Sub-woofer help

Hi,
I want a subwoofer. I have been using quality headphones and my behringer truth monitors for years. I want to add a sub. My logical tells me that I should be able to mix and match subwoofer brands with my monitors, ie I do not need to buy the behringer brand subwoofer.

Please let me know what sub works well. I am not going to spend over $500. I do not have a problem with buying used gear.

I am about to go talk to my local engineer and see his take on this matter hopefully by the time I come back you all will have given me suggestions to consider. I intend to purchase tomorrow.

I went to a fellow MPC users studio and was inspired by the way my Aira TR-8 sounded on his Samson sub

Cheers,
Ian

I have had this for years..since about '99.



Polk Audio PSW100

Driver Complement
Subwoofer
Quantity 1
Diameter 8" (20.32cm)
Type Driver
Electrical
Total Frequency Response 22 - 200 Hz
Upper -3dB Limit 150Hz kHz
Lower -3dB Limit 31 Hz
Inputs Mono or Stereo Line Level RCA Phono Jacks, Stereo Speaker Terminals
Outputs Stereo Speaker Terminals
Amplifier Specs
Amplifier Type 0
Dimensions
Cabinet Dimensions
Height 14 1/8" (35.88cm)
Width 10 7/8" (27.62cm)
Depth 19 5/8" (49.85cm)

Thanks guys,

So the polk goes down to 22Hz. and the KRK 34Hz.

The behringer sub that would compliment my 2031A Truths (8inches 50hz) is called the 2092A subwoofer says it goes to 32hz.

Sadly Clint, the Polks you have do not have the connections I need on the back.

I am now loking at 12 and 10 inch subs.

I want low Hz at a lower cost with XLR or 1/4 connectivity

Guidance
Ian

@ Lamp you are correct sir.
I just got back from the music shop. I did an extensive test of 12inch and 10inch subs. I ended up buying the Presonus Temblor T10 for $300.

I compared it to the JBL 2310, the KRK 12S, KRK 10.

For anyone else who stumbles on this thread let me put it to you like this....

The ones that claim to go super low cost a lot of money. So if you have money to burn go ahead and spend.

To my ears once you are in the 28-32hz range go with the one your ears dig. The presonus claims its frequency response is 20hz - 200Hz.

It has the exact punch in the low end that I was looking for and I tested it with hiphop bass music. The salesman, who I know, had never heard it before. It was on the floor and we just decided to give it a listen I was not in there looking for the Presonus, however it won both of us over.

It is way less expensive than the KRK 10.
The KRK 12s did not sound as good to me as the KRK10

Go figure.

Thanks for your help everyone. Glad I listened to them all first and did not just buy off of an online review.

Guidance,

Ian

Ian Canefire wrote:
Sadly Clint, the Polks you have do not have the connections I need on the back.

Sadly, the Polk was designed for home cinema use.

But a sub is a sub, and this Polk can also shake the building.

Looks like you made a good choice, and I agree with Lamp in that a 12" sub is overkill for the typical home studio scenario. The skill is calibrating your sub to work with your main monitors so that it doesn't overpower the music, and so that you don't need to keep adjusting the LF cutoff point or volume controls...you probably got some instructions with your purchase.

http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/in_t ... subwoofer/

3. Calibrate your sub correctly.

Most musicians and engineers that choose to use a sub just randomly dial in the level. You might get lucky and get it right, but it’s more than likely that your level will be off, causing a number of funny sounding mixes until you finally figure it out. Here’s how to calibrate the sub to your system:

—A) Without the sub connected, send pink noise to your main monitors. At the listening position and while listening to one monitor only, use an SPL meter (just about any will do to get you in the ballpark, even an iPhone app) and adjust the level of monitor until it reads 85 dB.

The SPL meter should be set on C Weight and Slow. Repeat on the other channel and set that so it also reads 85 dB.

—B) Turn the main monitors off. Send pink noise just to the subwoofer. Set the level of the SPL meter so it reads 79 dB. 79 works because there are fewer bands of low frequencies than high (3 for the low and 8 for the high), so this number takes that into account. You might have to tweak the level up or down a dB, but this will get you into the ballpark.

—C) If there’s a polarity switch on the sub, try both positions and see which one has the most bass or sounds the smoothest in the crossover area. That’s the one to select.

If you follow these steps, you’ll find that integrating a subwoofer into your system (if you decide you need one) will be as painless as possible. And by the way, don’t you just love the picture above?

Bobby Owsinski is an author, producer, music industry veteran and technical consultant who has written numerous books covering all aspects of audio recording.

Sorry to hijack the thread, what purpose does a subwoofer serve when mixing?

Is it so that you can hear the lower ends better that monitors can't pick up? The reason I ask is because most systems, cars, phones etc don't have their own sub. So if you're using a sub, what purpose does it serve when most audio devices don't have subs?

@James if you are mixing your music and it sounds fine in all the environments you play in (car, home stereo, club) then you are doing well.

I realized that I was guessing a lot with the low end. I bought some gear that has powerful bass tones (Moog Minitaur, Roland Aira TR-8) and I see that sometimes the bass is too much when played in different systems.

I host an event which has a crowd ranging from 30 to 100 people on a given night. The music sounds better on big speakers and different in other places. So I am learning nuances with EQ.

You'll know when you'll need it.

Guidance
Ian

PS By the way, my studio sounds incredible now.