Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo regarding my KLH subwoofer and the M22Ti

I have a cheapo KLH 120 watt sub that supposedly gets down to 50hz. I noticed the M22Ti is rated to go that low, so would that essentially mean I do not need the sub? or am I just looking at this wrong. I bet a new sub would sound so much better, but I wouldn't know.

Hi Mr. H,

The M22ti does a creditable job of bass to 40 Hz, but its bass output at higher levels will be limited without a sub. Even a cheapo sub will produce 40 Hz output or a bit lower, and your KLH has its own amp, so the M22ti will be relieved of deep bass duties (below 100 Hz), letting its woofers produce upper bass and midrange with ease and no sense of strain.

That's the point of using a sub with satellite speakers; even big full-range speakers benefit from a subwoofer with much-lowered distortion at the lowest frequencies.

Of course, a better sub (the Axiom EP125 or 175 or similar) will sound more musical and "tighter", which means it won't be boomy or bloated sounding.

But you can graduate to a better subwoofer as your budget permits.

Regards,

thanks!

1 day until blastoff whoo hoo!

One last thing. Is there a way to prevent that sound artifact emanating from the subwoofer's port? When the bass gets really low, it makes the swishy sound from the port. I don't know if it's because of the quality of the subwoofer, but is there a way to get rid of this?
thanks!

No, you can't eliminate the port noise, but you can reduce its audibility if you turn the sub around so that the port is facing away from you. Keep the port at least a foot away from the wall.

how about adding some material into the port? I was thinking the sound is from not having laminar flow, right? so is there a way to make the flow smoother?

Hi Mr. H,

That noise is called "chuffing" (add that to your audio/speaker lexicon) and in the Axiom subs, a special flared, irregular port (the "Vortex" port design) eliminates the noise.

I'll consult with Ian, Axiom's founder and designer; I think you could use a round insert of acoustically open-cell foam, which should break up the air flow enough to suppress chuffing without changing the bass loading of the sub enclosure. But yes, the chuffing is a byproduct of cheapo design.

Regards,

Morn'n Mr H..
Glad to know I am not the only one out here with the po' mans sub blues..
The Costco deal of 99 bucks a pop was too much to pass up.. So, I bought two of them !!
Actually, this allows me to run them at a lower volume, thereby avoiding many of the problems inherit to this class of equipment.. So there was some logic to the buying frenzy..
A two sub system pretty much knocks down all those hot/cold spots throughout the room.. At 120 watts each, two 10's can add a LOT to the listening environment... :>
But, it's only fare to admit, I long for the day when they are both replaced with EP-175's.. Or maybe even 350's ?
At that time, the KLH's will be moved into the family room, off the patio, to serve as party favors.. hahaha..
Bottom line, keep the sub (for now).. Let those M22's sing their little hearts out, leaving the low freq work to the LKH Black box.. Then, start sockin away the Looney's for the real deal, eh..
PS: You can make the KLH better sounding by stuffing it with accoustic filler, some more in the port, and adding 4 more mounting screws to the speaker surround.. Enjoy....