View Poll Results: Which sub should he buy?

Voters
8. You may not vote on this poll
  • JBL S120PII -- 400 watt amp (12" woofer)

    1 12.50%
  • DAYTON DSUBK-15 -- 240 watt amp (15" woofer)

    7 87.50%
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 31
  1. #1
    ride a jet ski Tarheel_'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    662

    is there a sub for this huge room?

    my neighbor is finishing his basement and i'm helping him do a 5.1 HT. He's been willing to pay for some decent gear, but now we're at the subwoofer purchase and the budget is thin. I need a sub that can fill his room. He watches alot of movies and hockey.

    room is huge....like 35' x 24' x 8' and is a completely open game room.

    HT setup:
    Harman Kardon AVR 525 (used for $275)
    Directv HD receiver (free from Directv)
    6 Infinity Primus 150s (using one for the center) ($82/pair on closeout)
    Pioneer DV-563 DVD player (already owns)
    Sony 5 disc CD changer (already owns)
    57" JVC HD rear projection TV (older model) ($500)

    Problem is... his remaining budget is $400, maybe $450 shipped and he wants to buy a new subwoofer, not used.

    I've done some research and the best i can find online is the JBL S120PII
    This is an older model, but still available online. J&R has it for $298 plus shipping.

    Anyone else have a recommendation?

  2. #2
    Oldest join date recoveryone's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    California
    Posts
    1,435
    For a room that size you may look at getting two sub's. You can go with one, but the point I'm making is how hard will he need to push it to fill the room. You don't want to create a booming sound by over driving it. Ideally you want that tight punch sound, so to get that type of response he may need to go with two. and nothing smaller than a 10".

    also what type of flooring is use and wall covering? When I hear basement I think concerte floor or some type of hard floor covering and block walls. Which will add to the boomingness (if that even a word) lol.

    http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-770

    This may help on your sub hunt
    HT
    Pioneer Elite SC lx502
    Pioneer Elite N50
    Pioneer Cassette CTM66R
    Pioneer Elite BDP 85FD

    Vizio P series 2160p
    Panamax 5300 EX

  3. #3
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Anywhere but here...
    Posts
    13,243
    Oh man. My first thought was of thisw model: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-762
    but it looks like they've had a price increase. I picked up the 15" about what they want for the 12" now. Bummer! Still a great deal at 536.70 though.
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  4. #4
    ride a jet ski Tarheel_'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    662
    i hear ya on the two sub front....but his budget would never allow. The JBL i mentioned is a 12" with a 400watt amp, but he really needs at least 15" (i guessing).

    The room is sheetrock walls and get this....tile floor. So, boominess is defintely going to be a problem.

    I'll check partsexpress, but it's back to budget again.


    the sub recoveryone listed is a 15" partsexpress sub w/ a 240 watt amp. Would this fill a this room verses the JBL 12" w/ 400 watt sub??? The price is right....$295 plus shipping.
    Last edited by Tarheel_; 02-06-2007 at 09:06 AM.

  5. #5
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Posted in da cut
    Posts
    3,577
    You may want to talk to Kex or do a search on Titanic. If I'm not mistaken, there was a thread awhile back that had some tweaks to get better performance out of that PE sub that Recoveryone mentioned.

  6. #6
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Anywhere but here...
    Posts
    13,243
    Yeah, I believe that Kex talks about the Quatro drivers sounding better than the Titanics.
    But, here is another link that I left off. http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-770

    It's has 15" driver, 240 watt amp, and only costs 294.50.
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  7. #7
    ride a jet ski Tarheel_'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    662
    L.J.
    the link you provided is tweaking the Titanic model. It does not mention the lower cost 15" sub. I would like to read some reviews on this model, but cannot find much out there.

    Does anyone on this board have Titanic's little bro?

    The guy will pull the trigger in the next few weeks so i have time to research. He's not a critical listener so which sub can fill this huge room and still be tight should be the winner. I'm guessing a 15" will produce more spl's than a 12". Is this accurate?

    I mean a 15" sub for $300, seems too good to be true. I just don't want to steer this guy wrong. Hard to return subs.

  8. #8
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Posted in da cut
    Posts
    3,577
    Quote Originally Posted by Tarheel_
    L.J.
    the link you provided is tweaking the Titanic model. It does not mention the lower cost 15" sub. I would like to read some reviews on this model, but cannot find much out there.

    Does anyone on this board have Titanic's little bro?

    The guy will pull the trigger in the next few weeks so i have time to research. He's not a critical listener so which sub can fill this huge room and still be tight should be the winner. I'm guessing a 15" will produce more spl's than a 12". Is this accurate?

    I mean a 15" sub for $300, seems too good to be true. I just don't want to steer this guy wrong. Hard to return subs.
    Tarheel, it was discussed in this thread.

    GM already pointed it out. The tweak was to replace the driver with a 15" Quatro. It was brought out in post #34 by Kex.

  9. #9
    AR Member JeffKnob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    WI
    Posts
    265
    You can get the Dayton DVC 15", 3cu ft enclosure, and the 240w amp for about $370 at partsexpress. That sub would be very good. I would be very surprised if it didn't fill that room well. The price may be had to believe but purchasing a sub this way yields very good results.

    Instead of the Dayton DVC 15" you could also consider the Adire Tempest Classic 15" from Acoustic-visions.com. I have this sub in my setup and it is completely overkill for my setup.
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    Onkyo TX-SR606
    PS3 Bluray
    Denon DVD-1920
    Panasonic TH-50PZ80U Plasma
    HR21 HD DVR
    Paradigm Esprit (front), Focus (rear), CC270 (center)

    2 - 15" Dayton HF subwoofers
    Two Soundstream M1 monoblock amps for the subwoofer

  10. #10
    Oldest join date recoveryone's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    California
    Posts
    1,435
    HEy Jeff, what do you have the Bass Shakers attached to. And how well do they work.
    HT
    Pioneer Elite SC lx502
    Pioneer Elite N50
    Pioneer Cassette CTM66R
    Pioneer Elite BDP 85FD

    Vizio P series 2160p
    Panamax 5300 EX

  11. #11
    AR Member JeffKnob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    WI
    Posts
    265
    I have three amps connected to my subwoofer out on my receiver. The Soundstream amps power my subwoofer and I have an audiosource 5.2 amp for my 4 bass shakers. I like them during action movies because they add a little impact to the movie. My sub is able to do the same thing if I were to turn it up more. I live in an apartment so my neighbors would appreciate it if I didn't do that.

  12. #12
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Anywhere but here...
    Posts
    13,243
    I've always wanted to try one of these transducers.

    http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-864
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  13. #13
    AR Member JeffKnob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    WI
    Posts
    265
    I had thought about upgrading to the silver version of those but the Auras give me enough shake. I have the regular Auras, not even the Pro ones. Three of them are on my sectional and one on the chair.

  14. #14
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    75
    The ONLY sub for what you are looking for, see the HSU VTF-3 with a turbocharger, this baby will move the hair on your head. www.hsuresearch.com

  15. #15
    Oldest join date recoveryone's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    California
    Posts
    1,435
    Howdy Buff, Not sure if you read some of the earlier post, but a more powerful sub is not the real answer here. The floors are tile so the sound will carry. What we are looking at is maintaining a tight bass sound and cutting down on reflective boom. along with staying within a $400 budget.

    Its always nice to go with top of the line items if money was no object and even then one must consider the enviroment (walls. flooring), sometimes less will give you better results. I can testify to that fact in my own HT building efforts. I started with a pair of floor standing speakers and my current surrounds (about 10 yrs ago). And I thought all this surround stuff was a big wash, cause I did not hear the effects that I had heard about.

    After doing more research in forums like this I learn that using speakers that are match will yield a better sound. I had an old pair of my 2 channel DJ speakers as my fronts and they were killing the surrounds. The floor standing speakers had a much higher SPL (96) than the surrounds (87). Once I figured this out I made the change and started really enjoying HT. I hated giving up those floor speakers (had them since college), but they were made for House party's and very loud listening, not for HT. So at times and budget we must select what would fit best and gain the real satisfaction of having setup that allows us to hear/feel what the sound engineer intended for us to hear.
    HT
    Pioneer Elite SC lx502
    Pioneer Elite N50
    Pioneer Cassette CTM66R
    Pioneer Elite BDP 85FD

    Vizio P series 2160p
    Panamax 5300 EX

  16. #16
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    75
    Too bad the guy didn't put a lot of thought into the process. I had finished my basement and used Home Theatre carpet on the floor then bought a HSU Sub, for $775 with the turbo charger it would be a the cheapest subwoofer on the market..I am sure if he had money to finish the basement another $300 wouldn't break the bank.

  17. #17
    ride a jet ski Tarheel_'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    662
    Quote Originally Posted by HT BUFF
    Too bad the guy didn't put a lot of thought into the process. I had finished my basement and used Home Theatre carpet on the floor then bought a HSU Sub, for $775 with the turbo charger it would be a the cheapest subwoofer on the market..I am sure if he had money to finish the basement another $300 wouldn't break the bank.

    well you have to keep in mind most people buy a HTIB and never really care about quality. I give this guy credit, he watched a few movies at my house and really wanted to the most sound out of x money. He did prewire for 5.1 before the sheetrock went up.

    plus, he has to spend money on other stuff like a pool table and most importantly...stocking the bar!!!

    i can't decide on recommending the partsexpress 15" sub or the JBL???

  18. #18
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    101
    Before he spends his money, can he borrow a sub from someone before he makes a purchase. Can he buy from Circuit City or Best Buys and then take it back? I don't believe that a 35x24x8 room can be filled by (1) 15" or (2) 12"s. We have all purchased an audio product only to find out we needed more, this would give him a idea of what he is looking for.

  19. #19
    ride a jet ski Tarheel_'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    662
    Quote Originally Posted by cjpremierfour
    Before he spends his money, can he borrow a sub from someone before he makes a purchase. Can he buy from Circuit City or Best Buys and then take it back? I don't believe that a 35x24x8 room can be filled by (1) 15" or (2) 12"s. We have all purchased an audio product only to find out we needed more, this would give him a idea of what he is looking for.
    that is good advise...we live an hour away from any BB or CC, but it may be worth it. I just don't think any sub at those places can do his room justice. Although, after he hears a 12" sub in that room, maybe his budget will change.

    I do think however that a good 15" sub can fill this room, just not at the $400 budget.

  20. #20
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Anywhere but here...
    Posts
    13,243
    Quote Originally Posted by Tarheel_
    that is good advise...we live an hour away from any BB or CC, but it may be worth it. I just don't think any sub at those places can do his room justice. Although, after he hears a 12" sub in that room, maybe his budget will change.

    I do think however that a good 15" sub can fill this room, just not at the $400 budget.
    I think you should send a PM to Kex. I'm not sure why he hasn't chimed in already.
    Hello? Kex? Are you out there? STOP NODDING!
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  21. #21
    Oldest join date recoveryone's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    California
    Posts
    1,435
    Quote Originally Posted by cjpremierfour
    Before he spends his money, can he borrow a sub from someone before he makes a purchase. Can he buy from Circuit City or Best Buys and then take it back? I don't believe that a 35x24x8 room can be filled by (1) 15" or (2) 12"s. We have all purchased an audio product only to find out we needed more, this would give him a idea of what he is looking for.
    You guys may be surpised how much a sub can carry. I run the audio board at my church and we have 2 yammie 18" subs along with a pair of Yammie 2 ways horn/15" woofer, an center riser speaker (thats about to die) and all the generic ceiling speakers.

    The room is 250' long and 115 wide 17' high, my sound booth sits in the rear. the walls are block (I'm pushing for treatments) and the floor is carpeted and we have the standard drop ceiling tiles. When playing recorded music I can feel the subs. So don't think that a 12" can't handle a room that size and 2 12" would do the trick and maintain that tight bass sound you should be looking for. Most people still think that good bass is that type that linger on (boomines) NOT! your sub should hit like a punch in the chest, not a rumbling in your stomach.
    HT
    Pioneer Elite SC lx502
    Pioneer Elite N50
    Pioneer Cassette CTM66R
    Pioneer Elite BDP 85FD

    Vizio P series 2160p
    Panamax 5300 EX

  22. #22
    spf
    spf is offline
    Canuck AV Nut
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    62

    Very good post by recoveryone

    The fact of it is that the standing waves of bass frequencies can bounce all over the place(especially with tile floors *shivers*) and for a long distance so I think the matter of room placement would be more important especially with a single sub. From what Tarheel_ has said, the room is still rectangular so that does give the room bias to length (I'm assuming here) So moving the sub halfway up the room may give great results for both music while playing pool and also for the movies that are watched (Once again, assuming that your viewing distance is under half the room length) Hard to say without a visual reference but you may be able to make due with a single 12. Good luck

    Shane

  23. #23
    ride a jet ski Tarheel_'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    662

    here's a layout of the room

    this is the best i can do....the room is entirely open, no interior walls or poles. I'll recommend a large rug between the tv/center and couch. I thought about placing the subwoof next to the RF speaker by tucking it in the corner to help produce more bass. what do you think? I don't think he'll like a sub sitting along a wall exposed. The Right side wall has a fireplace between the RF and RR plus a glass door.

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    x LF C RF x
    x x
    x x
    x x
    xxxxxxx x
    x couch x
    x x
    x LR RR x
    x x
    x pooltable x
    x x
    x x
    x bar x
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    not sure why this layout isn't posting correctly...the Right wall keeps moving to the Left!!!! ahhhh

  24. #24
    ride a jet ski Tarheel_'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    662

    you guys decide which sub my neighbor buys....

    OK, his speakers arrive today and the AVR receiver is in place. All we need now is the subwoofer. He's pressuring me to make a decision, but i can't decide.

    So, i want this board to make the decision for me.

    Both are $300.

    thanks everyone who votes!!

    Here are their specs.....
    JBL:
    *Amplifier Power (RMS): 400 Watts
    *Low-Frequency Driver: 12" PolyPlas™ cone
    *Inputs: Line Level (switchable to LFE), BassQ™ and Speaker Level with gold-plated, 5-way binding posts
    *Outputs: BassQ™ and Speaker Level (High-Pass with gold-plated, 5-way binding posts)
    *Low-Pass Frequency: Continuously variable from 50Hz – to 150Hz
    *High-Pass Frequency: 150Hz when using speaker-level outputs
    *Frequency Response: 22Hz – Low-pass crossover setting
    *Dimensions (H x W x D): 17-3/16" (with feet, without spikes) x 16-3/16" x 18" (19" with grille) 437mm (with feet, without spikes) x 411mm x 457mm (483mm with grille)
    *Weight: 56 lb (25.5kg)

    Dayton:
    Specifications:
    *15” long-throw subwoofer driver
    *240 watt amplifier
    *Frequency range: 25–180 Hz
    *Adjustable 40–180 Hz low-pass filter
    *Line-level and speaker-level inputs
    *Auto-on
    *Dimensions: 18-3/4” H x 18” W x 19” D

  25. #25
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Anywhere but here...
    Posts
    13,243
    Quote Originally Posted by Tarheel_
    OK, his speakers arrive today and the AVR receiver is in place. All we need now is the subwoofer. He's pressuring me to make a decision, but i can't decide.

    So, i want this board to make the decision for me.

    Both are $300.

    thanks everyone who votes!!

    Here are their specs.....
    JBL:
    *Amplifier Power (RMS): 400 Watts
    *Low-Frequency Driver: 12" PolyPlas™ cone
    *Inputs: Line Level (switchable to LFE), BassQ™ and Speaker Level with gold-plated, 5-way binding posts
    *Outputs: BassQ™ and Speaker Level (High-Pass with gold-plated, 5-way binding posts)
    *Low-Pass Frequency: Continuously variable from 50Hz – to 150Hz
    *High-Pass Frequency: 150Hz when using speaker-level outputs
    *Frequency Response: 22Hz – Low-pass crossover setting
    *Dimensions (H x W x D): 17-3/16" (with feet, without spikes) x 16-3/16" x 18" (19" with grille) 437mm (with feet, without spikes) x 411mm x 457mm (483mm with grille)
    *Weight: 56 lb (25.5kg)

    Dayton:
    Specifications:
    *15” long-throw subwoofer driver
    *240 watt amplifier
    *Frequency range: 25–180 Hz
    *Adjustable 40–180 Hz low-pass filter
    *Line-level and speaker-level inputs
    *Auto-on
    *Dimensions: 18-3/4” H x 18” W x 19” D
    I think you just crossed the line into SVI land. Sorry, no offense meant. Just having a little fun.

    I'll vote for the PE sub. I feel that they are a great bang for the buck.
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •