Which of these plots would give me the best overall bass with kick drums?

[squeak12 10+ year member]

Ive never had a sub set up that really killed the drums in rock like I want. I never went sealed, though. I would think I strong 3 way component set up would work better for what I understand hes looking for. Maybe I just really want to play with a 3 way active set up...

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Ive never had a sub set up that really killed the drums in rock like I want. I never went sealed, though. I would think I strong 3 way component set up would work better for what I understand hes looking for. Maybe I just really want to play with a 3 way active set up...

I'm building a 3-way active setup right now and I've had a 3-way front stage (semi active) in the past with 2 6" midbasses per side. The subs were still vital to getting good impact from the kickdrum and adding authority to the bass guitar. With my last setup, the sub wasn't that important with some music, but with other stuff, it sounded hollow without it. I could turn the sub all the way down and the mids did a pretty good job of getting low. If you hadn't heard it with the sub previously you really wouldn't know it wasn't there, but when you turned the sub back up, it clicked that something had been missing before.

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

PV Audio = Lemans23

Why do you keep posting that, it's tired. I think that what I made when I was fourteen has no bearing on this conversation.

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

I'm building a 3-way active setup right now and I've had a 3-way front stage (semi active) in the past with 2 6" midbasses per side. The subs were still vital to getting good impact from the kickdrum and adding authority to the bass guitar. With my last setup, the sub wasn't that important with some music, but with other stuff, it sounded hollow without it. I could turn the sub all the way down and the mids did a pretty good job of getting low. If you hadn't heard it with the sub previously you really wouldn't know it wasn't there, but when you turned the sub back up, it clicked that something had been missing before.

100% correct. I made a pair of speakers using a D'appolito style setup with Dayton 6" RS drivers, and while it had bass, as soon as I turned the sub back on, everything seemed to be accentuated and deepened. Subwoofers are indeed necessary to complement the music in any system (not so much in car audio), even if you don't think that your music has much bass.

 

[ghart999 10+ year member]

Ive never had a sub set up that really killed the drums in rock like I want. I never went sealed, though. I would think I strong 3 way component set up would work better for what I understand hes looking for. Maybe I just really want to play with a 3 way active set up...

I have very high-end 3 way front stage. CDT ES-07.4 usx. I have great midbass from 7" drivers in the doors. But nothing that a sub can do.

 

[phantom240 5,000+ posts]

Subwoofers and good mids are in totally different leagues. Your average or even high end 6.5" or 7" or whatever woofer, may have awesome bass response, but they dont MOVE the air like a subwoofer. They dont rock your world. GO to a parade with marching bands. Listen to the tubas, the trombones, the bass drums and shit. When people play them, you can FEEL them... and with small woofers like that, you dont feel the bass.

 

[squeak12 10+ year member]

I was speaking more along the lines of one or the other. I agree subs with a good 3 way would sound better than just a 3 way setup. I was trying to say that a good 3 way IMO would be better than just a sub stage and co-axials.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

I was speaking more along the lines of one or the other. I agree subs with a good 3 way would sound better than just a 3 way setup. I was trying to say that a good 3 way IMO would be better than just a sub stage and co-axials.

Depends on the coaxes. You can hook up a sweet 2-way with excellent midbass and then just add a sub. That was pretty much my last setup. Th usual reasons for going 3-way is to either get better midbass if you have smooth midrange already ro to get smoother midrange if you already have good midbass. In eiher situation ou aren't looking from sub-bass from your front stage. Going with a front mounted sub is possible but that is still a sub.

To understand why you need a sub you need to understand what freqs are involved in the reproduction of a kickdrum. First there is the skintone. That is the part reproduced by the midbass. Then there is the kick itself. With just a midbass or a small woofer you may hear this but not at the level that it should be. Your mind fills in the rest of the note even if it isn't really there. You won't notice the lack of fundamental thanks to psychoacoustics if it isn't there but you will definitely notice the difference when it is.

 

[SQBubble 10+ year member]

green curve for rock music, they have intense upper bass generally... (50hz-70hz)

it does dip low sometimes... but not alot

and I agree with squeak, a veryvery good set of component and mid-bass driver would REALLY help ur needs when it comes to rock and techno and those kind of music

 

[ghart999 10+ year member]

Well I changed my mind and went with an ABC enclosure. Details posted in separate thread. Thanks for all the responses.