Do you think you need a subwoofer?

Dear friends: I wonder why many of the " regulars " on this forum decide ( till today ): " stay away " on this extremely critical subject for the analog music/sound reproduction.

Share with all of us your knowledge and points of view about, in that way all we could receive related audio benefits.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Rauliruegas...I read the links you recommended, and find little with which to disagree. In particular, discussion of the "slow bass" myth is exactly consistent with what I said in my earlier posting. I have been designing, building, tweeking subwoofers for several decades.

The overlaping X/O frequencies for SW and Mains is not important in my opinion. There will be some overlap anyway because of the finite filter slopes, and some electronic crossovers make provision to boost or cut response at and around the X/O frequency so as to optimize integration.

My present SW design is taylored for use with planar speakers, Maggie MG1.6. To that end I used a lot of cone area so that excursion would be small like the planars, and I stacked the 12" and 15" SW drivers and located them directly (several feet) behind the Maggies, so that the SW "plays through" them.
"Integration" is (dare I say it) perfect.

I am using a stereo pair of Sunfire Signature subs with my MG3.5 which is used full range and is bi-amped using a Marchand XM126s electronic xover. I have been able to obtain seamless integration of the subs with the maggies after many weeks of experimentation and frustration.

To fully recreate the recording space you need the lower octaves even if the recording involves instruments sans the lower registers.

I was surprised at the improvements in detail and ambience retrieval with increased delicacy as a result of the subs on all types of recordings.

Adding a second sub to complete the stereo pair, improved the overall presentation markedly (some folkes claim that low bass is nondirectional and thus one sw is sufficient, but a stereo pair improved everything). The subs also made the overall presentation more articulate and dynamic.

I agree - I only have one on the left channel (where LFE for DVD's is) and with music it really needs to be in the center between the two other speakers or else it sounds not so great. Like, who knew bass players never crossed the stage?

Raul - How do you like your supertweeters. I only get up to about 22000-ish. Is it tiring?

Excellent point Eldertford. And I agree that most manufacturers leave them out because it shows the weakness of their overall construction - crossovers, etc, or weakness of integration of materials (both if you are really unlucky). When this happens the mids and tweeters or the sub come off as more colored when listening to different Hz frequencies individually. Better to have a family sound, I think, and stick with the same products in speaker implementation.

Dear Eldart: +++++ " I regard the "subwoofer" not as a separate speaker system, but as part of the main speaker system...the part that the manufacturer left out because of size and cost. " +++++

I agree with you. It is always more " confortable " to design speakers with out that low end octave. So, they give us what they want not what we need, well: not what the MUSIC needs.

Like Stevecham told us, the name of the game is: "Integration" .

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.