How Critical Is a Good Sub in a Surround Sound Setup?

[dmw16]

Ok, so I've been buying a surround sound system piece by piece and I am down to just needing a sub. I have an old one (8" or 10" 100W powered) that came in a HTIB setup. Should I use that for now or spend another ~$200 for a decent sub?

 

[Amused]

Pretty important. I wouldn't skimp too much.

If you can afford a better one, buy it. If you can't, don't. It's not important enough to bust one's budget over.

 

[michaels]

ugghh yes, you should buy a new sub. I picked up a paradigm PW2200 sub and it is a beast.

 

[dmw16]

Originally posted by: michaels
ugghh yes, you should buy a new sub. I picked up a paradigm PW2200 sub and it is a beast.

Cant afford an $800 sub

I was thinking of a JBL 12" 250W

 

[SithSolo1]

Umm its the .1 in any system. Its so important it gets a number AND a punctuation mark. :Q

 

[waggy]

ok so not having a sub would suck? heh mine blew out a few years ago. just have yet to buy another.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: dmw16

Originally posted by: michaels
ugghh yes, you should buy a new sub. I picked up a paradigm PW2200 sub and it is a beast.

Cant afford an $800 sub

I was thinking of a JBL 12" 250W

Get the best you can reasonably afford.

Trust me, this is nothing to break the budget or worse, go into debt for.

If you really want a nice one (a good sub is a very important part of a surround system), buy an OK one now, and start saving for a better one.

 

[Shawn]

the nicer the speakers the less important the sub becomes.

 

[brunswickite]

I purchased a Paradigm PDR-10, but i have not set it up yet waiting on the electrician to wire the room.

 

[darkswordsman17]

It can be pretty important. It really does add ambience and the nice boom. If you watch a lot of horror movies and action flicks it would make a big differene. If you mostly watch romantic comedies or things like that, it won't make too much difference.

I would recommend the Dayton Audio 12" 150W from PartsExpress. I have the 10" one and its nice for the price. The 12" would give you some added oomph.

There is another company, I want to say Velodyne, but I know its not them, that makes an 8" sub for about $200 thats supposed to be a smaller version of their popular 10" that sells for about twice that.

 

[michaels]

Mine was 200 bucks at a pawnshop, still had the plastic on it.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: michaels
Mine was 200 bucks at a pawnshop, still had the plastic on it.

Sweet deal!

 

[Eos]

Sunfire FTW.

 

[Nohr]

Dayton or Athena subs are good <$200 options.
The Bic Acoustech H100 is a nice choice if you can up your budget a bit more.
The AV123 x-sub is supposed to be great for the $200 price tag, however it's out of stock for a while.

 

[Paulson]

It's very crucial, simply because it's the only thing that will be putting out bass. Your other speakers will not help you at all with that task.

Subs if used appropriate make music/movies/anything you can hear soooooooo much better because they add the bottom to everything.

 

[michaels]

My Paradigm Monitor fornt speakers put out some bass.

 

[NEWKILLA]

DUAL PARADIGN--really is over kill but i have a pretty big room

with a lot couches and chairs, i started with one 10" up front

then when i got the second i spent 2 weeks trying to get the right placement

i can t emphasize how important placement is, i guess it depends how nuts

you want to get,

bottom line get what you can afford and have fun with it

Killlllaaaa

 

[dmw16]

Thanks for the info everyone. If I see a good deal then maybe I'll take it - I guess I can always try my existing sub and see how it works.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Originally posted by: waggy
ok so not having a sub would suck? heh mine blew out a few years ago. just have yet to buy another.

Most definitely. That's the reason I <3 my 2x Promedia 2.1s

 

[yhelothar]

It depends on the speakers.
You may or may not need a sub, despite what people here are telling you.
If you have small sattelites, then yes, you will need a sub.
If you have huge monitor or floorstander speakers with 8" woofers, then you could probably do without a sub.
Depends on what you're playing out of the speakers too, and your personal preferences.
If you like the sound of explosions to rumble and shake your house, then yes, a sub would be a great addition.
Additionally, if the system is going to be a pure home theater setup for movies, then the quality of the bass isn't that important, as opposed to if it was a musical setup, thus your old HTIB subwoofer may be adequate.

Anyways, for roughly $200, there are some decent subs out there.
$130 you can get the 12" Dayton sub at partsexpress.com
$160, there is the Velodyne VX10
And if you want something really nice, $200 will get you the Mirage Omni S8

 

[Howard]

Not too important if you're just listening to music (unless your speakers are crap), but pretty important for home theater usage.