Need Advice on a Sub....

[RonW. 41]

Im thinking on adding a sub (musical) to my 2 channel system (see signature) to go along with my Cornwall II's once I get my MK II back. What advice can you guys give me, oh yeah Im on a limited budget, so limited I don't even have it yet, LOL. I seen high end subs for $2000 and up.

 

Actually Im looking at Part's Express' 15" Titanic MK 4, it has great reviews.

My listening room is 18'x27' with the CW II;s on the 18' wall in the corners toed in to centerline. My spot is about 15' back from the wall on the center line. Im real anxious to get my M500t MK II back so I can set up my system again running through all the steps of the C4000t including the sonic hologram.

 

The Cornwall II's have 15" woofers, will this sub work, sound good, and be able to keep up with the rest of my system?

 

Thanks in advance for your expert opinions....

 

RonW. 

[Daddyjt 9,617]

Ron,

 

I think that sounds like a great sub for HT. For music, I personally prefer a 10" or maybe 12" sub, as I have found them to sound "quicker" and "tighter", and able to respond to the transients of music better.

 

FWIW, I think music is much more demanding of a quality sub, than HT.

 

IIWM, I'd go with the 12" version for music...

 

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-t1204k-12-titanic-mk-4-500-watt-rms-subwoofer-kit--300-762

 

Plus, you'll save a few $....:-)

[Jim Coash 126]

Greetings:  I sure love my Sunfire.  I have had a bunch including an earlier Carver, two M&Ks, 3 Paradigms, a Boston SW-10 and a Klipsch.  Generally, I like the smaller drivers with the bigger amps; less flabby, dryer & tighter.  Cross it over as low as you can and be sure to get one with a built in high-pass filter.  Use it!  Keep the sub out of the corner unless you want too much.

Jim 

[dazed_and_confused 194]

In the same price ball-park as the Parts Express kit you could have a REL sub, like this one here http://app.audiogon.com/listings/subwoofers-rel-acoustics-storm-mkiii-in-natural-wood-finish-2014-02-25-home-theater-07069-watchung-nj

 

 

REL make a quality product, they're designed to blend as near seamlessly as possible in high-end music applications.

 

The one above ought to perform well.

[chiroacademy 833]

I have a Sunfire EQ True Woofer 12" that I like.  Its the only sub I've used so I don't have anything to compare it to.

I picked it up on Craigs list for $600 (If I remember right). 

[zumbini 6,147]

Cornwall IIs should be rock solid down to 40Hz or so. If yours aren't I would start by recapping the crossovers.

 

 

[Schurkey 139]

 

 

Cornwall IIs should be rock solid down to 40Hz or so. If yours aren't I would start by recapping the crossovers.

Yup.  Fix or upgrade what you have (if needed) so it performs properly, before adding new equipment.

 

My speakers were like night-and-day after crossover mods and replacing a burnt tweeter.

 

I'm reminded of a recent Jim Coash post about his brother's KEFs that didn't have bass any more...rotted woofer surrounds.

 

 

I sold Dick a pair of Carver 1.0t amps and a pair of KEF Reference 105.3 speakers...

 

... He had only recently called to tell me his friends B&Ws had "better bass" than his KEFs and I told him, "Impossible"!  He invited me down to see his new place on my birthday in 2005 (March 5th) so that I could hear the proof.  As soon as he turned on his system I told him.  The foam on your woofers has rotted out.  How do you know he said.  Get a flashlight, look through the port at the surrounds of the woofers and tell me what you see.  He saw that there were no surrounds left, just a pile of foam chunks.  I had him disconnect the speakers and we took them apart.  When we had all four woofers in our hands, none of them had a scrap of surround foam left.  I did visit his neighbor who had B&W 801s with an Adcom GFA-500.  It sounded OK, but I told Dick, when yours are fixed, his system won't stand a chance.  It didn't.

 

[angelod307 63]

I have built more subs than we have members over the years for car audio and home applications. The various subs out there are all great, but for sheer sonics at reasonable levels, the subrosa sub is the favorite by far by bob. He said he though it was his best work. I agree, at low volumes, it is fabulous. There is so much going on in a bob sub . Limiters, thermal management for the voice coils, expanders, compressors, gates, etc. for the sub experience, i know personally that a x over either passive or active is not good enough unless the material has the sonics from the start ( low freq information in spades). Most older music is rolled off, and there fore there is circuits that help to this end to make the product have that sub rumble we all like.

[angelod307 63]

Other thoughts are the dayton sub amp. 1000 watts . I want to try one and see whats up. Also the buttkicker 1000 watt amp is not too bad either . Greg recapped the buttkicker and got it up and going again. I like it, but not as much as the true sub amp i have on regular subs. Good on the 10" and passive, better on 4-12" in two boxes m&k style. Great at low and medium levels.

[danowood 2,167]

all great information guys, you covered alot, but lets cover the best way to use a sub in it's hook up.  If its a active or passive xover would play a part, but also makes a difference if it's self amplified or requires outside source amplication.  I would assume that if it is self applied amplification, you would only need to hook to the preamp, but if you are using a stereo preamp and are using one sub how do you work around that, left channel right channel combined into one sub?  and if a non powered sub, if you don't have an alternate amp laying around, whats the workaround for that?  just excercising the cranium... 

[zumbini 6,147]

 

 

...if you are using a stereo preamp and are using one sub how do you work around that, left channel right channel combined into one sub?  and if a non powered sub, if you don't have an alternate amp laying around, whats the workaround for that?

 

Most powered subs have stereo line and speaker level inputs. USE THE LINE LEVEL INPUTS.

If your preamp does not have dual outputs use y-adapters to split the signal between the mains and sub.

 

Alternately, most powered subs have line level speaker outputs for feeding your mains.

Of course you'll need an amp to drive them.... 

 

 

 

...if a non powered sub, if you don't have an alternate amp laying around, whats the workaround for that?

I'm not aware of any way to do that. A passive sub MUST be powered by an amp.

 

[fill35U 1,846]

FWIW, I'm currently running a single old Velodyne CT-150 powered sub. It's served me well.

 

I'm in the middle of revamping(re-amping?) my entire system, so the Velodyne will be replaced with a pair of subs. I've also picked up a Behringer DSP-1124P to equalize the subs.

 

Suggested reading:

 

The basics of 5.1 and bass management 

 

 Why two subwoofers are better than one

 

Interesting about the wizardry in Bob's subs, Angelo! One of the most annoying things I've found about having a sub is the constant need for volume adjustment with different source material. Automatic level control/companders sounds like a neat idea!