Question About Specs

[hjustin]

The specs on my Paradigm Monitor 7s state a low frequency extension of 34 Hz (DIN)*.

The asterisk footnote states: DIN 45 500. Indicates -3 dB in a typical listening room.

The spec on the Paradigm PS-1000 states and LFE of 25 Hz (DIN) with the same footnote as the Monitor 7.

I'm not sure I entirely understand this. This seems like an apples-to-apples comparison of the low-end capability of these two speakers. Even though the difference is only 9 Hz (and maybe that's not an insignificant difference), when I listen to a movie without the PS-1000 the difference is huge.

Now when I look at the numbers here:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/bravus-ii-12d-review/Audioholics%20Excel%20compilation-111012.pdf

Is there anything that I can roughly compare to the Paradigm specifications? Will a sub that plays at 16 Hz improve my listening experience as significantly as adding the PS-1000 to my Monitors 7s?

Please tell me if this is a silly, pointless exercise. Because I am unable to actually listen to any of this stuff, all I have to go by are the numbers.

Tom Vodhanel estimated that the Power Sound Audio XV15 would be roughly 4-6 of the PS-1000s in the deeper bass regions. I'm just trying to get a sense of scale.

Thank you.

 

[fuzz092888]

The specs on my Paradigm Monitor 7s state a low frequency extension of 34 Hz (DIN)*.

The asterisk footnote states: DIN 45 500. Indicates -3 dB in a typical listening room.

The spec on the Paradigm PS-1000 states and LFE of 25 Hz (DIN) with the same footnote as the Monitor 7.

I'm not sure I entirely understand this. This seems like an apples-to-apples comparison of the low-end capability of these two speakers. Even though the difference is only 9 Hz (and maybe that's not an insignificant difference), when I listen to a movie without the PS-1000 the difference is huge.

Now when I look at the numbers here:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/bravus-ii-12d-review/Audioholics%20Excel%20compilation-111012.pdf

Is there anything that I can roughly compare to the Paradigm specifications? Will a sub that plays at 16 Hz improve my listening experience as significantly as adding the PS-1000 to my Monitors 7s?

Please tell me if this is a silly, pointless exercise. Because I am unable to actually listen to any of this stuff, all I have to go by are the numbers.

Tom Vodhanel estimated that the Power Sound Audio XV15 would be roughly 4-6 of the PS-1000s in the deeper bass regions. I'm just trying to get a sense of scale.

Thank you.

First I'll say be careful using LFE. I've seen people use LFE as Low Frequency Extension and then there's LFE in movies where it means Low Frequency Effects. They are not the same thing.

The short answer is that both can play 30-50Hz (the sub and the speakers). The difference you're hearing is that the sub can play those frequencies at much higher SPL's than the speakers can. A subwoofer like the PSA can play those low frequencies loudly and stay flat through its operating range, whereas your speakers have already started to roll off and are down 3db at 34Hz.

I don't think looking at only how low a sub can play makes sense. You also have to look at how cleanly it plays in its operating frequency. I think most well designed subwoofers will hit 20ish Hz without issue, which is really as low as you need to go in most cases. I think it is much more telling about the driver when you see how high it can then play. If a sub has an operating range of 20-250Hz and it plays cleanly throughout, then that is one heck of a driver. Most people cross around 60-120Hz depending on what they are crossing from. I wouldn't get too caught up with plumbing the depths unless you're looking to upgrade your whole setup. The PSA's seem like great subs that deliver serious performance, so I don't think you'd be getting a huge upgrade if you got something else anyways, in that price range.

Compare speakers to speakers and subs to subs. The only thing you really need to know when you're looking at speakers and subs are how low the speakers play and how high the sub will play to see whether you can cross without any bad things happening.

 

[Steve81]

Now when I look at the numbers here..Is there anything that I can roughly compare to the Paradigm specifications?

Not exactly. Those are measurements taken outdoor at 2 meters; IOW, it's a lot tougher than an in room extension number at some unknown output level.

Will a sub that plays at 16 Hz improve my listening experience as significantly as adding the PS-1000 to my Monitors 7s?

Absolutely, especially if that subwoofer will handle the output you desire without compression across its bandwidth and with low distortion.

Tom Vodhanel estimated that the Power Sound Audio XV15 would be roughly 4-6 of the PS-1000s in the deeper bass regions. I'm just trying to get a sense of scale.

A 6dB increase in output equates to a doubling of acoustic pressure. For example, if you stacked a pair of SB12-NSDs, you would theoretically get a 6dB increase in output. Now for comparison purposes, the SB12-NSD puts out about 92dB at 2 meters ground plane at 20Hz; the PB12-NSD puts out about 103dB under the same conditions, for an 11dB difference. So going back to a stack of two SB12s, you'd be looking at 98dB at 20Hz, still 5 dB shy of the PB12-NSD. It takes two more SB12s to close that gap and put up a theoretical 104dB.