Which sub with B&W M1s in a flat?

cacbyname

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I recently changed from having a set of standmount B&W 601s, 602s and CC6 with a 12” ASW1000 subwoofer to having five wallmounted M1s to make some space. I kept the ASW1000 until now but am about to sell it and would like to upgrade the subwoofer. The amp is a Denon 3801.


The room is L-shaped but the AV gear is in an area 5.2m x3.5m x2.5m. The walls are brick/breeze blocks and the flooring is laminate on top of concrete. The sound insulation is relatively good but not perfect and I don't want to disturb the neighbours above and below. The system is mainly for movies/TV with only a little for music/gaming.


I had a play with REW and the ASW1000 to optimise the position and crossover etc using the excellent guides on here (results attached). I was surprised that such a large subwoofer didn't go lower, it really dropped off at 25Hz. There is also a huge trough at 115 Hz, any ideas what that could be and is it a sign I've set something up wrong? Obviously speakers are set to small in the amp. I have an anti-mode 8033, gold line is with it on, blue is on bypass.


I've looked on a number of threads and the PV1 gets a mixed response and is overbudget – maximum is £600 but would prefer nearer £400. Would a Monolith be overkill or get me evicted? Or would a sealed sub like the XXLS400 to go with the tiny satellites? Any advice greatly appreciated.
 

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My old sub went last night so want to order a new one soon. Any thoughts on whether a Monolith-DF or a XXLS400 or anything else would be best? :lease:
 
My old sub went last night so want to order a new one soon. Any thoughts on whether a Monolith-DF or a XXLS400 or anything else would be best? :lease:

I've never heard a BK XXLS400 but I have a Monolith FF custom and I don't think I'll need to upgrade it even if I get a bigger house.Obviously I'd read the members reviews of both first to get an idea of their character before deciding which one to get cacbyname.
 
I have read the reviews and a large chunk of the Monolith and XXLS-400 threads thanks :thumbsup:.
My understanding is that my room isn't too small to accommodate either sub and they would both be a good upgrade to the ASW1000.

The general view is that if you can live with the size, the Monolith is better and it goes lower and louder but the XXLS-400 might be better for music with better clean upper bass. As I've said, I will use this mainly for movies so the Monolith should be the better bet but most people have more substantial front speakers than my B&W M1s. Given the satellite's relatively high cut-off for low frequencies, would that swing it back towards the XXLS-400 in my case as it does better with the higher bass frequencies? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
 
I have read the reviews and a large chunk of the Monolith and XXLS-400 threads thanks :thumbsup:.
My understanding is that my room isn't too small to accommodate either sub and they would both be a good upgrade to the ASW1000.

The general view is that if you can live with the size, the Monolith is better and it goes lower and louder but the XXLS-400 might be better for music with better clean upper bass. As I've said, I will use this mainly for movies so the Monolith should be the better bet but most people have more substantial front speakers than my B&W M1s. Given the satellite's relatively high cut-off for low frequencies, would that swing it back towards the XXLS-400 in my case as it does better with the higher bass frequencies? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

I'm no expert, but my understanding is the same as yours; i.e. when used with sats it is more important for a sub to be good at the higher frequencies, then ultimate low-end extension (I believe this is pretty much the design approach taken with MK sub-sat systems). For that reason alone, I'd be inclined to go for the XXLS400.
 
Thanks - my head says to get the 400. My heart on the other hand says the 400 won't go much lower than the ASW1000 and I'll always be wondering what the Monolith would have been like.
 
Thanks - my head says to get the 400. My heart on the other hand says the 400 won't go much lower than the ASW1000 and I'll always be wondering what the Monolith would have been like.

I've only had mine a week and the Monolith is wearing in nicely.Already it is getting faster and smoother.The first track that I tried it with was Donald Fagan - The Nightfly which has fast deep bass and it kept up with my full range 3-way dipoles with alacrity.
 

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