Why I'm not adding a sub to my 2-way monitors for music


 

I've updated my blog post with more data, more analysis and the conclusion that in my particular case I do not need a subwoofer.  I encourage everyone who is on the fence about adding a subwoofer or not to read and comment.  I think that either way you'll be able to make more informed buying and configuration choices.

Everyone's situation is different but I hope the post helps you get to the right conclusions.

 

erik_squires

subs don't have to be 12" or even 10" they can be 8" or even 6". They don't have to be boxes either they can be tubes

Yes, indeed. The 3 subs I mentioned in my earlier post were discussed with my mate and his wife where I made suggestions about how they could be integrated into their room. The boxes had a small square footprint and were built to the height suited to their purpose. One was placed next to a bookcase and painted the exact same colour. The second served as a stand for a large pot plant and the third served as a side table replacing the table that had been there before. The whole installation was unobtrusive and took up very little extra space.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

The tube MC referred to allows more options. They can be used horizontally and vertically. As well as placing behind a sofa they can be used in the horizontal corners formed by the wall/ceiling junction.

6.5" drivers are common and they do not need to be specifically designed for 'subwoofer' use. If you regard them as 'acoustic equalisers' they will do something that is difficult to conceptualise if you have never heard a DBA. You get the music robbing nulls filled in and the shouty peaks tamed.

The above is suggested for owners of small rooms always complaining that they just don't have the space. If you do have the space then go to 10" or 12" drivers and enjoy the benefit of muti-subs down to a lower frequency.

The number of subs and their size depends on who wears the trousers in the house. In the above example my mate definitely wears the trousers, he just has to ask his wife which ones he can wear!  😉

Absorption, diffusion and bass trapping will take this to the next level. I have been playing with this for some time and I can tell you that some of my mates who were always introducing new and expensive components, endlessly chasing their tail, have mellowed out and are basking in their glorious sound, being more interested in the music now.

Room treatment + DBA : Audio's best kept secret.

Great, now that DBA has thoroughly been covered here, as it happens in every single discussion about subwoofers on Audiogon, may I ask that the fanboys for it go start a thread all about it and allow this thread to focus on alternatives to buying subwoofers?

That would demonstrate a lot of goodwill, respect and class.

 

Thank you very much.

Sameyers1 -- I don't recall how to do the neat @thing -- I replaced a similar Proceed amp with Parasound JC 1 monoblocks to drive KEF Reference 107/2s, and found they provided substantially more usable LF extension.  I suspect JC 1s might do the same for your nice Aerial 8bs. 

I encourage everyone who is on the fence about adding a subwoofer or not to read and comment.  I think that either way you'll be able to make more informed buying and configuration choices.

Oh dear, the OP seems bent out of shape. You assume too much. How do you know that the fence sitters have even heard about a DBA let alone know it's purpose? To make an informed choice one needs information, does one not? Helloo ?

You encourage people to comment yet when they do and when it does not fit in with your approach you ask them to desist.

If you wanted only alternatives to subs to be discussed then you should have put that in the post's title and not added that fact in later when members have given the time and effort to inform.

By the way, calling someone a fanboy is contemptuous. I was in no way disrespectful, so clean up your act.

Hi @lemonhaze

So after watching dozens of posts by the DBA fanboys (it’s not derogatory) I ask for the specific discussion of DBA to be taken elsewhere, as many many other thread starters have done in the past, and those with courtesy and goodwill do automatically.

Guess DBA is just too important to expect the fanboys to stop for a moment and think about how they behave.

I now understand.

 

Erik