Finally get to buy a real sub...

[vsidhu]

I finally have some free cash and have decided to throw it at my home theater. I am putting most of the funds toward a sub (maybe 2). I will be buying my speakers used or later on when I get more cash.

So far I have looked at:
Klipsch rw-10d
klipsch sub-12
kef c4
polk psw125

So my price range is around 400-500 per sub. Any other recommendations are welcome. I just want a sub(s) that can handle a movie like Iron Man (esp. the end of the cave scene) without distortion, port noise, etc.

[Sixx]

I'd check out SVS subs. Some of the best you can get for the price and in your price range!

[Driver_King]

Per sub? If I understand you correctly, then you should get two of these.

[JasonR]

At that price point I would be considering HSU, Epik, eD, and SVS. The ones on your list need not apply!

[vsidhu]

Originally Posted by JasonR

At that price point I would be considering HSU, Epik, eD, and SVS. The ones on your list need not apply!

I just checked out what's available in the local retail stores.

The A3 - 300 by eD seems like a good choice (thx driver king). The specs look good (shipping weight 86 lbs compared to around 40 for the ones I listed), shipping is free and I get two of these beasts for $1000.

[duneaholic]

Dude go with the ED subs. I bet you'll be amazed!

[mj79]

Originally Posted by duneaholic

Dude go with the ED subs. I bet you'll be amazed!

you traitor!!!!!! dissing your aa with dayton amps .. pssshhh

[JasonR]

Here is the scoring summary with the Home Theater score and Music score, respectively shown as (HT-M).

Prices and whether the items are available Internet Direct or from a store are now included. Keep in mind that ID pricing will usually be firm, or slightly discounted, where some BM products will see substantial discounts. BM = Brick and Mortar. ID = Internet Direct. ID/SI = shipping included.

Elemental Designs A7-900 ($2200 ID/SI): 116 points (63-53)
Epik Conquest ($1599 ID): 112 points (60-52)
SVS PB13-Ultra ($1599 ID): 109 points (57-52)
Epik Castle ($999 ID): 109 points (59-50)
AV123 MFW-15 Duals: 109 points (56-53) (note, duals were tested as duals are offered as a package)
Creative Sounds Dual SDX-15 driver + Behringer EP-2500 Amp + Behringer DEQ2496 ($1630 ID): 105 points (57-48)
JL Audio Fathom 113 ($3500 BM): 103 points (53-50)
AV123 MFW-15 ($699 ID): 103 points (53-50)
Def Tech Trinity ($3000 BM): 102 points (54-48)
Velodyne DD-18 ($5000 BM): 100 points (50-50)
ACI Maestro ($2400 ID): 97 points (47-50)
eD A5-350 ($715 ID/SI): 96 points (50-46)
JL Audio Fathom 112 ($2600 BM): 95 points (45-50)
Hsu VTF-3 HO + Turbo ($999 ID): 94 points (47-47)
Hsu VTF-3 HO w/o Turbo ($899 ID): 92 points (45-47)
Hsu VTF-3 Mark III + Turbo ($799 ID): 92 points (45-47)
Epik Valor ($549 ID): 91 points (44-47)
Hsu VTF-3 Mark III w/o Turbo ($699 ID): 91 points (45-46)
SVS PB12-Ultra: 90 points (47-43)
Axiom EP-500 ($1230 ID/SI): 90 points (43-47)
Hsu VTF-2 Mark III + Turbo ($599 ID): 88 points (42-46)
SVS PB12-Plus/2 ($1299 ID): 87 points (47-40)
SVS PB12-NSD ($599 ID): 86 points (43-43)
Hsu VTF-2 Mark III w/o Turbo ($499 ID): 86 points (40-46)
Rocket UFW-12 ($999 ID): 85 points (provisional) (35-50)
Elemental Designs A2-300 ($350 ID/SI): 83 points (44-39)
SVS PB10-NSD ($429 ID): 83 points (43-40)
Dana Audio 600 ($869 ID): 83 points (36-47)
Rocket X-Sub ($199 ID): 78 points (34-44)
BIC H-100 ($229 eBay): 78 points (40-38)
Rocket Tyke: 60 points (If you care, PM me ... )

Pending subwoofers ...

AV123 BMF ... Not sure of date
Epik Knight ... Not sure of Date

*: The Hsu MBM-12 has been tried with several subwoofers here. We found it to be a good room solution, for times when the best placement with a subwoofer for the deep stuff did not necessarily give the best performance in the 50-80 Hz area. We could not come up with a consistent way of scoring it with the other subs, including the VTF-3 HO. Instead, it is suggested to be look at as a possible enchancement to any subwoofer package.

Listening procedures:

All listening us done under blind conditions. The panel of listeners include several very experienced audiophiles, some of whom also design and build high end pro audio speakers. The subwoofers were each placed in the identical room position, and eq'ed to have a fairly flat (3 dB window) response curve from 18 Hz and up, when the subwoofer was able to go that "low".

Measuring procedures: All measurements are taken at 2 meters/GP from the front baffle of a subwoofer. In the case of a ported sub, the microphone is placed so it is 2 meters from the center of the driver(s) and port. The posted measured results are max "clean" 20 Hz output and the average from 20 to 63 Hz. If it seemed like the amp was the limiting factor in output, "AL" is added to the 20 Hz SPL.

The purpose of this information is to help people to quickly look at a variety of subwoofers and get a pair of scores, some performance numbers, and some listening tests describing the characteristics of each subwoofer. Hopefully, this will provide some assistance when researching for a subwoofer purchase. There will be times that a lower rated sub will work better for someone than a higher rated sub. For example, size, or output, in a lower rated sub may make a difference. Listening preferences may also make a difference. If slam is valued over extension, some subs excel at the 30-60 Hz slam. For others, extension will be the most important issue.

http://www.tweakcityaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11

[mj79]

Originally Posted by JasonR

http://www.tweakcityaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11

haha, i was just looking at that list... for the price , ( even tho they had problems with the amp ) the MFW-15 seems like one of the best on the list, especially when you consider the price

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by mj79

haha, i was just looking at that list... for the price , ( even tho they had problems with the amp ) the MFW-15 seems like one of the best on the list, especially when you consider the price

Yes!!! I forgot to metion AV123!!

Seems they have gotten it together!

[mj79]

Originally Posted by JasonR

Yes!!! I forgot to metion AV123!!

Seems they have gotten it together!

good to hear too, cuz they have some great reviews and owners seem to love em... Wish i had 700 to toss around, cuz that would be my first pick.. what amp are they using now for an amp?

[vsidhu]

MFW-15...impressive. Most impressive.

It has come down to:
i)SVS PB10-NSD X2
ii)MFW-15 X2
iii)A3-300 X2
iv)A2-300 X2...leaving around 200-300 extra for fronts

I will probably ship to a relatives house in the US to save on shipping and taxes.

[mj79]

Originally Posted by vsidhu

MFW-15...impressive. Most impressive.

It has come down to:
i)SVS PB10-NSD X2
ii)MFW-15 X2
iii)A3-300 X2
iv)A2-300 X2...leaving around 200-300 extra for fronts

I will probably ship to a relatives house in the US to save on shipping and taxes.

ummm welll... if your willing to pay 1500 , those 2 mfw15s will pretty much destroy everything on the list.. Id actually say from what ive read under numerous comparisons, that a single mfw15 would hold up to any 2 of the others ..

[mj79]

hell, since you almost there, you might as well just pick up an eD A7-900

[vsidhu]

Originally Posted by mj79

ummm welll... if your willing to pay 1500 , those 2 mfw15s will pretty much destroy everything on the list.. Id actually say from what ive read under numerous comparisons, that a single mfw15 would hold up to any 2 of the others ..

http://www.av123.com/index.php?page=...mart&Itemid=37


A sale!

[mj79]

your getting upgradeitis, just like almost evry guy in here gets.. and you havent even got anything yet..

look at with you started with in post one, polk psw's and klipsch reference.... now your talking about TWO MFW-15s??? lol , gotta love this hobby

[mj79]

Originally Posted by vsidhu

http://www.av123.com/index.php?page=...mart&Itemid=37


A sale!

yea theyve had that sale goin for a while.. just remember , you have to pay shiping on those concrete blocks..

[duneaholic]

LOL .Man if I had his budget I wouldn't have even looked at the AA sub probably.

Yeah the MFW-15 would be a great choice. Heck even one of those babies would kill! They do have B-stock available at times for quite a bit less.

[vsidhu]

I'm leaning toward the MFW-15. I have been reading up on it; becoming a little worried about the previous issues, but otherwise positive experiences all around.

One is good enough...I guess

Now the shipping...should I ship directly to Canada (apparently free with YRC, but will get hit with tax/brokerage fees) or to someone's house in the US for $100. If I ship to to Michigan (which has sales tax at 6%...I think), will I have to pay the sales tax on it?

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by vsidhu

I'm leaning toward the MFW-15. I have been reading up on it; becoming a little worried about the previous issues, but otherwise positive experiences all around.

One is good enough...I guess

Now the shipping...should I ship directly to Canada (apparently free with YRC, but will get hit with tax/brokerage fees) or to someone's house in the US for $100. If I ship to to Michigan (which has sales tax at 6%...I think), will I have to pay the sales tax on it?

Well the issues have pretty much been resolved, and the owner of the company actually apologized publicly for what happened. He seems pretty cool, he was frequenting their forums for a while and helping people. Now they have a different amp supplier and all is going well. I can't wait to get a dual MFW-15 setup someday!