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High end Subwoofer question

I have recently stated to experiement with dual subwoofers in my system. So far, alot of fun and quite interesting. The question I'm asking you GON members is:

Based on your experiences how important is it to get a Subwoofer, regardless of the brand, that has the built in feature were the sub is first optimized for the room using a microphone were you have your listening chair and the sub uses a series of test tones to load the room correctly. I fully realize that you must fine tune by ear the crossover point and volume of the sub by ear. So, is this room optimization feature a marketing gimmick or really a terrific help in dailing in a pair of subwoofers for maximum performance? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
teajay

Showing 3 responses by martykl

martykl
3,563 posts
 
Personally, I'd rather have a first rate sub controller (including room analyzer and Parametric EQ) than first rate subwoofers. Halfway decent subs, properly crossed and eq'd can sound very, very good. Great subs, poorly crossed, still sound wrong. Just MHO.

Marty

BTW I use a Velodyne SMS-1 controller, which will work with any sub. It's terrific and costs $400-$500 on-line. SVS makes an Audyssey driven EQ that will ship in May at app. $700. This will require a separate X-over like the NHT X-2, so total cost is closer to $1K. No one's heard one yet, but Audyssey technology is very good and this approach will allow you to low-cut your main speakers without A/D/A conversion. I'm sure that there are many other options out there. Good Luck.
martykl
3,563 posts
 
I'd agree with Bob and Shadorne that many subs (including mine) generate scary levels of distortion. I only question whether you can hear it at these frequencies. I've auditioned the lower distortion JL subs pretty extensively - different rooms, different systems - and can't honestly say that I can hear much difference. I'll eventually replace my subs with better performers (mostly on principle), but I do question how much benefit I will hear. Caveat: You & others may well hear stuff that I don't.

As to Room EQ Wizard, it's a useful tool for analyzing bass anomalies in a room, but my version was a bit of a pain to use. I found the SMS superior and it also offers really effective PEq and crossover functions. Caveat - my version of Room EQ Wizard was -as I understand it- a custom package based on the same shareware algorithm as REQW, but as modified by a local recording studio. Therefore some of my issues may be unique to the specific package I was using.

Marty
martykl
3,563 posts
 
Another quick note:

The Velodyne SMS I mentioned is a stand-alone version of the controller embedded in the DD subs described by Nick, above. I use the presets for different main speakers. Maggie SMGs are preset #1, Ohm 100s are preset #2, etc. If you rotate speakers with your subs, it's a great convenience.

Marty
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