Need a sub for my home theater?

Question

I have everything in place (finally) for my home theater except for a sub-woofer. I will have 5 Klipsch Synergy SLX speakers for front l/r, center and surround. I have decided on the Onkyo TX SR605 receiver. Do I need to stick with a Klipsch Synergy series sub - the reviews I have read on the 10 and 12 are not great. How important is the quality of the sub to the rest of my system?

Answer 1

The thing that impresses people for home theater is a smooth, powerful sub. I often suggest people buy lower-priced (less accurate) speakers, and spend more on the sub.

Unlike the 5 speakers, the sub does not have to come from the same company or tone-match.

You can buy a cheap sub, but they are like a "boom-car" : powerful but people suspect you are compensating for some physical shortcoming.

Two very good sub companies that sell over the internet are SVS and HSU. I believe they both have re-conditioned and over-stock units for a bit cheaper. I own SVS, but even the owners of SVS have praise for HSU subs.

Used is another way to go or you can buy a subwoofer kit and assemble your own to save money. Kits can be had from parts express.

If you buy used, check around for reviews. There are some real cheap "white-van" systems out there that I later see on Craigslist when people realize they were ripped-off and try to recoup some money.

Answer 2

Hi. Leaving brand names aside for the moment, it is best to know what a subwoofer should and should not do in a surround sound system.I believe two subs are better than one because they are an extension of your two front left and right speakers.This will balance the low bass better.Some people say you can put a sub anywhere.This is incorrect.Placement is important so that the bass blends with the rest of the music.Put the sub. in the back of the room and you will get a boomy sound from the back of the room.To integrate subs properly into a system you must place the sub. at the same end of the room as the main peakers.To make the bass less directional and blend better ,you need to cross it over (or transition to the woofer) at a low frequency and ideally use a pair of subwoofers.(only the very lowest frequencies are not directional).A good pair of subs will add a foundation of bass and solidity to the program.Movies have substantially more bass than most music,so there is a tremendous need for subs regardless of how big your front speakers are.Good subs will cleanly play low bass without boominess or muddying up the midrange.The high amounts of distortion in poor quality subs.add a muddy boom that distorts the sound coming from the rest of the speakers.The best subs blend with big speakers so that when you switch from movies to music,it doesn't sound disjointed.

Subs need to have a very solid and well built cabinet and good quality amplification to run it.All good subs. will have a built in or companion amplifier to power it.Remember,in a subwoofer you are buying an amp. a crossover, a woofer,and a cabinet,so don't expect a lot if it is much under $700.Again,quality is more important than size or specs.

Subs work better in a large room. A complete 20 HZ sound wave is about 56 feet long.Unless your room is half that cycle in one dimension (28 feet) you wont hear the note.That is why the very low bass, sounds more convincing in a Cinema, which is much longer than 56 feet. The problem at home is that standing waves can be generated,between parallel walls which have to be tamed. You should be able to buy any brand sub. if you follow the suggestions i have given you, you will improve your system and get the best results.

EDIT...Hey ! Why the "thumbs down" ? Everything i said makes sense.!!!

Answer 3

What website or magazine are you reading the reviews for the klipsch synergy 10 and 12in. subs? All the reviews ive seen on them have been above average and highly recommended. When it comes to the sub switching brands wont hurt much just like the other answers mentioned but it is best to stick with the same brand name, and i believe the SLX system is sonicaly matched to the Synergy sub 10 and 12, so it is possible you will have a better tonal match with one of the two.

Answer 4

I like SVS best bang for the buck
www.svsound.com

Answer 5

Hsu Research
SVS
Dayton Audio

In that order...