Subwoofer Advice


I am running a pair of Martin Logan ESL 13A speakers (24-23,000 Hz). I would have thought with two 10" woofers there would be more bas (the base level dial on the rear of the speakers doesn’t seem to cut it either).

In the past I had a pair of ML Spires (29-23,000 Hz) with only one 10" woofer that had so much base, I sold my pair of ForceField 30s. Not the case with the 13A’s.

I don’t have a lot of room, maybe 16" or so square and I was wondering about a pair of SVS Micros. Do you think they would complement the 13As or do I need something bigger?

Martin Logan has come out with a few new subs lately; do you think I should keep in the ML family?

Hoping to come in under $2K, so used is fine. Thanks all!

I should also mention I’m limited on space so placement would likely have to be on the inside or the outside of the main speakers (same back wall).

 

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I checked out the Rythmik L12s and they look like great bank for the buck, but it seems, from what I’m hearing hear, is that I need balance forced subs which are double my budget. So, I guess I’ll be doing without whilst saving up for these. Thank you for the suggestion though!

I don’t have much experience with balanced/opposing woofer subs, but I have heard a number of full range speakers that employ the same principle (KEF for example). I can’t say I was particularly impressed with their bass, but that might have been due to a multitude of other factors. To my ears, the opposing woofer designs help to mitigate audible cabinet resonances, but don’t make the bass sound any tighter. At least that was the case with those full range speakers and the small KEF subs I’ve experienced. 

If you’re set on that design type, I would heavily consider the Elac Varro Dual Reference subs. They seem better built than the comparable KEF offerings. With a typical dealer discount they can probably be bought for $2K/each.

I was considering upgrading to the similarly priced REL S/510SX subs. But the Elac is an attractive proposition because it allows real-time adjustment with the built in app. That would make integration much easier I think.

 

 

 

 

@helomech Thanks, the Elacs look interesting as well. They list at $3,800 though. Any tips on which dealers might let these go for $2K?

https://altitudoaudio.ca/products/varro-ds1000-gb-10-dual-reference-powered-subwoofer

In the meantime I did email Rythmik and I'm waiting to hear back.

I got my ML PBK working and it automatically adjusted something. I started a new thread call Subwoofer Advice 2 to generate some new comment on the results.

Hopefully the PDF link works and you all can read it OK - u2 @mijostyn 

So, you like it better now? I have a new preamp processor and I have been using DSP since 1996. It still took me some god awful number of trials to get things working reasonably well. Part of the problem is I have a strange setup. Anyway, The manual is not always right because there is no standard system/room. It is a steep learning curve and trial and error are frequently the only way forward. 

@mijostyn my first "Steep" learning curve is not to just jump into using DSP, but to first understand these graphs (Hz/dB & assorted terms/jargon), what they mean and how to apply/adjust them accordingly. Hopefully I'll live long enough to do so!