Should I Consider a Sub Woofer w/ S5's?

Very interesting measurements. I wonder what the companion Devialet would do - probably not much for bass, but curious. That being said, I would look at Magico sub offerings. Failing that, I'm a fan of REL subs.

I have the S5 speakers. And with certain amps that didn't wake up the woofers by velodyne dd15+ did add some necessary foundation especially given some room suckout/nodes. My newly modified Marantz monos "OWN" the magicos ... They control and extend them like a dominatrix so need for a sub but when I add the velodyne there are songs that take advantage of the sub 30 hz tones and I notice the sub even if not making up for bass gaps does add some foundation that adds space and air (as much or more positive impact on soundstage and treble). So even if s5 fill your room with complete bass I find that a good fast bass dialed in real lightly helps with soundstage

I have literally been physically pounded by the bass from my S5s. However, that occurred at a higher than normal volume level. If bass is your thing then add a powered sub. Personally, I am not a big fan of overpowering bass, but the few songs (Lady Gaga) I like with intense bass seem okay for me.

Dial it low low low crossover and level.

Smile said:

Should I consider a sub woofer w/ S5's for music?
Devialet 200.
Room is ~ 5700 cu ft.

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Surprisingly, I find the Devialet has good bass weight and control (on my S5) comparable to amps many times its weight.

I should have stated this: I ran the Anthem pre-out to the Devialet By Pass for the S5's for HT and for this test. I connect the Aurender N100H directly to the Dev for music.

Heavy bass is not desirable and on some songs I can feel the bass waves rolling over me.

Is it a fair read of the freq response report to say that speaker placement and room conditions are fairly good?

"So even if s5 fill your room with complete bass I find that a good fast bass dialed in real lightly helps with soundstage" This is part of my question; is there enhancement to be had with a sub for music?

I'm going to start paying more attention to active speakers because this speaker class uses simpler discrete crossovers with integrated amps to control the speaker drivers. I'm not sure if any home audio speaker manufacturers offer a completely active speaker currently. But I think Vivid, KEF, and Rockport among other do offer active low frequency speakers.

But I'm also considering a subwoofer after speaking with Nyal Mellor (Acoustic Frontiers) - he designed my room acoustics. Nyal told me passive stereo speakers at almost any price range can be improved by adding a subwoofer. The proper active subwoofer/external crossover can provide visceral bass while allowing the main speaker amp(s) to more easily control the full spectrum of midrange and high frequencies.

But Nyal said it's mandatory to use an external crossover with careful room measurements to properly integrate the subwoofer(s).

Smile said:

I should have stated this: I ran the Anthem pre-out to the Devialet By Pass for the S5's for HT and for this test. I connect the Aurender N100H directly to the Dev for music.

Heavy bass is not desirable and on some songs I can feel the bass waves rolling over me.

Is it a fair read of the freq response report to say that speaker placement and room conditions are fairly good?

Click to expand...

for a better read on your actual output, you need to measure both speakers together and look at the bass output. My guess is that you will gain 3-4db below 200 Hz. You actually may have a lot more bass then you think.