How low does a sub need to go - help a beginner?

Brad Newton · 05-07-2003, 08:32 PM

Can you really hear the difference in a sub that goes down to 20 hz vs. one that only goes to 40hz? Is this something that is heard or felt or both?

Zack_R · 05-07-2003, 09:48 PM

IMO there is a huge difference between a sub that can only go to 40 hz versus one that goes relatively flat to 20 hz.

How much you can hear below 30 Hz has alot to do with your own hearing ability. 30 Hz has a whole lot of sound you can hear. 25 Hz has a combination of both and 20 Hz and below is probably more feel than hear to alot of people.

Rob Rodier · 05-07-2003, 11:55 PM

It is more important to find a quality sub IMO. A lot of manufacturers doctor the specs to make their subs seem like they go lower than they really do. Sony for example has a budget sub that is claimed to hit around 20hz, the catch is that it does it at -10db, rendering it virtually in-audible. Be weary of subs that dont give a +/- spec on the frequency response rating.

I think if you find a good sub that can hit around 30hz +/- 3db you will be happy. Of course lower is always better if quality is not being sacrificed.

Good luck

-rob

Arup · 05-08-2003, 02:16 AM

It is more important to know how tight the sub is down the lows and how fast it recovers. Anything below 20Hz is subjective but a musical sub is what is more important.

Brad Newton · 05-08-2003, 06:56 AM

I was thinking of the Klipsch rsw10 sub......what kind of pefromance does it give - mainly for movies?

**HTF Ads**

Dustin B · 05-08-2003, 08:42 AM

IMO the last octave can make a big difference in some action movies, in other movies there is no difference. When I went from my Paradigm PDR10 to my Tempest sonosub there where a number of movies where the sound track almost completely changed with the addition of authority in the last octave.

For most music sub 30hz is never seen, but there are quite a few tracks from certain genres that have the content.

The +/- rating from manufactures is also mostly useless. Most take that measurement at below 80dB. Take it again at 100dB and there is no way a Paradigm PW2200 will rate to 18hz.

Given the price tag there are quite a few options that will really outshine a RSW10 in a mainly hometheater setup. The RSW line drops off very fast below 30hz.

Rob Rodier · 05-08-2003, 11:33 AM

Quote:

The +/- rating from manufactures is also mostly useless. Most take that measurement at below 80dB. Take it again at 100dB and there is no way a Paradigm PW2200 will rate to 18hz.

The +/- rating is an essential spec. Perfect no, no spec is, but useless??? That is asinine.

-rob

Dustin B · 05-08-2003, 08:42 PM

If they qualified it properly it wouldn't be useless, but since all they say is this frequency range with this +/- value it's useless.

Bare minimum qualification would be anechoic or not (if not some room details), distance to the sub, what type of signal (sine waves, pink noise etc), at what level the sweep was run and what the THD level was. If all you give is +/- almost any sub can be made to look good.

There are many subs that post almost identical +/- 3dB specs from the manufacturer, but are a huge range in sound quality and quantity.

Manuel Delaflor · 05-08-2003, 10:24 PM

I agree with Dustin. The FR spec is almost useless (and let's not enter on details please

). As he said, some subs are said to reach 20Hz (or any other number) but nobody tells you at how many dB's.

George Pappas · 05-09-2003, 01:23 AM

Just to give some perspective on dbs as Manuel is stating above, the Krell Master Reference powered subwoofer is probably the most devastatingly powerful monster to enter the home theater realm. I have not heard one although I'm trying to locate a retailer that has one to audition.

It is claimed by Krell that this nuclear powerplant can overpower any room in any home of any size.

It's mega specs are a conservative 2600 watts continuous (God only knows the dynamic power!), It can go way below 20hz but the real major statistic here is that it can crank over 120db volume at 20hz! That is not just powerful sound, it is described by those who have auditioned it as being capital punishment. Crank up the opening explosion scene on AOTC and even a call from the governor can't save you.

A powerful sub with usable low frequency levels should strive to reach Krell's benchmark of 120db at 20hz. Not easy but the closer you get the better it is.