The Official Acoustic Audio Subwoofer Owners Thread

[tech_freak]

Big Daddy,
thanks for the heads up on Bumbabeef selling his HD-Sub10,we made a deal and got it for a good price. I replaced all my speakers,but was still using the sub that came with the htib I use to use.I expect a big difference.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by tech_freak

Big Daddy,
thanks for the heads up on Bumbabeef selling his HD-Sub10,we made a deal and got it for a good price. I replaced all my speakers,but was still using the sub that came with the htib I use to use.I expect a big difference.

Congratulations. I will update the owners list in Post#1.

[Grevlin]

Originally Posted by CallingMrBenzo

Grevlin any chance you will post pics of the sub you love so much.... i still havent seen your gallery updated yet.....


ive been lurking for a while and deciding between the pa-120 and the HD Sub12 and im leaning towards the AA..


so keep them pics coming and reviews coming guys

<------- Threw some pics up. Thanks again Big Daddy for the riser design (my first DIY project for my HT)

I'm planning a complete re-do of my living room so I'm not including pics of my system. The two folders of pics are of my old place. Planning for a proj, screen, acoustic treatments, paint job, the whole package (In my house)

[lolwaut]

Originally Posted by tech_freak

Big Daddy,
thanks for the heads up on Bumbabeef selling his HD-Sub10,we made a deal and got it for a good price. I replaced all my speakers,but was still using the sub that came with the htib I use to use.I expect a big difference.

great to hear, because i was afraid i was going to end up in a bidding war with you over the HD-12 on ebay :-p

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by lolwaut

great to hear, because i was afraid i was going to end up in a bidding war with you over the HD-12 on ebay :-p

If you end up buying an Acoustic Audio subwoofer, please let us know so that I can update the list of owners.

Once you have your sub, I will be very happy to answer any questions you may have.

[jaejw1]

Originally Posted by CallingMrBenzo

Grevlin any chance you will post pics of the sub you love so much.... i still havent seen your gallery updated yet.....


ive been lurking for a while and deciding between the pa-120 and the HD Sub12 and im leaning towards the AA..


so keep them pics coming and reviews coming guys

beforw I bought my PA-120 I read every review on the PA-120 and the HD-SUB12,,to include bothering bigdaddy on analmost daily basis.....

I saw both subs as equalbased on reviews.... but finally made choice due to interior support (30%) and exterior finish (70%) ... the PA-120 matches the piano finish of my NHT's


I have yetto read a direct A/B review of both,,, but it appears that both are the top contenders inthis price range....

[bumbabeef]

Originally Posted by Grevlin

I've always known that mp3's are compressed and far from excellent quality, especially with encoding errors and such. I've never really noticed until recently after building and tweaking my current system.

Anyway,

I decided to pick up a few cd's today (yes, bought them) and try them out. I've been doing that lately with a growing collection.

I played Inner Party System's "Don't Stop" and s#%t It sounded amazing. The overall quality was great, and the bass was just "reach in and punch you" quality.

And, happily, its a quality power- not the mind-numbing nightclub bass that makes you feel like your eyeballs are going to pop like squeezed grapes.

I continue to discover how much I love my new Sub12.

Ya my compressed MP3 music sounds so so compared to my cd. When I first got my speakers and played music from my zune I thought I made a bad purchased. Until I played a cd what a difference.

[bumbabeef]

Originally Posted by tech_freak

Big Daddy,
thanks for the heads up on Bumbabeef selling his HD-Sub10,we made a deal and got it for a good price. I replaced all my speakers,but was still using the sub that came with the htib I use to use.I expect a big difference.

Man Im really regretting selling this sub. I decided to use the one good hour I can have my speakers and subs on blast. Sub sounds good with of the music playing. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm but I rarely get to play it to its potential. I need to move out soon.

[lolwaut]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

If you end up buying an Acoustic Audio subwoofer, please let us know so that I can update the list of owners.

Once you have your sub, I will be very happy to answer any questions you may have.

no problem. ive already decided that i am definitely getting the HD-12. at this point, its just a matter of "when" which will largely be dictated by getting a good deal on it.

[CallingMrBenzo]

Originally Posted by jaejw1

beforw I bought my PA-120 I read every review on the PA-120 and the HD-SUB12,,to include bothering bigdaddy on analmost daily basis.....

I saw both subs as equalbased on reviews.... but finally made choice due to interior support (30%) and exterior finish (70%) ... the PA-120 matches the piano finish of my NHT's


I have yetto read a direct A/B review of both,,, but it appears that both are the top contenders inthis price range....

ive been eyeing the pa-120 since the avs thread had about 3 or 4 pages, and i think it looks better than the hd sub12 imo but thats only because the hdsub12 in any color doesn't really match my speakers, (if it came in black with an orange woofer i would be set!) ... my reasoning for picking the aa sub is the price... slightly cheaper and im still in college, and from what ive read it digs a lil deeper ...down to 20hz if im correct and the pa 120 falls off around 23- 24hz ....maybe that isnt really noticeable but it would be nice to have it dig a lil deeper...

the sub would be used almost exclusively for home theater use as im in a town house, and my fronts can hit 40hz and i think they sound great with music..and i dont want to annoy the neighbors too much

either way im coming from a logitech computer sub so i think anything would be a huge step up....people out there correct me if my facts are wrong

[jaejw1]

Originally Posted by CallingMrBenzo

ive been eyeing the pa-120 since the avs thread had about 3 or 4 pages, and i think it looks better than the hd sub12 imo but thats only because the hdsub12 in any color doesn't really match my speakers, (if it came in black with an orange woofer i would be set!) ... my reasoning for picking the aa sub is the price... slightly cheaper and im still in college, and from what ive read it digs a lil deeper ...down to 20hz if im correct and the pa 120 falls off around 23- 24hz ....maybe that isnt really noticeable but it would be nice to have it dig a lil deeper...

the sub would be used almost exclusively for home theater use as im in a town house, and my fronts can hit 40hz and i think they sound great with music..and i dont want to annoy the neighbors too much

either way im coming from a logitech computer sub so i think anything would be a huge step up....people out there correct me if my facts are wrong

yeah it does fall off at around 23hz... but each room is different.. but i have also played mine at 16hz and the loudest is was able to get it.. without distortion and without disturbing the nieghbors was about 95db at 1 meter.. ... if i recall correctly..

i figure you cant go wrong either way... toobadd the hdsub12 didnt come in piano finish..

[billlh]

Originally Posted by lolwaut

thanks for everybodies' input! looks like i will be jumping on the AA bandwagon with the rest of you... now, are these prices ever discounted on deep discount via promotions or anything? in other words, has the HD-SUB12 ever been had for less than $200? i consider myself a smart shopper and would rather wait for a better price rather than buying something just to have it right NOW. so, if i can score this for less than 200, ill wait... if not, ill probably buy it pretty soon....

so... has it ever been sold for under 200?

I got mine for 170. It came damaged (minor cosmetic) and they gave me 30 to live with it. So I'm quite happy final price was 140 pretty hard to complain on that deal.

Bill

[billlh]

Anyone have the PSW 8" sub? I'm curious if it would compliment the HD 12"? I'm thinking I need something to handle the upper end of the low end? I'm thinking mostly for music. The HD 12 is great for surround stuff. But I'm not sure if it's the best for music? I'm looking for suggestions from anyone (particularly Big daddy since he has both) on a good musical sub to compliment the HD 12?

Thanks,

Bill

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by billlh

Anyone have the PSW 8" sub? I'm curious if it would compliment the HD 12"? I'm thinking I need something to handle the upper end of the low end? I'm thinking mostly for music. The HD 12 is great for surround stuff. But I'm not sure if it's the best for music? I'm looking for suggestions from anyone (particularly Big daddy since he has both) on a good musical sub to compliment the HD 12?

Thanks,

Bill

They are completely out of stock on all 8" subs. It may take a couple of months before they stock them again. I had a very brief experience with the PSW-8 subwoofer because I gave it to my daughter and she lives too far away.

My guess is that it can easily complement your HD-12 sub. If you put the HD-12 sub up front and the corner and the smaller sub behind your sofa or on the side of your sofa, you may be able to get the effect you are looking for. You need to adjust their levels very carefully so that one sub does not overpower the other one.

[billlh]

Thought I would give you guys a short review of my thoughts on my new sub. I recently put together a surround sound system for my 2nd home. I'm using a HK 247 receiver, energy speakers for the front sound stage, a couple of old Sansui Sp 7700x speakers and two old Radio Shack Optimus speakers for the rear sound stage.

I know it is a pretty odd setup but it sounds really quite good. As you may know the HK is a 7.1 setup so it left me some room to play. Here is how I have it setup. The two Sansui's are setup on either side of the monitor, with the C-100 energy's on top of them. Center channel is a C-C100 Energy. The two optimus speakers are being used for the rears. They actually seem to work quite well as the rears I was pleasantly surprised.

As it turned out I got a chance to use the system with and with out the sub since I had a bad cable and it originally didn't work so I was running a 5.0 setup at first. The Sansui's weren't added at this point. I have to say even without the sub I was amazed at the bass this put out. For the size of the speakers it was impressive.

Once I sorted out the sub cable issue. I was then able to see the difference. All I can say is WOW. Does this sub pound or what. Talk about feel the sound effects. I was pretty much blown away.

So at this point I was felling pretty brave. I decided it was time to mix in the Sansui's. A little back ground is in order. These speakers have 16.5" woofers....yes I said 16.5"! 4" mid range and dual 2" tweeters and a horn tweeter. They are about 40 years old. But the still sound great, so I figured what the heck they can't do any damage hooking them up and it might even add to the sound field. So I hooked them up as the mid surrounds in a 7.1 setup and ran the EQ setup program. I am happy to report they do add nicely to the sound of the system and yes I know they are placed all wrong but it still sounds quite good.

I have Dish HD and an Oppo 970 DVD player. The Oppo will play almost anything you throw in it. I love it since I can do SACD's and DVD-Audio or just plain old DVD's and it upconverts to 1080i. I'm running HDMI through the receiver and it does a nice job of detecting the suround mode being sent to it. I was able to try quite a few different movies since I have all the premiums. I have to say every movie sounded great. I then moved on to music, Sacd's were great also, but I'm not sure this is the best sub for music. I really can't put my finger on it but it just didn't sound in my opinion quite as good. I'm thinking I need a better sub for music? But over all I'm quite happy.

So in conclusion I am quite happy with the HD-12 it puts out thunderous bass without being boomy. I think that a smaller tighter sub might help with the upper end of the low end though. But I don't regret the purchase at this point and I'm very much enjoying my new home theater. And the real plus is no WAF approval needed. So I can do any damn thing I want there

Bill

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by billlh

So at this point I was felling pretty brave. I decided it was time to mix in the Sansui's. A little back ground is in order. These speakers have 16.5" woofers....yes I said 16.5"! 4" mid range and dual 2" tweeters and a horn tweeter. They are about 40 years old. But the still sound great, so I figured what the heck they can't do any damage hooking them up and it might even add to the sound field. So I hooked them up as the mid surrounds in a 7.1 setup and ran the EQ setup program. I am happy to report they do add nicely to the sound of the system and yes I know they are placed all wrong but it still sounds quite good.

Bill

I am quite familiar with the Sansui monster speakers. I bought a pair of Sansui speakers from a dealer in New York in 1980. They were for a friend who did not know anything about audio. Do your speakers look like the following picture?

[billlh]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

I am quite familiar with the Sansui monster speakers. I bought a pair of Sansui speakers from a dealer in New York in 1980. They were for a friend who did not know anything about audio. Do your speakers look like the following picture?

Well it's the same configuration but somewhat different layout. I have two pair of these. My original pair still here at the main house actually have 8" mids in them. But they are the same size. If I get a chance I'll take some pics of them. I see your using auctiva.com for image uploads? Is that a free site?

I'm also interested in hearing your opinion of the Sansui's? I'm not the audio file that you are but I have always been impressed with them. I bought these when I was 18 years old. The second pair I bought from a friend later on. So I'm not sure as to their exact age. I always assumed they were newer and your picture pretty much confirms that. Were they new when you bought them? If not do you know their vintage? My original set were brand new when I bought them in 1973. A friend was stationed over seas and I was able to get them quite cheap through him. I think I paid $100.00 each which was a steal back then. I was pretty much the envy of all my friends after that. Anyway any info you can give me I would be much interested to hear. I can't imagine at todays prices I could replace them for less then a couple grand each?

Bill

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by billlh

Well it's the same configuration but somewhat different layout. I have two pair of these. My original pair still here at the main house actually have 8" mids in them. But they are the same size. If I get a chance I'll take some pics of them. I see your using auctiva.com for image uploads? Is that a free site?

I'm also interested in hearing your opinion of the Sansui's? I'm not the audio file that you are but I have always been impressed with them. I bought these when I was 18 years old. The second pair I bought from a friend later on. So I'm not sure as to their exact age. I always assumed they were newer and your picture pretty much confirms that. Were they new when you bought them? If not do you know their vintage? My original set were brand new when I bought them in 1973. A friend was stationed over seas and I was able to get them quite cheap through him. I think I paid $100.00 each which was a steal back then. I was pretty much the envy of all my friends after that. Anyway any info you can give me I would be much interested to hear. I can't imagine at todays prices I could replace them for less then a couple grand each?

Bill

It has been over 25 years since I heard Sansui speakers, but I remember that I liked them very much. Their bass sound kicked the butt of most other speakers at that time.

Vintage Sansui Speakers:
http://www.sansui.us/SP_3Digits.htm
http://www.sansui.us/SP_4Digits.htm
http://www.sansui.us/SP_XSeries.htm
http://www.sansui.us/SP_Later.htm

I believe your speakers are listed in the third website.

[billlh]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

It has been over 25 years since I heard Sansui speakers, but I remember that I liked them very much. Their bass sound kicked the butt of most other speakers at that time.

I fully agree with that assessment. I remember once when I hooked them up to my computer for the first time and was playing F15 Strike Eagle (about 1994) the wife almost had a heart attack upstairs. My basement office was right under the living room. The explosions were to say the least amazing. You can sit in front of these things and feel the air move, pretty much like todays subs. I have no idea how low they would actually go but I do know it was impressive.


Bill

[4x12]

Anyone know where I can get the Acoustic Audio HD-SUB12 in Canada ?
The only place I found online was www.thedeepdiscount.com but they
won't ship up here. Even if I pay it here and ship to someone I know they won't do it... bastids!