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The Iron Law

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In Reply to: Looking for Unfettered, Loud , SEX! posted by mark_ivan on September 19, 2006 at 20:12:57:

The iron law of speakers is, they can't be efficient, small, and have deep bass. You need efficiency with a 2-watt amp (unless you like really quiet music) - I recommend 99dB or greater sensitivity, though many will be OK with 96dB. So you will have either limited bass or a huge speaker.
That's the point of the SEXy Speaker - it's small, has no bass, and needs a sub. In fact, the bass rolls off so high, you really should have two subs - they are no longer subwoofers, they are woofers, plain and simple.
In my current system, I have 101dB speakers that are about 3 cubic feet each and go down to maybe 70Hz. (It's a vintage mishmash, JBL 2220 and 2440, Barzilay cabinet, homebrew crossover.) After we developed the SEXy, I took the subs home and they make a real improvement. Pretty funny, a 10 inch subwoofer with a 15 inch bass/midrange!
To be honest though, we do development listening on Doc's system, heavily modified Straight Eights with a good sub. Mine does not have enough resolution.
Some of the fullrange/back horn systems are not too awfully huge. They will have lumpy bass due to the small horn mouth, but most rooms impose lumpy bass anyhow - with the right positioning and a fortuitous combination of lumps it can work better than you'd think. Because of the room dependence, I'd encourage anyone to try before you buy if at all possible.

Follow Ups:

The Point - Grainger49 08:23:49 09/20/06 (4)
"Bass Is Unidirectional, it doesn't have to be centered."
That is the thought about SUB - woofers. I once had a sub mid wall of the left wall of my listening room (as I looked at the speakers). The bass came from the center.
What PJ is saying is that the crossover is high enough that you WILL hear right and left, so right and left subs are in order. Otherwise you will get directional queues from a single sub.
Just thought a small clarification was in order if you weren't aware of the beginings of the whole "Mono" sub thing.

"Remember, YOU are the only one who needs to like the sound of your system."
Grainger Morrison
There Is Only One
- So does that mean... - caffeinator 20:55:25 09/21/06 (3)
  that at a high enough frequency, your sub becomes a dom?
  - That Means . . . - Grainger49 04:45:46 09/22/06 (2)
    at a high enough frequency a sub-woofer becomse a woofer. And Woofers are directional.
    I own music that has the bass guitar or bass in the right or left channel. A sub-woofer crosses over low enough that you get the sound of the bass in whichever speaker it is supposed to be in. But...if you cross the sub over too high, as PJ points out, that shoud comes from the sub. And then you need a sub next to each "full range" speaker.
    Does that make sense?
    
    "Remember, YOU are the only one who needs to like the sound of your system."
    Grainger Morrison
    There Is Only One
    - Missing the joke - badman 10:39:59 10/03/06 (1)
      Dom.... Sub..... think latex.
      - Re: Missing the joke - Grainger49 18:02:02 10/03/06 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Missing the joke posted by badman on October 3, 2006 at 10:39:59:
        
        I didn't tell a joke, what is this in reference to?
        
        "Remember, YOU are the only one who needs to like the sound of your system."
        Grainger Morrison
        There Is Only One

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