How many.... #2

VR3

How many people run systems without subs, and can actually still get chest thumping bass of the kick drum, etc...

I thoroughly enjoy my system without a sub...but I need a slightly larger amp....

Who else is out there? What ya got...

Shizelbs

With the amp I have now, no.

With the amp on the way, it had damned well better be big old bass. No sub in my system right now either way though.

TroyD

Sub for 2ch?

I think not.

BDT

RuSsMaN

I just got the Signet 15" in the other day. I plan to experiment with it on the Spendor rig. John Fort has a Vandy sub in that I'm considering also.

steveinaz

I tried to incorporate a sub in my 2-channel--didn't like it, good freq curves and all, just didn't like the sound.

No more subs in my system.

danger boy

naw, i don't like a sub in my 2 channel rig either. just seems odd and out of place. The monitor 7's seem to do pretty good with bass already. not great. but then, i'm no bass head either.

2+2

I dont run a SW with my main system. I don't know what all this obsession with bass is about...I like my music balanced. The LSi 15 have plenty of bass....too much IMO. BTW, did you know that too much bass can actually cause your lungs to collapse and kill you?...yup....so be careful...:D

heiney9

I have never been a big fan of subwoofers for 2 channel listening. All the subs I’ve heard put out a real boomy, muddy, uncontrolled sound. Granted the few sub I’ve heard probably weren’t set up properly. But I’m thinking back on my hi-fi selling days when I sold M&K among others and never really felt that a separate sub gave realistic bass. Somehow it wasn’t coherent enough for me. I did talk a buddy of mine into buying a Polk PSW-650 and he loves it. It’s not calibrated properly and it sits in the corner of a room which isn’ t the best place for accurate bass response. But it has that thumpy, bumpy, pounding bass. It sounds cool for awhile but gets old fast. No delineation between bass notes is the best way to describe it. And there is no extention, the notes just kinda falls of like a waterfall.

I feel I get very accurate and very good bass extension out of RTA-11’s with the Adcom GFA-545. If the bass is in the recording you feel it…..the extension is amazing to me sometimes. There is plenty of punch….again if it’s in the recording. If the recording lacks bass then I don’t feel it or hear it. There is no bloat or overhang that I can detect. The bass performance is actually quite amazing. It’s one of the reasons I’ve kept the 11’s all these years and my reluctance to purchase the Lsi-9’s. I know the 9’s give pretty good bass response, but I’m sure they won’t match the 11’s in overall extension.

there is nothing more dissapointing/annoying than a poorly recorded source. It can make or break the listening experience

Heiney9

heiney9

My mains can deliver absolutely astonishing bass that can slam your chest with the right material - but there is only so much a 5 1/2 driver can do. For the extremely low registers (33 hz and below), I like a little re-enforcement. [/QUOTE]

With the right material.....is the key phrase. So many CD's just aren't recorded/engineered to reach down much below about 42 HZ. The material that does is an exception. Now movie soundtracks, even in 2.0, can/do go much lower.

Heiney9

reeltrouble1

1C's + tube pre + bridged mono NAD + Hi Rez quantization= great bass, great mids, great highs in other words great sound. Its not the only way but this works for me, still if I had a better redbook player!!!

RT1

jmierzur

I guess I'm another odd ball.

I use two subs. They are integrated into the system so that in essence, I have 3.5 way speakers. I must admit that the hardest and most frustrating challenge was to find subs that are not ‘tuned’ for the masses.

When you do overcome the challenge, the experience is very rewarding. Here is some food for thought (specifically, page 10).

cubdog

I've tried various subs with my 2 channel set up of vintage Sansui and Advent speakers. Don't like them the subs at all but I wonder if that's due to the age and type of equipment. I probably should experiment with a newer receiver. Still it seems the current setup is very balanced as is.

cubdog

Dennis Gardner

de·fin·i·tive [ di fínn a tiv ]


adjective

1. conclusive and final: providing a final decision that will not be questioned or changed


Sounds like Trey's speakers choice isn't as definitive as he first thought.

With my SDA 1s, I don't find the sub to add much as long as I drive them well. They do pretty good on their own. With my RT55s, on some music, a little sub support helps fill my rather large room.

pjdami

Chest pounding bass? Not me. I'm more of a finesse listener. Gotta save what is left of my ears.

VR3

Man I hate to break it to you...

But I am talking about my Definitives...

Infact, I on occasion forget to turn on my sub for movies and dont really realize its off...excellent bass...

I have my sub calibrated that when I turn it on, its hard to notice I did except for the lil bit more kick and fill in..

With all the newbies around here and all the regulars constantly changing gear, I wanted to see what everyone had, etc...

Frank Z

Using a sub with a 2-channel rig makes baby Jesus cry.

Shame on you!

Frank Z

...and I don't mean Hay-Suz.

outlander

I could never get my sub to sound right when I used my HT setup in two channel mode. The answer was to use my receiver as a preamp and buy a real amp with some real power (you need full range speakers too). Now there is no issue with bass listening to music in 2 channel. I’m happy to see so many others feel the same way about a sub in a 2 channel setup, I was starting to think I was the only one.
O

Early B.

I got me a sub, baby. I use an Onix Rocket and it blends in so well I'm constantly forgetting that I have it. Besides, it's tucked away so no one sees it. Ashamed though, 'cause it's so cute.

I need a sub because I use bookshelf speakers and I wanna hear every note on every CD I have. It's not music to me if I throw away the lower octaves. But even if I had floorstanders, I'd still consider a sub. Why? Well, for the same reason we buy separates -- to get the right tool for the right job.

Early B.

Zero -- the Rocket replaced the Hsu STF-2 by a slight margin. That Hsu is a badass sub, but for music I had to try a sealed sub. Took a minute to get used to the difference between ported and sealed, though. I hadn't fooled around with the equalizer on it yet (and don't plan to).

nadams

My Monitor 10's had some great thump to them. I'd never run a sub with 'em.

Currently, my system has been downgraded to the 5jr's, which need a sub to be at all effective in the low range. I'm using a DCM 10" powered sub with them.

Can't wait to hook the monitor 10's back up, though!

organ

My RF-35 will kick you in the chest and nuts without the need for a sub. The LSi9 also puts out incredible amounts of bass.

I use the subwoofer once in a while for 2ch listening. I don't use it most of the time.

Maurice