Mis-matched subs

[Randy Myers]

Seeking opinions. I have a small REL sub hooked up in my 2-channel system. I just want to get a little extra bass help. I am not a bass head, and certainly have no desire for any kind of boom at all. I look for clean clear sound, tight bass if you will. In the old days I was never a fan of sub-woofers because I felt they always added more boom then clarity.

Anyway the little REL is tight and adds a little bass, however I also have a Klipsch sub in my storage room. It is from the Home Theater system hooked to the TV. I have no place that it fits or works with the built in wall unit housing the surround system. I am also not a huge surround buff and am just as happy with 2-channel for the TV.

The Klipsch has about the same amount of power as the REL, a slightly larger driver (not much) and a bigger box. So my question is this, in your opinion would I be better to use just the REL or would it be worth hooking the un-matched subs up in my system, the REL on one side and the Klipsch on the other? Keep in mind the MC speakers do a pretty decent job on their own so the sub is just to add a little low end fill.

I know the immediate answer is going to be to purchase a higher end sub, but that is just not possible right now. So what do you think about using mis-matched sub-woofers.

[jdandy]

Randy.......Having been an observer to the inauguration of your two channel system and watched and read about it's expansion and changes I think it is accurate to say you will ultimately be unhappy with a mismatched subwoofer arrangement. Again, my observations have lead me to believe you tend to be detail oriented. This leads me to believe the mismatch will eventually bug you, perhaps not from a performance standpoint as much as from an aesthetic one.

My second thought about your post is not all subwoofers are boomy, nor do you have to be a bass-head to appreciate a properly integrated bottom octave in your system. As clean as the Music Culture RL21's sound, the 6.5" midrange/woofer does not reach the frequency depths a good subwoofer does in stride. Even though the RL21's midrange woofer's claimed range is 29Hz, it is substantially rolled off at that point. What's even more important is the inter-modulation distortion generated in the midrange as the driver attempts to reproduce the lowest frequency range that exceeds its capabilities.

I had a similar experience with the Sonus faber Guarneri Memento speakers that I had in my studio system. On their own they sounded very good, even down into the mid 45Hz territory where they began to roll off quickly below that range. When I added a pair of powered McIntosh XLS112 subwoofers and a Bryston 10B active crossover the performance difference was night and day. By allowing the Bryston crosover to route everything below 70Hz to the subwoofers, thus relieving the Guarneri Memento's of having to deal with the lowest octave, the midrange performance and dynamic range of the GM's improved substantially, with the added benefit of now having a full range performance that included rich deep bass. The advantage of this arrangement proved to be a genuine step up in the system's sound across the board. You can read more about my experience here: Bryston 10B Active Crossover In Studio System

I said that to make this suggestion. JL Audio has recently introduce a new E-Series of subwoofers. They are reasonably priced and remarkably sophisticated in the different ways they can be incorporated into a system. I have a friend who uses a single JL Audio E112 subwoofer with two way JBL speakers. The E112 allows the low frequency crossover point to send only the frequency range above that point to the power amplifier driving the speakers. In other words, no external crossover is necessary to keep the low frequencies at the subwoofer and everything above the crossover point routed to the left and right channel speakers. This capability can be used with a single subwoofer or a stereo pair. This arrangement would be perfect for your system. The improved midrange performance of the RL20's will astonish you, not to mention the additional dynamic range available from your power amplifier because it no longer has to reproduce the lowest octave, and the E112 subwoofer will reproduce the lowest octave with the clarity and speed you seek.

Yes, I heard you when you said you didn't want to consider a new purchase. I'm just planting a seed for you to think about. The E-Series JL Audio subwoofers are reasonably priced and are serious performers, and that includes their E110, too.

[Randy Myers]

Thanks Dan... worth considering when I get to the point of considering a new sub-woofer!

[chessman]

Randy,

Trying the second sub is free and might work, but my bet is that it will sound disappointing. Each additional driver creates a time domain problem, unless you have freedom of placement or an active crossover. Mismatched drivers makes that worse. Dan's suggestion of a more capable single sub with a built-in active crossover is an elegant solution to the problem.

[Randy Myers]

Yea, I tried the Klipsch but was not pleased with the results. It was far too muddy and boomy for my liking. The little REL, although it will not produce knock your socks off bass, does add some nice tight bottom end enhancements. I decided that for now the REL is better on it's own then adding the Klipsch in with it.

[Venere]

Randy - see my comments in the thread about two subs. I was in your situation with a mainly music oriented two channel system. I added a REL T7i sub and loved it. Then I added a second one and loved it even more. My suggestion would be to buy a second matching REL from a retailer that will allow you to return it if you arent happy. My guess is you will be quite pleased wiith the results.

[US Blues]

Randy- I have a weird idea, but it may work. Rather than setting the subs up in a left and right stereo configuration, why not run them each in mono, with an asymmetrical placement. This way you eliminate the L/R mismatch, but get the additional bass that the second sub can provide in your system.

Of course, you'll have to do a lot of listening and experimenting to get it to sound good, and you'll learn a lot about room acoustics, speaker/sub placement, and sound reproduction in the process.

PS- I told you it was a weird idea.