Kelvecion

Does the inclusion of a Sub-Woofer enhance the performance of the Fronts and Center. I think I heard this once. I have pretty beefy fronts and the bass is heavy, but a friend of mine, who paid £500 for a sub, insists that my system is not complete, nor is it true 5.1. But I do prefer clarity to whumph! So, can anyone enlighten me?

Stephen-

John Sy

I'm a big believer in subwoofers for true 5.1 sound. It may not be necessary if you listen to a lot of classical music but it's defnitely needed for movie soundtracks. I went without a subwoofer for quite a while then was amazed at the difference when I got one. I'm not an espcially big whumpf fan myself but I appreciate a good sub. It gives your movie soundtracks energy and a third dimensionality. I definitely would not do without a sub.

Kelvecion

Cheers John. I don't know if I will go sub yet, though I do want the full movie experience. And they are expensive - I might as my mate to bring up his one time and do a bit of a comparison. Third dimensionality...I like the sound of that. I wouldn't want to be deprived. Oh dear - what to do!

Mayday

quote:<HR>Originally posted by Kelvecion:
I might as my mate to bring up his one time and do a bit of a comparison. Third dimensionality...I like the sound of that. I wouldn't want to be deprived. Oh dear - what to do!<HR>

This is what I did with my buddy. I could not believe the difference in sound! My TV room is not that big, so I can get away with a 10" sub quite nicely. The Sub fund jar has been started, heh



------------------
Later,
Adam
eye of the beholder. Worst movie ever

4KRG

Kelvecion

A sub is as important as ANY ohter speaker in the 5.1 setup! Get one, you won't regret it.

Kelvecion

Hey, my improvement sense is tingling. I have resisted, but I don't want to lose out. You guys obviously know your stuff. I wonder though, the difference of which you speak, is it an in-yer-face Christ-that-sounds-darn better difference, or is it more of an indefinable difference?

I guess I still may try before I buy. The Sound and Vision shop in my town sometimes lets you take-home-and-try their stuff - for a security deposit, of course.

Eeeeee, ya really got me going, now. Don't be telling my girlfriend, though. She still thinks my £800 fronts were £189 in a closing down sale.

Cheers - Stephen

wrath

Depends on how good a sub you get. If you get a decent to good sub with flat extension down to 30 - 32 Hz, then yes, it is a big difference. If you get a cheap sub that only plays flat down to 40 - 50 Hz then it is an improvement but not near as big. So really it depends on how much you can spend on a sub. If you can spend $500 US then you will be in for a treat as a sub in this price range will relocate your house. Of course you have to do some shopping to find a good one. The best $500 US sub on the market right now is the HSU VTF-2 that plays flat down to 25Hz with only a -4dB drop off down to 20Hz. This sub is amazing and easily rivals many of the $1500 subs on the market. If you are able to get this sub then, Hell yes you will notice a huge diff. Not only "in your face" sound but "in your chest and gut" sound as well.
So to answer your question, does a sub make a big diff with "in your face" sound. Depends on the sub.

wrath

John Sy

I definitely think the difference is an "in-your-face" difference. It's not even a subtle difference like what some people say is the difference between DTS and Dolby Digital. The difference jumps out and literally smacks on you on the head.

Believe you me because I was once sub-less myself and didn't know the difference.

My advice, Kelvecion, is go easy and save the money needed to get a good sub. You won't regret it.

Kelvecion

Thanks for the advice, fellas. When I eventually get a sub (I don't think there is a great deal of doubt left in me) I will certainly save and shell for a decent speaker. Only problem afterwards is.....perhaps a better amp?

This year, my system improvement will be a sub-woofer. Cool. I'm getting those anticipatory goose-bumps right now. It should be like watching all of my movies again for the first time. Oooo!

notjafo

I listen more to music than video and the big difference I notice with a sub is the amount of additional definition you can get in the low range.

I've heard the Hsu and it is impressive, and massive.

I have the PSB Alpha A/Vs with SubSonic 5 (10 inch, 65W)

matchpenalty

Kelvecion,

Some good advice and comments above. A sub makes a BIG difference. It really does add a dimension to HT. The comments about getting a good sub too are very important. Get one that matches well with your speakers too. It is great if you can demo a unit.

DVDAnimation

A powered subwoofer is a necessity for hometheater to experience the feel of all the action on your screen TV. For example, when 2 car crash head on at a high velocity speed, they will creat a boom and crunchy sound during impact. At the sametimes, if you are near the impact, you will feel the low waves of rumbling under your feet. This is where your powered subwoofer coming to play, it try to reproduce that low wave frequency to give you that rumbling feel under your feet.
Here's a tip in choosing your powered subwoofer. The powered subwoofer for hometheater is not there for you to hear the booming sounds, your front speakers are there to handle that. The powered subwoofer is there to reproduce those low frequency waves length that give you the feel of the earth is moving under your feet. So, when choosing your subwoofer, don't try to listen to the boom+boom+boom sounds that the sub can make. But, feel the vibration that a sub can generate, the more vibration the sub can produce the better the sub is for your hometheater. And another thing to put it in consideration, if you have a small room, you really don't need to spend stella of money for a 400-500watts powered-sub. Most likely, you won't be turning that thing on full power in a small room, so all that extra wattages is just going to waste.
Hope this helps.

Shazam

Having my JBL PSW-D110 subwoofer in the shop (it got blown up real good in a lightning storm), I really really miss it. It adds an extra "oomph" to everything. I rented Sleepy Hollow over the weekend and I was missing the feel of the pounding horse hooves that I would have surely felt with my subwoofer...

Anyhow, as I and countless others have stated, with normal 2-4 way speakers with no built-in subwoofer, you are missing A LOT of the experience, even with regular stereo music. There is NO WAY they can do 20-20000hz flat, or even 30-20000hz flat. You may think you're hearing deep bass, but it's probably only about > 80 hz you're hearing.

Kelvecion

Thanks guys, you've been more than helpful. There seems to be a lot more to a sub than I ever thought. Can't wait to start looking.

Still got to keep this quiet from my girlfriend, though.

Thanks - Stephen