chaozhoi Posted March 2, 2008 Posted March 2, 2008 Hello, my current front L/R speaker already have inbuilt woofer and are quite powerful already. I would like to make the bass more powerful for movie and would like to get an additional subwoofer. May I know if my current L/R's bass power will be reduced if i add a subwoofer in? Or there's no change with the additional subwoofer adding more power? Thanks. duno how to put it properly into words.. hope u guys understand what i'm trying to say..
SiriuslyCold Posted March 2, 2008 Posted March 2, 2008 it doesn't have to be reduced - most AV receivers can allow bass to go to both the mains and subwoofer. however it will take proper calibration to ensure the resulting bass isn't bloated, which could result in muddy sound
cn9601 Posted March 4, 2008 Posted March 4, 2008 Though there are some loudspkrs that have a wide freq range, as low as 30Hz (or even lower), subwoofer is a dedicated component in a typical 5.1/6.1/7.1ch (or 2.1ch); subwoofer is that 0.1ch So, for HT setup, you need to have subwoofer to embrace the glory of DD, DTS, DTS-MA, DD+...blah-blah. IMO, if you setup your AVR to have low freq bass crossover to subwoofer ONLY, then in a way the bass sound of L/R spkrs is 'reduced'. But as highlighted by bro SC, it is about proper calibration and crossover settings - can be tedious, but fun and challenging IMO ;)
chaozhoi Posted March 4, 2008 Author Posted March 4, 2008 my mains are of 200 watts, and have quite strong bass.. so i was worried of getting a subwoofer, replaces the job of the main's and not as powerful as using only the main's sub.. so i was thinking that it will be ideal if i can add a sub, keep my main's bass power + new sub power (strong or not)
cn9601 Posted March 4, 2008 Posted March 4, 2008 Wats the make/model of your mains? IMO, AVR will always send the low freq bass sound thru tat 0.1ch. Then under Speaker Setup, if you define Front L/R as Full Band (typical Onkyo AVR) or Woofer/Low Bass to Both (typical Yammy), then you will have 0.1ch sent to both L/R and Subwoofer. The problem is that if you use a calibration software (eg. Avia), usu. the sound test is isolated channel test, ie. L-R-Ctr...Subwoofer. So my calibration is my EARS ;) The general recommendation is let the subwoofer have the 0.1ch. Then L/R should just do all things except the low freq bass. As said, subwoofer setting (quite often to do with crossover) is a challenging process. Do a research and you will know. my mains are of 200 watts, and have quite strong bass.. so i was worried of getting a subwoofer, replaces the job of the main's and not as powerful as using only the main's sub.. so i was thinking that it will be ideal if i can add a sub, keep my main's bass power + new sub power (strong or not)
chaozhoi Posted March 4, 2008 Author Posted March 4, 2008 i'm currently using JBL S310ii for my mains.. the bass is quite strong already.. but who will think their bass too powerful? haha
armoury Posted March 4, 2008 Posted March 4, 2008 my mains are of 200 watts, and have quite strong bass.. Even if the speakers are notionally rated at 200W, the real question is how much power is being delivered by the receiver to the speaker. No matter how powerful the receiver, this will almost inevitably be less than the power available to a powered subwoofer from its own dedicated amp -- even the beefiest receivers might deliver at most 200W per channel, but an entry-level SVS boasts a 325W amp. Using a dedicated subwoofer is therefore almost always the preferred option in HT, even if the mains really can go flat down to 30Hz. The idea is also to let the sub do the 'heavy lifting' of low bass, leaving the mains to reproduce higher frequencies with more detail. Also, with the better subs, they don't just go down to 30Hz, they can hit the infrasonic levels (16Hz, anyone?) where you literally can't hear it, but you can still feel it, for that real 'thump in the chest' experience. Of course, my little SVS is only flat down to 22...
petetherock Posted March 4, 2008 Posted March 4, 2008 Bro I am sure you are proud of your wonderful JBLs and they probably give a good kick in the mid-bass region. Let me ask you a simply question, do you feel the bass? Can you get the tactile experience which comes on about 32Hz? You may wish to run them in 'large' mode but a subwoofer is a sweet thing which literally adds weight, and ambience. Ask Jason Yeo for permission to visit him. I will be writing a thread on the bass guru's home soon once I have time. Its not about the boom boom thing, rather, try something that isn't full of explosions. Eg Pan Labyrinth, the scene where the little girls steals the grapes and she is chases by the monster. No blasts, but the low hertz rumble really adds to the suspense as the monster bears down on her as the little fairies fight him off... then go to try this at someone's home with a serious sub Apart from J Yeo, Audio's Thiel Sub, tsammysc's PB 12+2 etc are fine examples of nasty bass Hello, my current front L/R speaker already have inbuilt woofer and are quite powerful already. I would like to make the bass more powerful for movie and would like to get an additional subwoofer. May I know if my current L/R's bass power will be reduced if i add a subwoofer in? Or there's no change with the additional subwoofer adding more power? Thanks. duno how to put it properly into words.. hope u guys understand what i'm trying to say..
SiriuslyCold Posted March 4, 2008 Posted March 4, 2008 I think some SVS owner needs to give him a demo and tip him over ;D
chaozhoi Posted March 4, 2008 Author Posted March 4, 2008 oh.. guys please dun get me wrong.. i'm not trying to convince u all that u dun need a subwoofer if u main strong mains... somehow the replies are leading away further and further away.. :-X :-X if u read carefully, I was trying to ask if my main's power will be reduced if i add a sub.. let's say i get a normal 75watts sub.. then if the total bass i get from my main + sub is less (due to the reduction from main) than with only my main then no point le right? I'm not talking about high end subs like SVS.. juz looking around to find a 2nd hand one.. That simply wat i wanted to ask.. pls dun get me wrong.. :-[ ------------------------------ Ok.. dun mind i ask another non relevant.. i got a JBL sc305 center speaker recently but the output is very soft.. my mains are at around -2, -3 db and the center is at +1db... despite the difference, i still find that dialogues are very soft.. are there any settings i can play with to improve on tt or do i juz simply increase the center speaker volume?
SiriuslyCold Posted March 4, 2008 Posted March 4, 2008 if you are already getting reasonable bass from your mains, then a 75W will be a waste of $ IMO. first of all it won't go low enough to make a difference, and secondly the quality will degrade your mains audio. adding a high-end sub however... regarding the center - have you calibrated the system (use Avia or DVE and a SPL meter)? if you r doing it by ear, then just increase the center level I guess
chaozhoi Posted March 5, 2008 Author Posted March 5, 2008 if you are already getting reasonable bass from your mains, then a 75W will be a waste of $ IMO. first of all it won't go low enough to make a difference, and secondly the quality will degrade your mains audio. YES! This is the reply i need.. haha thanks a lot sc.. yup.. i'm using only my ears.. cause it will look weird when i have like +6-7 dB for center and -2-3dB for mains.. like difference too big.. so i was thinking whether it's the proper method by just increasing the volume for center..
armoury Posted March 5, 2008 Posted March 5, 2008 if u read carefully, I was trying to ask if my main's power will be reduced if i add a sub.. Ah. Our mistake. SC has already given you the answer; I'd just add that strictly speaking, as long as the sub you buy is a powered sub, and you don't reduce or change any settings, then theoretically since the sub is purely adding more bass, it won't reduce the main's power at all. But as he says, if you're not unhappy with your current levels, a 75W sub won't really add much at all. To give you a personal example, I bought a small sub, which I now see is rated at 100W, to add to my mini-compo in the office. Mini-compos have pretty poor bass, considering how small the speakers on my set are, so whilst the sub does add a little, it's not much. And this is for music, where the bass doesn't go quite as low or as loud as in movies. For a movie soundtrack, my guess is the 75W you are looking add won't really add anything at all to your explosions. Better to save your money towards a 'proper' sub -- they don't have to be 'high-end' subs, even SVS subs are actually are surprisingly affordable. A few hundred should get you something reasonably decent. Or look in the for sale section for those who are upgrading and selling their old subs.
SiriuslyCold Posted March 5, 2008 Posted March 5, 2008 heh :) happy to be of service. if you had mentioned a 75W sub early on anyone would have told you that I wouldn't discount a good sub - a few good HZ at the bottom end can add something to a movie
chaozhoi Posted March 5, 2008 Author Posted March 5, 2008 yup.. still looking around for 2nd hand sub when people upgrade.. lot's of speakers at buy/sell.. but i seldom see sub..
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