New subwoofer, suggestions?

[GSV]Lemming

[GSV]Lemming

[GSV]Lemming

Associate
Joined
27 Nov 2002
Posts
834
Location
Desborough,Kettering
I currently have a setup in the lounge for mainly movies.

I have recently noticed that I seem to have lost my bass :( on inspection the lights are on but theres simply no sound from it, its a Radius 360 (Monitor Audio) in Piano black. I have changed sources to make sure thats not an issue, and the amp shows the SW channel is active.
Having dug out the receipt I am well outside the warranty so choices are a repair or replacement. I am thinking replacement may be the way forward here.

Amp is a Pioneer VSX1014, I have a sety of Monitor Audio floor and wall mounted speakers to give me a 5.1 setup.


So, I am looking for suggestions please, I have been happy with this setup so have ignored audio for a few years so dont know whats good and whats not! Used is not a problem if the price is right.
I havent budgeted for this and money is tight allowing for xmas aftereffects so looking to keep below £200 if I can and still get a decent bass. Where should I go and what should I be looking for?
 
i'm assuming you have the radius speakers to go with the sub? May be worth investigating how much a repair would cost before you buy new. You wouldn't get a £200 sub sounding the same imo
 
For that cash I would say either

BK Gemini

or

MS 309i

I would be very sure that the sub was goosed before I replaced it though. Have you not got someone with a full working 5.1 setup you can pop round to, plug in your sub and see if its still borked.
 
Have had the sub checked at the dealer, it is borked for sure :( Also tested with tones from the amp, nothing happening there either ..


I have floorstanding RS6s and wall mounted RS1s, with a radius centre speaker.

The Radius sub is probably underpowered for the rest of the setup, I realise this now, but at the time it seemed okay... Repair costs are unsure at the moment, there are only 2 changable parts, one is £85 (bass driver) and the other is £185 (Amp). I can replace with a new identical sub from ebay for £175 now, but would rather look at something better.

I think I may have been hopeful with the budget, perhaps a replacement spec with the best price you can find? Help me decide how much I need to spend?
 
BK Gemini, MS 309i or EPOS ELS for around £200 or less. Avforum boffs get a bit wet about the BK XLS200 which is £280ish. I've got the Epos M which was £250 reduced from around £600, which I think is the dogs danglies, and is still available at that price.
 
I think you'd do well with the afore mentioned Gemini. It's similar in size and specs to the R360 IIRC.

I must admit I wasn't able to demo the radius sub when I bought my R270s. Monitor audio replaced the radius sub with the silver one I think, for the radius package, as the radius sub wasn't well regarded. The new HD radius range has a new sub I think but I suspect that it's out of your budget (400 I think).

In the end I bought a B&W one, with an 8" driver, for 300 notes but slightly regret not buying the Gemini now, mostly due to the price and all of the praise the BK range gets.
 
Report has come back, the internal amp is blown so £200 to get repaired :(

Richers sounds is doing the MS 309 for £100 so that seems like a good bet for a temp sub until I have more money free, I may even keep it!, thanks for the advice :)
 
A subwoofers amp will at least have an active filter stage (ie, to stop voices etc coming out of it!). Seems a shame to buy anything temporary though, It'll be wasted money pretty much (doubt resell value is great) :(
 
Dr.EM said:
A subwoofers amp will at least have an active filter stage (ie, to stop voices etc coming out of it!). Seems a shame to buy anything temporary though, It'll be wasted money pretty much (doubt resell value is great) :(
Click to expand...
Even if he got an active crossover also, it would still be a lot of hassle, especially if you just want something 'plug and play'...

Don't throw away the Monitor Audio sub tho, you could always stick it up on e-bay as "spares and repairs", I dunno how much you'd get for it tho...

Another option would be to fix the amp somewhere else, but I'm not sure if you'd have somewhere local and with the skills?
 
[GSV]Lemming;13306034 said:
Report has come back, the internal amp is blown so £200 to get repaired :(

Richers sounds is doing the MS 309 for £100 so that seems like a good bet for a temp sub until I have more money free, I may even keep it!, thanks for the advice :)
Click to expand...

personally i'd get the MA repaired rather than spend £100 on a temp sub.
 
Reality Bites said:
personally i'd get the MA repaired rather than spend £100 on a temp sub.
Click to expand...

Repair cost for the sub according to MA is £184, I can buy a new one from ebay identical but in matching wo0od finish for £175 delivered... However the MS 309 seems to be higher spec for £99 from Richer Sounds until I decide on a much bigger, more expensive sub at some point in the summer.
It may seem silly to have a temp sub, but at £100 its almost throwaway money for 5/6 months worth of use before I look at a higher spec £4/500 sub...

Although the MA sub looks nice and matches the finish on the other speakers, I am not convinced it is that good a sub overall and my money is probably better spent elsewhere.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom