sub for Aktimate mini+

[ShowponyStuart]

I have aktimate mini+ monitors and am looking to add a sub. Im am looking to spend $400-500 but will stretch a fair bit (maybe up to a grand if the sub is phenomenal and you can convince me its worth going broke for lol)

At the moment I am leaning towards a wharfedale diamond 9 SW-150 (400bucks).
But am also considering the AS8 and krk 10s (500 odd each).

Its a smallish room and I want it pretty much just for music. I listen to a huge variety of stuff classic rock (acdc, slade, black Sabbath) to alternative stuff (some other stuff: System of a down, queens of the stoneage, muse, florence and the machine etc etc) etc etc but I am guessing it will be most beneficial for my guilty pleasure (cough *dubstep*cough).

You're gunna hate me for this, but I kinda want both that punch (shake the air out of my lungs) and tight quality bass as well. Obviously I have to compromise, but not sure which one I would prefer to compromise lol. (Note I would also like if the bass has a cutoff so that the aktimates wouldnt play the lower frequencies but im not sure if thats a different matter.)

any advice?

[zburns]

I have aktimate mini+ monitors

The use of the word 'monitors' in computers refers to the 'imaging device that the operator looks at', ie: a computer monitor. There is no relationship between the 'Computer desktop monitor' and the speaker system other than the synchronization of the sound signals from the computer to the speaker electronics and the 'desktop monitor'.

You are talking about spending a decent sum of money for a good or 'almost perfect' audio system particularly in the low bass range.


Its a smallish room and I want it pretty much just for music. The small room with normal sheet rock walls (or any hard wall) is going to reflect sound waves off all 'hard' to 'semi-hard' surfaces. The end result will be that the low frequencies and the very low frequencies from your bass speaker (s) will bounce off the walls resulting resulting in significant 'cancellation' or 'alteration' of the lower frequencies. The effect will be most noticeable with the lowest frequencies.

A 'less than perfect' solution is to cover one of the opposite walls with a sound absorbing material. There are three pairs of 'opposite walls' in a rectangular room (includes ceiling and floor). Most ceiling tiles for a 'lay in ceiling' in a metal framework' are acoustical absorbing. There are so many recording studios around that you could get some good advice from someone in your area as to a good solution to your problem.

Someone who is an expert on 'music recording rooms' might suggest to you that you soundproof all your walls including your floor (thick carpet on floor). Heavy curtains on the walls, something like that. The interference problem will be most noticeable with the lower frequencies and very low frequencies. The high frequencies will have the same problem but will be less noticeable -- the sound will still be 'messed up' but you will not notice it because of the higher frequencies or you will notice it 'in a different way'. Like a 'screeching voice' where 'where normal' would be a smooth voice.

Google this topic and look at the various articles that pop up: 'recording studios design of walls'. Here is the URL: http://www.google.com/search?q=recording+studios+design+of+walls&rlz=1C1PRFB_enUS475US494&sugexp=chrome,mod=3&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 There are a bunch of good articles on this google page. The most immediate and clearest statement is a recording studio must have 'no parallel walls'.

If you read the articles on 'building a recording studio' and they will all say 'no parallel walls', you will understand the effect on all sound frequencies but especially the low bass frequencies; it is a real problem and assuming your hearing is good, you will hear 'poor sound reproduction' in a small room with parallel walls that reflect easily the lower bass notes. Worse thing is that it will be obvious!! Not so much with the higher frequencies -- does not mean the same problem does not exist at the high freqs, just harder to 'identify it as a problem'.

Final comment: It does not matter how much you spend on the speakers. The sound quality or the true sound will not be there given the wall problem -- so you must address the parallel wall problem (includes the ceiling and floor).

[ShowponyStuart]

The use of the word 'monitors' in computers refers to the 'imaging device that the operator looks at', ie: a computer monitor. There is no relationship between the 'Computer desktop monitor' and the speaker system other than the synchronization of the sound signals from the computer to the speaker electronics and the 'desktop monitor'. .

Was more referring to studio monitors where "Studio monitors, also called reference monitors, are loudspeakers specifically designed for audio production applications such as recording studios, filmmaking, television studios and radio studios where accurate audio reproduction is crucial. Among audio engineers, the term monitor usually implies that the speaker is designed to produce relatively flat (linear) phase and frequency responses."

Realistically the akitmates are a far cry from proper high end studio monitors if you look at its frequency response, but they are a lit closer than logitech z4's but that's all semantics. But thanks for clearing that up, I was confused when looking at my screen by the fact that it wasnt producing noise lol :p


The other issue is that I really dont have to time to knock down my house and replace it with a replica of the globe theater nor will my girlfriend particularly appreciate me stapling acoustic foam to the walls (though I might get away with heavy curtains if I can convince her that it was her idea haha). So for the moment that leads me back to my original question, given my circumstances, are any of those subwoofers of higher quality then the others. Just want to get more bang for my buck.