Subwoofer choice

[Krexz]

Hi,
First time posting here so unsure of the protocol. Just been into a store with the intention of buying a Tannoy TS2.8 subwoofer new, or the Revel B8 new.

I ended up walking out with the a heavily reduced Monitor 380 for £179 (same price as Tannoy TS2.8) as it has been the shop display unit for approx. 2 years.

This is adding to my system of Dali Spektor 2 and Dali Zensor Pika Vocal.

I have never owned a subwoofer before but felt the bass to be lacking, especially during films moreso than when listening to music.

Do you think that this is a good deal and subwoofers have good enough life to make this purchase worth it?
Is the risk of an old subwoofer worth it compared to a box new model?
I have looked at the specifications difference and cannot immediately see a difference, but I am very much not an expert.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

None of those are what anyone here would call a “serious” subwoofer, but they will extend your system response by an octave or more. That will certainly be an improvement over what you’ve been hearing. Based on the specs I can dig up, the Monitor does appear to be the best of the three. So hook it up and enjoy!

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[TLS Guy]

It would have been better to have posted before purchase.

European subs and especially UK subs are a joke and not subs at all. There is one bright spot in the UK, J.K. electronics of Southend on Sea. They make a very respectable line of subwoofers.

What you have would not be recognized as a sub in the US, but a bass module.

The sub you purchased is -6db at 30 Hz. In my opinion that is virtually worthless as many speakers can best that without a sub.

So to answer your question, what you came away with is not worth it, and that goes for the rest on your list.

 

[Pogre]

Is the 380 an 8" (20 cm) sub? Methinks you need a bigger sub!

 

[Hetfield]

Man when I read stuff like this I am so glad to live here in the US. We have so much choice for products and in this particular area, home theater products. Man I would hate to be limited in home theater product choices.

 

[HTfreak2004]

Time to build your own beast. 18” dual opposed drivers should get the job done nicely! That’ll be money well spent