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Turned Off My Subwoofer ... And My Speakers Sound Great

I’ve had a pair of JA Pulsars (non-Graphene) for a couple of years now, and have been using them with a subwoofer. Today, I noticed that my Pulsars sounded very different. There was an expansion of soundstaging, the bass was more articulate and robust (i.e., it had more weight to it), and the highs really sparkled.

This was somewhat different from the sound to which I had become accustomed, so I looked on the panel and discovered that the sub had been turned off. Apparently, my wife had been dusting around my listening room and had accidentally hit the off switch.

I am kind of befuddled by this because I thought use of the subwoofer was supposed to achieve those sonically pleasing effects. Apparently not in my case. Have any ’Goners had this happen? I’m really happy with the "new" sound sans subwoofer, but continue to wonder why that is. I mean by all objective measures, the sub should improve the sound, not detract from it. I just don’t get it.
rlb61
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,017 posts
 
Roger that :-)
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,921 posts
 
I also use a very small listening room. In my room, with two REL T5i’s the soundfield and extension is slightly better than with my speakers by themselves. The key I think, is to make sure you are not impacting the mains..
if the mains sound better without the sub, this is a sign that the sub is probably running too high in the mix, IME.
rlb61 OP
789 posts
 
FWIW, Jeff Joseph (who personally set up the Pulsars in my room) told me he thinks that because of the small room size, the subwoofer likely overloaded the room with bass. He thinks also that integrating a sub in such a small space is quite challenging. I tend to agree. In any event, this entire process, caused accidentally, has been quite a revelation. I guess everything happens for a reason.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,017 posts
 
Well then, there’s always the Pulsar 2 Graphene....
three_easy_payments's avatar
three_easy_payments
2,097 posts
 
Careful @rlb61   you're going to disrupt MC's one-size fits all narrative.  He really doesn't need to post here....he simply needs to have a FAQ page with his list of audio rules (including non-negotiable brand requirements) that everyone is required to follow.

@millercarbon ... trust me, it’s way too tight for a DBA in my room. As I read the comments here and think about what has happened, I’ve concluded that a subwoofer is not necessary in every application where a 2 way speaker is used. That was a mistake on my part.
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