Do I need a sub?

[mercury]

I was wondering if i need to add a subwoofer to my existing speaker setup. I have Eltax liberty 7s as main fronts, and Eltax HT bipoles as rear, my centre is an Eltax LR. It's all quite bass-heavy, unlike say Mission speakers. When i bought the stuff the dealer hooked up a really small passive sub and the difference was negligable. But if i want to add a bigger sub, would it make a real difference? And if so, in what price range should i be looking?

[Reiner]

A sub is IMHO essential to an AV setup, read this, too:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...pril-2000.html

Mercury,

I agree with Reiner. Unless you've got an active sub you're missing essential soundtrack and enjoyment. I'm not doubting your Eltaxs won't go low, but the sub has the power to amplify (is that spelt right?) the lows that you will only faintly hear now.

I've got a Yamaha YST90. 100watts and cost me about £140. I was gonna leave the sub when I bought my kit, but the sales guy plugged in the Yammy and said give it 2 mins and you'll want it. He was right.

My homecinema: www.danwright.atfreeweb.com/my_home_cinema_system.htm

[mercury]

So i should look into a sub costing half the money i paid for my pair of main speakers?
I think that would put me at around 250 pounds. Would i get something decent for that kind of money? I mean, i plan on expanding and i don't want to be stuck with a crappy sub. Can anyone recommend some good brands and models in the 250 range (or maybe a bit higher)?

Get a REL Q50 or Q100e if you can stretch to it.
The 50% of your speakers 'rule' is a very rough rule of thumb. I disagree with it, infact. I believe that even if you have a really ****e set of speakers, a good sub will make them sound much better than you'd think.

Just as interesting is the high-end side of things. Most ( arrogant ) hi-end speaker owners claim they don't need a sub.

They lie.

I think in fact that in this case you don't need A sub. You want TWO subs connected at speaker-level.

This is even more true if connecting to a bridged amp, where two subs are required to connect at speaker level.

D.Jay

[Dave H]

Hi I think you definately need a sub, I have cerwin vega at80's as main speakers on my yam dsp a1 they go very low but they don't have the control of my rel 100e .
ps i am saving up for a secound 1ooe to improve it further, you can never have too much deep base!


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And the monkey flips the switch.

Sub???

Well, you dont NEED a sub but imagine this scenario, U buy a new CD, with 12 tracks on, you plonk it in and then it says that you can only play 10 tracks on your player. the last two tracks may not be essential on this CD but what if it happened on ALL? this is whats happening on your system without a .1 speaker. you wont miss what you dont have but what the hell, if you have spent hundreds on your collection then whats 200 pound on a sub?

Also if you do add a sub then you can double/triple the volume of your system, you add volume for bass? well if you have loud bass to start with!




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No mother, You HAVE to watch it this loud, it is a waste of money otherwise.

"I want to tell you a secret, I EAT dead people!"

Hi Mercury...

Most peolpe find great improvements when they add a sub to their system, either in hi-fi, or in HC, whatever the price or characteristics of their system.

From what I've been observing (and this is a personal subjective opinion), most people spend from 1/2 to the price of their main speakers price. If you have 100$ mains, look for a budget of 50 to 100$ for the sub.

But remember, nothing is better than listening tests... Sometimes, you have good surprises from cheaper very good quality subs.

Oh, and you should defenetly get an active sub...

Rui

[Reiner]

D.Jay, what you say might apply to hifi setups, but in AV you will require an (active) sub connected at line level only. Using a sub for hifi-stereo is IMHO a matter of personal taste and a different story therefore.

The Amplifier/Receiver can take care of the bass management.

[This message has been edited by Reiner (edited 15-10-2000).]