Best way to get more volume and Bass from my system

DaveyGraham

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Hi everyone, I know this kind of question gets asked a lot and sometimes for the wrong reasons, but I currently have a pair of Wharfedale 10.1's and a Yamaha AX-490 amplifier and i'm looking to upgrade to something with more of a punch. There are several options;

I currently have a subwoofer (granted not that great but packs a punch) from a home cinema system, however this is passive and only 4 ohms so I can't just connect it to my system right? Is there anyway of buying a sub amp or something similar and running it through that or is it a lost cause?

Buying a subwoofer, this isn't a common practice for a stereo hi-fi set up, what are the complications?

Lastly, being patient, wait some time and splash out on some floorstanders, but will there be a noticeable difference in terms of power?

I kinda think that i'm just a bit of a bass junkie so i'm mainly looking at the bass side of things, any advice appreciated

Dave
 
If you do a bit of surfing I think you'll find that you can connect the passive sub to your rig using the front L/R speaker connections on the receiver but it's been a long time since I've done it so I can't provide specific advice.

I've connected active subs on stereo system and the hardest part is getting the sub to sound like its not there I.e. the bass is coming from the main speakers. A lot of this is down to the quality of the sub and I had success with the BK XLS200, a lot more success with the XLS 400 - you just have to play with volume and crossover settings.

The key I've found is to buy a sub that is musical and most of those aren't cheap.

Floorstanders are not a bad option and I would look in the classifieds for a decent bargain - you also have to accept the limitations of your amp.

Good luck.
 
Whats your budget?
Ignore the passive sub as even if you can connect it (and I doubt you can) to your current amp it is going to be poor quality and not worth paying anything to get it working.
A sub like the BK Electronic Gemini II should be able to be integrated into your system. The trick will be to keep the crossover below 80Hz as this should stop the sub being able to be localised.
 
Well the amp should be able to drive at 85 w/ch at 8 ohms, if I hook that up to something like a pair of second hand £300 floor standers am I likely to see a difference? If so, which speakers shall I look out for?
 
If up can get to a best buy you will get some Kef quite cheap but if you like the sound of your wharfedale a new set of 10.3 or 10.4 are only around £300 (you're bound to find them ex dem cheaper) so why not go for them?
 
I would also look out for the Bronze series from Monitor Audio.
 
BUDGET? Money drives everything.

To really give some weight and 'punch' to the music, in my opinion, you have to move more air. In short, larger speakers, MUCH larger speakers. But, that is going to cost money.

If you want to go to a Sub, then you need an active Sub. Based on the information you've given, you can't connect your sub to your amp.

Next, if you get an active Sub, either your amp must have a Sub Out, or Pre-Amp Out. If not, then your new Sub must have Speaker Level or High Level inputs. This lets you connect the Sub to the speaker terminal, both left and right. Those channels will be reduced in level and merged into one channel to feed bass to the Sub.

So, Subwoofer or Pre-amp out on the amp, or alternately a Sub with Speaker Level / High Level inputs.

Right now you can get the Wharfedale SW150 10" 150w subwoofer from SuperFi.co.uk for about £170.

Superfi - WHARFEDALE DIAMOND SW150 SUBWOOFER

If you aren't going to substantially upgrade your front speakers, then you are pretty much stuck with a Subwoofer.

There are other options, but until we get a working budget, that is about the best we can do.

One last option, if you happen to be on a starvation budget, here are some £425/pr Wharfedale Xarus 5000 floorstanding speaker for a dirt cheap £150/pr. At this price, they can't be beat. But if you have more money then there are certainly other options -

Wharfedale XARUS5000-BLACK from Hughes Direct

Steve/bluewizard
 
Yeah I think selling up and buying floorstanders is going to be my choice. For a budget of £300-£350 for second hand floorstanders what shall I look for?
 

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