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Does a Sub for Wilson Sophia II make sense?

I went from Martin Logan Electrostats, Aerius, with Genesis sub to Wilson Sophia II. Even with the Aerius, it was no trivial matter to integrate the sub seamlessly. I have a rather large room 18' by 36' with some large openings as well. Based on the measurements by Stereophile, the Wilson's start rolling off around 50 hz. Has anyone tried to integrate a sub with the Wilson Sophia? Also any suggestions on sub is also appreciated. What I was thinking is full range to the Sophias and filling in from 20hz to 50hz with an active sub and adjustable crossover. I listen to records exclusively, all types of music, but mostly rock and then Jazz. My system is
VPI Classic 3 Dynavector XX-2 MKII, Avid Pulsus phono stage, Acurus RL-11 Preamp, Music Reference RM-9 MKII amp (Genalex Gold Lion KT77 and Russian 6922) and Sophia II speakers.
Thanks in advance for any help.
captain_winters
irvrobinson
295 posts
 
That probably means you have some real bass problems. It might help if you get a better measurement system, like the Dayton Audio OmniMic from Parts Express.

You need at least one sub, you might need two but I'd buy one first, and it looks like a good low-pass frequency is at least 120Hz, maybe higher. Maybe as high as 200Hz. You'll have to experiment. A suck-out in the 100-250Hz range makes everything sound thin.
captain_winters OP
133 posts
 
Thanks, I have had problems with my room in the past as well. I need to experiment more with speaker placement and room interaction. Thanks for the tip on OmniMic.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
I hate to tell you this, but your speakers, good as they are, are a bit too small for your room. 18' x 36' is Maxx territory, and would be a stretch for Sasha W/Ps.

The fact that you have a 14dB drop from 1KHz to 200 Hz (upper bass) indicates that it's even a stretch to correct with subs. IME once you have the subs filling in an octave above 100 Hz they start getting directional and it complicates getting a good blend.

I think you're overall on the right track--run your mains full-range and blend the subs in to fill in the bottom octave or two at most. Going up to 200 Hz is filling in almost 2-1/2 octaves, however. You need speakers that can take you flat to at least 100 Hz and preferably 50-60.

However, if you don't want to spend Maxx money, consider Sasha W/Ps and a pair of JL subs, such as two Fathom F113s. They're fast, powerful, clean, and deep enough to add meaningful bottom bass and can play loud enough to fill that rather large space. But I think you need something bigger than the Sophias so you aren't rolling off so high. A pair of 10" woofers isn't much for filling out a 16' x 36' room. A quad of properly loaded 8"'s (Sasha) would do better (plus, of course, a pair of subs).
jimc555's avatar
jimc555
30 posts
 
Captain, I whole heartedly agree with adding 2 subwoofers
as a stereo pair. I run Wilson Watt/Puppy 7's with 2 JL Audio Fathom F113 subs(from 36hz down, ) and would not like to be without them. I highly recommend the book and DVD from Jim Smith "Get Better Sound" a wealth of knowladge about speaker placement, room acoustics, subs and more, a very complete guide for serious audiophiles.
Worth every penny, it does take time.
Jim C.
jimc555
needfreestuff's avatar
needfreestuff
572 posts
 
Would consider the JL F212 also. Good Luck and keep us posted.
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