Curious..are there any floor standers capable of reaching 20hz @ref. ? (1 Viewer)

[Keir H]

Just was thinking about all the confusion on whether to set your speakers full range (large) or set them to small even if the specs say they can go to 18hz (my Def Tech BP30's). To achieve 20hz @ high spl at the seats is it dependent on the drivers/cabinet or the amp/current use to drive them? Of course if there is any speaker that can actually (honestly) obtain these levels. Is there? Wilson, Dunlavy, B&W, Krell, BP 3000's

ect..

 

[Mike Voigt]

I saw a set once... that was reputed to go down to 20Hz. It happened to consist of somewhere around 18 drivers each speaker, in an 8ft tower.
It also ran around 150K per...!
Mike

 

[Brian Perry]

I believe the Infinity IRS went to 15 Hz.

 

[Phuong]

While there are some speakers that offer that kind of performance, they cost tens of thousands of dollars and require LOTS of WATTS to get them singing from 20 - 20k Hz. After all, the laws of physics are working against speakers placed in "optimum imaging" positions" to produce loads of bass. Why spend those tens of thousands when you can drop up to $500 for a good pair of mini-monitors that go down to 50 Hz and another $1000 or so for a subwoofer (Hsu 1220/SVS 1646) that goes down to 16 Hz?
What impresses me about the stats for the SVS 2039 sub is that it's maximum bass output occurs at 31 Hz. That is almost unheard of!!! Most subs have their maximum output at 62 Hz, and drop off from there. The Hsu TN1220 has similar characteristics, and I'm sure the top of the line HGS subs from Velodyne do, too. If I were looking for top-of-the-line performance, I'd take the Velodynes if money were no object. But since the world doesn't work like that, I'd get something from SVS or the Hsu VT2 or upcoming VT3.
Peace, and happy listening.

 

[Russell _T]

Don't the Def Techs have powered subs? That would be a different matter than normal unpowered drivers in a "full" range speaker system. My speakers claim 27 Hz, but I doubt they extend CLEANLY much below 40 Hz.

 

[Drew Eckhardt]

1) Definitive's quoted specifications are optomistic. The real in-room -3dB point will be substantially higher (unless you stick them in a corner where other problems would make the sound objectionable).
2) The small mid/bass drivers will have excessive distortion (measured distortion on my BP8s is 10% by the time they get down to 30Hz, and is still 5% at 50Hz at low volumes. 1% is audible) when reproducing low frequencies, and don't have the excursion to do so loudly without bottoming.
3) Using such speakers for bass will muck up the mid-range.
IOW, set them for small. If they run flat in-room to 20 or 30Hz, you might try a 40 or 60Hz cross-over respectively if that's an option.

 

[Hubert]

Let's put it this way. There are probably no tower speakers capable of reproducing reference level bass at 20Hz, that are under $50,000. The Def Tech BP3000s can't do it. I own it. It can produce a 20Hz signal at 96-97 decibels, but that's nowhere near reference level. The BP30000's best bass is down to 30Hz. I own these speakers and I supplement them with a Velodyne HGS-18.

 

[Bob_A]

Forget loudspeakers...how many external subs do you know that would get down to 20Hz at "reference" levels??? I would think you would need multiple subs for almost all cases.