best canadian musical sub for under $400

[lazyhaze]

hello,

my 5.1 system has until now been comprised of whatever used speakers i could find cheaply. i have started to upgrade things piece by piece as i am becoming unsatisfied with my cheap gear. i listen to and produce a lot of bass-heavy music, mostly experimental electronic stuff that has really outpaced my sub. I have a little Sony 50 watt 8" that is fine for tight beats, but starts to make horrible noises when a song with a deep bass line comes along. i use my setup for HT as well, but the ratio of music to movies is probably 80/20, so i would like a musical sub. my main preference is to get a deeper low end then my system is currently capable of, so i've been thinking a 10"...a compromise between tightness and depth. i really want to be able to feel the bass, this is more important than volume, although i would like to be able to drive it hard on occasion. i live in canada, and although i have seen lots of recommendations for SVS and HSU on this site importing them is too costly for me. I would like to stick with a canadian manufacturer, as they give me the best value/quality ratio. the brands that are available around here are Paradigm, Energy, PSB, Mission, and B&W, as well as the usual Best Buy stuff that i try to avoid. Mission and B&W seem to be significantly more expensive, probably due to import duties again. My budget is extremely tight, i am an audio engineering student and blew most of my money on a Paradigm CC-370 recently. my budget is $400 CDN, could i get a significant upgrade and a lower bottom end over my current $100 CDN sub? I am living in a small room that isn't hard to fill with sound. i heard a PDR-8 at my Paradigm dealer when i was auditioning my CC-370 and was not impressed at all, is the PDR-10 any better?

thanks in advance for any advice given!

[bargainseeker]

Energy makes some excellent small subwoofers. I have not heard their latest models, but their old 8" subwoofer sounded better to me than their 10". I specifically recommend that you check out the Energy S8.2. I also recommend the small subwoofers from Mirage which is part of the same corporation as Energy.

[PAT.P]

You already have the Paradigm center try to get the PDR12 for under the $400 ,Energy is a match also with Paradigm.The Audioshop in Ottawa as sale on these(factory second)they are at www.audioshop.on.ca they do deliver and Mark Hallam is great to deal with.I always buy the second and display here at reduce price.Pat.P

[kexodusc]

The PDR-10 or 12 is really alot better than the PDR-8, which I can't believe is still being made. That's just a dreadful little subwoofer.
I'm thinking you might be best to start searching audiogon or ebay to stretch your money further.

Are you sure the cost of importing is too high? If built in the USA, there's no duty to import, just the taxes (you'd pay anyway) and shipping charges (low when factory direct). With the Canadian dollar being so high right now you migh reconsider HSU Research or SVS subs again...just a thought.

[3db]

hello,

my 5.1 system has until now been comprised of whatever used speakers i could find cheaply. i have started to upgrade things piece by piece as i am becoming unsatisfied with my cheap gear. i listen to and produce a lot of bass-heavy music, mostly experimental electronic stuff that has really outpaced my sub. I have a little Sony 50 watt 8" that is fine for tight beats, but starts to make horrible noises when a song with a deep bass line comes along. i use my setup for HT as well, but the ratio of music to movies is probably 80/20, so i would like a musical sub. my main preference is to get a deeper low end then my system is currently capable of, so i've been thinking a 10"...a compromise between tightness and depth. i really want to be able to feel the bass, this is more important than volume, although i would like to be able to drive it hard on occasion. i live in canada, and although i have seen lots of recommendations for SVS and HSU on this site importing them is too costly for me. I would like to stick with a canadian manufacturer, as they give me the best value/quality ratio. the brands that are available around here are Paradigm, Energy, PSB, Mission, and B&W, as well as the usual Best Buy stuff that i try to avoid. Mission and B&W seem to be significantly more expensive, probably due to import duties again. My budget is extremely tight, i am an audio engineering student and blew most of my money on a Paradigm CC-370 recently. my budget is $400 CDN, could i get a significant upgrade and a lower bottom end over my current $100 CDN sub? I am living in a small room that isn't hard to fill with sound. i heard a PDR-8 at my Paradigm dealer when i was auditioning my CC-370 and was not impressed at all, is the PDR-10 any better?

thanks in advance for any advice given!

I wasn't impressed with Paradigm's PDR series of subs and ened up with a PSB Subsonic5i. This one may be out of your budget by a $100 dollars Cdn so I would try and audition the subsonic zereo, and 8" powered ubit.