Which Subwoofer.

DiggyGun

DiggyGun
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Looking at getting a pre-used subwoofer for my office system, which comprises of
- PC as Source
- Khadas Tone 1 DAC
- SMSL SA300 Amplifier
- Q Acoustic 2010i Speakers
- QED Interconnect and Speaker Cables

Considering the following based on price, with similar specs;
- KEF 20B @ £89
- Tannoy SFX 5.1 @ £99
- Q Acoustics 1000S @ £119

Done some searching on line and none of them are top of class but appear reasonable and may be suitable for a secondary office system.

Has the collective got any experience of these and any recommendations you can give.

Thanks in advance.

DG…
 
Last edited:

DiggyGun

DiggyGun
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BK all day long

Had a look at these and they are very nice.

Bit more than I’m looking to pay at the moment. More looking for something to play with as the amplifier has a subwoofer outlet.

Happy with my current sound and set up, just curious and want to try one out to see what it does as never used one before.

May consider one of the BK ones, if I decide to take it further.

DG…
 

Andrei

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Looking at getting a pre-used subwoofer for my office system, which comprises of
- PC as Source
- Khadas Tone 1 DAC
- SMSL SA300 Amplifier
- Q Acoustic 2010i Speakers
- QED Interconnect and Speaker Cables

Considering the following based on price, with similar specs;
- KEF 20B @ £89
- Tannoy SFX 5.1 @ £99
- Q Acoustics 1000S @ £119

Done some searching on line and none of them are top of class but appear reasonable and may be suitable for a secondary office system.

Has the collective got any experience of these and any recommendations you can give.

Thanks in advance.

DG…
A generic reply:
- Generally get a sub that is as good as your speakers. If that cannot be done then in my opinion you are better off without one.
- One good sub is better than two moderate subs (I may be in a minority on this)
- Try to get a sub that matches your amp. For example both have Class AB amplification (better still both have, say. mosfets)
- Try to get a sub that matches your speakers. For example both ported or both unported. Or both have the same cone materials, such as doped paper.
What you are trying to do is to integrate all speakers.

I am convinced that subs are a good thing, even for 'full range' speakers. So I say that a sub is essential for bookshelves/standmounts. The goal - no matter what the pricepoint - is that you should not be able to hear the sub! Sounds paradoxical I know.
 

petrichor

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There's a MJ Acoustics Pro 50 on eBay for £109 (about £600 new).
I have the same sub, used in my system for about 12 years and very happy with it. Fills in the lower octaves and integrates really well. It is a sealed box design, class AB amplifier, has high level Neutrik connection, all considered better for music, and British made.
 
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petrichor

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There's a MJ Acoustics Pro 50 on eBay for £109 (about £600 new).
I have the same sub, used in my system for about 12 years and very happy with it. Fills in the lower octaves and integrates really well. It is a sealed box design, class AB amplifier, has high level Neutrik connection, all considered better for music, and British made.
Just realised to connect to your pre-out you would need to use the low level connection instead.
 
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I.D.S.

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Rel Quakes (in black) generally go for £100 and will have all the connectivity and setup you'll ever need for an office set up.
 
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peter the butcher

Peter The Butcher
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Had a look at these and they are very nice.

Bit more than I’m looking to pay at the moment. More looking for something to play with as the amplifier has a subwoofer outlet.

Happy with my current sound and set up, just curious and want to try one out to see what it does as never used one before.

May consider one of the BK ones, if I decide to take it further.

DG…
Is there any chance of borrowing a sub? I knew it was going to happen from day 1, when I put my system together, as the main genre of music I listen to, kind of demands it, Pipe Organ
 
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DiggyGun

DiggyGun
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Just realised to connect to your pre-out you would need to use the low level connection instead.

The SMSL SA300 Amplifier has a single RCA socket, which I’m led to believe is an LFE connection.

DG…
 

DiggyGun

DiggyGun
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Is there any chance of borrowing a sub?

Unfortunately, don’t know anyone with a sub I could borrow to try.

Main reason for trying is that as the amp has a sub out socket, thought that I’d try one to see what it does.

DG…
 

peter the butcher

Peter The Butcher
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Unfortunately, don’t know anyone with a sub I could borrow to try.

Main reason for trying is that as the amp has a sub out socket, thought that I’d try one to see what it does.

DG…
am not all up on the technical side, BUT a maker such as Rel (like my big one) has 2 inputs that can work separately, A High level that uses an XLR connection from the amp and a Low level that connects to an RCA. The high level one works for 2 channel music and the low level is the LFE channel for movies (DVD etc) am sure it will be explained better by others. But do some research on watching some of the Rel YouTube videos for a better understanding
 

DiggyGun

DiggyGun
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After having been looking for a subwoofer, have decided not to get one.

Initially was looking for a Hi-Fi one, rather than an AV one. It was only out of curiosity and to have a play to see what the effect was as the amp has a sub out socket.

I must admit I was surprised by the prices of these. For me, this was going to be an experiment for something to try, not knowing if one was actually needed.

I was always happy with the sound I am getting, so will continue to listen to the Jazz and enjoy it.

DG….
 

DiggyGun

DiggyGun
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Strange turn of events.

I hadn’t cancelled the search on eBay and one popped up with no Watchers and a low start bid of £15.00. With only 30 minutes to go and no bids, I put a bid in.

I won, so now own a Wharfedale Moviestar 60+ Subwoofer and a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 Speakers.

Not bad for £15.00, so now to play and see what happens.

If it doesn’t work, I can re-sell them on eBay.

DG…
 
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DiggyGun

DiggyGun
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So set up the subwoofer, got a suitable subwoofer cable from Amazon and away we went.

Tried the various settings on it and on the amp, but just couldn’t get it to sound right for me. There was either too much rumble or barely any effect. Maybe, being placed on a suspended wooden floor didn’t help. Tried playing with the different EQ settings on the amp, but still could not get the sound I liked. You could also manually adjust the treble and bass settings on the amp, but even after trying that, same again.

In the end, disconnected the subwoofer and played with the EQ settings on the amp of which there are six. Ended up using the SBD setting on the amp, which for me sounded the most natural, clear and had a fairly good bass sound without being too loud or boomy.

I’m glad that I tried a subwoofer and I’m not disappointed that it didn’t work out and, as they say, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. At least I tried it and enjoyed the experience of doing so. Not for me, but I did learn a bit more about the amp and it’s EQ settings.

Put the subwoofer and speakers on eBay as two separate items. The speakers sold for £62.00 and the subwoofer sold for £36. So all in all, not a bad profit on the initial investment of £15.00.

Hopefully, someone else will benefit from and get some enjoyment from these.

DG…



Attachment.png
 
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peter the butcher

Peter The Butcher
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I suppose its like everything in life, "you get what you pay for", and this is deff true when it comes to a sub. I mentioned BK, am sure there must be one going reasonably cheap on the Bay. I had one on my main system before my twin Rels..... I gave it away free to a mate
 

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