Best Subwoofer for $500 or less

[jschaudel]

Bargainseeker,

You are either a salesman for SVS or you know what you are talking about

I am going to give the PB10 a shot; if I don't like it I can always send it back. SVS sells bettercables on their website. Should I go with these, or should I consider some other cables?

I am going to buy a new receiver. Any thoughts on one under $400. The room is 14x17 with a vaulted ceiling. Movies/Music is probably 50/50, but if I had to choose the sound of one over the other it would be music over movies.

I will go listen but thought you might have some good input on narrowing my choices.

Thanks.

[bargainseeker]

Bargainseeker,

You are either a salesman for SVS or you know what you are talking about

I am going to give the PB10 a shot; if I don't like it I can always send it back. SVS sells bettercables on their website. Should I go with these, or should I consider some other cables?

I am going to buy a new receiver. Any thoughts on one under $400. The room is 14x17 with a vaulted ceiling. Movies/Music is probably 50/50, but if I had to choose the sound of one over the other it would be music over movies.

I will go listen but thought you might have some good input on narrowing my choices.

Thanks.

Well, I am not a salesman for SVS nor do I have any other business relationship with them. I am just a happy customer who feels that SVS is a class act. I believe you will be happy with the PB10 once you get it setup correctly. If you don't already have them, I would strongly consider getting a Radio Shack SPL meter and Avia setup DVD. If I remember right, I ended up buying my Avia DVD from Amazon.com because they had a lower price at the time.

As to a subwoofer cable, I have never been big on exotic cables. However, subwoofer cables carry a low level signal that must be well shielded from electrical noise. Unlike other interconnects, subwoofer cables are often very long, which increases the likelihood of such noise occurring (the long wire acts as an antenna). So if you are planning a fairly short run from your receiver to your subwoofer, I think you could use a decent quality, modestly priced cable such as an NXG NX-0134. I would also recommend a longer NXG cable for use while you are trying out different subwoofer locations. If you end up with your subwoofer a long way from your receiver, I would seriously consider one of the subwoofer cables offered by SVS.

For a receiver, do you want to buy locally or online? Also, are you willing to consider a factory refurbished receiver with a manufacturer's warranty or would you rather buy new?

[shokhead]

Wait and look and you'll find a $1000 sub for 500 bucks somewhere.

[Olivertmc]

Bargainseeker recommended the SVS PB10 about a week and a half ago. I received it this past friday and cannot believe how great it is. I think you'll be pleased with the results. I'm actually more impressed with its performance with respect to music than movies (not that it doesn't perform exceptionally well for both), the bass lines, kick drums and toms just seemed to "come alive" with the addition of the SVS. I was using the Energy S8.2 before, admittedly a small sub, but I still can't get over the effect the SVS has had on my audio enjoyment. Just beware, the thing is huge.

[dean_martin]

Bargainseeker recommended the SVS PB10 about a week and a half ago. I received it this past friday and cannot believe how great it is. I think you'll be pleased with the results. I'm actually more impressed with its performance with respect to music than movies (not that it doesn't perform exceptionally well for both), the bass lines, kick drums and toms just seemed to "come alive" with the addition of the SVS. I was using the Energy S8.2 before, admittedly a small sub, but I still can't get over the effect the SVS has had on my audio enjoyment. Just beware, the thing is huge.

Olivertmc,

Have you completed your upgrades? If I remember correctly you had a budget of $1000 and decided to go with a 2channel amp (the Parasound) for your front right and left speakers and a new sub. Did everything turn out ok? Were you able to stay within your budget? Are you satisfied or are you now on a mission to upgrade everything?! Don't mean to pry - just curious as to whether you have a good report.

[Olivertmc]

Dean_martin:

Good memory and thanks for the interest! I have completed my upgrade (and came in just under budget). I must say that I never thought I'd have a system I would be so happy with. Thanks so much for your help and recommendations. Once I connected the new amp and sub, I played one of my wife's favorite songs for her ("She will be Loved" by Maroon 5 - Our music tastes diverge completely) and she responded with "Wow, you have a really good stereo." After living together for 7 years, this was the first time she actually acknowledged that she could hear the quality of the sound. She usually just asks me "which sound is the bass again?"!

So, I'm really pleased and don't think I'll need to make any drastic changes for awhile. I drive a little faster on my way home from work so I can fit in a few more minutes of listening time, and want to revisit my entire cd collection to hear the difference.

[dean_martin]

Congratulations! Sometimes first attempts at sound improvements don't work out. It looks like your upgraditis is in remission...for now.

[jschaudel]

Thanks.

Receiver: yes, I would be willing to purchase a refurbished one on-line as long as the warranty was the same. I was looking at one site (don't remember which) some time ago and the refurbished unit (Denon) had an extremely short warranty. However, I don't know which sites a good and which are not.

[bargainseeker]

Thanks.

Receiver: yes, I would be willing to purchase a refurbished one on-line as long as the warranty was the same. I was looking at one site (don't remember which) some time ago and the refurbished unit (Denon) had an extremely short warranty. However, I don't know which sites a good and which are not.

Please see this thread in the home theater forum for my response.