Will a budget subwoofer suit my system?

[Mark Hamilton]

I have an onkyo cr515 microsystem that I use with
wharfedale diamond 9.1 speakers. I route my dvd and tv
through it. With cables it has cost me £400. The system
has what sounds to me like a good bass response, but has
a subwoofer pre-output. I am thinking of adding a
subwoofer to this at a cost proportionate to the rest of
the system, new or second hand, if it will add to the
sound quality. I use it to listen to cd/mp3 music in
stereo, but like to use the speakers for home theatre/dvd
playback occasionally. What Would add to the sound
quality for a budget of £100-150 (more would be
disproportionate with this seup, wouldn't it?), or are
subwoofers in this price range not going to do much more
for the bass than my current speakers?

 

[kbfern]

You should see a difference in the bottom end,and £100-£150 should get you a decent second hand sub,consider from the following:

Paradigm PS1000 around £100-£120
BK XLS 200 £100-£150
Mordaunt Short MS309 £100ish

All these subs will make a considerable difference to your movie viewing experience and will sound good with music also.

 

[Mark Hamilton]

Thanks for that - next question - which are the best places to look for second hand kit? Is ebay a wise idea? or are there more specialized/reliable sources? I see this site has classifieds. What is the working life of a sub? Do they really ever wear out? and will they need specialist cable/plugs?

MH

 

[kbfern]

Without doubt this site is the best place to buy,most people on here are dedicated enthusiasts who look after their kit.Other than that hififorsale have a website worth looking at.

Regarding e-bay be a little more carefull as I believe better is to be had from the specialist av forums as subs generally get snaped up quick at better prices and what is not snaped up tends to end up on e-bay

You can also place an ad in the wanted section and see what comes up.

Subs can wear out over time if driven hard,but this is not a common problem so don't worry too much.If possible buy from where you can collect as some subs can be quite large & heavy and could get damaged in transit.Subs can last for many years if looked after,One of the subs I have is 11yrs old and still runs Ok today.

Regarding connecting, most subs are connected to your amp with a simple phono lead.