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Subwoofer Help


pierceb

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I'm new here, but have been enjoying this forum for a few months now. I have recently purchased (a couple months back) a set of RF-7's, RC-7, and RS-7's and a Denon 3802. My thought was to start the foundation with the Klipsch Reference Series and go from there. I only had a few bucks left so I purchased the 3802 (I actually am pleasantly surprised) and plan on upgrading soon. Anyway, I now want to purchase a subwoofer and basically have it narrowed down to the following:

1. 2 - Paradigm PW2200's (wife won't like this);

2. 1 - Paradigm Servo 15;

3. 1 - SVS CS-Ultra with Sampson amp; or,

4. 1 - Klipsch RSW15.

I would like to keep this under $2K (Can), if possible, and would appreciate some help. Oh, my final room configuration will be about 14' by 26'.

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Considering you live in Canada, I think the dual 2200s would be your best bang for the buck, and bang it will!

Better yet, let your wife choose for you. Then you will both be happy. Can't really go wrong with your choices there.

T-man

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KG 5.5 (mains)

KLF-C7 (center)

KG 1 (rears)

SVS 20-39CS+ (sub)

Aura Bass Shakers (pair)

Kenwood amp for sub and shakers

Denon AVR 681/1601

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T-man is right,two Paradigm PW2200 are THE VALUE in Canada and will crack plaster off walls! Smile.gif

The PW2200 goes quite deep and is quite clean sounding.

The huge port on the back can be used by house pets and when you pump the volume up they will be blasted out. LOL

TheEAR(s) Now theears

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Thanks for the replies! Two PW2200's it is! Smile.gifSmile.gif

I will go try and see what kind of deal I can strike up with my local dealer (has anybody heard of any awesome deals out there?). Most dealers around here seem to have the PW2200's in stock, that is why I was leaning towards them. I would have had to wait for a while for RSW15, and was worried I may not have liked it.

UP - I guess my meaning of 'soon' is a bit different than others. Probably won't be looking to upgrade the 3802 for a few months, all depends on what damage the tax man does this year. I will be seeking advice on upgrades then, I will re-post when the time comes.

I love my first Klipsch setup so far. I'm blown away by the performance of the RF-7's (now that they are all loosened up), I wish I could buy more of them. My hat's off for a job well done Klipsch!

Thanks again.

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Well done

Two PW2200 will fill the bottom octave quite well.

RF-7's are great speakers,and have solid bass down to 30Hz!With two PW2200's I would run the RF-7's in "small" mode and let the twin subs take over from 80Hz down.

TheEAR(s) Now theears

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Thanks Ears,

Question: I realize that I when I'm adjusting the subwoofer settings, I select the crossover at 80hz; but when selecting 'subwoofer mode' on the Denon, do I select LFE or LFE+Main? I would like to use RF7's alone for music if possible, and the PW2200's for HT, does this mean I select LFE only (I apologize, I don't have the subs yet to try myself)? Too bad the cutoff frequency wasn't lower.

PB.

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PB - I have a Denon 3300, and I imagine the settings work the same. If you want to use the RF-7s alone for music, you'll have to set them to large or you'll miss all the bass below 80hz. Thus, if the mains are set to large, you have the option of doing LFE+Mains in the sub setting (wouldn't work if they are set to small). The LFE+Mains is really a misnomer, as it implies the LFE (.1) channel of 5.1 is only sent to sub and mains, when in reality I believe it is all frequencies less than 80hz that come from the small channels and the .1 that is sent to the sub and mains.

Which setting to use? I think you'll have to try them both -- sub only or sub+mains -- and see which sounds best to you. Sub+mains might create some cancellation which would actually reduce the output in certain frequency ranges. You could try measuring the two settings with a test disk and an SPL meter to see the effect, and pick the one with the flattest/strong measurements.

Too bad the Denon doesn't permit you to set different speaker sizes for different modes (large for stereo, small for HT, for example). At least my 3300 doesn't do that -- maybe your 3802 does.

Doug

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My System

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I'm not farmiliar with the Denon model you have. On my own setup (Marantz), I set the mains to small and let the PW2200 handle the low end in HT. When I want 2 channel audio I simply bypass the digital filtering with the 2 channel direct button. Very simple, no messing around with settings and works great.

Regards,

Stu

f>

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'81 Cornwall 1 mains B2 Crossover

'73 Heresy Centre

'78 Heresy Surrounds

Paradigm PW220 Sub Subwoofer (18 hz)

Marantz SR8000 AV Receiver

Hitachi 53" RPTV 53SBX59B

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I just played around with my receiver and it looks like I will have to switch speaker modes back and forth if I want to just use my mains only for music.

Perhaps the PW2200's will add something I'm missing in music and I won't have to switch! Smile.gif

I will be looking at this feature closely when I upgrade from the 3802. Really, life could be tougher!

Thanks again. PB.

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I think he is going the wrong way.. The paradigm subs are slow when they are at low levels. The RSW-15 would be better since he has a good size room. He would use a lot of watts. dual SVS would save him a lot of money.

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Bose Suck..Period

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I will see if I can try these out prior to my purchase, and/or ensure I can get my money back if not satisfied.

If I had the cash, I would get likely get dual SVS Ultras - no doubt there. I'm already into my home theater for over 10k (Can), and unfortunately have to make decisions like 'best bang for the buck'. A couple of Ultras will set me back another 4k, and an RSW15 is over 3k (and I still want to upgrade my reciever).

You see, my wife doesn't have the same enthusiam as we have regarding audio equipment, and can't really justify the expense. .cwm43.gif

I do want to be satisfied though, and these will have to last for a while, so I'd like to make the right decision.

PB

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"Perhaps the PW2200's will add something I'm missing in music and I won't have to switch! "

I think you may be right about this. Personally, I use my SVS sub with all music and move listening. There is quite a bit of music out there with some very low bass, very subtle, which I would not hear without the sub on. Enya comes to mind.

You might also play with the Direct setting on the Denon, as suggested by Stu P. I can't recall if it bypasses the sub and sends everything to the fronts.

Doug

------------------

My System

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