[legion1capone]

What do you expect from a Sub in your home theater?


The reason I ask is my A3-300 sub right now just doesn't do it for me during movies. When I turn the gain up on the sub and for music it gives me the sound I desire. But only with music. At lower levels while watching movies I can leave the sub turned up and get what I want out of it to a degree.

I had a listen to the tiny Definative Technology Supercube II. ! Now that gives me the bass I am looking for in a movie.

Is it so much to ask that my sub hit me in the chest and make certain scenes in a movie make me jump and shake walls of my house?

Yes I have it in the optimum position. I have tries just about everything and the A3-300 just doesn't cut it during movies. Maybe for others but not for me. I have a 2.1 channel setup that I use mainly for tv, movies, and music.


Please don't turn this into; you must not have it setup right or anything like that. Lets stay on topic and answer the questions.


Thanks, Kelly

 

[mbyrnes]

How big is your room? Do you have a lot of entrance ways into said room? Your current sub may not have enough output for your room.

 

[jhan1000]



Quote:
Originally Posted by legion1capone /forum/post/18147533


What do you expect from a Sub in your home theater?


The reason I ask is my A3-300 sub right now just doesn't do it for me during movies. When I turn the gain up on the sub and for music it gives me the sound I desire. But only with music. At lower levels while watching movies I can leave the sub turned up and get what I want out of it to a degree.

I had a listen to the tiny Definative Technology Supercube II. ! Now that gives me the bass I am looking for in a movie.

Is it so much to ask that my sub hit me in the chest and make certain scenes in a movie make me jump and shake walls of my house?

Yes I have it in the optimum position. I have tries just about everything and the A3-300 just doesn't cut it during movies. Maybe for others but not for me. I have a 2.1 channel setup that I use mainly for tv, movies, and music.


Please don't turn this into; you must not have it setup right or anything like that. Lets stay on topic and answer the questions.


Thanks, Kelly

As you know, the subwoofer is highly dependent upon placement and the setup / calibration is paramount to getting the most out of your subwoofer.


1) Is the A3-300 in the same spot as the Supercube II? How did you determine optimum position?

2) Did you use a SPL meter to level match your subwoofer with your speakers.

 

[dookie1]



Quote:
Originally Posted by legion1capone /forum/post/18147533


Please don't turn this into; you must not have it setup right or anything like that.

the eD is a very capable sub...at least as good on paper as the DT. what if setup is in fact the problem? will you just wish it away?

 

[legion1capone]

I'm not turning this thread into another you must not have it setup right. It is not putting out the output I want. Answer the original question.

What do you expect from a sub in your home theater?


My room is a rectangular shape about 16' X 21' X 8'.


There are no nooks or openings to other rooms. Just one door at the back of the room and a sliding glass door that is covered by curtains and a bookshelf.

 

[legion1capone]

No I heard the supercube II in the store with an auditioning room just as big as mine. There was to big of a difference between the output of the 2 subs that I am confident that the supercube will be more than adequate as it was in the room I listened to it in.

I did the crawl test to determine the optimum position of my sub. I would have level matched them but my 2 channel preamp does not have the adjustments -12 0 +12 etc, that a surround preamp has. I use the volume knob on the back of the sub to match it with the speakers depending on what I am playing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jhan1000 /forum/post/18147792


As you know, the subwoofer is highly dependent upon placement and the setup / calibration is paramount to getting the most out of your subwoofer.


1) Is the A3-300 in the same spot as the Supercube II? How did you determine optimum position?

2) Did you use a SPL meter to level match your subwoofer with your speakers.

 

[cyberbri]

What do you want? Do you want help and advice with your setup, or do you want to know what other people think a subwoofer should theoretically do or provide as part of a HT system? Because you say you want the latter, but you talk about the former as if you know everything about HT and it couldn't possibly be your setup or the room.



How big is your room? What does the frequency response look like at your listening position (have an REW graph to share?) How many openings does the room have to other areas of the house (the demo room at the dealer was probably sealed or had one door, and you could possibly have door-less openings to large areas of your house)? Where is the sub located in relation to the listening position? How did you determine the "best location" for the sub (never mind - apparently you did the sub crawl - a first step and good for beginners, but it's certainly not definitive)?


I have a $500 sub from HSU that does all of those things you are looking for, and I got there with bass traps, eq, lots of time using REW to set the correct phase and subwoofer distance setting, eq the response flat, and finally setting the correct sub level with my SPL meter. And if you listened to my system, I bet you'd think I have a $2K sub.



If you want to solve your issue, get REW running and take a look at your frequency response. If you're more than +/-4dB under 100Hz (a swing of 8dB total), get a sub eq and eq it flat. If you want more slam, put the sub close to your listening position but be careful about crossover frequency and integration so you don't have localization issues. And you could be having issues with bass in movies because you only have a 2-channel receiver instead of a surround receiver that handles all of the channels. Even with only 2.1 speakers, you'd benefit greatly from a new surround receiver with an advanced auto-eq that will take care of your sub for you.

 

[craig john]

I don't see what the problem is. If the Def Tech Supercube II gives you what you want, sell your A3-300 and buy the Supercube.

Of course, if you get the Supercube home and it still sounds like the ED sub in your room, the problem might just be your room and setup, (in which case... don't come cryin' to us!)

Craig

 

[cyberbri]



Quote:
Originally Posted by craig john /forum/post/18148668


I don't see what the problem is. If the Def Tech Supercube II gives you what you want, sell your A3-300 and buy the Supercube.

Of course, if you get the Supercube home and it still sounds like the ED sub in your room, the problem might just be your room and setup, (in which case... don't come cryin' to us!)

Craig

Very well said.

 

[legion1capone]

I would rather know what other people think a subwoofer should theoretically do or provide as part of a HT system.


I've done setup as best I know how and have another thread that helped with setup a couple weeks ago.

 

[legion1capone]

If setup is the case even with the new sub. Don't worry I won't come cryin lol. I'll spend money on setting up my room "better".

Quote:
Originally Posted by craig john /forum/post/18148668


I don't see what the problem is. If the Def Tech Supercube II gives you what you want, sell your A3-300 and buy the Supercube.

Of course, if you get the Supercube home and it still sounds like the ED sub in your room, the problem might just be your room and setup, (in which case... don't come cryin' to us!)

Craig

 

[cyberbri]



Quote:
Originally Posted by legion1capone /forum/post/18148719


I would rather know what other people think a subwoofer should theoretically do or provide as part of a HT system.


I've done setup as best I know how and have another thread that helped with setup a couple weeks ago.

It should do everything you listed, theoretically, keeping in mind the limitations of your equipment based on the price.


You did the sub crawl, put the subwoofer there, and adjusted the gain to set the level (did you measure with a meter)?


If the issue is your room, the acoustics, the placement relative to the listening position, than any sub you put in that same location would theoretically have the same sound-related issues regardless of how much you spend.


So I suggest you do some more reading, try some other placements for the sub, and get a receiver that has an advanced eq that covers the subwoofer as well. If you want to take it a step further, get an SPL meter and the free Room EQ Wizard software to take frequency response sweeps to literally find the location with the smoothest response. You could have a big "null" at say 55Hz that sucks the life out of mid-bass in music and movies and not even know it. But moving your couch away from the wall, or subwoofer down the wall 3 feet, might totally fix that.

 

[cyberbri]



Quote:
Originally Posted by legion1capone /forum/post/18148736


If setup is the case even with the new sub. Don't worry I won't come cryin lol. I'll spend money on setting up my room "better".

That's the point -- find out what's wrong before you spend more money on more equipment. Get an SPL meter and REW. Find out what you're missing. You could find a different location for your sub and couch that makes your current sub sound like a whole new beast, and do it without spending any money (except for getting a proper meter and cables to run REW).

 

[dookie1]



Quote:
Originally Posted by legion1capone /forum/post/18148520

What do you expect from a sub in your home theater?

i expect it to be located appropriately, crossed over appropriately, and eq-ed appropriately. at which point it will blend seamlessly with the other speakers and deliver even response across the frequency spectrum it is being asked to reproduce.


but that's just me...

 

[floridapoolboy]

HT sub performance is an area that requires constant tweaking and/or upgrading in order to remain satisfied. I now have a pair of LFM-1EX subs up front, a pair of sealed subs behind my seats acting as MBMs, and bass shakers under the seats. It never ends, just look at some of the setups here, like MKtheaters for one!

 

[Splicer010]



Quote:
HT sub performance is an area that requires constant tweaking and/or upgrading in order to remain satisfied.

I can't say I agree with this. My DIY sub has been properly located, setup and not touched since and it sounds marvelous.

No constant tweaking and/or upgrading needed.

 

[floridapoolboy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Splicer010 /forum/post/18148957


I can't say I agree with this. My DIY sub has been properly located, setup and not touched since and it sounds marvelous.

No constant tweaking and/or upgrading needed.

So you're saying your present sub is the first one you ever owned, and you've never had to tweak the room or had urge to upgrade? You are unique among all on this forum!

 

[Toe]



Quote:
Originally Posted by floridapoolboy /forum/post/18148880


HT sub performance is an area that requires constant tweaking and/or upgrading in order to remain satisfied. I now have a pair of LFM-1EX subs up front, a pair of sealed subs behind my seats acting as MBMs, and bass shakers under the seats. It never ends, just look at some of the setups here, like MKtheaters for one!

I am in this boat as well. It truly is a drug. I am only satisfied for so long and then I need something stronger/better to get that fix, lol

. Every time I change or upgrade, I am happy, but it only lasts for so long until I feel the need to go to the "next level". It is never ending, but that is part of the fun when you consider this a hobby which I do

 

[Toe]



Quote:
Originally Posted by floridapoolboy /forum/post/18148990


So you're saying your present sub is the first one you ever owned, and you've never had to tweak the room or had urge to upgrade? You are unique among all on this forum!

I agree, hell even MK has tweaked and changed his setup quite a few times (I think he is doing it again?) and we all know how capable his low end is

I envy splicer010 since he is unique compared to most who frequent this forum.

 

[cyberbri]

The reason he hasn't felt the upgrade bug is because he doesn't visit this forum very often... haha