sub 20hz subwoofer upgrade.

andyturner28 · 12-11-2005, 6:49 PM

Hi there.

I am in the market for a new sub and need some suggestions to which would be the best 20hz or below sub for under £400. It is going to be used in a fairly small room so dose not need a massively powerful amp, probably 120-150 watts.
My uncle raves about his Rel Quake but i have read some reviews of the MJ Acoustics 100 and 150 that say they are better than the Rel. Also the Acoustic Research Agis goes down to 20hz. Is this any good? Also what about the Warfedale SW-250.
Also when it says the frequency response of a 25hz sub is 16-200hz dose that mean it actually goes down that low, as in the case of the Rel Quake?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

phillfyspoon · 12-11-2005, 6:55 PM

Do not take any notice at all of manufactures specs there are few subs that can do 20hz clean. only subs I know that can go below are svs most subs like rel quake only get to the high 40's or even 50's and then start to roll off slowly

BenW · 12-11-2005, 7:17 PM

I think the human ear can only hear down to something like 20Hz so sub 20 seems quite pointless unless you want foundation shaking bass!

Ian J · 12-11-2005, 7:26 PM

I would guess that only the BK Monolith and SVS PB-10 would go down to 20Hz with anything meaningful at your price point as subs like the Quake and MJ 100 that you mentioned would probably struggle to get below 30 Hz unless they had the audio equivalent of a following wind and steep hill to descend.

andyturner28 · 12-11-2005, 7:31 PM

I have read a lot about SVS subs but have not found anywhere that stocks them so far. Could someone please point me in the direction of some uk websites and if possible any shops in the kent area that stock them. How much are they?

andyturner28 · 12-11-2005, 7:40 PM

Just found a website that stocks svs. A bit pricy for me. I saw the MJ acoustics reference 100 on the same site. How dose that compare. The specks give a frequency response of 13-120hz. Can anybody conferm that.

phillfyspoon · 12-11-2005, 7:54 PM

13hz

it would reach that but you wouldnt hear it or feel it. The way subs are normally rated are as follows

-3db point meaning the lowest the sub reaches before losing 3db of sound so it may reach 35hz losing nothing then go down to 30hz losing 3db.

Most manufacturs rate it as the lowest the sub will reach that is audible so it may reach 13hz but be as loud as a whisper.

So look for specs with the minus point it may be 100-30hz -3db/6db

the -3 point is normally the point the sub starts to roll off quickly so it may produce 35hz at 90db then slowly start losing output then rapidly till it is just a whisper so the -3 point is really how low the sub goes.

phillfyspoon · 12-11-2005, 7:58 PM

here is an exsample freqency graph

http://www.svsubwoofers.com/images/p...dfrfullres.JPG

note that the sub llmost reaches 20hz losing nothing (so -3 point is about 20hz which is still audible) then it is a rapid lose of output the MJ ref 100 specs are saying 13hz but imagine how much it has lost when it gets to that point.

hope u understand the way sub freqency works now

kbfern · 12-11-2005, 8:35 PM

whats the problem with the price of the SVS PB10 its £420 delivered as a special price to members of this forum so thats only £20 over your budget.

As Ian has said the only 2 subs that would give any meanigfull output at below 20hz and around £400 would be the SVS and BK Monolith at £399.

Both subs are only available from BK (the Monolith) or av sales (the PB10)and any demo would be at their premises or from any owner that might be prepared to demo you one, as both these subs are not available from dealers direct.The advantage with that is you are not paying for a dealers margin.Either of these subs are definatley your best option at this price level.

andyturner28 · 12-11-2005, 10:46 PM

Thanks for the website info. The monolith sounds impressive. I will definately consider that and the xls 200 as well. the monolith could be overkill for my tiny 14/9" cinema room.
I am still keen on the MJ Acoustics reference 100 though as it has 4 presets and a remote. I run my projector and amp off of a windows media centre 2005 pc and the difference in bass level between listening to music in media player and watching a film in media centre is massive. Has anyone done a direct comparrison between the Monolith/xls200 and an MJ 100?

Devil On Your S · 13-11-2005, 12:06 AM

Isn't the MJ 100 similar/the same in spec to the BK Ruark Vita 100? That's the impression I got, which would make the MJ100 a long way behind the XLS200.

AngelEyes · 13-11-2005, 1:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenW

I think the human ear can only hear down to something like 20Hz so sub 20 seems quite pointless unless you want foundation shaking bass!

And who would want that lol

Falp · 13-11-2005, 6:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devil On Your S

Isn't the MJ 100 similar/the same in spec to the BK Ruark Vita 100? That's the impression I got, which would make the MJ100 a long way behind the XLS200.

I would say more MJ ref 100 / BK gemini... and MJ ref 200 / BK XLS200DF...

Ian J · 13-11-2005, 6:16 PM

The MJ Reference 100 has a 10" driver whilst the BK Gemini only has an 8"

andyturner28 · 14-11-2005, 12:41 AM

I have been reading all the previouse posts on the BK xls200 and "the sub test" and am now thinking xls200 or kef psw2500, and considering the monolith and svs pb10 depending on funds after i get back from ski-ing in January. As the MJ Acoustics 100 has not been mentioned that much i asume that sould be the rank outsider.
I noticed in the AV forums links from the BK website that some of the posts are from Oct 2003. Is the xls200 still as good as when it was released or is it now starting to get a bit out of date. And what about the Warfedale sw250. It was described in last weeks What Hi Fi as almost the perfect sub. What do you guys think?