Subwoofer for music and HT?

[zoltar]

I have to narrow this down since I am limited in the number of choices that are stocked by local dealers, unless I do it online.

I am want to get a subwoofer that will represent the two or three bass octaves in music but also can get down there and be useful for home theater as well. I don't want to sacrifice tone for bottom end. In other words, my priority would be to have a sub that will reproduce bass guitar, kick drums and kettle drums with realism, but also can handle some FX for 5.1 HT. I hope I am making sense.

The local dealer has the Boston 200 watt 12". Sounds good in the store. Then I think Circuit City has Velodyne counterpart for a little more $$. Then there is SVS and their "I am the best" web site making huge claims, but I cannot audition the thing, and it sounds like they are targeting the HT market, where I want to prioritize music. I listen to everything from Yanni to U2, etc. Any idea would be helpful. I want to try to keep the budget under $500. If I go with too much SPL, I'm not going to be able to use it anyway.

[elapsed]

Have you considered the HSU Research VTF-2 MK 2?

http://www.hsustore.com/vtf2.html

[zoltar]

Have you considered the HSU Research VTF-2 MK 2?

http://www.hsustore.com/vtf2.html
Yeah it looks nice: 10" 250 watts. If all the reviews are accurate, there would be no reason to buy anything else! No 24 db crossover, but I think I might use my receiver's internal crossover. I don't know, however, because I have never tried it before!

[The Tahitijack]

Given that you want to hear the thing before buying I would go with Velodyne. Velo is well known for its subs. BA is a well known maker of all shapes, types and sizes of speakers. In general I think you are better off buying from a manufacturer that specializes. While products not found in brick and morter retail shops often offer good value, the downside is if its unsatisfactory upon arrival and set-up you'll need to deal with packing and shipping it back within the return period and assuring you get a refund. Good luck.