3-way or sub

[ribbit541]

Looking for an upgrade currently, seeking your thoughts.
I have a pair of paradigm bookshelf speakers right now, my question is I am looking for more bass and a bit more sound, should I sell the pardigm's and make those dayton RS 3-ways or another DIY 3-way project (dont want the cost to be much more than 300), or buy a 12" sub (looking at the dayton quatro sub driver)and another pair of bookshelves? Basically should I add on to what I have or sell what I have and DIY something new that fits my new "needs" My room is set up to where the sub would not be able to be in the center of the room (symetrical with the speakers) Thanks much

[Dennis H]

(dont want the cost to be much more than 300)

Well that rules out any 3-way I can think of. So, build a cheap sub and be happy.

[DS-21]

Are you otherwise happy with the Paradigms? Because a good subwoofer will help with the two issues you mention, bass and overall volume. (Hopefully you're using electronics that will allow you to filter the bass out of the Paradigms and filter everything else out of the sub. That will also have the effect of cleaning up the midrange, as the midwoofer has to work so much less. Most modern receivers will let you set your system up that way.) And don't worry about not being able to put the sub in the center of the room. That's usually a bad place for subs anyway. There are competing orthodoxies about sub placement, but I think the old approach is best: put the sub in your listening spot and crawl around the room to places where you can realistically put the sub. Place it where the bass sounds best to you. Later on, when finances and such allow, EQ (whether the BFD/RoomEQ Wizard, a Velodyne SMS-1, etc.) will markedly improve your sub's in-room performance as well.

IMO, a three-way setup would also meet the goals, but there is more risk there. Also, costs can quickly escalate north of $300 when you factor in crossover components and wood, even if the drivers themselves are well under that mark.

[gimpy]

There's a set of diy speakers on the PE tech board for around $200 or so, for the pair, I think (maybe just a bit more) that supposedly gives good bass. You might give them a looksee. Designed/made by Pete Schumaker(sp?) and Rudy Jakubin(sp?). They call them the Schumakubins (or something similar). People over there have said good things about them. Might be just what you are looking for?

Sub-wise, you probably can't go too wrong with the Quatro, alhtough, most of the talk is of the 15 inch/240 watt combo, for the price.

Good luck, Frank

[Brian Walter]

There's a set of diy speakers on the PE tech board for around $200 or so, for the pair, I think (maybe just a bit more) that supposedly gives good bass. You might give them a looksee. Designed/made by Pete Schumaker(sp?) and Rudy Jakubin(sp?). They call them the Schumakubins (or something similar). People over there have said good things about them. Might be just what you are looking for?

Sub-wise, you probably can't go too wrong with the Quatro, alhtough, most of the talk is of the 15 inch/240 watt combo, for the price.

Good luck, Frank

The Schumakubins will provide a considerable amount of bass, similar to the RS-3-ways, which is adequate for most music, but lacking for HT. The Quatro 15 with the 240 watt amp from PE would be hard to beat for the price and works fine for HT but isn't real musical. If you mainly want this to be for music, I'd recommend simply adding a good sub, the RS12HF comes to mind. It will also work well for HT at reasonable levels (Still loud, but not as loud as some might like it).

Brian Walter