Advice on Sub

gene stangel

I have two RTA15TL for my main loudspeakers (rated down to 21hz) and love their tight bass but due to placement on shelves 8ft above floor I have difficulty getting enough bass volume. Besides for DVD-audio sometimes the bass is only sent to the subwoofer and I can't redirect it to mains. I mainly listen to music and hate to give up the tight sounding bass of the 15's for a subwoofer that doesn't go as low or sound as tight. I do have the perfect corner for a sub and I am considering the PSW350.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks

Dr. Spec

For DVD playback in DD or DTS, there is definitely a dedicated LFE channel (the ".1" part of 5.1 or 6.1) that is not sent to the mains, even if they are set on "large". At least that is my experience with the bass management circuit on my receiver. Other receivers may differ - get several opinions and discuss with the manufacturer.

With that said, running an LFE output to a sub and keeping your RTA15TL's set on "large" would be my recommendation.

As for the sub itself, there are many good ones on the market in addition to the Polk models. Some posters in this forum think the HSU subs are really good - can't argue with that. Check near the end of the "RT800i's sound muddy" postings for details.

Overall, you should get a sub that can easily match the sound pressure level that the rest of your system is capable of producing, and one which has the same or lower -3db frequency threshold as your RTA15TL's.

The PSW 350 -3db point is around 35Hz (going from memory) although it hangs in there pretty well down to about 30Hz; you may want/need to go deeper than that. Also, the 350 only has a 10" cone, and is well suited for small to medium size rooms. If your room is large, you may want to consider a PSW 650 (or two!) or a different brand altogether.

It takes a lot of electrical current and cone excursion to move enough air to shake a large room and impact your guts with authority - a small sub will give up the ghost before then. It is better to run a more-than-adequate sub at 1/2 volume than to run a barely adequate sub at full volume. The larger sub will always sound effortless and unstrained and have lots of dynamic headroom - just the ticket for lifelike HT!

Good luck!!:)