Would a subwoofer be worth it for me?

guitaristic

guitaristic

prophet of Dave
I'm currently using the KRK 6's and am wondering if it would be a good step to purchase a subwoofer. My room doesn't have real bass traps yet (going to build some rockwool ones later this summer) so that's a problem, but since I'm only using 6's I should go with a sub anyways right?

Also, how exactly is a sub positioned in the listening field and also set for volume? Do I just throw it down near my feet on the floor somewhere? Do I just mess with volume until it "sounds good" (which probably will be terrible in reality due to my bad ears :D)?

Any recommendations for a sub? The only one I am familiar with is the KRK 10. LINK Would that be a good choice? More importantly, would it be worth the $300-$400 I'd be shelling out for it? :eek:
 
Yeah definitely..personally i believe that Kenwood and Philips are just the best when it comes to the sound quality...even Bose is also good but they are priced way too high..and yeah spending the amount of money you mentioned out here justifies the qaulity..so i think you should go for it.
 
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I've had pretty good luck with this:

M-Audio SBX10 | Sweetwater.com

But- this might match as well to your mains:

KRK KRK10S | Sweetwater.com

Yeah, you can mount it on a stand or mopads right between the mains, but the wave lengths are so long that you could put it almost anywhere, including the floor. It'll take you a while to get the settings right, but it's not that hard. Start with the crossover set for 120-180 Hz, then adjust the crossover and the sub's volume until it sounds right with some music you know well. Then check that mix on your home stereo, a cheap boombox, in your car, and with headphones. When you get a setting that sounds right on all of those, just leave it there. I used the M-Audio unit for a long time until my cats destroyed my monitors chasing a mouse (it's a good thing for them I love them). Then I went to 8" drivers, and I don't really need a sub anymore. A good sub will definitely help with mains with small drivers.
 
Unless you are doing Hip-Hop/Dubstep....and you just gotta hear that huge low end thumping away....I wouldn't bother.
Most home studios already have issues with low-end build up and not enough bass trapping in smaller rooms.....so have a sub will just compound that, and I'm not really sure what the benefit is.....for critical *monitoring*.
If you feel you monitors aren't giving you accurate low-end respresentation....I would get better/bigger monitors rather than add a sub.

For entertainment listening ....go for it. :)
 
You don't really mention whether or not your mixes have bass problems on other playback systems. If it's a case where your bass is too far off you could try a sub. If the bass is not too off and if you haven't had your monitors too long it could just be a case where you haven't worked with them long enough to know how they reference the bottom end. I do think that most 6" monitors will lack enough bass to give you some mixing problems from time to time but there are many variables and a sub is only one of them.........as you seem to understand.
 
I mostly agree with Miroslav. I used to use a set of M-Audio SP5B's which were the predecessor to the BX5's and BX5a's. Their bass port was in *the back*, which is fairly unusual. According to the M-Audio rep, they were designed intentionally to work with a sub. They were perfectly good speakers, except they really didn't do lower frequencies. Adding the sub made a world of difference in my small room. But- unless you are a guy who's ride is tricked out to bounce up and down, turn the sub down. As long as you are realistic about the amount of bass your room can handle without becoming an echo chamber, you'll be fine. In my case, I traded the ruined remains of my cat-smashed monitors to Guitar Center and bought a pair of BX-8a's, and they are fine. (I was shocked that they gave me a good trade in value on a set of seriously trashed monitors. Some manager must've been high that day.) Of course, they won't do that window-shattering thumping bass thing. They won't let you, which in my mind, is mostly a good thing. Look Ma, no crossover! Whether you add a sub or just get monitors with bigger drivers should depend on what shape your current monitors are in, how much you can quickly sell or trade them for, and what a new set of mains would cost, compared to a sub. The big one- how much do you like your current mains? If you are used to them, and you can mix with them, a sub will let you keep most of the sound you currently have, and are used to.. Either system works fine, when properly used. If you don't have a sub, I generally recommend 8" or larger mains. Good luck.
 
I do neither Hip Hop nor Dubstep (I'm not even what the latter is :)), nor anything remotely close. However, I find a subwoofer makes a critical difference for mastering with my KRK 8s. I use a subwoofer that used to be part of my home theater setup. I set up the levels for the subwoofer using a combination of a sound pressure meter (nothing fancy -- I got it from Radio Shack 30 years ago) and a KRK Ergo. Believe me, the difference between mixing with and without the subwoofer is profound.
 
Mickster said:
You don't really mention whether or not your mixes have bass problems on other playback systems. If it's a case where your bass is too far off you could try a sub. If the bass is not too off and if you haven't had your monitors too long it could just be a case where you haven't worked with them long enough to know how they reference the bottom end. I do think that most 6" monitors will lack enough bass to give you some mixing problems from time to time but there are many variables and a sub is only one of them.........as you seem to understand.
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Well all I've ever really recorded is simple singer-songwriter stuff with an acoustic (none of which shall ever see the light of day lol :D) so I've never really had much bass to worry about.

Richard Monroe said:
I mostly agree with Miroslav. I used to use a set of M-Audio SP5B's which were the predecessor to the BX5's and BX5a's. Their bass port was in *the back*, which is fairly unusual. According to the M-Audio rep, they were designed intentionally to work with a sub. They were perfectly good speakers, except they really didn't do lower frequencies. Adding the sub made a world of difference in my small room. But- unless you are a guy who's ride is tricked out to bounce up and down, turn the sub down. As long as you are realistic about the amount of bass your room can handle without becoming an echo chamber, you'll be fine. In my case, I traded the ruined remains of my cat-smashed monitors to Guitar Center and bought a pair of BX-8a's, and they are fine. (I was shocked that they gave me a good trade in value on a set of seriously trashed monitors. Some manager must've been high that day.) Of course, they won't do that window-shattering thumping bass thing. They won't let you, which in my mind, is mostly a good thing. Look Ma, no crossover! Whether you add a sub or just get monitors with bigger drivers should depend on what shape your current monitors are in, how much you can quickly sell or trade them for, and what a new set of mains would cost, compared to a sub. The big one- how much do you like your current mains? If you are used to them, and you can mix with them, a sub will let you keep most of the sound you currently have, and are used to.. Either system works fine, when properly used. If you don't have a sub, I generally recommend 8" or larger mains. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I currently use KRK 6's, and they're ok I guess. I've been thinking about upgrading to something nicer since I'll have the cash for that soon. One buzzes occasionally in the cone but usually I press on it gently and it goes away so that might be a resale problem :)
JMN said:
I don't like sub in little room. It just me I guess.
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My room is small I guess, as far as most rooms go. It's like 12'x15' I'd estimate
 
So in my search for a sub, is it important on which brand I choose? The studio brand ones are just so darn expensive! Even KRK is like $400, but I could get one from Polk audio for $100-$150. Does it matter that much? I mean, a sub is a sub right?
 
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