How did you try to align the crossover to the sub, and where did you place the sub?
Very few people bother to time align the crossover from the sub to the main speakers. Hence few people actually get a sub properly integrated into the sound-field through the sub crossover region, often leading to a ‘disjointed’ sound from the bass.
@Gigantor Opinions are like xxxx everyone has one. Do what you want, buy what you like. Numerous folks here are absolute experts, at least in their own minds. But in the end it’s your Money and Your ears.
I’ll show myself out . peace
I know it is not plug and play, and I did not have any experience or the patience to set things up, so after a few tries, I gave up.
I would rather get a good pair of speakers, plug them in and forget about the whole thing.
Fair enough!
I can assure you it can be done successfully, using a calibrated microphone and sound analysis software (such as REW) makes it quite easy really. (Done properly, it also works a lot better than large speakers in small rooms.)
@Xanthe holy moly we actually agree on something! Too many folks put speakers that are either boarder-line or just too big for a given room. Then complain about bass being boomy or no soundstage width, depth or lack of image focus.
Interestingly though, I have a single sub right next to one of the main speakers, which is exactly what Totem recommend for their subs for a music system using matched Totem speakers and subs.
I see your dealer sells Fyne. Try the 501 or 502s. You won’t need a sub.
G’day Opus,
Thank you for the tip on these speakers. I am checking out reviews at the moment. They certainly look the part with the optional ribbon tweeter.
Mitch.
Mitch I own the ProAc D20R… personally I prefer the ribbon to the soft dome. In any case D2x setup well will give you great bass. Of course the reason to buy ProAc’s is their magical ability to just make music!
Why is it you can’t buy new speakers? Is it an aesthetic issue? Maybe you could just buy new speakers then gaslight her until she believes they’re the same speakers you’ve always had.
I have read a few reviews today on some of the selected speakers from Forum Members. The below list is not finite, though just for interest.
On Audio Trends Page in Australia, they mention the requirement or words to that effect that the Sonus Faber Sonetto II require a REL T/7i sub woofer and also the B&W 705 S2 when incorporated in a home cinema which in my case will not be so. With regards to the Focal Aria 906 it possibly sounds too good to be true at half the price of the former two speakers.
With regards to the ProArc D2R, apart from looking the part and favourable reviews. There is on reviewer that swears by them though adds a REL T/5i sub woofer. This speaker on and off paper appears to be the best in the mix for my desires. Yet up looms that head of the sub woofer, which brings me back to my Celestion’s not moving out of the house and just adding a REL sub.
On another positive note with the ProArc dealer they do take trade-ins. This will be worth a phone call next week as we are under our 5th Covid 19 lock down. I can tell that the drive through bottles shops are doing a roaring trade here in Oz.
Latter today I received an answer from my NAIM Dealer to answer to a question I posed him. He believes in $AUD that the cut off for a Nait XS 2 is around the $8000 dollar mark. So I will keep searching speakers in this range and slightly over, I have fallen in love with Sonos Faber Kanta No. 1 speakers though I do doubt the bass capacity and, well impossible to get past Shelley. There are children dying in the world and you want buy speakers! We did support one child in Ethiopia for 16 years and possibly should do so again.
This afternoon a CD from Discogs arrived in the mail and as Shelley was out, I gave it a spin. Pat Benatar’s Crimes of Passion. Loved her voice though whole CD just lacked punch or what I remember playing in the car in my early 20’s.
The search continues and I will listen to the ProArc D2Rs after the lock down is over. Now I am searching for speakers in the $8k AUD range. Though maybe completely taken by the D2R’ when I hear them. Love the look too.
Mitch.
The only way to buy speakers is by trying them in the room…
Subs can work wonders if they are set up well and in one room my Ovator 400 was massively improved even with a £150 wharfedale sub ( There’s a velodyne sub in the other set up that cost £1200) A very cheap but valuable upgrade.
Smaller speaker seem harder to drive and from past experience I think ported speakers have more ‘kick.’ They just need placing carefully!
Well Mitch can’t help much with your wife except maybe mention that you’ve had the Celestion’s for 30 years! Not like you’re an audiophile spendthrift. I’m curious though how much are the ProAc D2R in Australia? And I’m guessing trying to get floor standers isn’t going to slip by Mrs. Mitch
FYI I have a sub with my ebony ProAc D20R; a REL S/510 , my room is 15.5 ft x 21 ft x 8 ft
I’m also fortunate Mrs.Opus couldn’t care less about what speakers I have. In fact she was kind of bummed out when I sold my Martin Logan’s she thought they were cool 
That is the ideal. In practice it often entails making initial choices in the seller’s room, and then having confirmation of the final choice, or possibly two, at home. And for those of us living somewhere where home trial of speakers is simply not an option, which also usually includes buying secondhand from a private seller, taking one’s own to hear in their room to set a baseline for comparison reduces the risk if a mistake as well as making the auditioning in an unfamiliar room easier.
Having gone through a few speakers in my life, I have always been unsatisfied with the bass. Until I finally decided to add a Rel (T9i) into the equation. With big speakers as Focal 1028, in a room a bit smaller than yours. Indeed all the hype you hear that it makes the highs clearer, voices and mids more standing out, altogether warming up the presentation while adding a more solid and impactful base, turned out to be true in my case. This is when I turned into a supported of subs for stereo, no matter the size of the speakers. So if possible, try one in your room.
G’day Randi,
The dealers that are closest to myself are a two and half hour drive away. The best I can do is take my favourite music along and try and choose from that. When selecting amplifiers I did tack my Celestion’s to the dealer and was suitably impressed with the Nait XS 2 about four plus years ago. If I was thinking of the future possibly I should have purchased a SN2. Though I was in fix-it mode after our amp had died for the third time and no music in the house except for a clock radio for 12 to 18 years as I was working night shift and hd no idea how tired that made me.
I no have a few ideas that might be able to smuggle past Mrs. Mitch. I may have to wait till Christmas or go with a sub and convince her that is the cheapest solution. Though two weeks or so I will make the trip into Melbourne and visit the the two stores mentioned in this post. and hopefully walk away with a better idea.
Mitch.
Hi Mitch,
IIRC from your previous threads, there is some kind of cabinet on the wall that your whole AV ensemble was mounted in.
Please forgive me and disregard if it is no longer there. But if it is, please post a pic or tell contributors about it. It might mean you get more meaningful recommendations for speakers, sub(s) etc.
Hope it works out for you.
Best, C.
How do you put a delay into the signal to the main speakers (to compensate for the group delay in the sub)?
Well he probably doesn’t but it doesn’t matter if he’s happy with how it sounds.
I must admit I have bought a pair of speakers without listening to them at all…
They were intended to go on the end of a Denon D-M39R in a holiday home that gets rented out. They were a s/h pair of Wharfedale Diamond 9.1; I bought them for £38. I also used them while I upgraded the crossovers on my Spendor SP2s - they sounded bl**dy good on the end of a 272/555 + 300DR system!