If you listen to mainly vocals and Jazz do you need a sub

[taters]

My speakers go down to 45 hz. Would I benefit from a sub or is it more trouble than it's worth?

[DaveyF]

My speakers go down to 45 hz. Would I benefit from a sub or is it more trouble than it's worth?

taters, what speakers are you using?

I kind of had to ask myself the same question when I decided to add a sub to my system. The answer lies in how appropriate the sub is to the rest of your system and whether your room
can support a sub. In my case, the answer was the sub definitely adds to the realism of bass instruments and the soundstage when playing jazz. The sub does take a smidgeon of purity away
when listening to purely vocals ( easy to switch off in this instance), BUT this is off-set by what else it brings to the table on all other types of music. I think you just have to try it and see if you like it, in my case...I did.

[taters]

taters, what speakers are you using?

I kind of had to ask myself the same question when I decided to add a sub to my system. The answer lies in how appropriate the sub is to the rest of your system and whether your room
can support a sub. In my case, the answer was the sub definitely adds to the realism of bass instruments and the soundstage when playing jazz. The sub does take a smidgeon of purity away
when listening to purely vocals ( easy to switch off in this instance), BUT this is off-set by what else it brings to the table on all other types of music. I think you just have to try it and see if you like it, in my case...I did.

Dynaudio Confidence 1

[JackD201]

IMO yes it is worth the space, effort and expense for any genre.

[DaveyF]

Dynaudio Confidence 1

taters, that's one of my favorite speakers. A superb stand mount.
I think given that, they would benefit greatly from pairing with a suitable sub. You will need to choose carefully so as not to get a sub that cannot keep up with the C1's; BUT I think
one of the REL's or the JL's should do the trick.

[dafos]

Taters, were in very similar situations as i'm currently auditioning a JL Audio F 113 mated to Magico Minis. From what I hear, hardly, if any, detectable effect on the human voice when the crossover point is carefully chosen. And I agree with Davey, the improvement in soundstage size, ambiance and weight more than outweigh any, if ever, deleterious effect on the midrange. Further, it seems that the image size of vocalists seems to have increased to more lifelike proportions so that even with pure vocals, I find it beneficial to leave the subs on.

Davey, are you using subs with your Guaneri's? Remember my friend who landed a mint G, he's now toying with the idea of mating them to an F 112 or 110 after having heard the Mini/JL lab combo.

The only drawback to running monitors full range with subs is I'm now a bit worried about playing too loudly since the sub assisted system seems to be able to play at louder levels with noticeably less strain. With a true full range system, one knows that the midrange driver is only being worked to a certain frequency unlike in a monitor where the mid/woofer is serving double duty.

[flez007]

I used a Velodyne DD18 with SF GH some years back, and agree with DaveyF here, some small penalties to pay over the gains - mine had a mute switch and running the SF full, so an easy trick to deploy.

[Phelonious Ponk]

Need? No. 45hz is sufficient to deliver the bloom of a standup bass and the punch of a kick drum, both of which are the low end of the classic jazz ensemble. Benefit? Perhaps. It could put some foundation in there that you might love. But depending on your room and set-up, a sub could cause problems that would send you searching for room correction or additional treatment, or even another sub or two. So I would ask the fundamental question: Are you happy with your system? If yes, you might just want to stay happy and not enter into a round of "upgrades." Or you may at least want to get a sub from someone with a 30 day return policy and give it a really good work out in your system/room for a couple of weeks, turn it off, come back a few days later. Are you happier or are you still trying to get your system/room to synergize with the new sub? Yes? Send it back. Life is too short to spend much of it screwing around with gear when we could be listening to music.

Tim

[DaveyF]

Davey, are you using subs with your Guaneri's? Remember my friend who landed a mint G, he's now toying with the idea of mating them to an F 112 or 110 after having heard the Mini/JL lab combo.
.

dafos, I am using a REL T5 with my GH's. In my very small room, it works exceptionally well. I do have to say that I have treated this room with bass trapping, so that is also a consideration.
The REL took a bit to dial in, BUT once that was accomplished, it disappears into the mix completely.

[carolkoh]

What Tim said.

"It could put some foundation in there that you might love. But depending on your room and set-up, a sub could cause problems that would send you searching for room correction or additional treatment, or even another sub or two."

I'd say see if you can try one out.