanks!

[Woochifer]

The primary advantage to going with a subwoofer (aside from the fact that they can extend the bass response for less money than full range tower speakers) is the placement flexibility.

You cannot ignore the room-induced effects -- you get maximum bass reinforcement by placing the speakers in the corners, but speakers rarely image precisely or create an proper soundstage when they're placed into a corner. On the other hand, the location where the main speakers produce an ideal imaging and soundstage effect is typically where the bass sounds the weakest. And in any location within a room, you got sound wave interactions that can alternately create huge peaks and/or cancellations at specific frequencies.

The subwoofer allows you to place the main speakers in an optimal location for the imaging, while allowing you to independently find a location for the sub where the bass sounds optimal (full and even sounding, with a minimal amount of peaking or cancellations). A powered sub also allows you the option of using a parametric equalizer to correct for these room-induced issues. I use one in my system and it's an indispensible tool for blending the subwoofer with my main speakers.

Another advantage to using a subwoofer is that you free up the main speakers and the amplifier from having to handle the deep bass. This increases the coherency of the midrange.

If the distance of the subwoofer to the listening position is different from the main speakers, then you lose some of the time domain coherency, but that can be corrected if your receiver/processor has a delay that can compensate for the distance differences.

In general, floorstanding speakers have less precise imaging than their bookshelf-size counterparts, and have resonance issues in the lower frequencies if the cabinets aren't sufficiently inert. Floorstanders that can accurately reproduce the full bass range down to below 25 Hz without resonance problems are generally a lot more expensive than a bookshelf speaker/subwoofer combination.

[thekid]

Wooch and the other give good advice. Floorstanders for the most are not going to give you what you need until you start at a certain price point. Here is nice little article from Home Theater mag that you might find useful.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/subwoofers/3/index.html

Good Hunting.