Sub for use with soundbar

[DrGordonHP]

Hello,

First I'd like to thank all the particpants on this board for all of the great discussions. They have been incredibly helpful and I feel I've learned alot but still feel like I know nothing at the same time.

I'm currently looking to add a sub to my setup which consists of a Yamaha YSP-4100 soundbar. My listening area is definitely on the large size (22'x24'x9') with a rather large opening to a good chunk of the rest of my house so total volume is probably quite large.

From what I've been reading in other discussions this space would typically require 2 good sized subs but that is quite likely out of my $750 budget at the moment.

At this point I'm just trying to add some low end to my soundbar with plans of eventually doing a better 5.1 (or more likely 5.2) setup sometime next year after I take care of some other priorities (I know, I know...awesome HT should be priority #1 )

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed? I've been paying attention to the threads regarding Rythmik FV12, SVS PC12-NSD, and HSUs and don't mind spending the money on one now with plans on adding a second next year but my main concern is that these would simply overpower my soundbar. Is that possible or am I just making stuff up?

I guess that's my main question at this point. Would getting something similar to the subs mentioned above improve my situation or simply drown out my lowly little soundbar?

Thanks for any advice you may have!

 

[j_garcia]

Is the sound bar self contained or works with a receiver? If self contained, does it have an output for the sub? May make a difference in the answer. As long as it isn't an issue hooking it up, any of those subs will only benefit you. There is no such thing as "too much" sub, because you will need to calibrate it to integrate properly with the rest of your system so that it does not drown anything out.

 

[DrGordonHP]

The soundbar is self contained and has its own sub output.

So it sounds like as long as I set the volume of the sub correctly in relation to everything else you could put any sub in there and improve my setup? Btw, the sound bar also has its own auto-calibration feature too so maybe it would take care of all of this for me.

 

[j_garcia]

You'd have to check the manual regarding calibration, as that is possible that it will be able to set the level for you.

22x24 is a good size room, so a decent sub will definitely be a good idea. I'd start with a single one and see if the sound is sufficient for your needs. Many of us here at AH have a different idea of what is "sufficient" sub wise as opposed to the typical listener Rythmik, SVS and HSU should all do well in there, but it is good that you already understand that it may require either a higher model or multiples to achieve great sound. If the intent is to build a good system in the future, starting with a good sub now just helps the cause since it will be far less likely to need replacing when that happens.

 

[theJman]

Depending upon how much output and extension you're really looking for a pair of Klipsch RW-12d subs might be all you need. There are a number of benefits; the total price for both, combined, is less then your projected budget, you would have duals to even out the bass -- which is probably a good idea in your case -- and you would be getting a real nice sub at a very attractive price.

While the list price for a pair of these is probably not realistic at $2000, they're certainly worth way more then the $600 you can get them for now.

 

[j_garcia]

Depending upon how much output and extension you're really looking for a pair of Klipsch RW-12d subs might be all you need. There are a number of benefits; the total price for both, combined, is less then your projected budget, you would have duals to even out the bass -- which is probably a good idea in your case -- and you would be getting a real nice sub at a very attractive price.

While the list price for a pair of these is probably not realistic at $2000, they're certainly worth way more then the $600 you can get them for now.

While that is true about duals, a single solid sub is still better than dual average subs. I'm sorry, but realistically, even two of those subs is likely just comparable or slightly above a single good SVS, HSU, Rythmik, etc..., so you wouldn't really be saving anything. I've heard the Klipsh subs and they definitely aren't going to give you the sound quality that any of these others will. Duals increases output and can help smooth response, it isn't going to make them sound better than they are capable of.

 

[theJman]

In the general sense your correct, but it's probably not realistic in his particular case. That's where my suggestion stems from.

He has a $750 budget and needs to fill a 22x24 room. It's hard to imagine there's any one sub he could get for that price -- from SVS, HSU, Rythmik or whoever -- which would be able to fill his room properly. That being the case it seems like the better idea is to get two pretty good subs and have the output even and full instead of getting a single sub that would more then likely be overwhelmed by the amount of space, and possibly suffer from a less even distribution as well.

 

[96cobra10101]

That thing has like 40 speakers! I don't know if I would ever get one, but I would like to hear it, and it does look pretty cool without the grill.

 

[96cobra10101]

You'd have to check the manual regarding calibration, as that is possible that it will be able to set the level for you

It uses an "Intellibeam Microphone" for constant calibration. Also, its sub output is a wireless unit (SWK-W10 subwoofer wireless receiver), and additional units can be bought for adding more subs for about $110.00

 

[DrGordonHP]

Yeah, it worked better in a smaller room, but now in our new house this room is pretty big so it doesn't work quite as well as I'd like but still MUCH better than just the tv speakers. It has no low end whatsoever though which I why I'm considering adding a sub.

While it does offer the wireless sub option there is also a sub connector on the back if you want to go for a wired setup. Thus far I've had the wireless capability turned off because it seems to interfere with my wireless internet.

Anyway, the plan is to move to a regular 5.1 or 5.2 setup in the future so I'm considering a sub that will ultimately become part of that future system.

I appreciate the bit of feedback I've received here, thanks.