Subwoofer questions

C

cptslow

Audioholic Intern
Hi guys,

I am planning to buy a subwoofer. i am a little confused as to what to get. I currently have a simple 2 channel setup in my living room with a pair of bookshelfs and a integrated amp.
My condo living room is small which is approximately 14*14 and partially opens up to a sepearte dinning and kitchen area.
I am thinking of SVS pb-2000 or the Rythmik LV12R.

I have a few questions
1) are these subs too much for the size of my room. ( i dont want to disturb the neighbours)
2) the svs is a sealed box and Rythmik LV12R is ported.which one is better a sealed or ported for my living room
and my 2 channel audio only setup.
3) are sealed subs more musical than ported ?
4) Since i dont have bass management system in my amp i plan to use the pre outs from my amp to connect the sub. my bookshelfs
are rated down to 45hz (-3db) . At what frequency should the crossover be set?

I appreciate any input.
--Thanks,
 
M

markw

Audioholic Overlord
1) Any sub in a residence with shared walls has the possibility of being heard by neighbors. A lot depends on hos loud you play it and how tolerant the neighbors are. It's better to have too much and be able to turn it down than not have enough and not be able to turn it up. Remember, generally with size comes bass extention and authority.

2) General consensus is that sealed subs are "smoother", which great for music but don't offer the low bass impact that ported subs do, which is great for the SFX that movies offer

3a) In all cases, you can adjust the sub's internal crossover, used as a low-pass filter and your mains will run at full range.

3b) Some subs also offer a "high pass" filter to strip out the bass from your mains but that's generally preset by the manufacturer. RTFM

3c) This is not an exact science. I use option 3a and set it by ear. In your' case, I'd start by setting it between 60 -80 hz and kerfutz with the crossover and frequency controls until the mains and subs play nicely with each other.
 
Last edited:
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
The PB-2000 is not sealed, the SB-2000 is.

Mark is correct, there's no such thing as too much sub, but when you don't have enough of a sub there's a bigger problem than just turning it down.
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
If your living room opens up to the dining room and kitchen, the sub isn't going to have the same response as it would in a 14x14 room with four complete walls. I don't think the subs you've chosen will be overkill at all. To avoid disturbing the neighbors, be sure to use the spikes to minimize the coupling of your sub with the floor. It won't be an absolute solution, but I think it'll help.

I think you'd be happy with either choice for your sub. Since you don't have bass management, you might consider getting the cheaper of the two subs, then using what's left of your budget to roll your own bass management. A MiniDSP, 2-way advanced plug-in, and UMIK-1 for around $200 would do nicely if you don't mind a bit of reading, asking questions, and figuring out how to use REW. I have one and I love it! Or maybe you'd prefer a little pricier DSpeaker Anti-Mode box of some sort from SimpliFi Audio if you'd rather have something more automated and less fiddly (although customer reviews of the Anti-Mode gadgets seem to be quite hit-or-miss). But if the shiny features of the flagship Anti-Mode 2.0 Dual Core start to tempt you, remind yourself that you can probably get a more capable Marantz SR7008 with Sub EQ HT for less money.

To answer your questions directly:

1. No, they aren't too much for your room.

2. PB2000 is ported. It's the SB2000 that's sealed. You'd be happy with either of your choices I'm sure.

3. Sealed vs. Ported is not nearly as relevant as well-tuned, standing on its own merit vs. existing to sell the rest of a complete 5.1 speaker package. Many well-known speaker makers make subs to sell more of their other speakers. Since SVS and Rythmik have their roots in subs, this isn't really a concern. They're both well-designed and ought to handle music very well, assuming you take the time to do the subwoofer crawl and minimize unpleasant room interactions.

4. I'd start at 80 and salt to taste.
 
C

cptslow

Audioholic Intern
If your living room opens up to the dining room and kitchen, the sub isn't going to have the same response as it would in a 14x14 room with four complete walls. I don't think the subs you've chosen will be overkill at all. To avoid disturbing the neighbors, be sure to use the spikes to minimize the coupling of your sub with the floor. It won't be an absolute solution, but I think it'll help.

I think you'd be happy with either choice for your sub. Since you don't have bass management, you might consider getting the cheaper of the two subs, then using what's left of your budget to roll your own bass management. A MiniDSP, 2-way advanced plug-in, and UMIK-1 for around $200 would do nicely if you don't mind a bit of reading, asking questions, and figuring out how to use REW. I have one and I love it! Or maybe you'd prefer a little pricier DSpeaker Anti-Mode box of some sort from SimpliFi Audio if you'd rather have something more automated and less fiddly (although customer reviews of the Anti-Mode gadgets seem to be quite hit-or-miss). But if the shiny features of the flagship Anti-Mode 2.0 Dual Core start to tempt you, remind yourself that you can probably get a more capable Marantz SR7008 with Sub EQ HT for less money.

To answer your questions directly:

1. No, they aren't too much for your room.

2. PB2000 is ported. It's the SB2000 that's sealed. You'd be happy with either of your choices I'm sure.

3. Sealed vs. Ported is not nearly as relevant as well-tuned, standing on its own merit vs. existing to sell the rest of a complete 5.1 speaker package. Many well-known speaker makers make subs to sell more of their other speakers. Since SVS and Rythmik have their roots in subs, this isn't really a concern. They're both well-designed and ought to handle music very well, assuming you take the time to do the subwoofer crawl and minimize unpleasant room interactions.

4. I'd start at 80 and salt to taste.

Thank you all for the input. and i looked at the minidsp , looks like a good option, i will do a little more research on it and i think i might get it.

thanks.....
 
newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top