Subwoofer worth it?

[tikker]

So holiday bonus came in and there's a nice deal on a Dali Sub E-12F right now (€529 vs usual €679). Currently I have a 5.0.2 setup consisting of Dali Zensor 5 (F/L), Dali Spektor Vokal (C), Dali Spektor 2 (SL/SR) and Dali Alteco C-1 (FDL/FDR). The room is ~3 m x 4 m with the front being at the short end.

 

The E-12F does 29-190 Hz, but according to their specsheet the Zensor 5 go down to 43 Hz. They're definitely not devoid of bass, however given their range they likely aren't optimised for it either. It's kinda the only thing missing to obtain the full 5.1.2, but it'll be in the corner of the room (I know, don't really have another spot). Will I notice a substantial improvement by getting the sub? It's a nice deal, but still a bit of money.

[ant666_2]

In a word yes.

 

I find a sub gives life to audio.

[BuzzingBee]

Yes!

Subs are made for deeper, louder and cleaner bass.

 

Corner placement has an advantage for more output from boundary gain, but frequency response may be more uneven.

[Mark Kaine]

If you like electro/EDM = YES

But its also really good for games and stuff like rock/pop of course

[badreg]

I don't know the market in Europe, but I would guess that you can get way more price for performance than €500 for a 12" ported sub. Have you considered other brands?

 

Also, in a room that small, I would opt for a sealed sub. Put a 12" or 15" in the corner, and you will get extension down to 15Hz or so with the room gain.

[tikker]

9 hours ago, BuzzingBee said:

Corner placement has an advantage for more output from boundary gain, but frequency response may be more uneven.

Ah good to know. I always though sub corner placement was one of the seven deadly audio sins.

7 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

If you like electro/EDM = YES

But its also really good for games and stuff like rock/pop of course

It'll mostly be movies.

6 hours ago, badreg said:

I don't know the market in Europe, but I would guess that you can get way more price for performance than €500 for a 12" ported sub. Have you considered other brands?

 

Also, in a room that small, I would opt for a sealed sub. Put a 12" or 15" in the corner, and you will get extension down to 15Hz or so with the room gain.

I don't think a 15" will fit. This one is about perfect size for the spot that's left. I did consider other brands, but most quickly go even higher. I can get an SVS SB1000 Pro for €599, but don't have any experience with SVS personally, but they seem highly praised.

[BuzzingBee]

6 hours ago, tikker said:

Ah good to know. I always though sub corner placement was one of the seven deadly audio sins.

It'll mostly be movies.

I don't think a 15" will fit. This one is about perfect size for the spot that's left. I did consider other brands, but most quickly go even higher. I can get an SVS SB1000 Pro for €599, but don't have any experience with SVS personally, but they seem highly praised.

I currently own SVS SB2000 (non pro) and absolutely loved the subwoofer, thanks to "room gain" my frequency response is flat down to 10hz.

 

Although I have no experience in using their app, the features SVS listed are promising that not only you won't need to access back of sub anymore, it can tune the response further for your liking, and there is 3-band EQ which it can eliminate annoying peaks. This is when corner placement is okay: if there are peaks you can attempt to bump it down with EQ.

 

You should definitely get SVS SB1000 Pro.

[Derkoli]

A subwoofer is absolutely worth it. I cannot live with a system that doesn't have one.

 

I'd look at something from Rythmik or HSU over an SVS subwoofer.

 

The HSU VTF-2 MK5 has better extension, a bit more power and more versatility than the SB1000 Pro.

 

You could also get a Rythmik LV12F, which extends down to 19Hz, and is a Servo subwoofer so it'll have excellent transient response. It also measures really flat, +-2dB 19-300Hz.

[tikker]

25 minutes ago, Derkoli said:

A subwoofer is absolutely worth it. I cannot live with a system that doesn't have one.

 

I'd look at something from Rythmik or HSU over an SVS subwoofer.

 

The HSU VTF-2 MK5 has better extension, a bit more power and more versatility than the SB1000 Pro.

 

You could also get a Rythmik LV12F, which extends down to 19Hz, and is a Servo subwoofer so it'll have excellent transient response. It also measures really flat, +-2dB 19-300Hz.

Sadly neither Rythmik or HSU are available over here.

[Entropy.]

On 5/21/2021 at 10:42 AM, tikker said:

So holiday bonus came in and there's a nice deal on a Dali Sub E-12F right now (€529 vs usual €679). Currently I have a 5.0.2 setup consisting of Dali Zensor 5 (F/L), Dali Spektor Vokal (C), Dali Spektor 2 (SL/SR) and Dali Alteco C-1 (FDL/FDR). The room is ~3 m x 4 m with the front being at the short end.

 

The E-12F does 29-190 Hz, but according to their specsheet the Zensor 5 go down to 43 Hz. They're definitely not devoid of bass, however given their range they likely aren't optimised for it either. It's kinda the only thing missing to obtain the full 5.1.2, but it'll be in the corner of the room (I know, don't really have another spot). Will I notice a substantial improvement by getting the sub? It's a nice deal, but still a bit of money.

You don’t seem to have the largest room in the world. Depending on what you plan on doing with your system, a sub might be a great idea, but by no means is it necessary. Again, depending on what you plan to do, you’ll see a difference. Whether it’s substantial or not will depend on the specifics, especially what volume you listen at. In your shoes, I wouldn’t feel extremely compelled to purchase a sub, but with a little money burning a hole in my wallet, hey, when in Rome. Worthwhile investment? Perhaps. Something to keep in Mind? Absolutely. By no means is adding a sub to a setup like that inadvisable- save for budgetary concerns, or other, more obscure reasons. 

[tikker]

6 hours ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

You don’t seem to have the largest room in the world. Depending on what you plan on doing with your system, a sub might be a great idea, but by no means is it necessary. Again, depending on what you plan to do, you’ll see a difference. Whether it’s substantial or not will depend on the specifics, especially what volume you listen at. In your shoes, I wouldn’t feel extremely compelled to purchase a sub, but with a little money burning a hole in my wallet, hey, when in Rome. Worthwhile investment? Perhaps. Something to keep in Mind? Absolutely. By no means is adding a sub to a setup like that inadvisable- save for budgetary concerns, or other, more obscure reasons. 

Yeah it's a bit more subtle in that it's an L shaped room, so there's more space extending on one side. It's just the 3x4m area that is where the setup is located. It's also definitely decent on bass already. I think it's more of those you don't know what you're missing until it's no longer there things.

 

After these responses it seems I can get a little more bass for my buck going with another brand. It being on sale was a significant factor here, so I think instead I'll save up for a bit longer and then go for either the SVS or one of the other brands @Derkoli mentioned, should I be able to find them here.