Correct Me If I Am Wrong

[Opus007]

It is my assumption that a subwoofer's job is to handle the low frequencies.I have 2 identical subs.About a week ago I was near the subs when a movie was playing and heard some metalic clicking or bottoming out of one sub.The settings are set exactly the same on each sub and are both setup using a slp meter.I took the one to my dealer today and hooked it up and sure enough it bottoms out there also so it is not my system.They are going to replace the speaker but here is what gets me.The dealer tells me "my velodyne does the same thing at lower frequencies".It won't hurt to use it this way.
Now why would anyone sell a sub that can not handle lower frequencies as that is what it is made for.Both my subs are B&W and only one does it.The other is fine and I can really crank it ....which I do not.Was just sort of upset that I would get a response like that.Or am I in error here?

[focker]

You are not in error at all, sounds like it's just a lazy dealer. My Velodyne does not do that.

[Briz vegas]

I have told this story here before but I think it is worth repeating.

I have a REL Strata 5 that was "bottoming out" on a music CD - Ani Difranco, hardly what you would expect given the style of music. After getting no satisfaction from REL directly (after an initial reply they ignored me) or their Australian importer, or the dealer I finally took the sub to another hifi dealer in desperation. Shock horror they were actually interested in my problem and quickly diagnosed the problem. The CD had a strong signal at about 13hz and the REL was actually able to reproduce this, but only to a point. A much bigger REL model in the current range (which a friend of mine owns) did not have the problem, not because it was more powerful with a bigger woofer, it was simply not able to reproduce 13hz, therefore it did not loose control of the driver as mine was doing.

Modern subs are typically small boxes with lots of EQ to get the low frequencies. Most movies bass is typically above 20hz (yes I am told there are exceptions) so based on the 80% rule your small sub is fine most of the time. Give a small box too monumental a task and it will simply run out of watts and driver excursion.

So your options are to either get a monsterous box to try and cover all bases, or get a more modest box that is more domestically acceptable and will do for most situations. I will say that my REL is still doing HT duty and I have only had problems one other time in the 3 or so years that I have owned it.

The 300 sub is a pretty modest box, I think your expectations may be a little high for a box of that size. I am told that the subs in theatres are massive.

[Opus007]

I have told this story here before but I think it is worth repeating.

I have a REL Strata 5 that was "bottoming out" on a music CD - Ani Difranco, hardly what you would expect given the style of music. After getting no satisfaction from REL directly (after an initial reply they ignored me) or their Australian importer, or the dealer I finally took the sub to another hifi dealer in desperation. Shock horror they were actually interested in my problem and quickly diagnosed the problem. The CD had a strong signal at about 13hz and the REL was actually able to reproduce this, but only to a point. A much bigger REL model in the current range (which a friend of mine owns) did not have the problem, not because it was more powerful with a bigger woofer, it was simply not able to reproduce 13hz, therefore it did not loose control of the driver as mine was doing.

Modern subs are typically small boxes with lots of EQ to get the low frequencies. Most movies bass is typically above 20hz (yes I am told there are exceptions) so based on the 80% rule your small sub is fine most of the time. Give a small box too monumental a task and it will simply run out of watts and driver excursion.

So your options are to either get a monsterous box to try and cover all bases, or get a more modest box that is more domestically acceptable and will do for most situations. I will say that my REL is still doing HT duty and I have only had problems one other time in the 3 or so years that I have owned it.

The 300 sub is a pretty modest box, I think your expectations may be a little high for a box of that size. I am told that the subs in theatres are massive.

Yes the 300 is a small sub.I did have the asw610 and also the asw608 and I returned both of them as for me they did not put out the bass that the asw300 does.Plus I got tired of returning the asw610 as twice the amp just up and quit in it on 2 different units.I can understand that a sub may not be able to reproduce all frequencies but it should.And as I said the other asw 300 I have does not miss a beat and has strong full bass and no matter at what level it has no problems.The asw 300 that I am having repaired has a problem not with just a certain frequency but a whole lot of frequencies.This is totally unacceptable.

[hifiguymi]

If the level controls are at the exact same point what if you swap them in your room? If you do that, does the same woofer keep bottoming out? If so, there may be something about that woofer that is not right. If not, then there is something else that is contributing to the noise. If the woofers were purchased at different times, it could be that the gain control tracks slightly different on each one.

How big is your room?

Eric

[Opus007]

If the level controls are at the exact same point what if you swap them in your room? If you do that, does the same woofer keep bottoming out? If so, there may be something about that woofer that is not right. If not, then there is something else that is contributing to the noise. If the woofers were purchased at different times, it could be that the gain control tracks slightly different on each one.

How big is your room?

Eric

I have swapped them and the same woofer keeps bottoming out.I calibrated each sub with a spl meter to the exact level,which resulted with the gain control set in the same position on each sub.room is 14.5 feet by 13.5 .Ceiling height is 8 feet.

[hifiguymi]

You should be fine with those two woofers in a room that size. Bigger ones would be better but you should be OK.

Either something is not right with the one woofer or it's a placement issue. Did you verify the calibration when you swapped the woofers as well? If so, I'd tend to think it's something wrong with the amp or the woofer in that ASW300.

Eric

[Opus007]

Yes verified calibration after swapping.When I took it to my dealer he hooked it up and it was bottoming out whenever there was any LFE redirect.It was bottoming out in places it should not have.They are replacing the driver as they feel the amp is ok.

[hifiguymi]

Hopefully that will take care of it. I don't know what else it would be.

Eric

[Opus007]

I took my other sub into the dealer today as they where unsure of what the problem was(after telling me they thought it was the woofer) and they wanted to send the whole unit in which means it would be weeks before I ever saw it again.Anyway we removed the woofer's from both cabinet's and swapped them.The problem moved to the other cabinet .The cabinet that had the problem was now good.So it is the woofer and they ordered a new one for me...under warranty of course.So now I just have to wait for B&W to send it out. :T

[Briz vegas]

Well thats good news. Gear can always be faulty, its the service you get when things go wrong that is important. Lets hope its all smooth sailing from here on in.