Need good budget subwoofer

chgolatin2 · « **on:** 11 Dec 2009, 10:16 am »

I just purchase a pair of B&W 602's speakers, needles to say that I am not very happy with them and the performance that I usually like is not there. Since they are considered bookshelf speakers I can't ask for much so I need a good subwoofer to enhance the sound quality of it. Any good recommendations? I looked into Partsexpress.com and they have some "Dayton" model really inexspensive but you usually get what you pay for. So I'm going to look into pre own equipment, any good recommendations would be appreciated. I may not last long with these B&W's

djdube525 · « **Reply #1 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 10:44 am »

Do you have a budget?

A couple options:
SVSound PB10-NSD ($449)
Outlaw Audio LFM-1 Compact ($399)
HSU Research STF-2 ($329)

The above prices are from their respective websites as of the morning of 12/11/2009.

Cacophonix · « **Reply #2 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 04:34 pm »

I have used stf-2, and its plenty good for the money. Also you can try the yamaha yst sw315 (~$200) ... it is very very good. Not as tight and fast as my rythmik, but still very good.

yeldarb · « **Reply #3 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 08:36 pm »

If you are speaking of the Dayton Titanic 10" kit, I can recommend it. Fast enough for good audio with decent bass.

srb · « **Reply #4 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 08:46 pm »

Quote from: chgolatin2 on 11 Dec 2009, 10:16 am

I just purchase a pair of B&W 602's speakers, needles to say that I am not very happy with them and the performance that I usually like is not there. Since they are considered bookshelf speakers I can't ask for much so I need a good subwoofer to enhance the sound quality of it. Any good recommendations? I looked into Partsexpress.com and they have some "Dayton" model really inexspensive but you usually get what you pay for. So I'm going to look into pre own equipment, any good recommendations would be appreciated. I may not last long with these B&W's

I had a pair of B&W 602 S3 and I think the biggest shortcoming is the boomy bass response. The midrange and treble is not bad, and I plugged the port with the foam "bung", which is what you would want to do when integrating them with a subwoofer anyway.

Also, even though they are front-ported, they sounded better when moved a little farther out into the room.

Steve

mcullinan · « **Reply #5 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 08:51 pm »

Something like this...
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?homesubw&1264119611&/Velodyne-HGS-10-high-gloss-bla

I have the HGS-12 and love it. Its an older model, but its compact and puts out some serious bass.
M

chadh · « **Reply #6 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 09:06 pm »

When I asked a similar question, DougS suggested the YAMAHA YST SW315, 200w servo-sub, available via eBay for around $205, new:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-YAMAHA-YST-SW315-HOME-THEATER-POWERED-SUBWOOFER-NR_W0QQitemZ200416358863QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSpeakers_Subwoofers?hash=item2ea9bef1cf

Chad

EthanH · « **Reply #7 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 10:15 pm »

I had 602 S2s and thought they sucked. The bass was weak and the midrange into the lower treble was thin and way too forward/edgy. Tubes didn't help. Ran a Paradigm supercube 10" sub and didn't like the result - I got the lower octaves but the overall sound was still too thin and edgy for me. I thought they were just very fatiguing and unnatural sounding speakers.

The reason I mention the above is to say that if you have the S2 version and find your gripes with the speakers to mirror mine, a sub probably won't help. You may just want to cut your losses. I thought the Totem Arros I replaced the 602s with were much more full-bodied and to my taste, even though they don't go much lower than the B&Ws and have somewhat significant dynamic and spl limitations.

And, for what it's worth, a bookshelf speaker does not have to sound as anemic as the 602 S2. There are plenty of monitors out there that are relatively full-bodied and would be enjoyable to many audiophiles without using a subwoofer. I'm sure you could start a separate thread and get plenty of recommendations that would fit your budget.

Charles Calkins · « **Reply #8 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 10:20 pm »

I just bought one of those $99.99 Sony subs. from best buy. That sucker got a lot of BALLS!!!! Can't go wrong with that puppy.

Cheers
Charlie

chgolatin2 · « **Reply #9 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 11:39 pm »

Hmmm, I may have to cut my losses and replace my B&W's I'm not happy with them at all! I wouldn't say that they suck but they kinda do

chgolatin2 · « **Reply #10 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 11:41 pm »

Time to do another research and find out whats out there....

cliffy · « **Reply #11 on:** 12 Dec 2009, 02:12 am »

I have had good luck with an Energy ES-8 sub for many years.

The Energy ES8.3 is the current model.

http://www.wwstereo.com/website/ecommerce/productdetail.aspx?product=S8.3%20MAPLE/SILVER

TRADERXFAN · « **Reply #12 on:** 12 Dec 2009, 03:43 am »

What's your budget?

MaxCast · « **Reply #13 on:** 12 Dec 2009, 03:57 am »

sell them and get a pair of neos and sub from Danny at GR!

srb · « **Reply #14 on:** 12 Dec 2009, 03:22 pm »

Quote from: EthanH on 11 Dec 2009, 10:15 pm

I had 602 S2s and thought they sucked. The bass was weak and the midrange into the lower treble was thin and way too forward/edgy.

I thought the Totem Arros I replaced the 602s with were much more full-bodied and to my taste, even though they don't go much lower than the B&Ws and have somewhat significant dynamic and spl limitations.

It is certainly possible that the B&W 602's are not to the OP's (or other's) taste, but I wanted to address your post with two thoughts:

In direct comparison, the B&W 602 S3 has a fuller midrange and smoother treble than the S2 version.

The B&W 602 is a $600 speaker and the Totem Arro is a $1200 speaker.

But I tend to agree, if the speaker placement is optimized and the room itself is not problematic, then no subwoofer will appreciably change the response and character of the speaker.

Steve

chgolatin2 · « **Reply #15 on:** 12 Dec 2009, 03:36 pm »

I really dont know what these speakers are lacking but I just cant seem to make them sound right... Maybe I'm too used to full range speakers

EthanH · « **Reply #16 on:** 12 Dec 2009, 03:50 pm »

Quote from: srb on 12 Dec 2009, 03:22 pm

It is certainly possible that the B&W 602's are not to the OP's (or other's) taste, but I wanted to address your post with two thoughts:

In direct comparison, the B&W 602 S3 has a fuller midrange and smoother treble than the S2 version.

The B&W 602 is a $600 speaker and the Totem Arro is a $1200 speaker.

But I tend to agree, if the speaker placement is optimized and the room itself is not problematic, then no subwoofer will appreciably change the response and character of the speaker.

Steve

I agree with you on both points. I heard the 601 S3 and thought they were superior to my 602 S2s, and sounded more full-bodied and smooth despite using a smaller woofer (which is why I made sure to indicate that I owned the S2 version). I wouldn't be surprised if the 602 S3 is similarly superior in comparison to the earlier S2 model.

As for the price comparison, yes it's true that the B&W's retail for approximately half the cost of the Totems, but I sold the Arros for only $200 dollars more than what I sold the 602s for. As you stated in your post, if one does not care for the overall character of a speaker (assuming placement and other factors are optimized), adding a sub will probably not lead to long-term enjoyment. I think we'd both agree that in such a situation cutting one's losses and allocating the expense of a subwoofer toward a different loudspeaker would be a wiser move.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #17 on:** 12 Dec 2009, 05:10 pm »

I love my little Gallo TR-1

Acoustic suspension, 8" long throw woofer in a cylindrical (and fairly heavy 30lb) enclosure and 100watt amp makes for tight, impactful bass in small spaces or additional extension to bookshelf speakers in need of it.

New TR-1 on ebay $379.99: http://cgi.ebay.com/Anthony-Gallo-BLACK-TR-1-Subwoofer-TR1-A-Gallo-NEW_W0QQitemZ180439867509QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSpeakers_Subwoofers?hash=item2a030de075

(Used) Big brother TR-2 on Audiogon for $425: http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?homesubw&1265643283&/Gallo-TR-2-subwoofer-Customer-

If you're patient - you can snag a TR-1 for under $200 on Audiogon or ebay sometimes (as I did a couple years back)

No standing waves with a cylinder and the bass is really nice with sealed enclosures. It's not big so it fits in a lot of living spaces, too.

John

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #18 on:** 12 Dec 2009, 06:34 pm »

these Polk Audio Polk Audio PSW10 at $100 are said to be good BFB (bang for buck).
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-10-Inch-Monitor-Subwoofer/dp/B0002KVQBA

I have often found that B&W's don't sound quite right in the bass.

Frankly, I don't think they have too good a handle on bass cabinet design, since bass sound varies so much from model to model, and not in a logical way. In my experience, some of the better sounding models - at least for bass - were the cheapest.

Years ago I got rid of a relatively expensive (for a small speaker and at the time) pair of 805s because the bass was so boomy that I couldn't judge mixes on them.
I bought them because Abbey Road Studios had them, so I thought they had to be good...

rollo · « **Reply #19 on:** 12 Dec 2009, 06:42 pm »

Can you say HSU. qualty sound and reasonable pricing.

charles