It has been quite a while since I last visited this site. Back in 2007 I bought a pair of PMC LB1 Signatures and the following year added the PMC TLE1 sub after soliciting some feedback over here. The LB1 Sigs were sold sometime in 2009 but the TLE1 sub was kept in the system until today.
The TLE1 sub is currently in use with some Harbeth speakers. Just three months ago I moved my system from a small dedicated room to a large living area. In the significantly larger space, bass presence, punch and dynamics aren't that great. Playing some U2's Achtung Baby the bass seems to be lightweight and lacking in punch and dynamics even though the sub is already in place.
The variable roll off frequency on the sub is usually set at around 50Hz. At this setting, the sub still managed to provide a subtle improvement to the main speakers, though I have to admit the difference is quite insignificant as the system is located in a large living space. I rarely run the sub full-range / bypass the TLE1's low pass filter. Since I can't seem to get the kick of adrenaline when listening to Ultraviolet yesterday night(which happens to be my favourite track on Achtung Baby), I disabled the roll-off switch of the TLE1 thus disabling the low pass filter and associated roll-off control of the sub. In one word - marvelous.
Although this is not the ideal way of listening to music with the huge frequency overlap, music sounded so much better when the TLE1 is running full-range. I can feel the bass presence, punch and dynamics in music. To top that off, Bono's voice seems to have more presence and solidity as well, more meat on the bones so to speak.
I am seeking advice and recommendation here on the proper way of getting all this right. Will a pair of TLE1 produce much better results than running one TLE1? I prefer not to roll off my Harbeth speakers below a certain frequency and run them full range but would consider doing that if necessary. If running the Harbeth full-range, will a pair of TLE1 subs produce a much significant difference or impact than a single TLE1? Is it advisable to disable the roll-off switch of the TLE1 in this configuration, overlapping the mains over a
reasonable frequency say up to 50Hz to obtain a tangible improvement in the bass?
Although the Harbeth SHL5s are considerably large speakers with an 8" woofer, the living space is just too much of a task for them to fill. In that sense, I suppose a slight frequency overlap may not cause too many problems?
I may be inclined to add another TLE1 and run a pair of TLE1s, but I am not too keen in adding an outboard crossover to the system such as the Bryston 10B. I will need to figure out how to wire up two TLE1 subs to the system if I intend to go this route though since I do not have anymore inputs for another additional subwoofer.
Any advice would be most appreciated.
ps. I think James Tanner has a pair of TLE1 subs.
