Should/Can I get a high quality subwoofer?

[Taejin]

I bought a pair of Swans M200's from Newegg about 5 hours ago. I was wondering if it was possible (I havne't even see how the Swans are hooked up, so I dont know) to buy a subwoofer and hook up the Swans along with the subwoofer to complete it into a 2.1 system.

I don't know if multimedia speakers and subwoofers are cross compatible, so I am just wondering.

Anyone have any experience? Some feedback would be nice!

Thanks
Tae

 

[Bucksnort]

179 bucks?? 2.0??? refuse the shipment is my advice and let them be returned to newegg. A good sub will be 100 watts or above. Your speakers are self powered and i see no way to connect a sub to them. The amp which is in the subwoofer powers the satellites as well as the sub, cant hook up powered speakers to another powered source. Refuse the shipment and get the cybers from radio shack. I guarantee you will be glad you did. I refused a shipment from newegg not long ago when I ordered the wrong video card. Just tell the fed ex man you refuse the package and then notify newegg you refused shipment because it was wrong item. Just my advise, its your money. Checking the swan site, those speakers are 20 watts where newegg advertises them 40. Each speaker is 20 watts. You would have to find a sub that put out 20 watts for satellites (provided you can hook those speakers up bypasing its internal amp) and u aren't gona find a decent sub that puts out that little power. If you insist on paying that much for 2 speakers then for Christ sakes get the Klipsh promedia 2.1's. I just can't see spending that much money on 2 speakers when you are going to be stuck with 2 speakers and you can pay much less for better sounding systems with a sub.

Originally posted by: Bucksnort

Originally posted by: Sauro
Is it worth spending the money on good 2.1s? Can they compare to 5.1s? I know it is probably apple to oranges, but since the 2.1s do not take full advantage of a 5.1 (or 7.1) sound card are they even worth considering?

Sauro, I just got these speakers (Cybertech) after listening to klipsh promedia 2.1 and logitech Z2200. These are very high quality heavy speakers with pure undistorted sound, phenominal response and they rival the klipsh and definately sound better than the logitech. The sound is purely fantastic. Wiring is high quality too. I guarantee you will love these and the price is fantastic. Newegg has em for ~105 shipping included but Radio Shack has them for 79 bucks and free shipping! That's where I got mine ordering online. Read the reviews on newegg, all 5 star and not 1 negative review. I would recommend getting nice speakers then a sound card later on. I had altecs prior also. You will not be disappointed. A sound card is not going to benefit you at this time.

Radio Shack
Newegg

 

[Taejin]

Thanks for your input! ^_^ Anyone else have input? I can't very well make my decision through one person only ^_^

-THanks again in advance
Taejin

 

[Bucksnort]

Well, at least you have untill tuesday to make up your mind. I'm sure some others will kick in.

 

[imported_amx]

i agree.. you overpaid. Buy a speaker set witha matching subwoofer. Klipsch Promedia 2.1, GMX 2.1, Lots of good 2.1 systems out there.

 

[shortylickens]

-

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: amx
i agree.. you overpaid. Buy a speaker set witha matching subwoofer. Klipsch Promedia 2.1, GMX 2.1, Lots of good 2.1 systems out there.

lol what a joke... go on google, do some searching. my sarcasm meter must be broken, u call GMX good and swans overpriced? someone needs to be enlightned...

 

[Alptraum]

I would wait ubtill you get them to decide if you even want sub. I have not herd them, but based on reviews I have seen those are some nice speakers. I hve the ProMedia 2.1s but if I were buying now I would look pretty hard at the Swans to see if I liked them more.

If you do decid you want one, it looks like the swans take both line in and speaker cable connections (based on the picture of te rear on NewEgg). So if you do decide you want a subit should be pretty easy to find one to use. Wether you can find a cheap'ish one thats the same quality of the speakers is anoher matter.

If I were you I would give them a try for awhile as they are and then decide if you want a sub. If you do then you can go from there.

 

[Taejin]

!! I've taken more heart from the last two comments.

I'm not a huge audiophile, but recently I've been craving more detail in my music, so I went along with the the best pair of speakers I could find that were ~200 dollars. This meant wandering into a whole new world, so I was kind of convinced when I bought my Swans that they were a good choice, but I certainly wasn't completely sure ^_^.

Hey Alpstream, I noticed the line in and speaker cable connections too - do you or anyone else have experience with a subwoofer that I can buy standalone?

Thanks much again,
Taejin

*PS. I saw your post shortylickens ^_~, just seeing what else is out there just in case!*

 

[Alptraum]

I do have experience with one you can buy stand lone. My main sub for my HT can pass through line and speaker level connections as can many others. It was about $700 and weighs about 70 pounds though. You can find ones more in line with the swans though I am sure.

If you do decide you want sub you could start by sending an email to Swans. I know they have some 2.1 multi media set-ups. Maybe you could just get one of those subs seperatly, though thats kinda iffy. If nothing else they may be able to recommend a good match for the for the M200s.

 

[beatle]

This sub is a STEAL @ $100. Shipping is only $17 or so, IIRC. I have one of these on my computer setup and it completely obliterates any PC sub I've heard. It's not boomy at all, but it can deliver considerable bass, especially if you've only heard PC setups (including Klipsch). It supports line level passthrough, so you'd run your front speaker outputs to the sub and then attach your Swans to the sub.

See the folks @ Home Theater Forum about it.

 

[crisscross]

Hi Taejin, Do let us know your thoughts once you get them. I plan to get them myself and unfortunately there are not to many user impressions on those speakers.

 

[Taejin]

On an impulse, I bought the Dayton 10" subwoofer as well.. lol, I'm going to go bankrupt (poor college kid).

Since I got the Dayton from partsexpress.com, I have no clue when it will arrive, but I'm prepared to wait a week or two :/.

But! Since the M200s are from newegg, they will be arriving thursday, and I will get them from my house on friday if I am lucky XD. I will post more on how they are afterwards .

Much obliged (and still wondering if I haven't made TWO mistakes instead of one mistake),
Taejin

EDIT: If my actions seem to hasty, it is because I am taking the plunge into better sound.. I've always had a tendency to kinda throw my money out there when getting into something new. Good thing I've never had a lot of money ^_^

EDIT2: Thanks for the advice over PMs! lol, I'm not a PM person, so I didn't realize until this morning <that i had PMs>

 

[beatle]

You'll be happy once the sub arrives. If it weren't for your inquiry into subs, I wouldn't have bought a second Dayton sub last night. They're THAT good!

 

[Taejin]

Speakers in, subwoofer tomorrow! Hopefully I'll be able to pick them up from home >_> (living in a dorm).

Will provide further updates on how much they kick ass (or aren't worth the cash..haha)

Taejin

 

[maddmax]

Prepare to be pleasanty surprised. This setup, when fully broken in, and adjusted properly should be outstanding.

The Swan's look like they use a custom made Vifa 5 1/4" bass-midrange that are known to require some serious break in time(100+hours).

Since you are listening nearfield most of the time at a computer, a dome tweeter of that design will offer a more linear response. Horns in general tend to accentuate response anomalies. I think over time you will appreciate the choice that you made.

The sub looks to be an excellent mate. Do make sure the port is not restricted in any way. Placing it too close to a back wall could have adverse effects on the driver and the sound.

 

[Taejin]

I've heard a lot mentioned about "breaking in" in many forums.

I've also read that people "break in" their audio equipment their own ways - ie play white noise, play regular music, play static, etc etc.

How would you recommend I "break in" this set? From just normal use? Thanks for your guidance!

-Taejin

EDIT: Oh, and about your advice for the subwoofer - so I definitely should NOT put it up against the wall and somewhere open instead?

 

[beatle]

I put my sub under my desk. You can kinda see it in this pic (yeah, it's a mess). The port is aimed at my computer. It sounds fine. The only things rattling are the walls when I turn it up.

 

[Taejin]

I got my swans and subwoofer.

I managed to hook up my swans. I'll say more about it later, but here are my initial impressions::thumbsup: hahaha:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::laugh:

 

[Taejin]

One bad thing!


I connected my speakers to the sub's line out. and then hooked up the sub's line in to my compy.

THe subwoofer isn't generating any noise, while the speakers are working fine. I'm wondering if this is because I'm using onboard sound.

I actually have an audigy 2 zs card I was keeping to install into my new computer that I'll be making in ~June.

Is my subwoofer not working because it's plugged into onbuard sound? Should I install my audigy 2 zs card now?

Alright, thanks much everyone! These swans m200s are kicking!

Taejin

 

[Taejin]

The Swans are excellent. I'm not some old-time audiophile, so I can't critique the sound as adequately as I would like.

Suffice it to say that these speakers are ENORMOUS. They have a beautiful wood finish on the sides, and black..I don't know what it is, but it sure looks/feel nice. Every little bit of it, from the dull gold knobs to the elegant logo on the fabric covering the speakers screams class.

I'm hearing new things in my music that I couldn't hear before, and in some of my songs where my old speakers weren't hitting the highs correctly, these speakers easily play it. Did I mention they were HUGE? From a rough estimate perspective, they're ~13 inches tall and 5-7 inches wide. They have a knob for volume, treble and bass. The speakers come packaged with 3 cords. One cord to connect the speakers to each other (you have to strip the wire as well). Another cord to connect the speakers (which have red/yellow line ins) to the computer, and a cord to connect the speakers to say your VCR or DVD player to playback sound.

Oh. I haven't even tested the speaker's full volume. They get too loud for me to even listen to, when I try to turnt hem up.

As for my subwoofer, I realized I hadn't TURNED IT ON (am I a dumbass or what? lol). I can't really comment on it yet, since I haven't really been able to test the baby out. All I can say is that the short while I had the subwoofer turned up a bit, I was kind of afraid the entire time. I live in a dorm, and people live below me, and the subwoofer was really making things shake.


All in all, this is the BEST 300 dollars I've ever spent. I kid you not. I have never spent 300 dollars and felt this great.

 

[konakona]

:beer: and :thumbsup: for you sometimes you just cant go wrong with a product that gets nothing but raves
glad you are enjoying it, i just got my hd-650 too... definitely worth the upgrade, everything i liked about 580 + all the complaints addressed pretty much. i wonder where zu mobius is gonna take me, this already sounds too godly organic to be true

 

[Taejin]

Thanks for your support, VanillaH! You bolstered me a lot when I was doubting myself

If anyone else has questions about the dayton sub and the swans m200 speakers, I will gladly answer them!

 

[yhelothar]

I just got these swans speakers.
Ignore the people telling you that you got ripped off and should have gotten klipsches, what a joke. The Swans will absolutely destroy any 2 channel multimedia system ever made, PERIOD. Easily worth over $300.

Well after listening to these speakers for the past 3 days, I am absolutely in love with them.
Although I'm in the same boat as you now and I'm deciding on a subwoofer also. I was looking at the Daytons and the Yamaha SW-215
It seems like the Yamaha's are the most popular set and the most acclaimed at amazon. I asked a few audio enthusiasts on a recommendation on a cheap powered subwoofer and they all pointed me to the yamaha. Although the Dayton also looks pretty attractive for the size and price.

Also you could have ordered the Dayton's from amazon.com, and got freeshipping($25+ order = free I believe)

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: maddmax
Prepare to be pleasanty surprised. This setup, when fully broken in, and adjusted properly should be outstanding.

The Swan's look like they use a custom made Vifa 5 1/4" bass-midrange that are known to require some serious break in time(100+hours).

Since you are listening nearfield most of the time at a computer, a dome tweeter of that design will offer a more linear response. Horns in general tend to accentuate response anomalies. I think over time you will appreciate the choice that you made.

The sub looks to be an excellent mate. Do make sure the port is not restricted in any way. Placing it too close to a back wall could have adverse effects on the driver and the sound.

I'm pretty sure the drivers are made by Hi-Vi, which is the company that built the Swans. They make a wide range of drivers, so I don't see why they would buy them from another company.

I had my right speaker on the corner of my room at first. 120Hz to 130Hz was immensely exaggerated. I asked around and it was commonly known that placing the speaker within 5ft from the corner will produce that effect. I moved the speaker only a foot away from the wall, and most of the exaggeration has diminished.