Add sub to 802D4s?


I’ve been thinking about adding a sub to my newish B&W 802D4s. They’re driven by a McIntosh 462. I love the tightness and quick response of the speakers, and I love the thump of the bass. I listen to mostly rock, new, old, alternative, and less often to chill, jazz or blues, piano or classical.  I have a friend who is quite knowledgeable that thinks it’s a bad idea, as the speakers are very capable and well balanced, so a sub would not only be superfluous but counterproductive. Any experts here agree, or disagree? 

cmb13

Unless you plan on integrating your subs with some type of external crossover, preferably an active one, you will be throwing your money away by adding subs to your current system. If you are not planning on using an external crossover it is usually considered best to set the low pass filter on the sub approximately at the 6db down point of your main speaker which in your case would be somewhere below 17 Hz which is below the threshold of human hearing.  With the exception of “chill” in the music you list, you are most likely not reproducing anything under 40 Hz and with chill you are probably not going much below 30 to 35 Hz so you are still above the the subs low pass filter setting. If you did set the low pass filter on the sub higher without a crossover you will very likely have major phasing issues in the overlapping frequency range between the sub and your mains making the bass in that region close to unlistenable.

People recommend two to four subs because multiple subs very much smooth out the peaks and nulls that can be created by low bass that room treatment can not do as well, not to mention it takes tremendous power to reproduce very low bass.

If you like to listen at loud volumes you would want a sub 12” or larger. Also plug any ports in the B & W’s if there are any.

This is a good read if you are new to subs.

https://www.soundoctor.com/whitepapers/subs.htm

@soix 

#1

@james633 

You will have to search very hard to find an amp that produces hard-hitting bass like the MC 611s. The closest I have heard was a Gryphon Diablo, but I believe the Mac trumps it. However, if you want to get into amps that are stratospherically priced, you would find quite a few.

@jeffreyw 

I have 802D4s that I bi-amp. I use two mono-blocked MC275s for the highs and the mids and at first had an MC302 dedicated to the lows. It did the work but not without the feeling that it while it did the it, it would rather spend its time knitting or pressing flowers. I now use Pass Labs xa160.8 monoblocks for the lows and when they're not eating road kill or give filterless cigarettes to kids they make the MC302 look like it failed out of clown school. The MC462 is an objectively better amp than the MC302, no question, but it's still playing minor league/Class A/B baseball in comparison to the effortlessness of the fully Class A Pass Labs. 

I had initially decided to go with Mc 600w mono-blocks but hearing those even against the xa25.8's I knew immediately I wasn't getting the Mc monoblocks.

I tried everything under the sun to integrate subs with Maggies. In the end I had to get an active crossover (Bryston 10B sub) to get things right. 

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