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Thread: Underwhelmed by Subwoofer

  1. #1
    Join Date: Jan 2011

    Location: Wiltshire

    Posts: 194
    I'm Alastair.

    Default Underwhelmed by Subwoofer

    I had never tried a subwoofer before in my AV set-up which is a Marantz NR1403 AV Amp powering a B&W HTM2 centre speaker and the pre-outs going to my monoblock amps to drive a pair of B&W 804N speakers. Without the a subwoofer, this all sounded pretty good but I felt it was missing some low end umph. I bought a B&W PV-1 subwoofer on e-bay for £400 plugged-it in, connected it to the Marantz, ran the set-up using the Audessy and sat back to play a few movies to hear if there would be a difference. I have to say I was underwhelmed by the result, there is barely any difference. I then manually set the crossover frequency to 40Hz, but no change.

    The 804Ns go down to about 45Hz and the PV-1 has plenty of power (500W) and goes down to 21Hz, so I was expecting an improvement. Any thoughts why this might not be?
    Cheers

    Alastair

    RPI4/PI2AES running PiCorePlayer/LMS-> AQ Carbon AES -> Topping D90 DAC-> Khozomo Passive Pre-Amp -> 4x Temple Audio Monoblocks powered by 2xLiFePO batteries->Van Damme Black Bi-Wired to B&W 804 Nautilus and Sommer Carbokab 225 Interconnects

  2. #2
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

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    I'm Grant.

    Default

    set it a fair bit higher. say 100hz to start
    Regards,
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  3. #3
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: The Black Country

    Posts: 6,089
    I'm Alan.

    Default

    It rather depends if there is the low frequency energy actually there.

    My sub is set to cross over at 40Hz, with normal radio programs it makes little (no) difference, when the low bass lines are there it is very satisfying.
    I love Hendrix for so many reasons. He was so much more than just a blues guitarist - he played damn well any kind of guitar he wanted. In fact I'm not sure if he even played the guitar - he played music. - Stevie Ray Vaughan

  4. #4
    Join Date: Jan 2011

    Location: Wiltshire

    Posts: 194
    I'm Alastair.

    Default

    Thanks I will try 100Hz and see if it makes a difference. As Firebottle noted, it of course depends on the content in the source. I tried films which were supposed to have great bass.
    Cheers

    Alastair

    RPI4/PI2AES running PiCorePlayer/LMS-> AQ Carbon AES -> Topping D90 DAC-> Khozomo Passive Pre-Amp -> 4x Temple Audio Monoblocks powered by 2xLiFePO batteries->Van Damme Black Bi-Wired to B&W 804 Nautilus and Sommer Carbokab 225 Interconnects

  5. #5
    Join Date: May 2012

    Location: Toulouse, France

    Posts: 6,562
    I'm Kevin.

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    I would check the set up again.
    When running movies, my similarly powered sub sub (https://www.xtzsound.co.uk/reviews/sub-1x12) makes a massive difference.
    With the HiFi, I have a smaller sub (MJ Acoustics Pro 50) which is barely noticeable, but that is how I want it.
    Kevin

    Too busy enjoying the music....

    European loan coordinator for Graham Slee HiFi system components..

  6. #6
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,772
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    What's the reference for it going down to 21hz? Does not seem to be any spec about this on the B&W site. My guess is that it is not doing much useful under 50hz.

    If you want proper sub bass you'll need a big REL, or a Paradigm. Very few subs have useful output below 40hz and those that do tend to be large and expensive.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  7. #7
    Join Date: May 2012

    Location: Toulouse, France

    Posts: 6,562
    I'm Kevin.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    If you want proper sub bass you'll need a big REL, or a Paradigm. Very few subs have useful output below 40hz and those that do tend to be large and expensive.
    Or an XTZ, Velodyne, SVS etc.
    Kevin

    Too busy enjoying the music....

    European loan coordinator for Graham Slee HiFi system components..

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: gone

    Posts: 11,519
    I'm gone.

    Default

    Where is the sub sited? Maybe you have just hit a room null? Does the bass appear anywhere else in your house?

    The TechRadar reviews are usually pretty reliable and they give it a decent write-up. So there is probably decent performance to be had if you shuffle things around a bit.
    http://www.techradar.com/reviews/aud...1-98121/review
    .

  9. #9
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Much Wenlock

    Posts: 1,522
    I'm Gary.

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    I didn't find Audessy very good, after saying that did you follow Audessy instructions using the microphone in all the different positions it requires?

    I turned it off eventually and set up by ear.

    I also found using high level inputs to the sub bettered the low level input.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Jan 2011

    Location: Wiltshire

    Posts: 194
    I'm Alastair.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Stryder5 View Post
    I didn't find Audessy very good, after saying that did you follow Audessy instructions using the microphone in all the different positions it requires?

    I turned it off eventually and set up by ear.

    I also found using high level inputs to the sub bettered the low level input.
    I did follow the Audessy set-up, using the microphone in all 6 positions several but to no avail. In the end I went manual as you did. I made sure the AV amp outputs bass to both the Mains and the Sub (it was doing Mains only) and set the cross-over frequency to 100Hz. Audessy had set the sub levels at something like -7db so I tweaked this to -5db (also I tried -3db and it was too much - really shaking the room) which leaves it adding weight when needed but not overbearing. I am sure there could be more fine tuning but I am pretty happy with it now. Thanks to everyone for their advice!
    Cheers

    Alastair

    RPI4/PI2AES running PiCorePlayer/LMS-> AQ Carbon AES -> Topping D90 DAC-> Khozomo Passive Pre-Amp -> 4x Temple Audio Monoblocks powered by 2xLiFePO batteries->Van Damme Black Bi-Wired to B&W 804 Nautilus and Sommer Carbokab 225 Interconnects

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