Gemini / XLS200 / Monolith

Ok the sub turned up yesterday as promised. I have previously owned a xls200 before for a few days but was then using it with a integrated amp which was giving me a hum I couldnt get rid of. Happy to report this wasnt a issue using the LFE out from the reciever.

As everyone has mentioned the sub arrived very well packaged. On opening the box all accessories were present however the sub had a small issue. One side of it didnt feel smooth like the others. It looked identical but it felt a little rough and it was odd that it wasnt a small area but a whole side. This may not bother some as it looked just fine but I gave BK a call and spoke with the always helpfull Tom. He arranged for the sub to be collected today so it gets back to BK for thursday and as soon as it gets back they will have it, or another unit sent out the same day for a Friday delivery, cant ask for more then that :)

So got the sub out and I couldnt believe how small it was compared to others I have had and whats better is that they have now shrunk the depth of the heatsink by making it wider so it barely sticks out a inch at the back, it definately looks smarter.

So set the sub up turned the crossover to 120hz turned the fillter off and set the gain to 12 o'clock position. Transformers had to be the first thing to go in there and let me tell you the cartwheel bit at 1hour 56 doesnt dissapoint :clap: ok I have heard it louder and with more pressure but that was with a sub twice the size.

Also tried the part where bumblebee is walking over after his first fight and the footsteps were brilliant nice and tight. I tried a few other films and on a few scenes I did turn the gain up to the 2 o'clock position but this was more bass then even I would ever really use. This is where I think the xls shines against the gemini as the driver and amp panel is capable of pushing things that little bit further, it has the extra power if and when its needed. Dont get me wrong the gemini is a stunning sub and at £200 its amazing but if your willing to spend the extra £100 the benefits are worth while.

The next test was music and I tried a variety from Pendulum to boys to men and it sounded nice with everything. I have long had subs in the car and ported cheapy boxes at home so I am used to a louder sound but not one as clean and tight. I only realised how clean the bass was when I unplugged my fronts and just let the sub play.

All in all very happy with my purchase, I was in 2 minds over the epos but seeing as space was already a issue (bedroom) the xls was the perfect choice. I have tried posting some pictures but the jpeg size is too large to post any ideas how else i can show them?
 
All in all very happy with my purchase, I was in 2 minds over the epos but seeing as space was already a issue (bedroom) the xls was the perfect choice. I have tried posting some pictures but the jpeg size is too large to post any ideas how else i can show them?

Use imageshack.com, its simple and free :smashin:
 
Ok the sub turned up yesterday as promised. I have previously owned a xls200 before for a few days but was then using it with a integrated amp which was giving me a hum I couldnt get rid of. Happy to report this wasnt a issue using the LFE out from the reciever.

As everyone has mentioned the sub arrived very well packaged. On opening the box all accessories were present however the sub had a small issue. One side of it didnt feel smooth like the others. It looked identical but it felt a little rough and it was odd that it wasnt a small area but a whole side. This may not bother some as it looked just fine but I gave BK a call and spoke with the always helpfull Tom. He arranged for the sub to be collected today so it gets back to BK for thursday and as soon as it gets back they will have it, or another unit sent out the same day for a Friday delivery, cant ask for more then that :)

So got the sub out and I couldnt believe how small it was compared to others I have had and whats better is that they have now shrunk the depth of the heatsink by making it wider so it barely sticks out a inch at the back, it definately looks smarter.

So set the sub up turned the crossover to 120hz turned the fillter off and set the gain to 12 o'clock position. Transformers had to be the first thing to go in there and let me tell you the cartwheel bit at 1hour 56 doesnt dissapoint :clap: ok I have heard it louder and with more pressure but that was with a sub twice the size.

Also tried the part where bumblebee is walking over after his first fight and the footsteps were brilliant nice and tight. I tried a few other films and on a few scenes I did turn the gain up to the 2 o'clock position but this was more bass then even I would ever really use. This is where I think the xls shines against the gemini as the driver and amp panel is capable of pushing things that little bit further, it has the extra power if and when its needed. Dont get me wrong the gemini is a stunning sub and at £200 its amazing but if your willing to spend the extra £100 the benefits are worth while.

The next test was music and I tried a variety from Pendulum to boys to men and it sounded nice with everything. I have long had subs in the car and ported cheapy boxes at home so I am used to a louder sound but not one as clean and tight. I only realised how clean the bass was when I unplugged my fronts and just let the sub play.

All in all very happy with my purchase, I was in 2 minds over the epos but seeing as space was already a issue (bedroom) the xls was the perfect choice. I have tried posting some pictures but the jpeg size is too large to post any ideas how else i can show them?
What a bummer that your sub didn't have the finish it seems BK have become renowned for. On the plus side however, it sounds as though they are in top gear to sort the issue.

As far as your initial thoughts go for the performance of this sub, it has simply made me want mine to arrive sooner. I can hardly wait. Sounds pretty damn sad eh, but hey, they get handbags and shoes!

NB: there are lots of free online image resizing apps. As was previously mentioned, just search for image resizer on any search engine.

Regards
 
Hurrah!!

I just got the call, and everything should be here on monday.

I'm well chuffed :p
I bet you are hoping for a quick weekend now. Please let us know your thoughts once you've hooked it up. Enjoy!
 
just reading up on these subs as i wait to find out what's going on with my Epos ELS... am i correct to read that the xls200 weights around 17kgs (even less than the ELS, which i thought was a tiddler) whilst the monolith weighs 45kg or something!?

whilst i admit i'm all too easily swept up by the numbers game, that sounds like a lot of extra sub for not a lot more cash (3 times more, for a third more) and whilst i'd been considering the xls200, i don't think i could justify it knowing that (especially at £100 more than the Epos)

so my dilemma is, do i pick up the monolith in the meantime - worst comes to the worst and i recieve both, i'm sure i wouldn't have any trouble selling either of them on... :rolleyes::D

only thing, my room is approx 3m wide by 6m long - would the monolith swamp it? and it would need to go in a corner, away from the centre - is that ok?
 
just reading up on these subs as i wait to find out what's going on with my Epos ELS... am i correct to read that the xls200 weights around 17kgs (even less than the ELS, which i thought was a tiddler) whilst the monolith weighs 45kg or something!?

whilst i admit i'm all too easily swept up by the numbers game, that sounds like a lot of extra sub for not a lot more cash (3 times more, for a third more) and whilst i'd been considering the xls200, i don't think i could justify it knowing that (especially at £100 more than the Epos)

so my dilemma is, do i pick up the monolith in the meantime - worst comes to the worst and i recieve both, i'm sure i wouldn't have any trouble selling either of them on... :rolleyes::D

only thing, my room is approx 3m wide by 6m long - would the monolith swamp it? and it would need to go in a corner, away from the centre - is that ok?

Your room would be fine for a Monolith and I think that your thinking on the weight/cost ratio is bang on the money. Ive just gone from a good Velodyne 10 inch sub to the Monolith and the difference is very noticeable.

Mine is in a corner, but EQed with an antimode 8033 and sounds superb. However each room is different and presents its own characteristics in how the sub will sound.Experiment is key to a good result.

I always advocate spending that little bit more and going for the one which will bring the biggest grin to my face:smashin:

Good luck.
 
Ok so after DHL decided not to show up on wednesday I called BK on thursday and as I needed the sub by friday (back to work from monday) we came to a arrangement that I would pay for a second sub and they would refund me once the first one was picked up which is fair and luckily the sub was collected yesterday and back with bk today.

This time the finish was perfect as was the sound. Only issue is the standard black finish marks really easily and after my little boy decided to drop a small plastic toy on it has resulted in it already having 2 small shiny marks on the top! I dont think people with the gloss units or real wood veneer units will have this problem but I think as the standard black is a vinyl wrap and has a matt finish if anything gets in contact with it, it ends up leaving little shiny marks where the matt finish has rubbed off (if that makes any sense)

But cant complain my little girl is soon to walk so only god knows what will become of things then! But on a plus note I had a mate around earlier and he agreed for the size the sub is amazing and very tight. I agree the monolith can be had for not much more money but there is a reason bk charge what they do for the xls and that is the fact that at its size and price it will be very difficult to find a better sub. Im sure there are better subs out there but not before you either stretch your budget or dimensions.

I did consider the monolith but at the size it was it would have been overkill as I cant even imagine me pushing the xls to it limits.
 
ok got just took some pics on the iphone so the quality is pretty bad. After seeing my little boy trying to use the sub as a toy car ramp I decided to make a cloth cover for it. Dont get me wrong im not normally so cheap but to have scratches on a sub thats 2 days old would upset me. In the pics I know the speakers are a little close together but please bare in mind this is all in my bedroom so space can be tight.
 

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Anyone who has kids will know exactly where you are coming from. Luckily mine are teenagers now so I don't have the stress of things being damaged. I've had my fair share of finding toast inside video recorders and sticky finger prints everywhere though. Thank god they grow up!

Bought the BluRay of Cloverfield over the weekend and watched it last night to see how it played before the sub arrives. I couldn't believe the bass in the film, and I dont even have a sub yet. I really really can't wait to watch it again once the sub arrives. The house is gonna need underpinning.

If you guys haven't seen this film, it's a must for sub lovers.
 
We use this http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-Us/Safety/Gates-and-Playpens/Lindam-Playpen(0015213) to keep our little one away from the TV and kit, and it is superb.

You can open it right out and it goes accross from one wall, to the fireplace, and means the entire TV stand, speakers, TV, amp etc are all inaccessible, but you can still watch TV easily enough (you have the top of the cage obscuring the picture depending on the height of your stand, but nothing you cant get used to).

Once little one has gone to bed you simply concetina it against the wall and watch TV normally, perfect solution for keeping you kit safe, especially when other kids come over to play.

This is my old setup and you can make it out concetina'd against the left wall, just to give you an idea of what I mean, we then stretch it accross the front of all that and rest it against the fireplace on the right.

E34Both.jpg
 
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Happy days!!

Just received my Gemini II in the post as promised. The sub itself looks great and I think the wood finish looks great too. I was initially sceptical but i'm glad i've been proved wrong.

Picsies:


77778cdb.jpg


170cf1ce.jpg


The sub has integrated very well with my mains (B&W 686's), and i've got it using the high level and low level. It's set to large for music and the REW graph is looking great:

3d8efbbc.jpg


This was after only a little tweaking with gain/phase.

If anyone else has any questions/wants more graphs i have plenty!
 
I wish mine would hurry up. Can't wait!
 
Looks a cracking graph, especially for such a compact sub and quick initial setup. Top marks :smashin:, just that bit of a peak @ 90hz to try bring down a bit, and your speakers will make up the dip @ the 150-180 mark just nice.
 
Laminatedparrot what gear did you use to get that graph?
By the way everyone, I've also got an XLS200FF on order after reading this thread...
 
Happy days!!

Just received my Gemini II in the post as promised. The sub itself looks great and I think the wood finish looks great too. I was initially sceptical but i'm glad i've been proved wrong.

The sub has integrated very well with my mains (B&W 686's), and i've got it using the high level and low level. It's set to large for music and the REW graph is looking great:

This was after only a little tweaking with gain/phase.

If anyone else has any questions/wants more graphs i have plenty!
What does the response look like with the speakers set to small?

Russell
 
Righty. The graphs were done with the analogue radioshack SPL meter, and set to C weighting in REW. I haven't had time to set up the phase correctly for sat/small which accounts for the slight dip at 60 - which I think the crossover was set at. I'm also pretty sure the peak at 90 is a room mode, as my listening position is fairly central in the room. I can correct it through software for music, but not for movies or the graphs.

Sub + sat:

41381241.jpg


Slightly less straight as i guess the speakers were adding a very little something to the bottom end. I'll need a bit of time in the week to make more measurements with various changes to crossover setting, phase and what to do with the foam plugs in the back of my speakers.
 
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Ok. Once you've finished calling me thick, dense, stupid and everything else you can think up, would someone post an idiots guide for running these tests.

Please explain what kit, software, etc is required and where you can get it all from.
Please explain what adjustments are recommended for what results and how it will improve the sound/performance of the sub.

This may be a boring and mundane question for many but this stuff is only straight forward once you know.

Thanks all.
Regards.
 
I wil second that request :lease:
 
Ok. Once you've finished calling me thick, dense, stupid and everything else you can think up, would someone post an idiots guide for running these tests.

Please explain what kit, software, etc is required and where you can get it all from.
Please explain what adjustments are recommended for what results and how it will improve the sound/performance of the sub.

This may be a boring and mundane question for many but this stuff is only straight forward once you know.

Thanks all.
Regards.

I wil second that request :lease:

Have a look here

http://www.avforums.com/forums/subwoofers/728289-tuning-your-subwoofer-rew-how.html#post6665479

Should explain it all :)
 
I believe cribeiro has also written one for the CARMA software which some of us have found more accessible/compatible with our computer hardware. Give a shout if you can't find it :thumbsup:

Dave
 
Ok. Once you've finished calling me thick, dense, stupid and everything else you can think up, would someone post an idiots guide for running these tests.

Please explain what kit, software, etc is required and where you can get it all from.
Please explain what adjustments are recommended for what results and how it will improve the sound/performance of the sub.

This may be a boring and mundane question for many but this stuff is only straight forward once you know.

Thanks all.
Regards.
I wil second that request :lease:
OK,

you need REW (others are available but this is best really) which is free software available here, you will need to register on the site to download it if your not already a member. This is also free. Then you need this Radio shack meter. You then need 2 of these cables (3.5mm jack to phono) with enough length to reach from your amp to your listening position via your computer. All price ranges are catered for with these types of cables. You also need a line in input on your computer, mic in does not work.

Once you have the software on your computer you need this correction file (Model 33-4050 New Analog RS Meter Correction Values) to load into the REW programme, this is because cheap SPL meters dont work too well at sub bass levels and this file corrects for this. The other way around this is to spend a few hundred quid on an SPL meter. If your not using the specific spl meter linked above, dont use this correction file. If you have your spl meter in 'c' weighting mode that will be good enough IMO.

The guide for REW and how to use it is here, courtesy of member Cribeiro. For your convenience there is a diagram on how to connect the meter here. Just ignore the BFD in the diagram if you dont have one, it is an EQ'ing device you can use with this software if you want to take things that far, it can be ignored for now.

My best tip is not to try reading up before you dive in. Just get going and follow the instructions, thats the best way to get a grip of it, and once you have the basics its quite straight forward. One other thing, the help links above describe how to calibrate your sound card. I wouldnt bother with this step at first unless your sound card is old or very poor, you can do this later should you so desire once you have got used using the program. Modern sound cards are very good, even budget one. I have not included the required cabling above, its easier to look into this once you have got used to the program.

If you have any specific questions along the way while following the above then we're here to help :smashin:
 
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OK,

you need REW (others are available but this is best really) which is free software available here, you will need to register on the site to download it if your not already a member. This is also free. Then you need this Radio shack meter. You then need 2 of these cables (3.5mm jack to phono) with enough length to reach from your amp to your listening position via your computer. All price ranges are catered for with these types of cables. You also need a line in input on your computer, mic in does not work.

Once you have the software on your computer you need this correction file (Model 33-4050 New Analog RS Meter Correction Values) to load into the REW programme, this is because cheap SPL meters dont work too well at sub bass levels and this file corrects for this. The other way around this is to spend a few hundred quid on an SPL meter.

The guide for REW and how to use it is here. For your convenience there is a diagram on how to connect the meter here. Just ignore the BFD in the diagram if you dont have one, it is an EQ'ing device you can use with this software if you want to take things that far, it can be ignored for now.

My best tip is not to try reading up before you dive in. Just get going and follow the instructions, thats the best way to get a grip of it, and once you have the basics its quite straight forward. One other thing, the help links above describe how to calibrate your sound card. I wouldnt bother with this step at first unless your sound card is old or very poor, you can do this later should you so desire once you have got used using the program. Modern sound cards are very good, even budget one. I have not included the required cabling above, its easier to look into this once you have got used to the program.

If you have any specific questions along the way while following the above then we're here to help :smashin:
Now that has given me everything I imagined I might need. Thanks alot.
Once the sub arrives, I will give it a go. Might just phone Tom tomorrow to get him to drop a meter into the box before shipping the XLS200.

Many thanks again.
 

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