Quote:
Originally Posted by metaphacts
One doesn't eliminate subs when addressing the best performance possible. Ever. Subs are in no way diminishing returns, especially at the bleeding edge.
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The Se17 has a built in 15" sub. Many European designs are IMO not compatible with subs. If the extremely expensive speaker (the current Aida 2 being an example) has an exaggerated bass natural response in the 25-50 Hz range, it makes it difficult to interface with the sub. In such a case you will need both a HP and LP arrangement. The electronic crossovers I have personally experienced I can hear. So you spend many hundreds of thousands on a super system only to run the signal through what is essentially an equalizer. As you know Wilson has solved the problem rather uniquely by eliminating the need for the HP.
The new Aida 2 IMO would never be compatible with a sub without employing a HP. The Se17 is specifically designed to operate without a sub. However, I totally agree that Wilson has the best solution: design their large speakers like the Alexx or WAMM for
their subs. Large Wilson speakers do not suffer from peaked bass in the 25-50 Hz range, IMO. Therefore, you can
passively employ a Wilson sub (LP only) and achieve a smooth extremely powerful bass down to 10 Hz and even below and no HP. No European super speaker can even match my meager Alexx/Thor combo much less a WAMM dual Subsonic combo. Besides the fact that I love the Wilson house sound, that's why I like Wilson so much. The HP is easy to hear in the Watch Controller. When I began with my Thor I was so utterly convinced that running a HP/LP configuration was superior to LP only I didn't even bother to experiment. Finally, months later on a lark I hooked up my system LP only. The rest is history. But Ivan doesn't care for Wilson. It is very likely the Aida 1 has a smoother less peaked bass response than Aida 2 in the 30-50 Hz range and so works better with a sub.
One of the problems with generic subs is that they must be designed to work with a wide variety of speakers. It is very rare to see a Wilson sub with anything other than Wilson speakers, so much so that in the most recent issue of TAS, they are not even listed among available subs.