B&W ASW608

Riggy

Riggy

Riggy

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I'm looking at a new 5.1 sound system. Has anyone got the B&W ASW608 sub? I would like your thoughts on the sub, and does it provide you with a smile when watching movies etc?

From what I've read it's something that I'm interested in due to it's size and I imagine it's not going to cause my crazy neighbours to come round and stab me. lol

Cheers
Rig
 
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Riggy said:
I'm looking at a new 5.1 sound system. Has anyone got the B&W ASW608 sub? I would like your thoughts on the sub, and does it provide you with a smile when watching movies etc?

From what I've read it's something that I'm interested in due to it's size and I imagine it's not going to cause my crazy neighbours to come round and stab me. lol

Cheers
Rig
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Although I haven't heard the B&W ASW608 in person, due to having just an 8 inch driver, it may not give you the kick you need at high sound pressure levels but if you don't intend to watch your movies at silly volume levels then the B&W ASW608 may do the job for you.

My living room is 12 x 15 feet and the only 8 inch subwoofer that managed to shake my room causing my trousers to flap was the Velodyne SPL8 and I was volume levels was well over 100dB!

Whats the size of your room?

The advice I alway give for anyone buying home cinema equipment -especially speakers or subwoofers - is to try and demo them.
 
Yeah I think my best bet is to give it a try in person.
My room is 10x10ft. Not huge but not too small either. Well I won't be at stupid levels of sound anyway. Under 100dB I imagine.
 
I'm open to others. The more choice, the merrier! I'm just looking for something that isn't too big nor too pricey. The price range I'm looking at around 300 quid really. Give or take, if I fall in love with one. Lol
 
Jano said:
BK XLS200. Superb sub, just over price at £308.
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+1 for the BK XLS200.

I heard really good feedback regarding BK subwoofers and this has really impressive specs for the money and the frequency response goes as low as 17hz which is remarkable for a 10 inch driver.

The thing is, I'm not sure where you can go to get a demo.

Another alternative and slightly more expensive at around £350 is the Velodyne Impact 10. It may not go as deep as the BK XLS200 but it still packs a mean punch.
 
With BK you kind of have to buy blind. You obviously get DSR protection, however I don't know anyone who's not been impressed. I went with a Monolith DF and for the money can't ever imagine getting a better buy. Awesome sub.
 
Lowe said:
With BK you kind of have to buy blind. You obviously get DSR protection, however I don't know anyone who's not been impressed. I went with a Monolith DF and for the money can't ever imagine getting a better buy. Awesome sub.
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Yeah, I'm guilty of buying home cinema equipment without demoing first but only if the reviews and feedback have been outstanding - sometimes demoing equipment isn't as straight forward as it ought to be.
 
Forget branded gear like the B&W.

Buy the best BK you can, set it up properly and enjoy.

Monoltih is stunning for the price if youc an fit it in your room!
 
I'm gonna look into them a bit more. You guys seem pretty convinced! Need to look at the dimensions too, room is limited! :P
 
Riggy said:
I'm gonna look into them a bit more. You guys seem pretty convinced! Need to look at the dimensions too, room is limited! :P
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Pah, if a sub can squeeze through the doorframe then the room is bing enough.

Plus a monolith is easy to get past the other half. Stick it against the wall, then put a lamp and some beads in a bowl on top and 'Hey Presto' a sidetable.
 
-Ad- said:
Plus a monolith is easy to get past the other half. Stick it against the wall, then put a lamp and some beads in a bowl on top and 'Hey Presto' a sidetable.
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The bulb in that lamp will have it life shortened a fair bit I imagine! But very good idea lol I'm not currently living with the other half, but that is a very good idea!
 
Riggy said:
I'm gonna look into them a bit more. You guys seem pretty convinced! Need to look at the dimensions too, room is limited! :P
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Put it this way. For under £1000 there's only two subs really seriously worth considering. BK Monolith assuming you can get away with the size of it. It's a big brute an doesn't have a great WAF factor. BK XLS400 if you want 90% of the Monolith's performance but in a smaller package. If I had £1000 I'd go for two Monoliths, simple as that. With a sub you don't really have to worry about it blending in tonally with your other speakers to the same extent, so you're able to go for other brands. Whilst you'll have probably not heard of BK directly, they make a lot of subs for other manufacturers as OEMs, who then rebadge them to their own.

The only other addition that's really worth the money is the DSpeaker 8033 Antimode. It's an automated EQ unit that tames the peaks created by the room in which you place your sub. When I had my old REL and I bought the Antimode, I could have convinced people I'd got a new sub - the difference was that marked.
 
as608 is a great sub, i am using one in a room that is approx 15x21feet (EDIT also demoed the asw10cm and pv1 when i was buying my gear - they were excellent but I didn't feel they were worth the extra expense)

volume is set only to 25% on the sub w/ crossover 80 - higher and it is too loud

I have no doubt the BK subs are very nice as well, but the fact remains the B&W is an excellent sub

whichever you choose, i am sure it will be quality - just go get a demo and let your hears decide. too many people overstate things on the internet good or bad ;) (some w/ 0 experience, just stuff they read :rolleyes:),
 
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lunarwolf said:
as608 is a great sub, i am using one in a room that is approx 15x21feet

volume is set only to 25% on the sub - higher and it is too loud

I have no doubt the BK subs are very nice as well, but the fact remains the B&W is an excellent sub

whichever you choose, i am sure it will be quality - just go get a demo and let your hears decide. too many people overstate things on the internet good or bad ;) (some w/ 0 experience, just stuff they read :rolleyes:),
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Not wanting to fan a possible fire here, but the input volume isn't really all that important given that whatever is driving it can make the position of the gain pot irrelevant. So long as the sub can provide the output asked of it, that's the important part. I'm sure the B&W is more than capable.

However compared to a Monolith or XLS400 it's totally outgunned. Yes, the BK's are an extra £100ish or so, but it would be a night and day difference. I'm a firm believer in auditioning kit, but took a blind punt on a Monolith based not on opinions, but on spec sheets and independent reviews where possible (not magazines).

This was what sold me in the end.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/subwoofer-tests-archived/5750-bk-monolith-df-2-a.html

That's without any room influence given the test was done outdoors. Look at the first graph. It's hard not to be impressed by the flatness of the response at a measured 90dB. With an 8" cone, the B&W isn't ever going to be able to give the same depth at that kind of level.
 
Lowe said:
but it would be a night and day difference.
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I have no doubt the BK is nice sub, but night and day ?? lol exacly what i mean by overstatements.:D

the bK may be great bang for buck, but have you listened to asw608? there are also many other brands that have great subs as well -> SVS http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-cyl-pc13ultra.cfm ;)

graphs/specs shouldn't be how you decide what gear to buy in hifi. generally specs are pointless exercise, manufacturers use these tricks all the time, they look good on paper, but in practical terms they mean nothing to users (ie watts on amps are always obscure how they are really measuered (some manufacturers seem to use different dif standards) contrast on screens etc...) outdoor tests - relevance? should he sell his house and pitch a tent outside? do you have tests in snowy and rain conditions?

the best and only way is to go listen and test for yourself. too much snake oil in the hi/fi world

PS his room is 10 feet by 10feet and he doesn't want the neighborhood in front of his house with pitchforks :rolleyes: no point in OTT subs unless you want to compete with Heathrow for noise polution imo
PPS setting the volume line is important to properly calibrate your system
 
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The look of the BK xls200 is nice, its something I'm looking for, my whole entertainment system is based on a colour theme of black, blue and white, so I've also got to be aware of how the sub looks. The BK CLASS200 seems perfect :D ! I'm won't be getting until end of march though. This is my first home cinema set up, and my first purchases are my AC receiver and two front speakers! Thank god for a short month! Lol
 
lunarwolf said:
I have no doubt the BK is nice sub, but night and day ?? lol exacly what i mean by overstatements.:D

the bK may be great bang for buck, but have you listened to asw608? there are also many other brands that have great subs as well -> SVS http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-cyl-pc13ultra.cfm ;)

graphs/specs shouldn't be how you decide what gear to buy in hifi. generally specs are pointless exercise, manufacturers use these tricks all the time, they look good on paper, but in practical terms they mean nothing to users (ie watts on amps are always obscure how they are really measuered (some manufacturers seem to use different dif standards) contrast on screens etc...) outdoor tests - relevance? should he sell his house and pitch a tent outside? do you have tests in snowy and rain conditions?

the best and only way is to go listen and test for yourself. too much snake oil in the hi/fi world

PS his room is 10 feet by 10feet and he doesn't want the neighborhood in front of his house with pitchforks :rolleyes: no point in OTT subs unless you want to compete with Heathrow for noise polution imo
PPS setting the volume line is important to properly calibrate your system
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Yeah I don't want something that will irritate the neighbourhood lol. I don't live on the mpst friendly of places. :D.
 
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