Sub for $150 to $350?

[NoMSG]

If I had the money, the $550 Parts Express !2" Titanic kit is what I'd get. It seems to be all I would need for my 18' x 22' room. But since I don't, I'd like to get a budget sub that I can resell a couple years later.

Now, I can just afford the $350 (delivered) 10" Titanic kit from Parts Express. I don't want to spend this much money unless I plan on keeping it for several years. Yes, I realize this is not a lot of money to most people, but I have financial responsibilities and other expensive hobbies.

I'm also looking at the Dayton $139 12" sub from Parts Express. Although the published specs are a bit murky, I understand that it has a 150 watt RMS amp. It just came out and it's the big brother to the well-reviewed Daytona 10". For the price, I can buy it, test it out and just sell it for a slight loss if I don't like it.

Finally, I just came across the $250 (delivered) Cadence XSUB-12 http://cgi.ebay.com/CADENCE-XSUB-12-350-WATT-ACTIVE-POWERED-SUBWOOFER_W0QQitemZ5795190730QQcategoryZ3275QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem which purportedly has a 350 watt RMS amp, a 12-inch driver, and weighs in at almost 49 pounds. Except for one enthusiastic proponent on audioholics.com, I know nothing about it except what's on their Ebay posting (yeah, I did a google search).

The sub will be used mostly (80 percent) for movies. I run Energy C-2s and an AC300 for the front with Energy Take 2.2's in back. I realize that the three subs are significantly different in price. But if the Daytona 12" does 80 percent of what the 10" Titanic does, I'll y take the Daytona in a heartbeat.

On a separate note, would it be feasible and/or worthwhile to upgrade the amp and/or driver on the Daytona, if I decide to keep it?

Thanks for any help you can give.

[kexodusc]

NoMSG...
Do you have the tools, time, or friend's at your disposal to tackle building a box for subwoofer? I ask because Parts Express has some other woofer/amp combo's that are generally considered to be better than the Titanics, and can be built much cheaper.
The 15" Quatro woofer and the 240 watt plate amp are the combo most recommended these days. Get these and purchase the pre-made, 3.0 cubic foot sub enclosure as well. It'd run you near about $350 plus shipping. You'd need access to a plunge router to cut a driver hole, and something to cut out the square hole for the plate amp (jig saw). Shouldn't take more than a 20 minutes to do that.. In 1 hour you could have the sub up and running. I know this is at your budget limit, but this is a sub you'd own for several. I replaced my Paradigm PW-2200 v.2 with one of these. The Quatro sub is significantly better, nothing subtle about the differences there.

I'm one of the people who has built this woofer/amp combo and the 12" Titanic MKIII. I can say the Quatro is not only cheaper, it's just a better a better sounding woofer. Downside is it's big. If you build your own box, you might need $20 in MDF, $200 in parts, and probably a roll of vinyl or veneer, or whatever finish you'd like. Shouldn't cost $300 with shipping included.

Just an idea.

[NoMSG]

...The 15" Quatro woofer and the 240 watt plate amp are the combo most recommended these days. Get these and purchase the pre-made, 3.0 cubic foot sub enclosure as well. It'd run you near about $350 plus shipping. You'd need access to a plunge router to cut a driver hole, and something to cut out the square hole for the plate amp (jig saw). Shouldn't take more than a 20 minutes to do that.. In 1 hour you could have the sub up and running. I know this is at your budget limit, but this is a sub you'd own for several. I replaced my Paradigm PW-2200 v.2 with one of these. The Quatro sub is significantly better, nothing subtle about the differences there.

I'm one of the people who has built this woofer/amp combo and the 12" Titanic MKIII. I can say the Quatro is not only cheaper, it's just a better a better sounding woofer. Downside is it's big. If you build your own box, you might need $20 in MDF, $200 in parts, and probably a roll of vinyl or veneer, or whatever finish you'd like. Shouldn't cost $300 with shipping included.

Just an idea.


The 20" cube of the 3.0 cubic foot box would be too big. If I decide to go with the DIY option, would the 12" Quatro with the 240 watt amp and 2.0 cubic foot box yield good results? Or would I be better off with the 10" Titanic kit at that price point? I don't have a plunge router, but perhaps a jigsaw would do for the driver cutout?

[Eric Z]

I was in the same position as you, NoMSG. I decided to go with a Definitive Technology PS80 subwoofer. I use it in my living room (20x15) and it fills the room nicely with bass. It's obviously not as good as some more expensive subs, but you can't be too picky at that price point. I was surprised with the bass for a smaller 8" sub. It retails for $350, but you can easily get it for $250 new from an authorized dealer. I've seen them on Ebay for about $150 in like new condition; that's good and bad because if you buy it new, you might not be able to sell it without a decent loss, or you can buy it from Ebay and save some cash.

Def Tech also has a PS100 that is a 10" that retails for $449 and you can get that for about $325-$350.

Just a couple ideas.

[kexodusc]

The 20" cube of the 3.0 cubic foot box would be too big. If I decide to go with the DIY option, would the 12" Quatro with the 240 watt amp and 2.0 cubic foot box yield good results? Or would I be better off with the 10" Titanic kit at that price point? I don't have a plunge router, but perhaps a jigsaw would do for the driver cutout?

Unless you are 100% confident in your perfect circle cutting abilities, I'd advise against using a jigsaw for cutting circles. I did this once (for table top, not a speaker) and for the time and effort it takes to get it to look right, it's not worth the trouble.

The 2.0 cubic box would work with several woofers in either a sealed or ported design, but results will vary. I dont' think the 12" Quatro is near optimal in a 2.0 cubic box.

[Vardo]

MSG, I have the Dayton 10" 100W P/N 300-632 in a second home theater.
I bought it when it was on sale, as is the 12" right now. For the price, it
can't be beat. It is well built and for a 10" sub it has very good bass
extension and output. I have had a few subs over the years (Mirage PS-180,
Hsu VTF-2 and Velodyne ULD-12.

The 12" sub is a steal at $139. It won't have the dynamics of a HSU sub
or Velodyne, but it compares favorably for the price paid....Vardo