New to forum...sub ?

[Jeff5347]

Hi everyone. I'm not new to HT but as you'll see my gear is ...outdated as you'll see. I've watched a ton of the audioholics videos and other videos just to get myself back in the know of current products.
Ok so for my current setup:

TV- Vizio e550i b2e 55 inch..2015 I think
Reciever-- Onkyo tx sr503
L & R ch - Athena technologies as-b1-1
Center.. Polk T30
Rear Surr- jbl Northridge E series E10
Sub- JBL pb10
As you can see I haven't upgraded in some time.
My thoughts on everything as of now is upgrading to a demon or Yamaha receiver, tower speakers ( no clue), rear Surr-. ( No clue), and a sub in the $500 or less range.
This stuff will need to wait though until we start house hunting this spring.
So to tide me over I would like to maybe up my subs performance or see if it's even worth it. At the receiver I have it set at a 80 hz x-over I tested the sub with a few tone generators from 10-100 hz. Once I got to ~30 hz and up then I could hear and feel the bass. The sub is rated down to 27 hz but it is definitely not noticeable at the freq. From my reading this sub was never a showstopper, (although I really have been very satisfied with it) but I'm curious if I could just replace the speaker itself with a newer, tech updated replacement. The speaker is 4 ohm rated at 160w. Could I replace it with something from parts express that can dig deeper in the freq range?
Heres some pics of my layout.

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[lovinthehd]

Hard to know what that 27Hz spec was....maybe -6dB or -10dB? Wouldn't surprise me that its tuned to the low 30s. Simply replacing the driver isn't likely going to work, depends on the design of the box/port and what was programmed into the amp. Just putting another 10" driver with unknown T/S (Thiele/Small) parameters isn't a good bet and isn't likely to yield any performance increase simply because it's newer. Time to think about a new sub for better performance, and the good news is that there are many to choose from.

Are those two sets of speakers for L/R that flank the tv or what are we looking at there with the boxes on the side of the tv and the ones sitting on the stand itself?

 

[Jeff5347]

That's what I thought I would get regarding the sub. Guess I'll wait til the new house for the sub upgrade.
Yes the speakers on the side of the TV are the Athena bookshelf's. To the left of the TV is the front door so spacing them out further would put the left one in the way of the door. The one under the TV is the Polk t30. The room is by no means set up correctly. With it not being my house I'm not able to route wires correctly or drill holes to have it configured correctly. Def looking forward to a new house so I set up the next room the right way. Oh and the speakers on the stands near the couches are the JBL e10's

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[lovinthehd]

That's what I thought I would get regarding the sub. Guess I'll wait til the new house for the sub upgrade.
Yes the speakers on the side of the TV are the Athena bookshelf's. To the left of the TV is the front door so spacing them out further would put the left one in the way of the door. The one under the TV is the Polk t30. The room is by no means set up correctly. With it not being my house I'm not able to route wires correctly or drill holes to have it configured correctly. Def looking forward to a new house so I set up the next room the right way. Oh and the speakers on the stands near the couches are the JBL e10's

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On second look maybe your L/R speakers are just sitting on blocks? Thought they were more speakers at first look.

I wouldn't worry too much until you get the new place so you can make decisions based on the new room. Good luck!

 

[Jeff5347]

Yes the speakers are on blocks to raise them a bit to a better ear level. Yeah I know just getting ancy on upgrading

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[lovinthehd]

Yes the speakers are on blocks to raise them a bit to a better ear level. Yeah I know just getting ancy on upgrading

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While there is something to be said for spending the money now on new audio gear rather than wait until you've got no money left after buying the money pit (err new house)... . Besides your gear isn't particularly outdated depending on what your whole system goal might be.

 

[Jeff5347]

Haha that's true. Some stuff I can sway the wife to give the yes. She has already said wait til we get a house then look ..regarding a receiver. In all honesty my system does sound good. Compared to some of these on the site and just through research it probably is a Hodge podge but I have nothing to compare against. My fronts and surrounds are very capable right now. Once in a new room who knows. I think the big needs right now are the sub and receiver. My birthday is in July so there's that. Plus I never buy anything verses her endless Amazon purchases

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[lovinthehd]

Haha that's true. Some stuff I can sway the wife to give the yes. She has already said wait til we get a house then look ..regarding a receiver. In all honesty my system does sound good. Compared to some of these on the site and just through research it probably is a Hodge podge but I have nothing to compare against. My fronts and surrounds are very capable right now. Once in a new room who knows. I think the big needs right now are the sub and receiver. My birthday is in July so there's that. Plus I never buy anything verses her endless Amazon purchases

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What are you looking to gain via a new receiver?

 

[Jeff5347]

Well this is where I'm knowledgeable but there's not really any articles regarding upgrading ( or the need to) from a 15 yr old AR. My 503 has no HDMI inputs or outputs, only decodes DD and DTS. This came out before DD plus, DTS HD, Atmos. It has a setup such as distance, speaker size and such but kinda basic. I know the sub is probably the first thing that is really needed.

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[lovinthehd]

Well this is where I'm knowledgeable but there's not really any articles regarding upgrading ( or the need to) from a 15 yr old AR. My 503 has no HDMI inputs or outputs, only decodes DD and DTS. This came out before DD plus, DTS HD, Atmos. It has a setup such as distance, speaker size and such but kinda basic. I know the sub is probably the first thing that is really needed.

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HDMI is a good thing to have, and the newer codecs as well, Atmos and 4k/HDCP stuff As long as you have the sources/speakers/tv to take advantage of all that....didn't know what you were looking for since apparently what you already had was working for now....

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I would say the sub would be high on the list as well. I had(have) a pb12 that the input failed on. It was good, but there are so many that are so much better. HSU, rythmik are where i would look first, although I have SVS currently. Rsl speedwoofer(pair) might be where I start for your current room as it looks a little small for any 15”ers. Your new place will definitely determine the requirements for a new one, so definitely keep that in mind as to not under spec a new subwoofer.

IMO, a new avr is absolutely in order. The newer codecs, as well as room automated corrections are miles ahead of what’s in your 503.
https://www.accessories4less.com/
This is a good starting point for an avr. If you’re not looking at atmos, I have an Onky txnr 808 that should be for sale soon! Lol. It has been repaired, and working flawlessly. It is a beast as well.
However, I’d recommend going for atmos. Especially during the purchase/move in/potential renovation stage when installing ceiling speakers should be easier.