The B&Ws will be doing most of the work for the bass you like to hear but subs will fill in that lower frequency weight that subs do well. Stereo subs facing forward are the way to go if you don't want to spend the money on a set of woofer towers. It's up to you as the B&Ws are still pretty good with subs.
Do I need a subwoofer?
Hopefully I’ve framed this in a way to help people answer. Up until recently I have had a combo 2-channel/home theater system (Krell preamp with home theater bypass, Bryston 5 channel amp, PSB Synchrony 1s bi-amped speakers, Marantz home theater receiver, Power Sound Audio XV15 subwoofer, Oppo CD player). I wanted extra oomph for surround sound movie watching and occasionally some rock music, hence the sub. I was never really impressed with the XV15 sub (have it for sale now). It is insanely large and I wasn’t sure it was adding the oomph I expected, even after having a local hifi shop owner come out for a listen and tune.
What’s changed: A few weeks ago I inherited my late father’s B&W 801 speakers circa 1980, which I have put in place of my PSBs and am enjoying thoroughly despite the age difference.
My questions: (1) would a sub still be of value in my setup (I still like a lot of bass) and (2) what might folks recommend?
Thank you.
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@russ69 Someone said with stereo subs I should do two versus the one big one I have now? They seem a lot smaller, too, which would make the wife happy. If I am understanding what stereo subs are (did a quick Google search). |
In addition to adding bass, properly set up subs will also greatly improve imaging and expand the soundstage. I’d recommend trying a pair of SVS SB1000 Pro subs you can get for under $1000 (they were running a sale recently but not sure if it’s still going) that are relatively small but will still get you down to an honest 20Hz and also offer integration software to help you get them dialed in properly. And yes, you want two, not one sub — huge improvement. SVS offers a generous and truly risk-free, in-home trial so if they don’t transform your system you can simply return them but highly doubt you will. Hope this helps, and best of luck. |
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