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Endless debate: monitor + sub vs floorstanding

Have made a simple system with Peachtree Inova and Proac Sig 8 Tablettes on sand filled stands. Lovely sound I am quite pleased with though I'm considering either supplementing my beloved Tablettes with a sub bass (most likely the new Rel T5) OR grabbing a pair of full range floorstanders (likely used Proac as well).

Any thoughts on the relative merits of the two setups in terms of expression, detail, dynamic spectrum, musicality and also flexibility? Intuitively, it seems I may have more opportunities to play with and fine-tune the experience using Tabletttes plus sub.

I realize there is probably no perfect answer here. Unfortunately, my opportunities for a good side by side listening comparison of the two systems is pretty much nil.
marburg
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samzx12
1,220 posts
 
WOW what a description...LOL. Certain pregnancy and sexual deviant on a subway platform???
norton
83 posts
 
Me thinks you have been reading to many "Harlequin" romance novels.
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samzx12
1,220 posts
 
Sounds like the sub has put him into "The O Zone" lol :)
robsker
132 posts
 
In the cost-no-object arena (ca. a 20K+ sub/monitor or full-range speaker)--- I'd say both set-ups can be great. That said, trade-offs exist at reasonable cost. A sub/monitor combo at a combined cost of 5K vs a fine full-range speaker at 5K --- now I'd go with the full-range speaker more often than not. Subwoofers at the 1.5K range are typically boomy, slow and do not integrate well and the coherence of the full range speaker will win out far more often than not. This is especially true when trying to mate a sub with a planer speaker (Maggies, or the like).

I have also heard many try to mate a modest subwoofer (or multiple subs) with lowthers and other horns --- man... I would take a full range speaker over that almost any time as the incoherence is a problem.

That said... with a high performance, really good sub or an array of such subs one can do quite well.

The point... it all depends --- as system cost goes up the two choices become more equal --- at lower cost the trade-offs are manifest (bad coherency, unnatural sound in the sub/monitor combo and bass control in the full range --- to varying degrees.

I have owned systems of both types and generally prefer the full range speakers.
audiokinesis
2,743 posts
 
Generalizing here...

I'd take two fullrange speakers over two monitors + one sub. If it's two monitors + two subs vs two fullrange... well it's close, but probably the two + two. And I'd take two monitors + fours subs over the two fullrange speakers. In each case, I'm favoring the system that gives me the greater number of and flexibility with independent bass sources; as a general principle, the more in-room bass sources you have, the smoother the in-room bass response. This according to Earl Geddes, whose ideas about subwoofers I use with permission. The nice thing about starting out with one sub is, you can add another without having to recreate your entire system.

Duke
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