Sub Upgrade for 2 Channel

[Jaybeez]

I had been using a Polk PSW 404 for a 2 channel set up in my recording studio / listening room. Had the opportunity to upgrade to a Rythmik F12SE and it made a huge difference.
The Polk took a lot of fussing to get "right" but never really worked well in my set up. Too loud, too soft, too boomy, etc.
I'm still playing with the Rythmik's tuning and placement, but so far I like what I hear. It adds authoritative bass without being overbearing or boomy. I'm hearing bass notes I've never heard before on tracks I thought I knew well.
My only issue at this point is my mains now need replacement. Looking to stop in to Ascend and have a listen to the Sierra 2's.

 

[djreef]

Ya, you can't really go wrong with Rythmik.

DJ

 

[ematthews]

Ascend Acoustics are fantastic for music. Get the RAAL option.

 

[Jaybeez]

Ascend Acoustics are fantastic for music. Get the RAAL option.

I did. Installed them today. Listening to them as we speak. Breathtaking.

 

[Jaybeez]

Crossing over the sub at 50 hz. I know 80 is more common but the sub seems to fight with the Sierras at that setting, regardless of gain.

Anything I'm missing or is this one of those "if it sounds good to you go with it" deals?

 

[rojo]

Need more context. What does room eq wizard say?

 

[djreef]

Crossing over the sub at 50 hz. I know 80 is more common but the sub seems to fight with the Sierras at that setting, regardless of gain.

Anything I'm missing or is this one of those "if it sounds good to you go with it" deals?

80Hz is not a law. Go with what sounds best to you.

DJ

 

[Jaybeez]

Need more context. What does room eq wizard say?

Nothing at this point. Tuned the room when I first built it and returned the borrowed mic.

Tuning by ear, then thought I'd find (buy) a mic to see how far off I was.

 

[herbu]

Crossing over the sub at 50 hz. I know 80 is more common but the sub seems to fight with the Sierras at that setting

Ascend specs say your -3dB freq is 46Hz. That means the bass begins to roll off above that. Setting your crossover at 50Hz means your crossover is rolling off bass at the same time your speakers are rolling off.

Maybe some of the experts here can chime in. But my pedestrian view is to set the crossover such that it operates in an area where my speaker response is relatively flat. So I would tend to migrate up from 50Hz. BUT, I would settle wherever it sounded best to me... regardless of what some paper says.

 

[Auditor55]

80Hz is not a law. Go with what sounds best to you.

DJ

It should be, vote for me and it will be law.

 

[lovinthehd]

Crossing over the sub at 50 hz. I know 80 is more common but the sub seems to fight with the Sierras at that setting, regardless of gain.

Anything I'm missing or is this one of those "if it sounds good to you go with it" deals?

I've not any fights between speakers and subs, not sure what that sounds like. I prefer a higher crossover with my Sierra1s, but I think 50 would be a tad low for them depending on playback levels. I've used 60,80,100 before for xover for extended periods, but not 50 (even tho sometimes the avr sometimes suggests in its setup routine for 40hz). For lower levels its probably fine, but at higher levels I'd rather relieve the Sierras smaller woofer (altho the newer woofer in the S2 may be a bit more capable than the S1)....I use 120 currently (but with capable multiple subs with no localization issues).

Overall I think if 50 makes you happy then use it.

 

[Jaybeez]

This is for a 2 channel system in my listening room, so there is no real AVR set up routine.

I'm pretty sure my integrated amp lets the Sierras dip down to their lowest range.

For me, with a crossover of 50hz (or thereabouts) I get sound that makes me happy.

Importantly I can get nice punch at about 80 db with good detail out of the Sierras and nice punch from the sub with everything sounding nice and balanced.

 

[KEW]

It should be, vote for me and it will be law.

Donald? Is that you?

 

[KEW]

This is for a 2 channel system in my listening room, so there is no real AVR set up routine.

I'm pretty sure my integrated amp lets the Sierras dip down to their lowest range.

For me, with a crossover of 50hz (or thereabouts) I get sound that makes me happy.

Importantly I can get nice punch at about 80 db with good detail out of the Sierras and nice punch from the sub with everything sounding nice and balanced.

Stick with what you've got!

If you go here and plug in your speaker, SVS recommends a 50Hz crossover if you are using a traditional 2-channel application (not AVR)!

http://www.svsound.com/pages/merlin

 

[Jaybeez]

Stick with what you've got!

If you go here and plug in your speaker, SVS recommends a 50Hz crossover if you are using a traditional 2-channel application (not AVR)!

http://www.svsound.com/pages/merlin

Very cool, thanks! I feel somewhat vindicated that my 50 hz. setting is where it should be. It sounds great to me, but as a newbie it's good to have the validation.