Do you think you need a subwoofer?


Why almost any one needs subwoofers in their audio systems?

I talk with my audio friends about and each one give me different answers, from: I don't need it, to : I love that.

Some of you use subwoofers and many do in the speakers forum and everywhere.

The question is: why we need subwoofers ? or don't?

My experience tell me that this subwoofers subject is a critical point in the music/sound reproduction in home audio systems.

What do you think?
rauliruegas
Skushino, I've seen those Edgar subs at his shop which 15 minutes from my home. The Seismic is about the size of a refrigerator, but does bass in a way that I hve never heard before. Sound just eminates from all directions rather being pushed AT YOU. It can literally charge the room with acoustic waves from the nether regions.

Edgar's Titan/Seismic sub combo is a system that everyone should experience a few times whether you like horns or not. It is one of the most effortless, seamless, presentations of sound likely to be heard. No shouting, or typical "cupped hands" sound associated with most poorly designed horns. Just sound appearing out of space.

Having said that little advertisement for Edgarhorns, I've been having the same problems properly placing my dual Cain & Cain Bailey subwoofers in the proper spot to seamlessly integrate with C&C's six foot IM-Ben horns.

I'm using a Paradigm X-30 subwoofer x-over, which does summed mono outputs. Intial sub x-o point is 80Hz which seems to be a fairly transparent spot, any higher and bass tends to become boomy.

So far, placing both subs just inside the two, 8 foot apart horns overloaded the room. The Baileys are ported on the side, but I have them with the drivers facing forward and ports facing each other. Outside the horns was a little cleaner with seemingly less spl output.

A few months ago, Terry Cain set these exact speakers up in another person's home and he had the Baileys between the IM-Bens just as I have, but he had the subs angled twoards each other. That room was much smaller than mine, but I am going to try variations of that next.

I need a true subwoofer amp, though. The intermediate Denon AV receiver that I'm using to power them seems completely out of it's league, powerwise.
Dear Goatwuss: About fast/low subwoofers please read the links on this link: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1117893153&openflup&4&4#4

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
Dear Darkmoebius: I'm not very familiarized with the Bailey subwoofers but I understand that has integrated low/high pass filters: why you are using the Paradigm XO?

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
Dear Scott: Good luck with your Edgar integration.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
Hi Raul,

I have the passive version of the Baileys, so I need an external crossover and amp(s) to use them with the fullrange Bans.

But, so far I've been really concentrating on getting proper placement for the IM-Bens. These things really put out the full 40Hz range on their own. It is more than enough for the vast majority of people and rooms whe placed right for room gain.

I'm getting a little bit of bass overload due to my room right now. I need to fine tune things and then add the subs in.