The Official Acoustic Audio Subwoofer Owners Thread

[erict]

Originally Posted by 209Mason

HD-SUB12 arrived at about 11:30 and was sitting here waiting for me after work. I brought it inside and busted it open... Here's my thoughts.

Packaging:
Very good stuff! As others have said it came double boxed. Inside the inner box, the Sub itself was wrapped in plastic and surrounded by styrofoam in the corners... Just as good if not better packaging than some of the Polk speakers I've gotten. Inside the package was the Sub, a R/W speaker cable, and an adapter that's 2F to 1M.

Appearance:
This was more than I expected. It's hard to tell from all the pictures, but as others have said, this sub is very well put together. This is my first Sub, so I don't have much for comparison... but it looks just as well put together as any of the Polk, Sony, or Klipch subs I demo'd at Best Buy... It was free from any blemishes. The Black matches well with my Polks, and the Grey/Silver color is more muted than the pictures I've seen make it look. It's very nice looking. It's got clean lines, solid construction, and the amp is very nice looking too (as far as amps go, I guess).

One other note... while it may not matter to most, the actual Acoustic Audio nameplate itself on the top of the sub and the grille is actually very nice. In the pics I'd seen it almost looked like a sticker. In actuality it's about an 1/8 of an inch thick with raised letters... it's almost like a little plaque... very nice.

Performance:
Okay... let me start off by saying this is my first HT. I didn't know what to expect and I had been waiting to run Audyssey until I got this Sub. I hooked it up complete with the Monoprice cable and 1F to 2M adapter (Thanks BD) and ran Audyssey setting the gain at the midpoint. It ran and set my Sub calibration at +5 and crossover at 90. I put in a few Blu-rays (Rambo, Twilight, Wall-e) and looked for some intense scenes... NOTHING... I couldn't even tell if it was on. I had to get down and touch it to see if it was actually doing anything. I moved it around the room to a few places and still nothing. I turned the GAIN up to about 80% and finally started hearing some Bass. After about 20 minutes, I decided to come back and read through the thread some more.

This brought me to a post by BD in which he said to turn the Sub crossover to MAX... I did that and re-ran Audyssey. This time it set my crossover at 80(THX) and the Sub calibration at -5 (instead of +5 before). I decided to put in Dark Knight and go to the club scene and WOW... WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! It fricken thumped me in the chest. It was awesome.... I then decided to give it the Skadoosh test in KFP and it too was awesome! I felt it in my chest and feet, lol. I decided to turn the GAIN up a little (from 50) up to about 65% and I went into the receiver and set the Sub calibration at 0. This resulted into a bass effect that was nearly more than I could handle. It was booming and almost made my head feel a little odd... lol. I decided I wasn't quite ready for that yet. I ran through the Skadoosh scene again and again until I found a happy medium again with the GAIN around 50 and the Sub calibration at -4.

Thoughts:
What can I say, it sounds awesome! Audyssey did an amazing job with the rest of the speakers and the Sub (once I re-ran it with crossover at MAX) sounds awesome too. Others have said that it sounds better after a short break-in period... if that's true, I guess I'm in for a surprise.

Unfortunately, my camera is in Colorado (with my brother) and will be back on Sunday, so I'll get some pics up then. I'll spend until then tweaking and seeing if I can get any better sound out of it, but for now, I've got a fantastic point to start from!

A BIG thanks to BIG DADDY, Callas, Jomari, DavidinGA, JJxiv, kndy, and all the others for all the info, pics, and insight for this Sub. After 2 hours of setup and reading this thread, i've got it sounding awesome (atleast to my ears)... and all for under $200.

Good to hear. Now it's time to update you're signature.

[209Mason]

Originally Posted by erict

Good to hear. Now it's time to update you're signature.

Done!

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by 209Mason

Done!

Where are the pictures? You have until Sunday.

[PurpleJesus74]

Originally Posted by 209Mason

HD-SUB12 arrived at about 11:30 and was sitting here waiting for me after work. I brought it inside and busted it open... Here's my thoughts.

Packaging:
Very good stuff! As others have said it came double boxed. Inside the inner box, the Sub itself was wrapped in plastic and surrounded by styrofoam in the corners... Just as good if not better packaging than some of the Polk speakers I've gotten. Inside the package was the Sub, a R/W speaker cable, and an adapter that's 2F to 1M.

Appearance:
This was more than I expected. It's hard to tell from all the pictures, but as others have said, this sub is very well put together. This is my first Sub, so I don't have much for comparison... but it looks just as well put together as any of the Polk, Sony, or Klipch subs I demo'd at Best Buy... It was free from any blemishes. The Black matches well with my Polks, and the Grey/Silver color is more muted than the pictures I've seen make it look. It's very nice looking. It's got clean lines, solid construction, and the amp is very nice looking too (as far as amps go, I guess).

One other note... while it may not matter to most, the actual Acoustic Audio nameplate itself on the top of the sub and the grille is actually very nice. In the pics I'd seen it almost looked like a sticker. In actuality it's about an 1/8 of an inch thick with raised letters... it's almost like a little plaque... very nice.

Performance:
Okay... let me start off by saying this is my first HT. I didn't know what to expect and I had been waiting to run Audyssey until I got this Sub. I hooked it up complete with the Monoprice cable and 1F to 2M adapter (Thanks BD) and ran Audyssey setting the gain at the midpoint. It ran and set my Sub calibration at +5 and crossover at 90. I put in a few Blu-rays (Rambo, Twilight, Wall-e) and looked for some intense scenes... NOTHING... I couldn't even tell if it was on. I had to get down and touch it to see if it was actually doing anything. I moved it around the room to a few places and still nothing. I turned the GAIN up to about 80% and finally started hearing some Bass. After about 20 minutes, I decided to come back and read through the thread some more.

This brought me to a post by BD in which he said to turn the Sub crossover to MAX... I did that and re-ran Audyssey. This time it set my crossover at 80(THX) and the Sub calibration at -5 (instead of +5 before). I decided to put in Dark Knight and go to the club scene and WOW... WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! It fricken thumped me in the chest. It was awesome.... I then decided to give it the Skadoosh test in KFP and it too was awesome! I felt it in my chest and feet, lol. I decided to turn the GAIN up a little (from 50) up to about 65% and I went into the receiver and set the Sub calibration at 0. This resulted into a bass effect that was nearly more than I could handle. It was booming and almost made my head feel a little odd... lol. I decided I wasn't quite ready for that yet. I ran through the Skadoosh scene again and again until I found a happy medium again with the GAIN around 50 and the Sub calibration at -4.

Thoughts:
What can I say, it sounds awesome! Audyssey did an amazing job with the rest of the speakers and the Sub (once I re-ran it with crossover at MAX) sounds awesome too. Others have said that it sounds better after a short break-in period... if that's true, I guess I'm in for a surprise.

Unfortunately, my camera is in Colorado (with my brother) and will be back on Sunday, so I'll get some pics up then. I'll spend until then tweaking and seeing if I can get any better sound out of it, but for now, I've got a fantastic point to start from!

A BIG thanks to BIG DADDY, Callas, Jomari, DavidinGA, JJxiv, kndy, and all the others for all the info, pics, and insight for this Sub. After 2 hours of setup and reading this thread, i've got it sounding awesome (atleast to my ears)... and all for under $200.

So is - 5 actually louder than +5?Is that how that works on the receiver settings?

[erict]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Where are the pictures? You have until Sunday.

I think he's lying about his camera. I think the bass is shacking him to hard so he can't hold the camera still. Hopefully his nerves settle down by Sunday

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by PurpleJesus74

So is - 5 actually louder than +5?Is that how that works on the receiver settings?

The amplifier is very powerful and this subwoofer is pretty loud. His setting was incorrect initially. You should not compare +5 with -5. They mean nothing.

It all depends on your room acoustics, location of the sub and how you set the level and crossover on the back of the sub. I usually recommend to start with the level on the back at 50% and the crossover dial (Low Pass Filter) all the way up to its maximum point. Modern receivers have made this option on the back of the subs useless and obsolete for HT applications. That is why we increase it to the maximum level so that the sub accepts all frequencies that the receiver is sending to it.

[209Mason]

Originally Posted by PurpleJesus74

So is - 5 actually louder than +5?Is that how that works on the receiver settings?

Yeah I don't know how to explain it. BD is right... it must just have something to do with the room itself in addition to my running Audyssey incorrectly.

Initially I ran Audyssey with crossover on the back of the sub at MIN and it set the calibration at +5 and I was getting little to no bass... After re-running Audyssey with the crossover on the back of the sub at MAX, it set the calibration to -5 and it sounded awesome... I moved sub calibration (on the receiver) back up to 0 and the bass was more than I could handle...

So with the initial (incorrect) setup, +5 was very quiet... after the second (correct) setup, -3 is about as high (towards positive) as i can comfortably go. I must have just completetly messed up the initial Audyssey run.

[Audiophile_At_Birth]

They have image stabilization for that erict

[erict]

Originally Posted by Audiophile_At_Birth

They have image stabilization for that erict

But it has it's limitations

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by erict

But it has it's limitations

That is why we have Adobe Photoshop.

[Audiophile_At_Birth]

Originally Posted by erict

But it has it's limitations

Maybe that's why all the pics of my sub came out blurry

[209Mason]

Originally Posted by erict

I think he's lying about his camera. I think the bass is shacking him to hard so he can't hold the camera still. Hopefully his nerves settle down by Sunday

lol... that could very well be the reason.
This is the best I can do until then (camera phone):

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by 209Mason

HD-SUB12 arrived at about 11:30 and was sitting here waiting for me after work. I brought it inside and busted it open... Here's my thoughts.

Packaging:
Very good stuff! As others have said it came double boxed. Inside the inner box, the Sub itself was wrapped in plastic and surrounded by styrofoam in the corners... Just as good if not better packaging than some of the Polk speakers I've gotten. Inside the package was the Sub, a R/W speaker cable, and an adapter that's 2F to 1M.

Appearance:
This was more than I expected. It's hard to tell from all the pictures, but as others have said, this sub is very well put together. This is my first Sub, so I don't have much for comparison... but it looks just as well put together as any of the Polk, Sony, or Klipch subs I demo'd at Best Buy... It was free from any blemishes. The Black matches well with my Polks, and the Grey/Silver color is more muted than the pictures I've seen make it look. It's very nice looking. It's got clean lines, solid construction, and the amp is very nice looking too (as far as amps go, I guess).

One other note... while it may not matter to most, the actual Acoustic Audio nameplate itself on the top of the sub and the grille is actually very nice. In the pics I'd seen it almost looked like a sticker. In actuality it's about an 1/8 of an inch thick with raised letters... it's almost like a little plaque... very nice.

Performance:
Okay... let me start off by saying this is my first HT. I didn't know what to expect and I had been waiting to run Audyssey until I got this Sub. I hooked it up complete with the Monoprice cable and 1F to 2M adapter (Thanks BD) and ran Audyssey setting the gain at the midpoint. It ran and set my Sub calibration at +5 and crossover at 90. I put in a few Blu-rays (Rambo, Twilight, Wall-e) and looked for some intense scenes... NOTHING... I couldn't even tell if it was on. I had to get down and touch it to see if it was actually doing anything. I moved it around the room to a few places and still nothing. I turned the GAIN up to about 80% and finally started hearing some Bass. After about 20 minutes, I decided to come back and read through the thread some more.

This brought me to a post by BD in which he said to turn the Sub crossover to MAX... I did that and re-ran Audyssey. This time it set my crossover at 80(THX) and the Sub calibration at -5 (instead of +5 before). I decided to put in Dark Knight and go to the club scene and WOW... WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! It fricken thumped me in the chest. It was awesome.... I then decided to give it the Skadoosh test in KFP and it too was awesome! I felt it in my chest and feet, lol. I decided to turn the GAIN up a little (from 50) up to about 65% and I went into the receiver and set the Sub calibration at 0. This resulted into a bass effect that was nearly more than I could handle. It was booming and almost made my head feel a little odd... lol. I decided I wasn't quite ready for that yet. I ran through the Skadoosh scene again and again until I found a happy medium again with the GAIN around 50 and the Sub calibration at -4.

Thoughts:
What can I say, it sounds awesome! Audyssey did an amazing job with the rest of the speakers and the Sub (once I re-ran it with crossover at MAX) sounds awesome too. Others have said that it sounds better after a short break-in period... if that's true, I guess I'm in for a surprise.

Unfortunately, my camera is in Colorado (with my brother) and will be back on Sunday, so I'll get some pics up then. I'll spend until then tweaking and seeing if I can get any better sound out of it, but for now, I've got a fantastic point to start from!

A BIG thanks to BIG DADDY, Callas, Jomari, DavidinGA, JJxiv, kndy, and all the others for all the info, pics, and insight for this Sub. After 2 hours of setup and reading this thread, i've got it sounding awesome (atleast to my ears)... and all for under $200.

I had mine shipped to my mother's house, and will be picking it up tomorrow (arrived today). Really looking forward to tomorrow!

[Big Daddy]

Congratulations Mason.

The next step is invitation to all the Acoustic Audio owners for a personal audition of your subwoofer. We are not greedy. We only expect Steak Dinners & Drinks.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

I had mine shipped to my mother's house, and will be picking it up tomorrow (arrived today). Really looking forward to tomorrow!

After dinner at Mason's house, should we come to your house for dessert?

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by 209Mason

lol... that could very well be the reason.
This is the best I can do until then (camera phone):

DANG ~ That's the best looking camera phone shot I've seen ! Most of the time there blurry ! BTW ~ NICE SUB !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

After dinner at Mason's house, should we come to your house for dessert?

I make some great Cuban flan. JJ could bring some seviche to (Mason's house).

[Audiophile_At_Birth]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

I make some great Cuban flan. JJ could bring some seviche to (Mason's house).

I do love Ceviche..yum. So guys, should I get one of these subs, really??? I can't decide one of these for now, or just wait for another A2-300

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

I make some great Cuban flan. JJ could bring some seviche to (Mason's house).

I am not sure I can trust JJ.

Incidentally, how long did it take UPS to deliver your sub?

[209Mason]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

DANG ~ That's the best looking camera phone shot I've seen ! Most of the time there blurry ! BTW ~ NICE SUB !!!!!!!!!!!!

It's the Samsung Fin from Helio. Love the phone, 3mp camera built in
Not quite as good as our Sony camera though... can't wait to get it back for pics of the sub and our finished theatre setup (complete with posters) for my HT Gallery.

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Congratulations Mason.

The next step is invitation to all the Acoustic Audio owners for a personal audition of your subwoofer. We are not greedy. We only expect Steak Dinners & Drinks.

If it wasn't for the rain we're expected to get here tomorrow, I'd have the grill fired up and waiting.