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Subwoofer for classical music listener

This is my second post on the subject of subwoofers.
My first post wasn't specific enough.
I listen to classical music 90% of the time.
Are there any classical music listeners out there who have subwoofers?
if there are, could you let me know what you have?
i don't imagine I would need quite as powerful or expensive a sub as those who mainly listen to other types of music, but I may be wrong.

128x128rvpiano
sboje
38 posts
 
Most rooms have very uneven bass response, so if you tune things to sound good at say, 60hz, and you happen to have a 12db bump at that frequency, your ultra-low frequencies might be 15db low.

I originally had an OLD Velodyne. I bought a used Velodyne SMS-1 to EQ the subwoofer, and it made a tremendous difference. 

Now I have an SVS-SB16 Ultra. It has 3 completely customizable EQ points, so everything is done in the sub.

Unfortunately, they don't have a low pass output, so my main speakers have to run full range, making the overlap significant. The EQ helps a lot with that though.

I think the SB13-Ultra might have low-pass AND EQ, but I can't swear to that.

If you decide to get something like the Velodyne SMS-1, note that it will add more group delay. That may or may not be an issue for you. I still use my SMS-1 to measure the results of my EQ tweaking in the SB-16. It's a handy gizmo.
smer319's avatar
smer319
138 posts
 
Only REL subs work well.
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,601 posts
 
Another +vote for REL subwoofer models.  Happy Listening!
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
smer319,

             "Only REL subs work well."
Prove it.... That is, prove it without B.S.ing all the fine people of this thread. 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

Two ideas regarding subs that I consider very true and important are:

1- You shouldn’t hear a sub. A good subwoofer placed optimally in a room should just make the loudspeaker it is augmenting sound as if it now has response to a lower frequency. It should be invisible.

2- It is often the eigenmodes of the room you are hearing when adding a sub to a loudspeaker, the lower frequencies now reproduced exciting the rooms resonant modes, rather than the sub itself. "Room boom" is often incorrectly attributed to the sub(s).

The best way to minimize both the above is to employ dipole subs, rather than monopoles. A dipole sub excites fewer room modes (no sidewall-to-sidewall, dipoles having a null to either side), leading to fewer standing waves. The Magneplanar Tympani bass panel is a great, musical sub, as is the GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole Direct Servo-Feedback Sub.

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