Another Budget Sub Recommendation Thread

[4fit?]

OK. I am FINALLY ready to pull the trigger on a budget sub upgrade for my non-dedicated HT. Usage will be 100% movies. Budget is $200, but I can go a smidge higher if it is absolutely necessary. The subs I have been considering are the BIC F12 ($200), Lava LSP-10 ($209), PA-120 ($249), and the Polk PSW505 ($199). I would usually not even consider a Polk sub, but I understand that the PSW505 is a rare exception I should keep in mind. It's current sale price at NE is why it is on the list.

The sub will join a pair of Monitor 60s for mains, CS1 center, and a pair of Yamaha surrounds left over from my old HTiB setup. The sub will be replacing the POS sub that came with that HTiB setup. Current sub is a massive 50 watts RMS and 6.5" driver., so I'm sure any of the subs mentioned would be an insanely huge upgrade from what I have. No real set size requirements, but don't want to go much larger than any of the ones mentioned above.

Room is 12x18x8 and does have an opening to another room. I'm sure I could benefit from a better sub (eD, HSU, etc), but it just isn't in the cards right now. Don't have the means to redirect savings any further, as all my available funds are about to go towards college for my son. So I'm ready to purchase today or tomorrow, while I still can. lol.

One more thing I should mention is that I don't currently have a receiver capable of room calibration. I am using an old Onkyo TX-SR304. It is next on the list to be upgraded though. Probably something like a Denon 1612 or 1912.

Any advice, comments, input is greatly appreciated! And feel free to recommend other subs that meet my criteria. Thanks!!!


On edit: Guess I should also throw the Energy S10.3 in the mix, since it is at $189 right now at NE.

[MarlinFan]

I managed to pick up an Energy S10.3 at a recent Newegg sale for $169.99. I am very pleased with its performance.

[emr25]

I'm in the same boat, I currently have no sub with my Pioneer Andrew Jones 5.0 setup (see signature).

I think I have narrowed it down to the Energy S10.3 next time it is $170-180 on Newegg or the Klipsch RW-12D next time it is $300 on Newegg.

For the extra $120 I know I am getting a much more powerful sub in the RW-12D that should still work even when I upgrade to better speakers in 3-5 years. I simply cannot and will not justify $500 on a sub in the foreseeable future, so I have really tried to focus on my performance/value options in the <$300 range and these two are very highly regarded for what they are, budget subs.

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by emr25

I'm in the same boat, I currently have no sub with my Pioneer Andrew Jones 5.0 setup (see signature).

I think I have narrowed it down to the Energy S10.3 next time it is $170-180 on Newegg or the Klipsch RW-12D next time it is $300 on Newegg.

For the extra $120 I know I am getting a much more powerful sub in the RW-12D that should still work even when I upgrade to better speakers in 3-5 years. I simply cannot and will not justify $500 on a sub in the foreseeable future, so I have really tried to focus on my performance/value options in the <$300 range and these two are very highly regarded for what they are, budget subs.

Remember your room size - if it's not that big, you can get pretty good bang for your buck, even in a 10" sub. I had the money and room size to "justify" getting a monster sub, but you don't really need all that chest-busting sound to enjoy subwoofer sound.

A friend of mine has an 8" mini-sub from a HTIB setup, which I freaked out when I saw it (I built his speakers, but didn't build him a sub) - and lo and behold, it did fill work just fine, in a big area. The sound is there, just not the volume.

Back off on volume if you can't afford it right now, just go for clean sub tones. It's not a "geez, I have to live with it" thing, it will actually sound pretty darn good, and you can use it to fill in voids when the money is there to get a bigger unit.

You can do pretty well under $200. See if you can listen to it first, and ask around about reliability - most of the cost is the plate amp, and poor quality will make it fail. Stick with the name brands when you can, or build one yourself with known good gear.

And check this out:

http://www.diysoundgroup.com/subwoofer-kits.html

You can do very interesting things with this stuff, and get a dynamite sub as a result.

[theJman]

For a room that size I would normally say steer clear of a sub with just a 10" driver -- like the LSP10 -- but the S10.3 is no slouch, so I would consider that one an exception. The Energy will probably come really close to equaling the depth and output of the F12, PA-120 and PSW505 too, yet will more then likely be cleaner. That's probably the one I would go with myself.