To Sub, Or Not To Sub, That… is the question!
Do you need a subwoofer for a STEREO system?
You Do
There are precious few towers that go nearly as deep as a JL Audio subwoofer. If you go to the bottom of our home page and click on the yellow tab that says JL Audio Double Barrels, you can see the actual drivers used in D110, E110 and E112, JL’s top three selling subs.
These massive cast drivers, made in Florida, are so deep, heavy and powerful that it’s easy to understand that you couldn’t even fit them within virtually any tower for under $6k.
Further, these drivers are built into the face of the sub so they’re mechanically integral. JL does NOT just screw its woofers into a soft wooden fascia.
It is the muscularity of the driver and intrinsic rigidity of JL construction that separates the men from the boys. And of course, subwoofers have their own amps on board so they don’t further drain your amp.
Almost all towers today that sell for $6k on down (exception Bryston!) are wimpy cabinets with an array of flimsy drivers slapped together in China by a company we’ve never heard of, being shipped in boxes by brand names we know very well. Yep, B&W, Monitor Audio, Polk etc, run their business model this way.
If you were to dissect some of these speakers as we have, you’d see why the hardware within delivers very weak, uninspiring performance.
Most of these companies are smart enough to make an attractive cabinet. But they’re very light on the hardware of the drive elements and cabinets themselves.
None of these go deep enough to consider NOT needing a JL sub. Further, since most of these towers are sissies, it would have been smarter to buy some stand mounts for half the price or less, and invest in a single JL D110 or E110. You’d be money ahead and have much superior weight and realism in your music.
With this game plan in mind, why not START your speaker plan from the bottom UP?
Instead of starting with Chinese towers for $5k, please consider starting with far superior stand mounts from Amphion (Finland, $1400-3200 per pair) or Bryston ($1700 pr, Canada)!
Bryston Mini A $1700 Per Pair
Bryston’s Mini A is a luscious 3-way with very strong power capability. Mini A produces significant bass to about 50Hz. That’s fine, because we’re going to introduce one of the JL Audio subs at 60-80Hz.
Bryston is voiced SMOOTH instead of bright. Many a customer who appreciates accurate acoustical musical timbre has chosen Bryston speakers in our store.
If you buy D110, you’re all in for $3k. You’ll have bass that will SLAUGHTER any lightweight Chinese tower. It’s just not even close.
In fact, if you run E110, you’re all in at $3600. $3600 buys you only a slightly larger far east tower than 3k- without any DEEP bass either. In fact, most of these aren’t even legit 3-ways and have little courage.
Amphion Argon 1 $1900 Per Pair
Argon One is Amphion’s spectacularly open and airy stand mount for under $2k. Amphion specifically voices Argon One on the lean side. They know you’ll use it in an application where you don’t want thudding bass.
You might live in a condo where you don’t want pulsing bass. Or, if you DO want deep bass, Amphion knows you’re going to get it in a subwoofer, so there’s no reason to pay for it in your right and left speakers.
Amphion produces the most open, airy and IMMEDIATE musical presentation out there. With Argon 1 and a JL sub you have transparency that is uncanny for just over $3k. The Bryston Mini A will play louder and stronger than Argon 1. So if you like to hit it hard on occasion you should buy Bryston. If you’re after the utmost spacial presentation and phenomenal boxless imaging, buy Amphion.
Amphion Helium 510 $1400 Per Pair
Helium 510 is a new speaker that lands just above the magic $1k price point. Made in Finland like all Amphions, Helium uses a slightly less sophisticated woofer than Argon 1. It is substantially more transparent and revealing than all the far east mass production speakers.
Klipsch RP600 II $750 Per Pair
Suppose your budget is roughly $2k. It makes sense to get a JL D110 and a pair of affordable satellite speakers. There’s no better value in an affordable stand mount than the K RP600 version 2. They don’t have the sophistication of Bryston or Amphion. But they’re clean, powerful and run half the price or less.
You Don’t
There ARE indeed some towers that have class shattering bass response so you really DON’T need a sub. If you’d like to go that direction, look north to Canada! Did you know Bryston speakers have a 20 year warranty?! These speakers are a true cut above what’s coming out of Asia.
Bryston A3 $3270 Per Pair
A3 will absolutely SURPRISE you. Looking at A3 you’d have no inkling how powerful it is. But I assure you, it is special. Bryston’s heavy, Canadian Rangerwood cabinet with reinforcing bracing bars and struts, moves A3 a mile away from the imports.
A3 uses a pair of prodigious cast frame, ceramic coated aluminum 6.5” woofers, made by Bryston in their Canadian factory. These 6.5s are not bought out of a bin from the other side of the world and you are going to be mightily impressed by the bass they can produce. A3 mates these woofers with its ceramic coated aluminum midrange driver and Titanium tweeter. In A3 you have a tower that will BRING it with bass and musical smoothness.
Bryston A2 $3820 Per Pair
A2 is one of the best tower values in our biz. Using dual woofs, dual mids and dual tweeters, A2 has a good 20% more bass than A3 and produces a larger soundstage.
When you drive A2 with a sweet amp like a Bryston or NAD C298 (or C399 integrated)- you’ll swear we have a subwoofer connected to the system. Running speakers built powerfully enough to wield a sledgehammer, you’ll be surprised that you really don’t need a subwoofer.
Bryston Middle T $8600 Per Pair
Middle T is a modern day Ray Nitschke or Dick Butkus. At only 39.5 tall, Middle T is easy to place in your room. Let me assure you, Middle T is a lion on steroids. Weighing in a 82 pounds of ferocious muscle, Middle T incorporates a pair of 8” woofers that are JL Audio quality in construction. Running a pair of these 8s in heavily braced and reinforced enclosure, will absolutely ROCK your world.
The moral of the story is, if you want serious bass in an affordable tower, you CAN get it with Bryston of Canada, with a 20 year warranty no less.
The alternative is to START building your system with a JL sub. When you do THIS, you can land at $2-3k. You’ve got the bass covered and can improve your right and lefts as your piggy bank allows.