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More Power or use subwoofer to boost bass for music

Hi,   just want to know if anyone can offer their opinions on how to boost the bass when listening to 2 channel music.

I just got a pair of B&W 804 D3 and would like to get more bass out of the speakers.   I remember the bass was pretty punchy when I heard it in the dealer showroom, but I don't seem to get that in my setup.   I currently have Parasound A31 power amp with 250 watts per channel.

So the question is whether I should get a more power amp, or add subwoofer to my 2 channel music.  I'm a little bit of a purist and would prefer not to use a subwoofer for music, but I'm open to this option.

I would definitely appreciate if anyone can share their experience/opinion.   Thanks very much.
128x128xcool
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
xcool OP Just found proper test on the A31 as I thought not much current ability into low impedances. The 4ohm wattage should be a lot higher, and they didn’t do the 2ohm as it would have been trouble (bang maybe). Not the amp for these speakers.

 Cheers George

BHK Labs Measurements: Parasound Halo A31 Three-Channel Amplifier
  • 1% THD 232.8W @ 8 ohms, 352.0W @ 4 ohms
  • 10%THD 285.0W @ 8 ohms, 422.9W @ 4 ohms

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,880 posts
 
What amp did the dealer use ??????
bobedwards101
176 posts
 
dual subs; as large and powerful as you can fit and afford. I like the big HSU Research units
xcool's avatar
xcool OP
273 posts
 
i don't remember what the dealer use.  It was actually in Magnolia shop of Best Buy when I heard them for the first time.  I think they might just be using a Rotel integrated.
geof3
1,128 posts
 
Any particular reason you went with the A31 vs the A21/A21+ or even JC5? While a swarm might be one of the options for big low end, often they are impractical space/position wise and still require proper setup to get right. So reality is, any sub setup will require proper placement and dialing in. You might be better off to try the above first, room treatment, speaker placement etc. These are all things that need to be done anyway if a sub/subs are part of the picture. Also, cabling can make a big difference as well, power particularly as well as the rest. 
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