Bookshelf Speakers with Low frequency extension

50Hz is about as low as you can reasonably expect from bookshelfs unless they're pretty large, loaded with at least 8 inch woofers.

monitor audio silver rx2 go down fairly low with their 8 inch woofers. http://www.monitoraudio.ca/products/silver-rx/rx2/#/specification they're roughly 800-900 i believe.

Def Tech Sm 55 and Sm 65's will (supposedly) go down to 35Hz or so................ Sm55's are $299 each and Sm 65's $499 each on Amazon, can probably do better at other sites ( Newegg, etc)

Some people like them , some don't................

I hate it when manufacture dont list the db point.

Deftech badly exaggerates the extension on all of their products. If you don't need something beautiful looking, there are some pretty beefy studio monitors that really do have good extension. One to look at is the JBL LSR2328, that is a pretty heavy duty active monitor. Up your budget a bit more and check out the Mackie HR824 mk2, it has a large 8.75" woofer with a 150 watt LF amp and claims to have a response of 37Hz-20kHz (+/- 1.5 dB). That is terrific extension. The KRK VXT-8 also has a claimed Frequency response of 40Hz-22kHz (+/-1.5dB). I don't know the tolerances for the KRK Rokit 10-3, but with that 10" woofer and KRKs claim of a 30 hz extension, that is going to have some serious bass, no doubt. It is a big speaker though, but not a tower speaker, and it also hits your budget at $1k shipped almost exactly.

The SM 55 is -3 db at 44 hz

The SM 65 is around 43 hz

The Sierra-1s have very good bass for book shelf speakers. I would highly recommend them.

If you don't mind building a kit, for near field speakers DIY sound group has the nano neo's that get down to 40 hz in a .32 cu ft cab and there is the hit makers that get down to 42hz in a .5 cu ft cab. Both speakers can be built for less tha 200 bucks and that includes pre cut cabs. They both sound extremely nice and will fit on a desk easily no sub needed.

The Arx A1b bookshelf is a great bookshelf with deep extension. Frequency Response: 52Hz-22kHz +/- 3dB Its a 5.25" woofer but with the XBL2/Splitgap drivers with huge excursion its has better bass than some 6.5" woofers in its price class and even higher. http://www.theaudioinsider.com/manufacturers.php?mPath=13



This is the 1w/1m on axis response of the Arx A1b taken perpendicular to the vertical middle of the baffle. Major vertical divisions are ten Decibels apart and minor divisions are 3.33dB apart. The A1b's response is therefore +/- less than 2dB from the low forties to beyond 20kHz.

Look into the Salk WOW1 - great little speakers with an F3 of 42 Hz

But priced at $1200.

Amazing speakers...going low!
http://www.sjofnhifi.com/servlet/Categories?category=%28the+clue%29+loudpseakers

Agreed. People need to understand that the ear loses sensitivity rapidly below even as high as 1 KHz.



The threshold of hearing at 50 Hz is 40 dB which is the about the same as the noise level in a typical residential room.

In reality, clean SPLs on the order of 100 dB in the bass range are required for satisfying bass.

Now, lets take Salk WOW1 with its 4 1/2 inch woofer that has an Xmax of only 6 mm.

http://www.seas.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=85

Freq,Hz Max SPL, DB

10 58
20 70
30 77
40 82
50 86
60 89
70 92
80 94
90 97
100 98
110 100
120 102
130 103
140 104
150 105
160 107
170 108


At 40 Hz this speaker is capable of only a clean 82 dB SPL which is only about 35 dB above the threshold of hearing! Not much of a bass experience.
Edited by arnyk - 2/1/13 at 7:21am

With claims that push on the edges of perception and the laws of physics.

With a 5.5 inch woofer, presumed to have SOTA linear travel:

Freq,Hz Max SPL, DB

10 66
20 78
30 85
40 90
50 94
60 97
70 100
80 102
90 104
100 106
110 108
120 109
130 111
140 112
150 113
160 114
170 115


At 28 Hz it is linear up to only about 85 dB SPL which is only about 20 dB above the threshold of hearing at that frequency. Again, the use of a proper subwoofer is highly recommended!

At the bass end, the dB figure that really matters is the SPL, not the response tolerance.

Definitely look into Klipsch Reference RB-81 ii. They extend very low.