First time post: 10 years into my audio collection, I need direction...

[DeadPhishCheeseUmphreys]

This is a non sequitur. If you understood the importance of a sub, you would miss it. A sub is about way more than just shaking the walls.

Right its about certain frequencies that my music files are sending to my receiver, but not to my speakers.

I just can't drop 4 grand this month on speakers. I'm gonna piece it out over time.

And yeah, my ears are missing that frequency, but I can live without it...for now.

Just added these to my collection! 62 freakin pounds a piece! Down to 24 hz! CAN. NOT. WAIT.
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/jamo/concert-7/prd_436336_1594crx.aspx

BoredSysAdmin sold me on this and maybe the bookshelfs: Ascend CMT-340 center

And this is on my list: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/subs/f8.html

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Right its about certain frequencies that my music files are sending to my receiver, but not to my speakers.

I just can't drop 4 grand this month on speakers. I'm gonna piece it out over time.

And yeah, my ears are missing that frequency, but I can live without it...for now.

Just added these to my collection! 62 freakin pounds a piece! Down to 24 hz! CAN. NOT. WAIT.
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/jamo/concert-7/prd_436336_1594crx.aspx

BoredSysAdmin sold me on this and maybe the bookshelfs: Ascend CMT-340 center

And this is on my list: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/subs/f8.html

I think there are much better options for sub in same price range. Why do you want that specific sub?

And it is not just the frequencies your receiver sends to speakers. It is also how well your speakers can handle them. Sub is made specifically for those ranges when speakers are not in most cases. It also helps taking load from speakers and helps them run more clearly.

 

[KenM10759]

Those speakers will indeed hit lower frequencies than you've heard in a long time. However, it's just not going to hit 24hz at all and even if they did it won't be at the same SPL as the higher frequencies. That's what true subwoofers do for you. The Rythmik twin 8" would be better, but never as deep as their own 15" or larger offerings, some of which come at the same price. Bear in mind that you don't have to go through Ascend Acoustics for Rythmik subs. You can buy direct from them at the same price and eliminate a "middleman" if there is any problem. Rythmik isn't the only game, look at SVS, PSA and Hsu as well.

BTW, I get a kick out of "Loudspeaker Of The Year 1989". Where did you find new speakers that probably haven't been made in 20 years or more? Could be fairly crispy surrounds by now.

 

[DeadPhishCheeseUmphreys]

I just like the smaller powerful Subs. Haven't done much searching, but I like a sub that can produce a powerful higher low range very fast. I don't know what "stat" determines how fast a sub can reproduce a sound without distortion, but that is a quality I am looking for. And I know really good 8"ers do that well, never heard of a servo subwoofer, and the description sold me. So until I'm ready to by my sub, this one is in the running.

Are you saying this is a better one?
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/F8.html

Are SVS, PSA and HSU other "servo" subwoofer makers?

"It also helps taking load from speakers and helps them run more clearly."
Can you explain this? Are you saying with no Sub, the receiver is sending all frequencies to the speakers and they try to do the best they can, where as if you have a sub it recognizes this and won't send frequencies, say above 100 to any speakers?

I didn't get them new, found used on ebay for $400. It said they were tested and in excellent condition. Ebay has pretty decent buyer protection, I'mma hold 'em to it! My friend never stops talking about the deals he finds on ebay, so I had to try something.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I just like the smaller powerful Subs. Haven't done much searching, but I like a sub that can produce a powerful higher low range very fast. I don't know what "stat" determines how fast a sub can reproduce a sound without distortion, but that is a quality I am looking for. And I know really good 8"ers do that well, never heard of a servo subwoofer, and the description sold me. So until I'm ready to by my sub, this one is in the running.

Are you saying this is a better one?
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/F8.html

Are SVS, PSA and HSU other "servo" subwoofer makers?

"It also helps taking load from speakers and helps them run more clearly."
Can you explain this? Are you saying with no Sub, the receiver is sending all frequencies to the speakers and they try to do the best they can, where as if you have a sub it recognizes this and won't send frequencies, say above 100 to any speakers?

I didn't get them new, found used on ebay for $400. It said they were tested and in excellent condition. Ebay has pretty decent buyer protection, I'mma hold 'em to it! My friend never stops talking about the deals he finds on ebay, so I had to try something.

Any quality sub will reproduce music just as well as those smaller subs. With smaller subs you are just losing power compared to bigger ones. I myself have 12" bk sub and it reproduces music perfectly even when there is some really fast paced bass in track. SVS, PSA, HSU and Rythmik all make quality subs. If you are looking sub for music I would look for 12" from those manufacturers and get what you feel best with. If you want lower bass extension for movies then something with bigger woofer from same companies. There really isn't anything to worry on woofer size for music reproduction if the sub is well designed. As bigger woofer has to move less than smaller one to produce same amount of bass.

And yes if you have no sub your speakers are run full range and receiver is sending all frequencies for speakers and they try their best to reproduce the sent frequencies. With sub and common 80Hz crossover your speakers will be sent everything over 80Hz and sub everything under that. This way both speakers and sub can shine on their best areas.

 

[Robert94]

And yes if you have no sub your speakers are run full range and receiver is sending all frequencies for speakers and they try their best to reproduce the sent frequencies. With sub and common 80Hz crossover your speakers will be sent everything over 80Hz and sub everything under that. This way both speakers and sub can shine on their best areas.

I have an amp that doesn't have any pre-outs so the only way I could run a sub at the moment would be to have it run through speaker level inputs. This would mean no frequencies would be filtered and my bookshelves would still be sent the full range of frequencies and the sub would just give some low end extension. I'm interested in what your opinion is on this kind of set-up when there is no other option?

 

[KenM10759]

I have an amp that doesn't have any pre-outs so the only way I could run a sub at the moment would be to have it run through speaker level inputs. This would mean no frequencies would be filtered and my bookshelves would still be sent the full range of frequencies and the sub would just give some low end extension. I'm interested in what your opinion is on this kind of set-up when there is no other option?

That depends upon the quality (and commensurate price) of a given sub. A unit with a really good amp/control interface will do that high pass filtering you need even with speaker level feed. There are even moderately price subs which do that.

 

[anamorphic96]

That depends upon the quality (and commensurate price) of a given sub. A unit with a really good amp/control interface will do that high pass filtering you need even with speaker level feed. There are even moderately price subs which do that.

+1 to this. Most quality sub will offer some sort of crossover function when using the high pass inputs. Some are fixed and some are variable.

 

[DeadPhishCheeseUmphreys]

Alright I pulled the trigger on the Ascend CMT 340 SE center, if I like that I'm grabbing the bookshelfs!

30-day grace period makes it an easy decision too.

And I'm thinking these for the sub now:
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-3mk5HP.html
http://www.svsound.com/collections/ported-subwoofers/products/pb-2000

That 2000 peak on the 15" sounds unreal, and that SVS looks SOOO fucking sexy!

 

[DeadPhishCheeseUmphreys]

Well I got the Jamo Concert 7's. Turns out one of them is half shot, at least as far as i can tell. But the other one is better than all the speakers I've probably ever had put together. The bad one, the midrange is not getting any power, and the sub seems to be blown. There are apparently 2 8" subs, and you only notice the distortion when the source calls for some real low Hz. Hardly any of my Pink Floyd caused it to distort, while some electronic music got it to easily. For the hookups I have twisted pair speaker wire. I peeled the coating off the wire enough to run the wire through both the high and low of the bi-wiring posts, starting from the low > high.

First off, my Audyssey was straight f**ked on my Onkyo TX-NR818:
http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/model.php?m=TX-NR818&class=Receiver

I am not entirely sure how the whole process works, but I turned off the receiver, switched out my Jamo E640's from Front to Front Wide, and the new 7's to the Fronts. It showed no recognized speakers, so I tried to get Audyssey to work, but it immediately get stuck on "wait". Through some combination of powering the receiver on and off or plugging the Audyssey mic in and removing it got it to run. But it wouldn't even recognize the center or front wide I had plugged in too, just the Concert 7's. And the one speaker was flawless, the other had an amazing tweeter that seemed to try and play frequencies in the upper midrange when loud and one sub. Are these 7's that different of a speaker that the processors(?) won't let them work together with my other speakers? Is it perhaps recognizing that something is not correct, and just won't let it work? Regardless I turned it off, and back on, and that Audyssey setup was gone. Could not get Audyssey to run again, it would just get stuck on wait. Only way to get it to recognize the speakers again was to go into Setup > Listening Mode Preset > Source > and set everything to Direct. Conversely, using an old Pioneer receiver, with none of the digital hoop-la, produced the same results immediately.

My next step would be to take the back off and see if a wire is not connected to the midrange, and if one of the subs is obviously blown. But first an email is in to the ebay seller...

Oh and my Ascend 340 center will be here Wed to save the day if all doesn't work out!

 

[KenM10759]

How easy is it to remove a woofer and peer into the cabinet for a look at the crossover and post wiring? It could be something as simple as loose wires or as critical as a bad crossover.