Which Sub to go for - Have B&W 703 as Mains !

[perla4u]

Hello Friends...

It has been more than 6 months I got my BW703's and let me tell you, I am ENJOYYYYYYYYYING the music and revelation they are offering. I just cannot listen to any other regular sound when watching TV/music. I felt 703's have little less bass on the HT side but I like the music part as is (eventhough sometime I wonder how the sound would be with a sub).

So...my questions to my audio lovers here is...which SUB to buy? I know the first thing people would suggest is B&W750 or 800 series. Are there any other sub's I can go for?

My biggest quetsion is, what is the biggest difference in sound that each piece offers. As sub only plays very low frequencies, the sounds you get out of the sub is heavy bass. Would each company be very different in producing this bass?

Can you guys suggest what are the companies I can look at? I appreciate your response.

Regards
Perla

[joetama]

This is an interesting question.

I to have 703 and have never really found a subwoofer that I liked with them.

My most recent attempt (which I don't have put together yet) is using a TC Sounds TC12OEM subwoofer.

I am hoping that it has the low frequency extension and punch that I am looking for. Other subwoofers that I have tried are the MartinLogan Dynamo (from another system I have) and my fathers B&W ASW825. I liked the ASW825 I just don't want to spend that sort of money...

Good luck on your search...

[nikos]

Although notorious in the car audio business....

JL Audio is a powerhouse to be reckoned with.

I love bass....so I HAD to do it very tight, very musical, fast, and punches with authority.

http://home.jlaudio.com/products_subs_pages.php?page_id=33

If you shop smartly you will find one way below retail.

Hope this helps.

Nikos

[Ted]

I have a pair of 703 that I use for 2 channel only, so I've never felt the need for a sub.

However, I have a CM-7 based HT system and have just recently replaced my Velodyne SPL 1200 II with a SVS PB 12-Plus. I'm very impressed. Both my 703 and CM's are in rosenut, which the SVS sub comes in. It isn't a perfect match, but it is much closer than the fake veneer cheery of the Velodyne. Sound quality-wise, both the Velodyne and SVS are wonderful subs. I do know some of the SVS subs are currently on sale, check them out online...

I've heard very mixed reviews on B & W subs, and certainly would have bought one if my B & W dealer hadn't told me to stay away from them, they're not their strong point. At the same time, there seem to be a lot of users here with B & W subs that are very happy with them.

[miner]

I use a B&W ASW800 with my N804 and am very pleased at how well they integrate together. I bought my 800 on closeout for $1350 and my N804 for $1400 each. I had the N804 for about 6 months prior to adding the sub. Once I changed out my amp from a RB-1070 to a RB-1092 I could have done without the sub. What is that they say about hindsight?

[Luke Skywalker]

I agree to the TED.
"I have a pair of 703 that I use for 2 channel only, so I've never felt the need for a sub."
In all the case, SVS in the head :T
PC-ultra

[KRC]

I do not know about other companies to go to but my suggestion in the B&W line. I went from old Mirage speakers in two channel to going to the B&W 600 series 3 for HT. It was a great improvement etc etc etc but then I got rid of the Mirage speakers and bought a pair of 703's. So of course in every aspect they blew away a $500. pair of 15 year old Mirage. So I listen to two channel and all is well, I paired the 703's in my HT all is well, now when I add the ASW 600 to the 703's for two channel ....... not good, you can certainly see (hear) the quality difference at the two price points. So even the ASW 600 is excellent in HT applications, it can not be paired to the 703's for two channel. So in my opinion, you need to look at the B&W 700 or higher to maintain the sound quality. I found that the ASW 600 (when paired to the 703's) is slower and a little wooly sounding like it over empathizes the bass notes (string bass, kick drum).

Kevin

[Relentless]

hear is a list from a sub shoot out... you may want to research some of the subs near the top of the list.

Here is the scoring summary with the Home Theater score and Music score, respectively shown as (HT-M).

Prices and whether the items are available Internet Direct or from a store are now included. Keep in mind that ID pricing will usually be firm, or slightly discounted, where some ID products will see substantial discounts. BM = Brick and Mortar. ID = Internet Direct. ID/SI = shipping included.

Elemental Designs A7-900 ($2000 shipped ID): 116 points (63-53)
SVS PB13-Ultra ($1499 ID): 109 points (57-52)
Creative Sounds Dual SDX-15 driver + Behringer EP-2500 Amp + Behringer DEQ2496 ($1630 ID): 105 points (57-48)
JL Audio Fathom 113 ($3500 BM): 103 points (53-50)
Velodyne DD-18 ($5000 BM): 100 points (50-50)
Def Tech Trinity ($3000 BM): 97 points (54-43)
ACI Maestro ($2400 ID): 97 points (47-50)
JL Audio Fathom 112 ($2600 BM): 95 points (45-50)
Hsu VTF-3 HO + Turbo ($999 ID): 94 points (47-47)
Hsu VTF-3 HO w/o Turbo ($899 ID): 92 points (45-47)
Hsu VTF-3 Mark III + Turbo ($799 ID): 92 points (45-47)
Hsu VTF-3 Mark III w/o Turbo ($699 ID): 91 points (45-46)
SVS PB12-Ultra: 90 points (47-43)
Axiom EP-500 ($1230 ID/SI): 90 points (43-47)
Hsu VTF-2 Mark III + Turbo ($599 ID): 88 points (42-46)
SVS PB12-Plus/2 ($1299 ID): 87 points (47-40)
SVS PB12-NSD ($599 ID): 86 points (43-43)
Hsu VTF-2 Mark III w/o Turbo ($499 ID): 86 points (40-46)
Rocket UFW-12 ($999 ID): 85 points (provisional) (35-50)
Acculine A-sub ($289 ID/SI): 85 points (provisional, currently out of production) (40-45)
Elemental Designs A2-300 ($350 ID/SI): 83 points (44-39)
SVS PB10-NSD ($429 ID): 83 points (43-40)
Dana Audio 600 ($869 ID): 83 points (36-47)
Rocket X-Sub ($199 ID): 78 points (34-44)
BIC H-100 ($229 eBay): 78 points (40-38)