ED A2-300 VS Premier Acoustic PA-120

[Kali157]

Okay before everyone yells "Get the ED A2-300!" let me be more specific in what I am looking for. I am looking to update my sub and I have been looking all over these forums trying to pick btwn these two subs. Now I my room isnt that big (12x13x9) and I am not looking for a sub that can resuscitate someone who has gone into cardiac arrest. I am not really interested in seeing if I can shake my house off its foundations either. What I am looking for is for a sub that will blend well with my setup (Polk Cs20 center, Polk TSi200 fronts, Klipsch S-2 surround). I am looking for a sub that can produce a good range at med high volumes. So again I am not looking to turn my living room into a club.

I was going for the PS120 for the looks and its smaller size, but have also heard so much about the ED. Has anyone tried BOTH of them out and compared? On paper (aside from dimension) they seem very close. I am looking to save as much money as I can but I am also willing to spend if it is worth it for my use (hey money saved equals blu ray money!). I know there are many that own the Ed but I am looking for more of a comparison than a straight endorsement of one sub over another.

Thanks everyone for the help.

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by Kali157

Okay before everyone yells "Get the ED A2-300!" let me be more specific in what I am looking for. I am looking to update my sub and I have been looking all over these forums trying to pick btwn these two subs. Now I my room isnt that big (12x13x9) and I am not looking for a sub that can resuscitate someone who has gone into cardiac arrest. I am not really interested in seeing if I can shake my house off its foundations either. What I am looking for is for a sub that will blend well with my setup (Polk Cs20 center, Polk TSi200 fronts, Klipsch S-2 surround). I am looking for a sub that can produce a good range at med high volumes. So again I am not looking to turn my living room into a club.

I was going for the PS120 for the looks and its smaller size, but have also heard so much about the ED. Has anyone tried BOTH of them out and compared? On paper (aside from dimension) they seem very close. I am looking to save as much money as I can but I am also willing to spend if it is worth it for my use (hey money saved equals blu ray money!). I know there are many that own the Ed but I am looking for more of a comparison than a straight endorsement of one sub over another.

Thanks everyone for the help.

Just for reference, the room size does not have any indication on what size subwoofer you should use, unless WAF is the only deciding factor. To be clear, a good subwoofer should integrate well with your system, should not stand out, and should have ample headroom for intense passages, in music and movies alike. In this regard, the A2-300 beats out the PA-120. Properly calibrated, the A2-300 would make an excellent addition to your system. The PA-120 is not a bad sub at all and would also make a nice addition. In my opinion, if you have the money, you should get the best sub you can get, and in this case, the A2-300 is it.

[ryandubbz]

You can always get the more quality sub . . . . a2-300, and you dont have to calibrate it to a high decibel range, Calibrate it to about 70-72db, and it will sound great and "not shake your house off its foundation"

Get the better quality sub and dont run it as hot, and then later on when you want that better sub because you might want to shake your house, you can always turn up the gain some more to make it louder

[Driver_King]

Headroom is great. Overkill can always be tamed and you will definitely get on the sub, whether you think you will or not.

[Kali157]

true headroom is great... but its kinda like having a 500 hp car and a 300 hp car (looks being equal) that you only drive on the highway. yes one can go 200 mph but in reality you will only drive either car 90mph (b/c I dont see myself trying to crack the foundation.... well maybe... jk).

I guess my question is this: is the draw to the Ed b/c of the decibels it can produce? I am not trying to put the ED down, its just that from the posts I have read, it IS about trying to restart someone's heart with bass (not that that can be kinda fun).

This is why I am asking if anyone has heard/owned both of these. At medium high levels watching a movie, can I tell the difference between these two calibrated to the same level (ie not overpowering the rest of the system)?

I am just going by my experience with choosing my center channel. Quite a few people in various forums said that the difference btwn the polk CS10 and CS20 is negligible. Well, 45 min in a Fry's demo booth showed me a HUGE difference btwn the two. I WISH I can demo both of these subs.

Again thanks for the responses and any perspective.

[callas01]

the eD doesn't have to be turned up loud, my room is 12x15 its not huge, and with the gain turned up to 1/4 of the way, maybe a little more, and it is fine in my room.

If the size of the unit or the driver concerns you get the Hsu STF-2, its a great sub, only a 10" but plays much fuller and deeper then its size

[Driver_King]

I have a dual 18" subwoofer and an additional 12" subwoofer in my 12' x 14' bedroom. I have headroom for year. I calibrated my DIY A7-900 for 95dB just to mess around one day and felt like I was only scratching the surface of where it could actually go. Currently, I have both of my subwoofers calibrated, along with the rest of my speakers, to 75dB. There is not one time ever where the bass is overpowering. I used to own the A2-300 and raved about it for as long as I owned it. It is a great subwoofer. It will definitely have the SPL capabilites along with musicality and finesse you would not expect under $500. The A2-300 can get down to 16hz at around 90dB, which is not bad at all. I'm suspecting the PA can only get down to about 22hz maybe around 90dB. I believe the A2-300 does 20hz at 96dB average. If you watch movies, you absolutely will notice the difference. Even at very low listening levels, the A2-300 is a stunning performer. People have gone from more expensive subwoofers, like the Klipsch Sub 12 for example, and don't regret it one bit. The A2-300 is still one of, if not the best performers under $500. I don't intend to sound defensive or like a salesman or anything. I'm just trying to give you a bit of my personal experience and thoughts. Performance wise, there is no doubt in my mind that the A2-300 is the top performer of the two.

Originally Posted by Kali157

true headroom is great... but its kinda like having a 500 hp car and a 300 hp car (looks being equal) that you only drive on the highway. yes one can go 200 mph but in reality you will only drive either car 90mph (b/c I dont see myself trying to crack the foundation.... well maybe... jk).

I guess my question is this: is the draw to the Ed b/c of the decibels it can produce? I am not trying to put the ED down, its just that from the posts I have read, it IS about trying to restart someone's heart with bass (not that that can be kinda fun).

This is why I am asking if anyone has heard/owned both of these. At medium high levels watching a movie, can I tell the difference between these two calibrated to the same level (ie not overpowering the rest of the system)?

I am just going by my experience with choosing my center channel. Quite a few people in various forums said that the difference btwn the polk CS10 and CS20 is negligible. Well, 45 min in a Fry's demo booth showed me a HUGE difference btwn the two. I WISH I can demo both of these subs.

Again thanks for the responses and any perspective.

[kareface]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

Just for reference, the room size does not have any indication on what size subwoofer you should use

What? I'm confused, are you telling him that the size of the room doesn't change which subs would be more effective? From a physics standpoint that would be just false, the Inverse-square law would suggest for larger volume rooms he'll need either a higher SPL sub or many smaller SPL subs. You need more power as you scale the room up in size so the size of the room directly impacts which subs he should be considering.