Do I need a sub?

Sorry for the dumb question, but I’ve just ordered an AE Aegis 5 speaker system from digital direct (Ageis package 1 ) and I am currently looking for a suitable amp. As these are ‘full size’ speakers, will I still need a sub for listening to 5.1 DVDs and if not, how does the amp know to put the ‘.1’ through the other speakers?

 

You don't 'need' a sub, as the two front speakers have bass ports, however don't expect ground shaking performance (which a dedicated sub would give you).

On the amp you simply set the fronts too 'large', in effect sending the
low frequencies too them, and not sending the LFE seperately to a sub...

 

Although your floorstanders will give you adequate bass they can not compete with a decent designated sub. A good subwoofer adds a whole new dimension to the movie experience. Rather than hear the bass you feel it and adds a lot of depth to soundtracks. Do not bother buying a cheap one though (<£200 imo) as this will not be up to the job. I'd recomend you save a while and buy a sub s/h or new from £200+ to make it worth your while.
The velodyne vx-10 or s/h cht-10 are both good budget subs that appear in the classifieds from time to time

 

Furthermore, usage of a sub makes speaker placement easier. Low frequencies are the most difficult to "get right" in a room, and only having one source (=subwoofer) makes the task less troublesome.

 

Speaking as someone who lives in a detached house, has a large powerful sub and watches films at reference level I would disagree.

Many people live in attached houses or flats that have thin walls and grumpy neighbours. Sub bass frequencies travel through party walls and floors much better than higher frequencies and you may have to keep it turned down to such a low level that it isn't worth having.

When I lived in a semi I didn't bother with the sub and just used floorstanders instead.

 

Ian, it would make it easier if you mentioned with what/whom you are disagreeing.

 

I disagree with all of those peope who will say that a sub is necessary for AV but just haven't got around to posting yet

 

Oh them!

 

I ran my system for over 2 years without a sub, and it sounded great. Now I have got my sub (about 3 weeks so far), and it's a big improvement.

However, I live in a detached house (until my parents kick me out - which might not be much longer now ). Ian J's comments are worth considering if you have neighbours to keep happy, afterall how would you feel if your neighbours has a system playing at reference levels when you wanted a quiet night in.

Ian

 

Thanks for the advice. I live in a terraced house so neighbours are definitely a consideration although I don’t tend to listen at high volumes anyway (certainly not at night - I used to live in a flat above some very noisy people and it was unpleasant to say the least!). However, I may be on the move soon and this may change things. I’m considering getting a 42WH36 and currently HiSpek bundle this with a free Toshiba atomic sub. This will obviously be a budget model but does a cheap sub just not sound as good as a more expensive one or actually make the overall sound worse than not having one at all?

 

The sound can be acceptable in films if carefully positioned and setup but they never sound as good with music. It may make a loud noise but much of that will be distortion and the timing will be poor making it much less acceptable for music.

 

Thanks Ian. Music is definitely a big consideration so I’ll stick to a 5.0 setup for the moment. All I need now is decent ‘musical’ receiver and I’m sorted!

 

Here is an extract from the front of the B&W Sub-Woofer guide. This is at the front in a bright yellow box in order to draw attention to it.

Courteous warning
Bowers & Wilkins respectively asks all owners of subwoofer systems to take care. All B&W subs are capable of reproducing potentially unsociable levels of subsonic energy. Low frequency sound is incredibly powerful, and users should respect the privacy of others residing withinthe same or even nearby buildings.



Even without a sub in my system, with in room loading my 603's go below 30Hz and can be easily heard outside my detached house , still got my eye on a ASW675 as next upgrade though.

 

Well I'm in a terrace and have 2 MS909's They spend most of their time off and bother nobody. To my pleasant suprise, I found when I moved in that my neighbours on both sides and the previous occupants operated an "unlimited noise" agreement between 1pm and 6pm on saturdays and sundays. This means that I can watch films as loud as I like at some points (whilst one neighbour does tuba practice!). I generally run one sub for films at other times in the week.

And yes I think that subs do make a very significant difference.