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).

 

128x128navyachts

@mijostyn That's really neat that you like going down rabbit holes in pursuit of what you consider perfection, but that doesn't sound like what the OP was asking about. 

I had an ML sub (dynamo 700), sold it. It was everything but subtle and easy to dial in. It was the big, unruly bully in the room

@mijostyn  I can't continue to look at the link you provide, it disappears on its own and goes to a rattle snake and other photos! Are your subs dual opposing one in each end? How much volume is in the boxes? What's that stack of lumber you have in your shop? Actually you have several stacks. Lumber is expensive unless you source your own like me. 

@grislybutter The Balanced Force series are much better. They are not perfect, but they are better than most. The enclosure creates distortion in two ways, shaking and vibrating. Both types occur around certain frequencies. Shaking is caused by unopposed driver forces. When the cone is pushed forward the enclosure is pushed backwards. This is completely cured in balanced force designs. Then there is vibration in the walls of the enclosure. This is not so easy to stop. It takes intelligent design, over construction and the right materials. The problem for commercial manufacturers is this is expensive to do and makes their products uncompetitive in the markets they serve. The Magico Q series subs cost $36K!  

@big_greg You are right, this is a diversion, but @navyachts problem has been successfully addressed and his interest has been diverted to the subwoofer question. I am nowhere near the most intelligent person on this website, but I have been using subs with ESLs since 1978 and building subs since 1987. Experience being the teacher that it is I feel qualified to deal with his situation. ESLs are like the most beautiful girl you wish you never met. It is easy to make them sound terrible putting additional requirements on associated equipment, particularly amplifiers and subwoofer systems. 

@mijostyn Just an update, the bass has been a bit too heavy on both the .arc3 files that Anthem has provided me so just this morning I have asked them to edit the file again to see if they could tame the bas down a tad more.

I have a fair bit on $ invested in this my system and not 100% satisfied in what I'm hearing. You mention amplification as did @sounds_real_audio. Should I be looking at an alternative to my power amp? I did notice an improvement in sound when using my Coda pre-amp over the preamp in my Bricasti M1, so maybe a change for the better could be had with swapping out the power amp?

Failing all of this, if the room is truly the problem, I was thinking maybe of liquidating what I have now and in turn maybe trying an active speaker like ATC or maybe Dutch & Dutch 8c with its built-in DSP? Certainly not the most beautiful girl in the world, but maybe they would suffice.