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So...Who Knows Powered Subs?

A

Aieee

n00b
Joined
Nov 27, 2008
Messages
26
Hi there!

I presently have a simple 2.1 stereo setup for my PC, which was limited by available space. Now I think I have broken free of space problems and I am looking for more.

My setup consists of a pair of Polk Monitor 30 bookshelf speakers connected to an Emotiva a-100 mini-amp. It just feeds off the analog out from my sound card (Xonar DX), which conveniently has analog channels for a full surround setup.

So I was thinking the next thing to add would be a proper sub. I've been researching a little bit, but I find I'm out of my league. I've been poking around and I figure I'd be willing to spend $300-400 on it. The question is who makes the best bang for the buck in that range?

Or is there a better place to be spending money to get more out of it? I should have space for a dedicated DAC now, too.
 
I'm going to tell you upfront a bunch of people are likely to disagree.. and that is fine

but given you have the m30's (I ran m30's at my pc for awhile there are nice) if you have room for music I would probably grab 2x of these

PSW10 $90~ onsale right now..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290034

I would probably just use the line level inputs and adjust the crossover as required on the subs.


but another option especially for a pc desk scenario is to find some speakers that can go lower and skip the subwoofer

I have some Monitor Audio Silver S1 bookshelf speakers now and I find I do not need a sub with them at my pc desk...


if you could find some used speakers cheap with better low end response or a couple new bookshelf speaker that are know to have pretty decent bass Cambridge S30 and Wharefdale Diamond 10.1 (or 10.2) should be in the budget range you are talking about.

I paid the princely sum of $11.25 for my used Monitor Audio S1's however they looked like butt when I got them I cleaned the cabinets up and they look pretty good now.
 
Do you want a computer oriented sub, or a proper sub? What do you expect? How low does it need to go? How high does it need to go? What adjustability do you want on it (crossover range, phase, eq etc)

I use a rythmik audio 15" direct servo sub (out of your price range even with their DIY kits) but using their amps you can control the dampening of the driver effectively tuning it to your tastes (my 15" DIY is massive, it's like 18"x22.5"x29" but the 15" driver hits sub bass frequencies easily and is as responsive as many 10-12" subs (matches my mains which have 2x scanspeak 8" woofers in them each)

Anyways the rythmik audio 12" vented sub http://www.rythmikaudio.com/LV12R.html is $589 from rythmik...but if you shop around dealers you may find it really close to your price range.

IMO going for the larger brand names (aka ones you might find in a best buy, or most regular electronics stores) tend to get you very poor value for $$$$$ for speakers and headphones.

Check out some DIY audio forums, people may be selling their DIY subs with good drivers and plate amps (assembled in a box) for less than you think.
 
Last edited:
An interesting battery of questions I may not be prepared to actually answer, but here goes.

I've never actually ever had a proper sub. Ideally it would go with what I already have. I'd rather not have something that was necessarily only limited to my PC. Although I don't have a proper DAC, I do intend to get one sometime in the future and ideally whatever I buy should be compatible. My amp and speakers are.

So, onward!

The Monitor 30 bottoms out at about 55Hz, with the -3dB threshold at 63. So I would presume that sets a minimum threshold. But subs can go much higher than that. So where exactly I'd set the crossover frequency...I really don't know. Left to my own devices I suppose I'd pick a number that was 100Hz or higher.

As for how low it needs to go...uh. I really don't know. Any sub is going to be a noticeable improvement and I have no basis for comparison. Unfortunately there isn't too much around my way where I could go test these things to see what difference it makes for me.

Phase adjustments...from what I understand I don't think I need much. My setup isn't very complicated and all the channels are split right off my PC.
 
Aieee said:
An interesting battery of questions I may not be prepared to actually answer, but here goes.

I've never actually ever had a proper sub. Ideally it would go with what I already have. I'd rather not have something that was necessarily only limited to my PC. Although I don't have a proper DAC, I do intend to get one sometime in the future and ideally whatever I buy should be compatible. My amp and speakers are.

So, onward!

The Monitor 30 bottoms out at about 55Hz, with the -3dB threshold at 63. So I would presume that sets a minimum threshold. But subs can go much higher than that. So where exactly I'd set the crossover frequency...I really don't know. Left to my own devices I suppose I'd pick a number that was 100Hz or higher.

As for how low it needs to go...uh. I really don't know. Any sub is going to be a noticeable improvement and I have no basis for comparison. Unfortunately there isn't too much around my way where I could go test these things to see what difference it makes for me.

Phase adjustments...from what I understand I don't think I need much. My setup isn't very complicated and all the channels are split right off my PC.
Click to expand...

Usually you'll want to set your crossover frequency as low as possible to avoid hearing the position of the sub and to have seamless integration to your main speakers. But if you have small main speakers they may require the subs help even on bass higher than sub frequencies. In that case two subs would be the best option.

Volodyne and SVS have been reliable brands. BIC is unknown to me but seems popular.

If you have a small room and you have to place the sub close to walls or in a corner, it's usually a best match for a sealed box sub. They're a tad weaker on the lowest bottom but the walls will amplify it significantly which makes ported subs often sound bottom heavy. However some people really like excessive sub so it's up to your preference. The main idea is anyway that you shouldn't even notice the subs existence untill a loud sub sound plays as an effect in music or typically movies.
 
In the effort to consider all options, I suppose I should ask this:

If I were to try and get some bigger speakers with lower bass response instead of a sub as suggested...could my little a-100 run them? For those unfamiliar it puts out 40-50 Watts per channel on 8 ohm impedance. Works just fine for these Monitor 30s, but needing a bigger amp would effectively kill it as an option.

Moving on, how exactly would you set up two subs and not be able to hear the location of one of them?
 
Bigger speakers are usually more sensitive so they actually require less power than the small ones.
 
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