Subwoofer for B&W CM5 Bookshelf Speakers

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post #1 of 6

9/14/12 at 12:46pm

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3 Posts. Joined 9/2012
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I recently bought a pair of Bowers and Wilkins CM5 bookshelf speakers. I'm planning on pairing them with the Outlaw Audio rr2150 stereo amplifier.

What subwoofer would complement this system well?
Do I need an active or passive subwoofer?
Which has better sound quality: active or passive?

price range: $300-$500
listening area: 12ft x 14 ft with 10 foot ceilings
music that I listen to: alternative rock, progressive house, electro, and classical

Really, for the subwoofer, I'm looking for something that does have some kick to it but is still very tight and clean.

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post #2 of 6

9/14/12 at 1:48pm

244 Posts. Joined 3/2011
Location: Bangalore, India
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you are looking for rythmik
a little over your budget though and currently out of stock...until mostly end of year

post #3 of 6

9/15/12 at 10:19am

3,027 Posts. Joined 5/2003
Location: Midwest
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Quote:

Originally Posted by grahamludwinski

I recently bought a pair of Bowers and Wilkins CM5 bookshelf speakers. I'm planning on pairing them with the Outlaw Audio rr2150 stereo amplifier.
What subwoofer would complement this system well?
Do I need an active or passive subwoofer?
Which has better sound quality: active or passive?
price range: $300-$500
listening area: 12ft x 14 ft with 10 foot ceilings
music that I listen to: alternative rock, progressive house, electro, and classical
Really, for the subwoofer, I'm looking for something that does have some kick to it but is still very tight and clean.

You mean the srereo receiver RR2150. Make sure it has bass management that meets your needs. Many stereo receives do have a sub output but they output full range in which case that is not the best for you. For your case, you are better off with a AVR that has bass management so that you dont play your speakers as "full range" and let the receiver do the bass management.

RR2150 does say it has selectable analog bass management but read the manual before you make the decision. For the price of the RR2150, you could get a mid range Audio/Video receiver by Denon or Onkyo that will give you bass management, more features like room correction and the sound quality would still be decent. Make sure the AVR you buy has pre-outs so that you can add an amp later if you want.

For $300-500, if you want clean, tight bass, you have limited options. You would want a powered sub. Not many options come to my mind that can give you clean tight bass in that range. HSU STF-2, Klipsch RW-12D are some with good value for the money but nothing extraordinary. There are many low end subs in the $300-350 range, but again nothing exceptional. Epik Legend at $499 may fit your bill but I am hesitant to recommend as Epik subs seem to have amp issues.

post #4 of 6

9/27/12 at 9:59am

31 Posts. Joined 6/2012
Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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You may want to hunt around for a lightly used Velodyne 10" MiniVee. It's a $900 sub which you can find for ~$500-$600. I am very happy with it next to my CM9s. It will more than fill your room, looks good and sounds great.

post #5 of 6

9/27/12 at 10:29am

7,822 Posts. Joined 3/2009
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
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The RR2150 has crossover settings on the back. It'll be fine for bass management.

You describe a "listening area." If this is a sealed room that size, then a 10" sub sealed sub from Emotiva or NHT would be a good bet for music listening. For some reason, I couldn't find the X-Ref 10 listed on Emotivas website at the moment (here's a review), so check out the NHT B-10d.

However, a 10" sealed sub probably wouldn't work very well if your listening area is part of a much longer room.

post #6 of 6

2/9/13 at 4:59pm