Front Speakers with subwoofer - Blu-ray Forum

robchow · 01-12-2009, 11:54 PM

I have noticed that some front speakers have built-in sub (for example, Polk RTi A7). Most likely than not, these built-in subs are not good at producing lows as dedicated subs from manufacturers such as eD, av123, and SVS. Therefore, purchasing a sub is highly recommended in HT.

So here is my question: if you have a great sub (or dual sub) from one of the aforementioned manufacturers, is having a built-in sub still useful? I am wondering if some money can be saved by purchasing RTi 8 / A5 as oppose to A7.

Thanks

sokrman14 · 01-13-2009, 12:08 AM

you will find that most high end audiophiles will tell you not to purchase a speaker with a built in sub. I happen to agree with them. I feel that you get better performance from a separate subwoofer, or two.

Rob J in WNY · 01-13-2009, 12:28 AM

Built-in subs might be "convenient" and even look quite attractive, but their fixed location may not be the ideal for a particular room's acoustics. As many already know, all rooms DO NOT have the same reaction to sound, especially low-frequencies. A separate subwoofer allows you the opportunity to maximize its SPL at your listening position because you can move it freely about a room. Location, location, location - so it is said, and so true.

That said, if you have a separate sub right now, try locating it where you would normally set your front speakers, and see if you get the smooth, efficient low-frequency SPL that you are looking for from your primary listening position. If the "sweet spot" is not there, then you will know that a built-in sub may not be your best investment.

- Rob J

Big Daddy · 01-13-2009, 02:10 AM

The built-in subwoofers are not meant to replace the sepaprate LFE subs. They are meant to give front speakers low frequency extension for two channel or multi-channel music/movies.

Definitive Technology is probably a better company than Polk in building Super Towers with built-in subwoofer. Their top of the line BP7000 SC speakers have one 14" subwoofer coupled to two 14" passive radiator and a built-in 1,800 watt amplifier. Their low frequency extension is around 11Hz. Critics are giving them raving reviews.

crazyBLUE · 01-13-2009, 02:24 AM

maybe I should buy those for my front's LOL ! & put my boston's in the back !!

Big Daddy · 01-13-2009, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

maybe I should buy those for my front's LOL ! & put my boston's in the back !!

If you can afford them, do it. You won't regret it. They have the less expensive models, BP7002, etc.

crazyBLUE · 01-13-2009, 02:41 AM

there are alot of good looking tower's & A big price range ! But would the bi-poler speaker sound better than my boston's !!!

JJ · 01-13-2009, 02:44 AM

All towers have woofers capable of decent low-end frequency extension - the RTi As have woofers, but not built in subwoofers. That would be their LSi line, or some of DefTechs tower offerings.

Big Daddy · 01-13-2009, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

there are alot of good looking tower's & A big price range ! But would the bi-poler speaker sound better than my boston's !!!

Bi-polar speakers have front and rear drivers and can completely fill the room. You may never want to leave your HT room.

sokrman14 · 01-13-2009, 02:56 AM

I am going to have to say "to each their own". I sold def tech's for quite a few years and never cared for their sound. I know they get good reviews, but when I finally did comparisons of those vs other speakers, I realized I wasnt a huge fan of them. I was able to do side by side (A/B) comparisons of them with many others and although they were better than some, they were worse than others. Speakers will always be upto the listener, but most often when I demonstrated them vs some of my other speakers, I ended up selling the others. It was the music that did the trick, most movies were pretty equal, but for music they had a good sound, but not as natural as many others on the market, and I think it is because of their powered subs. It tended to muddy up the sound a bit, and I was not a fan of their "high/tinny" tweeters in my opinion. Again, to each their own, but that is my view of them and built in subs. However, when they came out with their new Mythos ST line, it was greatly improved over their older BP line to my ears.

crazyBLUE · 01-13-2009, 02:56 AM

I'm allready there !

So that would just make it worse !!

crazyBLUE · 01-13-2009, 03:09 AM

Would this be good for my front's !! I LOVE THESE !!

prerich · 01-13-2009, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Would this be good for my front's !! I LOVE THESE !!

Yeah...If you have 8 amps to power a pair...because that's what you need, 8 channels of amplification.

crazyBLUE · 01-13-2009, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prerich

Yeah...If you have 8 amps to power a pair...because that's what you need, 8 channels of amplification.

DANG prerich !! Ya just had to ruin it for me now didn't ya !!!

Big Daddy · 01-13-2009, 03:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sokrman14

I am going to have to say "to each their own". I sold def tech's for quite a few years and never cared for their sound. I know they get good reviews, but when I finally did comparisons of those vs other speakers, I realized I wasnt a huge fan of them. I was able to do side by side (A/B) comparisons of them with many others and although they were better than some, they were worse than others. Speakers will always be upto the listener, but most often when I demonstrated them vs some of my other speakers, I ended up selling the others. It was the music that did the trick, most movies were pretty equal, but for music they had a good sound, but not as natural as many others on the market, and I think it is because of their powered subs. It tended to muddy up the sound a bit, and I was not a fan of their "high/tinny" tweeters in my opinion. Again, to each their own, but that is my view of them and built in subs. However, when they came out with their new Mythos ST line, it was greatly improved over their older BP line to my ears.

I had quite the opposite experience. I am a patient person and a tweaker by nature. I spent months going to different high-end retailers and played around with speakers that cost several thousand dollars more than Def Tech speakers. While I do not know a lot about their lower end speakers, their top-of-the-line BP 7000 (previously BP 2000) and the top Mythos speakers are unrivaled for the price.

Big Daddy · 01-13-2009, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

[IMG]Would this be good for my front's !! I LOVE THESE !!

Forget about those ugly B&Ws. You should get a pair of M5001F speaker from Swan HiVi of Canada. When you get tired of them, you can use them as sticks and beat your kids with them.

They have many other exotic speakers. Click on their site to see them.

crazyBLUE · 01-13-2009, 04:00 AM

My son is in korea teaching & that thing look's long enough to reach !! Good idea !!!

Big Daddy · 01-13-2009, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

My son is in korea teaching & that thing look's long enough to reach !! Good idea !!!

I am so glad I was helpful.

robchow · 01-13-2009, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

All towers have woofers capable of decent low-end frequency extension - the RTi As have woofers, but not built in subwoofers. That would be their LSi line, or some of DefTechs tower offerings.

What is the difference between woofer and subwoofer?

According to Polk's site, the RTi A7 / A9 have subwoofers.
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/rtia/specs.php

crazyBLUE · 01-13-2009, 04:21 AM

OK Big Daddy I found my front's ! MY living room will be an official obsticle course !!

01-12-2009, 11:54 PM	#1
robchow Senior Member Member since:Nov 2008 Trading Score:1	Front Speakers with subwoofer I have noticed that some front speakers have built-in sub (for example, Polk RTi A7). Most likely than not, these built-in subs are not good at producing lows as dedicated subs from manufacturers such as eD, av123, and SVS. Therefore, purchasing a sub is highly recommended in HT. So here is my question: if you have a great sub (or dual sub) from one of the aforementioned manufacturers, is having a built-in sub still useful? I am wondering if some money can be saved by purchasing RTi 8 / A5 as oppose to A7. Thanks

01-13-2009, 02:10 AM	#4
Big Daddy Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Southern California Home Theater Gallery:79 Blu-ray collection:122 Trading Score:1	The built-in subwoofers are not meant to replace the sepaprate LFE subs. They are meant to give front speakers low frequency extension for two channel or multi-channel music/movies. Definitive Technology is probably a better company than Polk in building Super Towers with built-in subwoofer. Their top of the line BP7000 SC speakers have one 14" subwoofer coupled to two 14" passive radiator and a built-in 1,800 watt amplifier. Their low frequency extension is around 11Hz. Critics are giving them raving reviews. Last edited by Big Daddy; 01-13-2009 at 02:12 AM.

Similar Threads
thread	Forum	Thread Starter	Replies	Last Post
Pointing a front firing subwoofer	Subwoofers	Crypter	7	04-28-2009 03:37 PM
Front Speakers	Speakers	peterb1972	13	02-04-2009 05:42 AM
Help On front Speakers	Speakers	mrpink134	12	01-17-2009 01:42 AM
New Front/Center Speakers	Receivers	disneyboi81	11	02-08-2008 04:56 PM

01-13-2009, 12:08 AM	#2
sokrman14 Special Member Member since:Mar 2006 Location:Omaha, NE Home Theater Gallery:9 Blu-ray collection:32 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	you will find that most high end audiophiles will tell you not to purchase a speaker with a built in sub. I happen to agree with them. I feel that you get better performance from a separate subwoofer, or two.

01-13-2009, 12:28 AM	#3
Rob J in WNY Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2008 Location:'Western' N.Y. State (MEMBER OF THE "ECPP")™ Home Theater Gallery:24 4K collection:30 Blu-ray collection:486 iTunes collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 15	Built-in subs might be "convenient" and even look quite attractive, but their fixed location may not be the ideal for a particular room's acoustics. As many already know, all rooms DO NOT have the same reaction to sound, especially low-frequencies. A separate subwoofer allows you the opportunity to maximize its SPL at your listening position because you can move it freely about a room. Location, location, location - so it is said, and so true. That said, if you have a separate sub right now, try locating it where you would normally set your front speakers, and see if you get the smooth, efficient low-frequency SPL that you are looking for from your primary listening position. If the "sweet spot" is not there, then you will know that a built-in sub may not be your best investment. - Rob J

01-13-2009, 02:24 AM	#5
crazyBLUE Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Pacific Northwest Home Theater Gallery:89 Blu-ray collection:479 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 38 Trading Score:30	maybe I should buy those for my front's LOL ! & put my boston's in the back !!

01-13-2009, 02:41 AM	#7
crazyBLUE Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Pacific Northwest Home Theater Gallery:89 Blu-ray collection:479 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 38 Trading Score:30	there are alot of good looking tower's & A big price range ! But would the bi-poler speaker sound better than my boston's !!!

01-13-2009, 02:44 AM	#8
JJ Blu-ray Count Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Miami, FL Home Theater Gallery:99 4K collection:619 Blu-ray collection:1293 DVD collection:31 Digital collection:5 Blu-ray reviews: 18 Trading Score:203	All towers have woofers capable of decent low-end frequency extension - the RTi As have woofers, but not built in subwoofers. That would be their LSi line, or some of DefTechs tower offerings.

01-13-2009, 02:56 AM	#10
sokrman14 Special Member Member since:Mar 2006 Location:Omaha, NE Home Theater Gallery:9 Blu-ray collection:32 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	I am going to have to say "to each their own". I sold def tech's for quite a few years and never cared for their sound. I know they get good reviews, but when I finally did comparisons of those vs other speakers, I realized I wasnt a huge fan of them. I was able to do side by side (A/B) comparisons of them with many others and although they were better than some, they were worse than others. Speakers will always be upto the listener, but most often when I demonstrated them vs some of my other speakers, I ended up selling the others. It was the music that did the trick, most movies were pretty equal, but for music they had a good sound, but not as natural as many others on the market, and I think it is because of their powered subs. It tended to muddy up the sound a bit, and I was not a fan of their "high/tinny" tweeters in my opinion. Again, to each their own, but that is my view of them and built in subs. However, when they came out with their new Mythos ST line, it was greatly improved over their older BP line to my ears.

01-13-2009, 02:56 AM	#11
crazyBLUE Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Pacific Northwest Home Theater Gallery:89 Blu-ray collection:479 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 38 Trading Score:30	I'm allready there ! So that would just make it worse !!

01-13-2009, 03:09 AM	#12
crazyBLUE Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Pacific Northwest Home Theater Gallery:89 Blu-ray collection:479 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 38 Trading Score:30	Would this be good for my front's !! I LOVE THESE !!

01-13-2009, 04:00 AM	#17
crazyBLUE Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Pacific Northwest Home Theater Gallery:89 Blu-ray collection:479 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 38 Trading Score:30	My son is in korea teaching & that thing look's long enough to reach !! Good idea !!!

01-13-2009, 04:21 AM	#20
crazyBLUE Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Pacific Northwest Home Theater Gallery:89 Blu-ray collection:479 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 38 Trading Score:30	OK Big Daddy I found my front's ! MY living room will be an official obsticle course !!

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals