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Monitor Speakers and Subs

Can someone tell me the important things to look at when looking for these two items?

Keep in mind I know nothing about these particular things.

i dont like using subs when mixing, but its hard to say what to look for, its all about personal preference.

Speakers - Flat response. A powered studio monitor is perfect.

Subwoofer - Tight bass with a quick response.

A sub is a tough thing to buy for a DJ set-up. You can not skimp on it. Cheaper powered subs do not have a quick enough response time so bass lines end up sounding muddied. You need a sub with a very quick reaction time.

Subs are either musical or home theater oriented. Home theater subs tend to go very low but are not quick enough to handle music. Look for a musical sub which is much quicker but may or may not go down that low.

Also, ignore manufacturers ratings on watts and range. Find an independant source that has truely tested these subs. When manufacturers provide their own ratings, they tend to fudge a little...unless they are a very good manufacturer. A lot of subs claim to go down to 15hz, but very few do.

ya very few companies rate fairly. Would suggest getting some nice powered studio monitors and a nice matching sub.

just buy a shelf stereo...they work fine

quote:

Originally posted by CosmoKid Speakers - Flat response. A powered studio monitor is perfect. Subwoofer - Tight bass with a quick response. A sub is a tough thing to buy for a DJ set-up. You can not skimp on it. Cheaper powered subs do not have a quick enough response time so bass lines end up sounding muddied. You need a sub with a very quick reaction time. Subs are either musical or home theater oriented. Home theater subs tend to go very low but are not quick enough to handle music. Look for a musical sub which is much quicker but may or may not go down that low. Also, ignore manufacturers ratings on watts and range. Find an independant source that has truely tested these subs. When manufacturers provide their own ratings, they tend to fudge a little...unless they are a very good manufacturer. A lot of subs claim to go down to 15hz, but very few do.

thanks.

what are the units measuring these two parameters. response and the deepness of bass? meaning if on the sub it says: certain number for response, certain number for depth of bass.

quote:

Originally posted by StereoPrincess thanks. what are the units measuring these two parameters. response and the deepness of bass? meaning if on the sub it says: certain number for response, certain number for depth of bass.

Frequency response is measured in Hz and KHz. The normal human ears hears from 20 Hz to 20 KHz. Most "bookshelf" sized speakers have a frequency response of about 50 Hz to 20 KHz. Subs usually start about 80 or 100 Hz and go down to about 20 or 30 Hz.

The accuracy of the speakers is measured by how much they deviate from perfectly flat. This is measuerd in +/- dB, which is essentially "loudness". For example a speaker might be listed as 50 Hz to 20 KHz +/- 3 dB. This means over the frequencies listed, at most it is +3 dB over flat and at least -3 dB from flat. Monitors should have a pretty low number for this.

Power is measured in Watts peak and RMS. Peak is the most the speaker can handle for a moment while RMS (Root Mean Square) is the average power. IMO this spec is not nearly as important as the frequecy and response and how flat it is.

How "musical" a sub is or its response time is hard to measure and I don't think they post specs. You really have to listen to it and hear if it is "boomy" or if it is "tight".

quote:

Originally posted by StereoPrincess thanks. what are the units measuring these two parameters. response and the deepness of bass? meaning if on the sub it says: certain number for response, certain number for depth of bass.

depth of bass is how low a frequency it can do...its called frequency response.

you will see a number like 15hz - 100hz, etc.

usually companies will overrate the low end of frequency response. a sub that goes down under 20 will either be expensive or the manufacturer will be lying. subs below $1000 usually cant get that low, and if they do, the bass will not be tight.

there is no way to determine how tight bass is on a sub unless you listen to it. it is how quickly the woofer hits, returns to its original point, and then can hit again.

In consumer lines, Paradigm makes good subs, if you buy their Servo series, which is over $1000.

There is a sub out there that you can not buy in stores, only through the company, that was rated as the best consumer sub under $1000. it cost $500 and goes deep (makes you nauseaus) and is tight and music as a sub can get. HSU VTF-2.

www.hsuresearch.com

the beauty of HSU is that you can e-mail Dr. Hsu and he will reply back to you. He will ask you about your speakers, the room you are placing your sub in, what the sub will be used for, etc, and he will let you know the best solution for you and where to place the sub in the room.

ultimately you have to decide which sub is right for you. you may buy speakers that have good bass response and find you dont need a sub.

do a search on review web sites for audio. dont go by manufacturers specs on it. read reviews and see what the subs can really do in true listening environments. reviewers usually test them using sound pressure meters and other tools that give you true readouts.

The VTF-2 is a great sub.

I have read great things about the 10" TITANIC MKIII though I have not heard one. It is a super easy kit, basically you just screw it all together. And for $350 is suppossed to be a great deal.

Another sub I have looked at but not heard is the Tapco SW-10. It also runs $350. Has anyone heard this sub in action?

quote:

Originally posted by CosmoKid In consumer lines, Paradigm makes good subs, if you buy their Servo series, which is over $1000.

I have a Servo-15, and to be honest, it doesnt really add to my home DJing experience. I just mix in headphones now.

i use 2 EV SX 80's on a QSC 1850HD amp but when the speaker outputs come out of the amp they go into a JBL PB12 subwoofer then through a crossover to the SX80's


with the UREI driving it sounds crazy...it definately is tougher to spin but u get used to it after a while.....i love playing with sub.....u miss so much that the monitors aren't giving u.

personally, and i can speak on behalf of myself & Terry Bones using M-Audio's BX8's in accordance w/ M-Audio's SBX woofer. production is mostly my use for them, but personally i love the sound. i also have a very hi def. card.(Echo MIA Midi)

Since this is in the dj booth forum, I assume you're just djing with them, if so. Get the loudes things you can afford!

quote:

Originally posted by AudioGuru Since this is in the dj booth forum, I assume you're just djing with them, if so. Get the loudes things you can afford!

bad, general advise

quote:

Originally posted by djtrinity .....i love playing with sub.....u miss so much that the monitors aren't giving u.

yes, this is what i hear.

thanks for all your replies. very helpful.

this is for DJing, not so much producing.

for home dj use, imo it doesn't really matter unless you are gonna be using them for parties or somtething.

i have a 400watt rms stereo which has done me just fine for a long time now, some of my friends have specifially designed speakers and they don't really make too much of a difference.

i've often done promo cds on my producing speakers (m-audio bx8s) but the difference is negliable imo

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