Alittle more help in the sub dept.

[ansat]

I wrote another thread in the HT section and we came to the conclusion with the money the wife was going to let me spend the HSU VTF-1 was the way to go. The wife was generous to let me have 800 for the sub now. And I did the measurements of the room to be 5600 cf I called SVS and they told me that the 12 NDS was not powerful enough to handle a room of that size and I would need to go to the plus to get what I was looking for. The HSU vtf 3.3 according to their tech line said that it would be more than enough and that is within my range. You can see the setup that i have now in the HT pics.

The specs are:

Ok, Here is what I got now

Television - Samsung series 6 46"
PS3 for Blu-ray
Receiver - Onkyo Tx SR-604
Speakers
Front / Left / Right Def Tech - Mythos Solo XL
two 41/2" cast-basket drivers plus a 1" pure aluminum dome tweeter
two 41/2" drivers,
two 41/2" pressure coupled bass radiators
and a 1" pure aluminum dome tweeter for the center channel module.
There are three Linkwitz-Riley crossovers
Recommended amplification for each channel is 10 – 250 watts
frequency response is 50 Hz – 30 kHz.

Surrounds 4x Def tech Pro cinema 60
Driver Complement :One 1" pure aluminum dome tweeter; One 3-1/2" high definition upper bass/midrange driver
Frequency Response :70 Hz – 30 kHz
Impedance :Compatible with 8 Ohms outputs
Recommended Associated Amplifier Power :10 – 135 watts
Sub Pro Sub 60
Driver Complement :One high-definition 8" woofer
Frequency Response :24 Hz – 150 Hz
Internal Amplifier Power :150 watts
High Level Inputs :Two pairs of 5 way binding posts
High Level Outputs :Two pairs of 5 way binding posts
Low Level Inputs :One LFE input (for SW preout only)
High Pass Crossover :Non Variable 6 dB/octave @ 80 Hz: Available only with high level inputs and outputs
Low Pass Crossover% :24 dB/octave, continuously variable from 40 Hz – 150 Hz: Available with high level inputs only

Prevously I was given 1300 for the sub and reciever and I was given a increase to 1600 which gives 800 for the sub. The question is.... Would I be better off with 2 lower end subs or the HSU vtf 3.3. Currently I am 80% Movies and gaming and only 20% music. Also I am not set on HSU. The HSU brand was the only ID sub I have got to hear.. and that was just the stf-2, which I was most impressed by.

The floors which the sub will be placed on are pergo and I have a nice underlayment under that for dampening sound I have little to no ecco in the rooms.

TIA

[callas01]

One of the best subs I have heard to date is the Martin Logan Dynamo, It is a kickin sub, BB says its about $650, but I would bet you can find it online for less then that. I would love to get my hands on one... or the Abyss by Martin Logan too, but I don't know how much they run. There is also the eD A2-300 which in these parts gets a ton of good reviews. I think that it runs about $400. Or you could get its older brother, just check their website. www.elementaldesigns.com

[jaejw1]

not to take awayfrom the more expensive subs....
but ifyou check my gallery u will see tha I have a large volume to fill... downstairs (theater) which opens up to upstairs via an open loft...

I had a single Premier Acoustic PA-120 that did a pretty good job... and then I got a second one.... initially when I first started shopping everryone toldme the same "urgonna need dual subs to fill that volume "

wellnowthat I have my second sub a total of 460bux spent,, im am wowed by every movie I watch and every song I hear.... just amazing...... no dead zones in my room at all... everthingis filled


there are options... u dont have to getthe budget sub but I often wonder,,, what reference others have when suggesting subs

take ur time,and do ur homework,,, I did and im glad I made the choice I did

[MacDaddyOJack]

No offense guys, but the A2-300 and the PA-120 are not really in the same league as the HSU he is looking at.

@ the OP, you do have a large space to fill but I would think that as long as you aren't sitting exremely far away from the sub, then one would work pretty well. I'm not opposed to the two subwoofer arrangement, I actually think it's great, but only when you have to nice subs.

If I was in your situation, I would get the one HSU before I got two lesser subs. Who knows, maybe you can get another HSU down the road

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

@ the OP, you do have a large space to fill but I would think that as long as you aren't sitting exremely far away from the sub, then one would work pretty well. I'm not opposed to the two subwoofer arrangement, I actually think it's great, but only when you have to nice subs.

If I was in your situation, I would get the one HSU before I got two lesser subs. Who knows, maybe you can get another HSU down the road

I agree with this as well. One very nice well placed sub can really fill a room with good bass. Remember that one of the most important things with a sub is placement. I would only get one really good sub and move it around the room to find the best location first. You can so what is called the "sub-crawl." Get on your knees as you move the sub around and listen to the sub's performance within that location. If after this, you have not found the sub to be up to par with the room size, then you could return it for two "lesser" subs to fill any voids within the room.

[ansat]

Currently I have a nice corner which the wife has let me have. I am kinda stuck untill I have built my theater room. But with the def tech 60, my complaints would be the lack of mid range and the opening of pan's lab... On pans I hear more air moving then bass... I am attributing that to a 8" sub. If I am going to upgrade I would prolly do something nice. When I was asking about 2 subs I was talking about 2 x stf-2 or 2 DIY 10's or any other suggestions that sounded promising. My only beef about the VTF is that I am paying for variable tuning. This is something I will not be futsing with once I have it set. The other thing that I would think would help in my situation would be a down firing sub and make use of sonic resoniating.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

No offense guys, but the A2-300 and the PA-120 are not really in the same league as the HSU he is looking at.

@ the OP, you do have a large space to fill but I would think that as long as you aren't sitting exremely far away from the sub, then one would work pretty well. I'm not opposed to the two subwoofer arrangement, I actually think it's great, but only when you have to nice subs.

If I was in your situation, I would get the one HSU before I got two lesser subs. Who knows, maybe you can get another HSU down the road

I also have to agree with this. The performance of a cheap sub just can't compete with a good one. The cheap one may be able to get really, really loud, but there's a LOT more to it than that. A loud muddy sub isn't really a good thing. The higher quality subs from SVS, HSU, Epik, AV123 or eD will offer tighter, cleaner bass, as well as better extension and clarity. Rather than a big box that goes "BOOM" you get a lot of low end with a lot of detail, especially if positioned properly.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

No offense guys, but the A2-300 and the PA-120 are not really in the same league as the HSU he is looking at.

@ the OP, you do have a large space to fill but I would think that as long as you aren't sitting exremely far away from the sub, then one would work pretty well. I'm not opposed to the two subwoofer arrangement, I actually think it's great, but only when you have to nice subs.

If I was in your situation, I would get the one HSU before I got two lesser subs. Who knows, maybe you can get another HSU down the road

Heh, I have a PA-120, which I love, and I agree as well.

Originally Posted by ansat

Currently I have a nice corner which the wife has let me have. I am kinda stuck untill I have built my theater room. But with the def tech 60, my complaints would be the lack of mid range and the opening of pan's lab... On pans I hear more air moving then bass... I am attributing that to a 8" sub. If I am going to upgrade I would prolly do something nice. When I was asking about 2 subs I was talking about 2 x stf-2 or 2 DIY 10's or any other suggestions that sounded promising. My only beef about the VTF is that I am paying for variable tuning. This is something I will not be futsing with once I have it set. The other thing that I would think would help in my situation would be a down firing sub and make use of sonic resoniating.

So... don't get the VTF? That's why they have the option of either VTF or STF.

You actually wouldn't want sonic resonance in your floor if that's what you're talking about. That's boomy, rattling bass. Good clean powerful bass doesn't have to rely on any tricks or half-measures. I would think the Hsu subs would more than do what you need.

Hell, I wish I had a need for that big old SVS sub. It's so massive and beautiful.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by fireman325

I also have to agree with this. The performance of a cheap sub just can't compete with a good one. The cheap one may be able to get really, really loud, but there's a LOT more to it than that. A loud muddy sub isn't really a good thing. The higher quality subs from SVS, HSU, Epik, AV123 or eD will offer tighter, cleaner bass, as well as better extension and clarity. Rather than a big box that goes "BOOM" you get a lot of low end with a lot of detail, especially if positioned properly.

Hey now. Let's be careful lumping the PA-120 into "cheap" territory. It's more of a budget selection than some of the others, but it's far from cheap. It's not a muddy sub either. I don't doubt that the ones you've listed will go lower, but you pay for that extension, and at some point we've all got our cutoffs.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by ansat

Currently I have a nice corner which the wife has let me have. I am kinda stuck untill I have built my theater room. But with the def tech 60, my complaints would be the lack of mid range and the opening of pan's lab... On pans I hear more air moving then bass... I am attributing that to a 8" sub. If I am going to upgrade I would prolly do something nice. When I was asking about 2 subs I was talking about 2 x stf-2 or 2 DIY 10's or any other suggestions that sounded promising. My only beef about the VTF is that I am paying for variable tuning. This is something I will not be futsing with once I have it set. The other thing that I would think would help in my situation would be a down firing sub and make use of sonic resoniating.

I personally wouldn't even consider a sub less than 12" for HT use. The smaller subs won't have the extension that you can get from the bigger subs. The HSU you're looking at is a good model, or for exactly $800 you could look at this model from eD. Remember eD subs ship free to the lower 48 states via Fedex.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by aramis109

Hey now. Let's be careful lumping the PA-120 into "cheap" territory. It's more of a budget selection than some of the others, but it's far from cheap. It's not a muddy sub either. I don't doubt that the ones you've listed will go lower, but you pay for that extension, and at some point we've all got our cutoffs.

I didn't mean any subs in particular, but all-too-often people look too much at cheap subs (meaning cheaply built) rather than a better built "budget" sub. IMO, the 2 aren't the same thing. And admittedly, I'm not familiar with the PA-120. Sorry for the confusion. No offense intended toward anyone's equipment.

[JJ]

Originally Posted by aramis109

Hell, I wish I had a need for that big old SVS sub. It's so massive and beautiful.

Think the wife would let you get away with sticking one of those big ol' cylinders in her room?

[ansat]

Originally Posted by fireman325

I personally wouldn't even consider a sub less than 12" for HT use. The smaller subs won't have the extension that you can get from the bigger subs. The HSU you're looking at is a good model, or for exactly $800 you could look at this model from eD. Remember eD subs ship free to the lower 48 states via Fedex.

The 8" came with the def tech pro cinema 60 set That I use for my surrounds. It was that or nothing with the wifes budget at the time.

How would the MFW-15 compare with the eD and the HSU I noticed it scored higher on the craigsub ranking... And this is assuming their shipping with the new board.

[ansat]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Think the wife would let you get away with sticking one of those big ol' cylinders in her room?

The 12 NDS according to the SVS desk would not cut it for a room sitting 5500+ I would need to move to at least the plus, most likely the ultra. That pushed me out of the budget quick. I had to do quite alot of bedroom work just to get the increase that I did.

[Steve]

I honestly couldn't say. I've only heard the MFW-15, and that's only because I have one. I had never heard one before I bought it though. I really doubt the difference would be huge, but the last time I checked the MFWs were all out of stock. I only recommended the eD model because it's the exact dollar amount of your budget due to its free shipping, and because their reputation and reviews of other models are so good that I wouldn't hesitate to buy one myself.

If my MFW amp ever croaks I would most likely replace it with something from SVS, eD or Epik. Epik also has a couple of subs in your price range that you may want to check out. Again, I would buy from any of these companies based on reputation alone.

[jaejw1]

Originally Posted by fireman325

I didn't mean any subs in particular, but all-too-often people look too much at cheap subs (meaning cheaply built) rather than a better built "budget" sub. IMO, the 2 aren't the same thing. And admittedly, I'm not familiar with the PA-120. Sorry for the confusion. No offense intended toward anyone's equipment.

I would consider the PA-120 a better built budget sub.... internal/external build is amazing for the money

[MacDaddyOJack]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Think the wife would let you get away with sticking one of those big ol' cylinders in her room?

What are you suggesting, is that a metaphor?

Seriously though, I love my cylinder(20-39PC+) and it is defnitely overkill for my 2000 cubic ft. room. I don't know if the plus will be good enough for your size or not though...

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Think the wife would let you get away with sticking one of those big ol' cylinders in her room?

Hah, hell no! I was actually referring to their box subs though. While I have no doubt the cylinder subs are amazing, I just prefer the box subs.

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

What are you suggesting, is that a metaphor?

Seriously though, I love my cylinder(20-39PC+) and it is defnitely overkill for my 2000 cubic ft. room. I don't know if the plus will be good enough for your size or not though...

Heh, my wife'd tell me to apply that metaphor to myself if I tried to bring that sub home. Honestly, I'm completely happy with my current sub. My upgradeitis is in my TV and an amp.

[StimpsonJCat]

In that price range have you considered the Epik Sentinel?

[jaejw1]

Originally Posted by ansat

The 12 NDS according to the SVS desk would not cut it for a room sitting 5500+ I would need to move to at least the plus, most likely the ultra. That pushed me out of the budget quick. I had to do quite alot of bedroom work just to get the increase that I did.

I cant see that being true...
I have 460bux worth of subs,,, that sound great,,, and it fills in the kitchen,, dinningroom and upstairs aswell as the theater area...

im either lucky or I have the ideal deminsions,,, and my area is larger than 5500cuft

not unless u have the desire theater room,,, or u live in the country,, I cant see spending all that money for something that u can only use partially

not sayingthat my PA-120's are running at max.... they are actually turned down a great deal