Is it risky to purchase used subwoofers?

[lovinthehd]

What do you mean by that?

What did you do particularly to set it up with your gear? Did you run the receiver's setup routine? How did you position it? What were the settings you used in the avr and on the sub's amp?

 

[mazersteven]

The original owner might have been a psychopath.

Or a Meatball = Lovinthehd

 

[MacCali]

What did you do particularly to set it up with your gear? Did you run the receiver's setup routine? How did you position it? What were the settings you used in the avr and on the sub's amp?

The room EQ, no.

I placed the subwoofer about 3’x3’ from the corner of the room. Where it was suggested to be optimal, illustrated by Audioholics. To the front left of my tv stand with nothing blocking it.

My old subwoofer used to go all the way in the corner. The sound bars wireless subwoofer.

The AVR setting I didn’t touch, I was going to do that, but I see the amp on the woofer was adjusting the frequency, I see it at 80 and it was kind of sounded funky. I guess the range was acting with the speakers. I checked my speaker frequency and put the woofer to 50 and it was phenomenal.

I mean I’m not sure how much a difference if any of that would make. I only got two speakers and I’ve never run room eq, didn’t think adding the sub would make that much difference.

But overall again, the situation is strictly way too much boom. Even with gain configuration. I thought the decoupler would bring some benefit, but nothing I could feel.

Music was a no go as it consists of constant bass and movie was digging into lower frequency making the room shake even more.

So I am not sure what is going to create so much more of a drastic change.

 

[lovinthehd]

What decoupler? Still sounds more like just not setting it up well enough. Takes some effort but would pay off as I don't think you'd think the same way. A sub should have more a subtle effect than an obvious one. You didn't match levels, you possibly added the sub's low pass filter to the one generated by the avr, may not have chosen the best location, etc. Then again not everyone likes what a sub does on the other hand, and some rooms due construction can resonate as well. YMMV. I was just curious.....

 

[MacCali]

What decoupler? Still sounds more like just not setting it up well enough. Takes some effort but would pay off as I don't think you'd think the same way. A sub should have more a subtle effect than an obvious one. You didn't match levels, you possibly added the sub's low pass filter to the one generated by the avr, may not have chosen the best location, etc. Then again not everyone likes what a sub does on the other hand, and some rooms due construction can resonate as well. YMMV. I was just curious.....

Oh yea I don’t doubt it, I mentioned before my apartment was built in the 30’s. I use a decoupler to reduce vibration. I don’t think anything was wrong with the sub, it’s just too much for my room.

It’s 1300 sq ft and they suggest a 10” for a room that size, but even than it’s too much. It sounded great, but it’s going to make a lot of people angry. My printer weighs like 20lbs and it was rattling. My tv stand is made of glass it started to make the glass shelves rattle on the rest point and they are probably 20lbs a piece too. When the bass hits lower frequency my door on my room huffs, it like sucks in air and pushes it out, like it moves with the subwoofer excursion and the door is closed.

I am not surprised though. My other subwoofer is only 8” and 150w rms. This 10” and 300w. Not sure if that’s double the force, but sure as hell felt like it. It’s resonating into my entire apartment.

I think I mentioned earlier just the two channel itself makes it feel like more bass than my sound bar subwoofer.

It’s all good though, I mean the two towers plus the center and Dolby speakers will probably increase the bass even more. Cause I’m just going to convert the money I was going to spend on the subwoofer to that.

 

[lovinthehd]

Oh yea I don’t doubt it, I mentioned before my apartment was built in the 30’s. I use a decoupler to reduce vibration. I don’t think anything was wrong with the sub, it’s just too much for my room.

It’s 1300 sq ft and they suggest a 10” for a room that size, but even than it’s too much. It sounded great, but it’s going to make a lot of people angry. My printer weighs like 20lbs and it was rattling. My tv stand is made of glass it started to make the glass shelves rattle on the rest point and they are probably 20lbs a piece too. When the bass hits lower frequency my door on my room huffs, it like sucks in air and pushes it out, like it moves with the subwoofer excursion and the door is closed.

I am not surprised though. My other subwoofer is only 8” and 150w rms. This 10” and 300w. Not sure if that’s double the force, but sure as hell felt like it. It’s resonating into my entire apartment.

I think I mentioned earlier just the two channel itself makes it feel like more bass than my sound bar subwoofer.

It’s all good though, I mean the two towers plus the center and Dolby speakers will probably increase the bass even more. Cause I’m just going to convert the money I was going to spend on the subwoofer to that.

You mean 130 sqft or 1300 cuft? I use dual 12" subs in my bedroom of around 1100 cuft. It's about setup and the particular sub, not particularly cone size alone altho that may be a good general indicator of how much air it can push.

Apartment living can be bad for subs. Haven't done that for the last 40 plus years as I didn't like hearing my neighbors at all (easier to deal with roommates in houses). If a door moves a bit I make an adjustment to it but that's not been a particular problem for me, but there are ways of dealing with various resonances/effects of subs in items around a room. I use museum putty behind pictures, on items rattling on shelves, etc. Good rubber cabinet feet under a sub are as good as any of the "decouplers" IME, but some with very soft floors report otherwise.

While a 10" driver would push more air than the 8", all other things relatively equal due to the magic of cone geometry, it's not just 25% more as the difference in diameter would have you think. The doubling of watts if two drivers were the same would only mean a 3dB difference; without the sensitivity and capabilities of the sub it's hard to determine anything from the number of watts alone. The 10" likely has better extension (ability to go low), though; that the 10" would peform better than an 8" wouldn't surprise me. Any sub that came with a soundbar is generally easily bettered by something further up the foodchain. I have subs across the cone size spectrum, an 8", a coupla 10"s, several 12"s, a dual opposed 15" and several 18"......

Bottom line is its personal preference. I like bass .

 

[mazersteven]

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Sounds like a twofold problem. Sub was way too hot( should measure with spl meter) and an old 1930’s suspended floor resonant chamber. Yikes...
Need to measure and level match to know what happened for sure.

 

[MacCali]

You mean 130 sqft or 1300 cuft? I use dual 12" subs in my bedroom of around 1100 cuft. It's about setup and the particular sub, not particularly cone size alone altho that may be a good general indicator of how much air it can push.

Apartment living can be bad for subs. Haven't done that for the last 40 plus years as I didn't like hearing my neighbors at all (easier to deal with roommates in houses). If a door moves a bit I make an adjustment to it but that's not been a particular problem for me, but there are ways of dealing with various resonances/effects of subs in items around a room. I use museum putty behind pictures, on items rattling on shelves, etc. Good rubber cabinet feet under a sub are as good as any of the "decouplers" IME, but some with very soft floors report otherwise.

While a 10" driver would push more air than the 8", all other things relatively equal due to the magic of cone geometry, it's not just 25% more as the difference in diameter would have you think. The doubling of watts if two drivers were the same would only mean a 3dB difference; without the sensitivity and capabilities of the sub it's hard to determine anything from the number of watts alone. The 10" likely has better extension (ability to go low), though; that the 10" would peform better than an 8" wouldn't surprise me. Any sub that came with a soundbar is generally easily bettered by something further up the foodchain. I have subs across the cone size spectrum, an 8", a coupla 10"s, several 12"s, a dual opposed 15" and several 18"......

Bottom line is its personal preference. I like bass .

I love bass too, but at least I found out it’s not for me the easy way rather than the hard way.

All in all, what can I do to stop the vibration in my neighbors apartment.

I just need a little garbage sub, or diy sub

 

[MacCali]

Sounds like a twofold problem. Sub was way too hot( should measure with spl meter) and an old 1930’s suspended floor resonant chamber. Yikes...
Need to measure and level match to know what happened for sure.

Yea, most likely all of those things. The only thing which I mentioned before is possibly a dual opposing sub to try and lower the vibration of the sub itself. But I am currently unable to demo the subs I’ve looked at by lack of retailers.

HSU has one I believe and Mazer suggested that sub before. They are local to me, but currently not accepting any demos during Covid.

 

[lovinthehd]

When did Hsu put out a dual opposed model? Think Power Sound Audio has one or two models. Rythmik's G25. Can't think of any others. The outfit that made mine went out of business (Epik).

 

[MacCali]

When did Hsu put out a dual opposed model? Think Power Sound Audio has one or two models. Rythmik's G25. Can't think of any others. The outfit that made mine went out of business (Epik).

Yup, I found a few, I just noticed the dual opposing are more expensive. Found a few different companies and options, but this will be in the future. Until I can see how vibrational it is

 

[lovinthehd]

Yup, I found a few, I just noticed the dual opposing are more expensive. Found a few different companies and options, but this will be in the future. Until I can see how vibrational it is

A properly built one is quite inert (I use mine as a tv stand). Doubling the drivers does add expense.

 

[MacCali]

I think possibly a better question under my circumstances is what creates the boom, frequency or watts?

My wireless sub goes down to a minimum of 38 hz. That has been acceptable for sometime as I have owned it for two years now.

 

[lovinthehd]

Essentially your neighbors can be bothered by various bass frequencies and the bass frequencies travel thru walls/floors relatively easily.

 

[Teetertotter?]

Try placing your sub between the tv and front speaker. Turn the GAIN down.

 

[NINaudio]

I think possibly a better question under my circumstances is what creates the boom, frequency or watts?

My wireless sub goes down to a minimum of 38 hz. That has been acceptable for sometime as I have owned it for two years now.

What cause boomy bass? Well, now, that's a complicated answer. It's usually a combination of room placement, sub design, and/or amp/eq settings Which sub was it that your friend brought over?

 

[MacCali]

Try placing your sub between the tv and front speaker. Turn the GAIN down.

That’s what I did lol it was in front of my tv stand and right of my FL speaker which is to the left of the subwoofer. On top of my decoupler

 

[MacCali]

What cause boomy bass? Well, now, that's a complicated answer. It's usually a combination of room placement, sub design, and/or amp/eq settings Which sub was it that your friend brought over?

It’s the Rel HT series I believe, it was a Rel for sure lol

 

[lovinthehd]

It’s the Rel HT series I believe, it was a Rel for sure lol

Well if it's a Rel 10 then it didn't dig too deep....