Want a very bass heavy cinema like system . Multiple used beolab11s worth it ?

7 replies

Bilal Vahidy

Bronze

3 posts

Posted April 1, 2026 at 10:05 GMT

#690879

Hi All.

Newcomer to the forum .

A little background - I’ve been renovating the house for nearly seven years . Most of the renovations are complete so I can now focus on building a “semi home cinema” room.

I was initially going to go with a 77 inch Sony A95L and Bravia theatre quads as it seemed best for the room and my preferences . I was going to try and modify the quads so that I could use multiple third party subwoofers (most likely from ELAC) and perhaps seeing if I could add some bass shakers/transducers to the mod

However , with the A95L now being three years old and no successor being announced to it and the quads , I’m now back to the drawing board .

currently I’m leaning towards an LG G6 with a bang and olufsen sound system as the LG sound suite has mixed reviews.

I want a very bassy system to make it feel like I’m actually at the cinema - through multiple subwoofers symmetrically placed in the room and some placed near seating to ensure all seating gets a good bassy feel .

The Beolab 19 subwoofer seems way too big and expensive to make the type of system I want to make.

Instead I’ve been looking into the discontinued Beolab 11s . I’m thinking to pick up a few second handed , and placing them symmetrically through the room and a few near the seating as obviously I can’t add bass shakers and transducers to a bang olufsen set up .

the plan is to connect them to a theatre bar .

anyone have any experience with using multiple beolab11s ? Or do you think the bass from the beolab28s as rears (and maybe 8s as surrounds and heights) will be enough ?

cheers

beojeff

Bronze

2894 posts

Posted April 1, 2026 at 13:44 GMT

#718262

The Beolab 11 adds very little bass and won't give you that cinematic experience you're looking for. The Beolab 2, however, will definitely make your room shake! With a single Beolab 2 you won't feel that you notice where the subwoofer is located. However, adding a second Beolab 2 and having them carefully placed will provide a sense of evenly dispersed bass.

Bilal Vahidy

Bronze

3 posts

Posted April 1, 2026 at 22:40 GMT

#718263

Thanks for your answer . Am I correct in assuming the Beolab 2 can only connect to the Theatre bar through cables ? if so , do you think there’d be a sonic mismatch between having the Beolab2s connected to the bar via wires and having the Beolab 11s used as a substitute for a bass shaker - I.e placing the beolab11s right behind the seating to make the seating shake a little for that near 4D effect ? thanks

beojeff

Bronze

2894 posts

Posted April 2, 2026 at 06:11 GMT

#718264

The Beolab 11 will nver give a "shaking" effect. It just adds that extra bass for speakers that are a bit lacking in bass. A Beolab 11 really is only useful for a Beolab 4000 or Beolab 6000 or lesser speaker.

AdamS

Bronze

642 posts

Posted April 2, 2026 at 13:03 GMT

#718266

As above, if you;re only concerned about a tuneless thump-thump-thump that rattles your eyeballs and ornaments when watching films, then Beolab 2 is the obvious answer. However, if you'd like to hear actual bass lines in time with the music as well, save up for a Beolab 19.

Severed_hand_of_skywalker

Bronze

361 posts

Posted April 3, 2026 at 20:42 GMT

#718269

Honestly if you have a Theatre + BL28 and BL8's I seriously doubt you need any sub at all. But I agree if you do then get the Beolab 2. You can connect it wired to the theatre or even get a wireless adapter for it. I would start with no sub and if that setup isn't cutting it get the BL2.

Location: Toronto, Canada

T.W.G

Gold

2988 posts

Posted April 7, 2026 at 08:37 GMT

#718288

Don't even consider a Beolab 11 for that purpose. The Beolab 11 was mainly intended for small speakers like Beolab 4 and very small rooms. For heavy cinema sound I would use 2 Beolab 2 depending in your room size. If you want more defined power you could for example have a look at SVS Subwoofers. There should be options for every budget and they have a well known reputation for delivering the required bass power : https://www.svsound.com/ A completely different solution if you want powerful sound to listen to live concerts with their original volume or a plane crash with its original volume are Klipsch Horn speakers. Due to their flat big front part, you could ask a carpenter or interior designers to finish their front according to your room to hide the speakers and their size. I have never heard something with so much power! (And yes, I've listened to Beolab 90 speakers in a cinema room, too.) Due to their construction they're required to be placed in the corners of your room. https://www.klipsch.com/de/products/klipschorn-ak7 When you install a pair of these in your cinema room / living room there is no more need for a subwoofer. There's only the need to take care of displayed fine glasses, vases or similar items in the room where the speakers are. :-)

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