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Sub recommendation for vienna acoustics bach grand

I just picked up some vienna acoustic bach grands and want to get a new sub to go along with them and the maestro central channel speaker.

The room is 23 ft x 23 ft with 10 foot ceilings.

We listen to music 60 pct of the time/movies and TV the rest. We listen to all sorts of music.

I currently am running an older (90s) Onkyo receiver with 125 watts per channel and am planning on picking up an Onkyo tx-nr709 or tx-nr717.

Could you make some recommendations on some subs to consider with my setup? I am very new to this forum and still have a ton to learn re: audio but love to soak it in.

Thank you very much.
128x128bonginator
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Magic 8 ball says: Ask again.
schubert
4,867 posts
 
Zd542 told it like it is, until you get a strong 200 watt + amp you will never even know what your speakers sound like and if you even need a sub.
In a room that large, with those speakers, I would not settle for an amp with less than 300w a side at 4 ohms.
Plus, using a sub in a room with even dimensions would be quite a trick.
rlwainwright
1,901 posts
 
I would tend to agree with ZD542. The Bach Grands are 4 ohm nominal speakers, meaning they probably dip below 4 ohms in part of the audio band. Very few receivers are capable of properly driving a 4 ohm or less load.

Buying a separate amp that is rated to drive 4 ohm loads will result in better bass definition and control. As ZD542 mentioned, you may find the need for a subwoofer is mitigated or even eliminated. I would certainly try this first before investing in a subwoofer.

You may want to consider auditioning something like Emotiva's XPA-200: 240 watts/ch. (into 4 ohms) stereo amp which has a 5-year warranty. The cost is only $499 (with free shipping) and they give you 30-days in-home trial and will pay to ship the unit back if you decide not to keep it.

http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/amplifiers/products/xpa200

The Emotiva amps are seriously good for the money...

-RW-
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,318 posts
 
Agree with Zd542 and Schubert, those speakers need a quality, high current amp of at least 200w/ch to get the performance they are capable of. Sound from them will improve in every way, not just the bass.
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,318 posts
 
Bonginator, here’s a recent thread you should read about a guy that experienced exactly what we are saying. He upgraded a 125w amp that, if anything, would only be slightly better than receiver power, to a high quality 150w amp.

His comments after installing the amp start at 3-20-13.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1361045276&openfrom&84&4#84

I know all of this sidetracks your original question, so what are you thinking?
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