Rocket ULW-10 vs Acoustic Visions MRS-10 vs HSU VTF-2 MK 2

[eighthcircuit]

Which of these subs for use with NHT Super One speakers? Will be used primarily for music.

[46minaudio]

Which of these subs for use with NHT Super One speakers? Will be used primarily for music.
Of these the Rocket looks good in that it has a single band peq that comes with a mic for easy setup.The only problem I can see is that it has no high level inputs.If you are using a unit with a subout this wont be a problem.
http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/loudspeakers/OnixRocketULW-10Reviewp1.php

[Woochifer]

First thing to consider is not what speakers you will pair them up with, but how large a room you have. The MRS-10 differs from the others in that it uses a sealed box design rather than a ported enclosure. In general, sealed subs have quicker transients and more gradual bass rolloff in the low end with a tradeoff in lower efficiency and less top end SPL. Ported subs are more efficient and can play louder, but they have a more sudden dropoff at low end (albeit more linear down to the tuned port frequency if designed properly) and are easier to mess up during the design and build process.

Keep in mind that the room reinforces the low frequencies, and the smaller the room the higher up in the bass range that the reinforcement starts and the bigger the boost to the lowest frequencies. In general, if you have a small to medium sized room, you might be better off going with a sealed sub, while with a larger room, a ported sub will likely work better. Some audiophiles will also mention that sealed subs sound more "musical" because of the quicker transient response, but others will tell that a well designed and constructed ported sub can sound every bit as good. Once you figure out the type of sub you should go with, then you can figure out the model to buy.

Related to the room reinforcement, there are other low frequency problems that are caused by the room. Because of the long wavelengths on bass tones, the reflected waves will tend to interact with one another, which can either boost or cancel out the sound at specific frequencies. This makes the bass sound lifeless with some sounds, and unbearably boomy with others. Proper placement, room treatments, and/or equalization will help to smooth out those extremes. Addressing those room acoustics issues will likely have more of an effect over your performance than choosing between these subwoofers will.

I suggest you read Ed Mullen's review of the MRS-10. Ed's one of the few reviewers out there that bothers to mention the effect of the room reinforcement on low frequencies and how it differs between sealed and ported subs.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/acoustic-visions-mrs-10-subwoofer-11-2004.html

[jasmit]

The MRS-10 differs from the others in that it uses a sealed box design rather than a ported enclosure.

As usual, you offer those of us who are relatively new to audio informative and understandable advice. But aren't both the Rocket subs sealed too?

[Woochifer]

As usual, you offer those of us who are relatively new to audio informative and understandable advice. But aren't both the Rocket subs sealed too?

You're right, I must have confused the Rockets with a different lineup that no longer appears on their website. I knew about the UFWs being sealed subs, but for whatever reason thought that the ULW models were ported. Thanks for clearing that up.