Looking for a $500ish sub

[gr8spinner]

Hi everyone!!

I just purchased a set of Totem Rainmaker bookshelves and center channel. I love them, however, I do need a sub as well and have no idea what to get. We watch a ton of movies, I like really tight bass and have about a $500 budget? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
gr8spinner

[RoyY51]

You're going to get a lot of recommendations for SVS, Hsu and Velodyne. These are all great subs and you can't go wrong with any of them. To this list I would like to add the Outlaw Audio LFM-1. Your $579 gets you a 325 watt amp, 25 hz extension and drop-dead-gorgeous looks. If you google this unit you will get dozens of rave reviews and not a single negative one. It looks and sounds like a $1000 sub (no middle man). Definitely one of the best values out there.

[emorphien]

For $500 I'd look at the same brands mentioned, particularly SVS, HSU and Outlaw (whose subs are based off the HSU subs). Velodyne is worth a look but in this price range I do think the internet direct brands mentioned offer a better deal.

How do you like the Rainmakers for movies? I personally don't think they'd be ideal for that but I have a pair on order for 2.0 music in a small room. I'm glad you love them, they impressed me each time I went to listen to them.

[Dusty Chalk]

And the Dayton one from Parts Express. I think.

[emorphien]

And the Dayton one from Parts Express. I think.

On that note, worth mentioning the AV123 X-Sub although as I understand it's more of a music sub than a movie sub.

[GMichael]

I sent with this one: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-764

But these are good also:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-762
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-760

[Rock789]

I sent with this one: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-764

But these are good also:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-762
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-760

is it me or do the prices go up about every other month on the 15"?

[GMichael]

is it me or do the prices go up about every other month on the 15"?

It looks like the same price I paid in November.

[kexodusc]

Actually, I think the price on the Daytons went down $20 sometime last year...almost positive it was $599 for the longest time. $579 is a crazy price for that excellent sub.

[blackraven]

Check out Bob Carvers Sunfire Dominator Sub. You can get a nice compact 8" sub with 1,000watts peak power and Fq response of 22-100K for $499. He makes larger models too. They are not ported and will give nice tight base. All the other subs mentioned above are excellent as well. I was at Best Buy the other day looking at the Sony XBR3 46" LCD TV and they had a Mirage omnisat 8 subwoofer that had great sound for $300. I checked the reviews on this sub and they are very good. I'm partial to smaller subs because they seem to be more musical and seem tighter, at least in the sub $1000 price range. They also integrate better with my Magnepans. Mirage makes some decent equipment and can be found in the magnolia dept of best buy. (I cant believe I'm recommending audio equipment from BB.)

[dfischer]

"Tight" bass is a musical term. Sure you mean it? If so, The SVS and the AV123 are the big guns by reputation, the others mentioned a bit more "loose" but in most cases louder and capable of truly deep.

I'm kinda on the lookout for a used UFW-12, which is a 12" AV123 that should do all the above. I do hear the SVS is pretty close for a "Movie" sub.

BTW, movies sub's are much easier to build, they say.

[gr8spinner]

Thanks for the input everyone!!!!!

[blackraven]

By tight bass, I mean not sloopy or loose and boomy. For instance, my Magnepans go down to 40Hz and maybe a little lower but the bass coming from them is very tight, fast and never booming. There are very few subs that match them and the ones that do are expensive. I've found that non ported smaller subs match them very well. REL subs of any size match them very well too, but cost $1500 and up. Non ported subs seem to give a tighter and faster bass if you will, for lack of better terms to describe the sound.

[Woochifer]

First off, how big a room do you have? Generally, the smaller the room, the better off you are with a sealed sub, rather than a ported sub (which is the design that SVS, Hsu, Velodyne and most other manufacturers use for their subs in your price range).

Sealed subs have a quicker transient response, which is why some people like to say that they are "tighter" or more "musical" sounding. Also, their more gradual rolloff at the low end will more in line with how the room acoustics reinforce and amplify the low frequencies (which is why they work better for smaller rooms). But, ported subs have an advantage in that well-designed ones like the SVS and Hsu models will have a more linear response down to the tuned port frequency.

The sealed subs in your price range include the Rocket UFW-10, Martin Logan Dynamo, and models from B&W and Atlantic Technology.

But, even with a sealed sub, you could still wind up with boomy sounding bass because of the room acoustics. Try fixing that by repositioning the sub. If that doesn't work, then you'll have to go with room treatments and/or parametric equalization. In general, I've found that the room acoustical effects are a more decisive determinent of how good the bass sounds than which subwoofer you choose.

[blackraven]

True words about room placement! Also, I've notice many people have their subs turned way up which is a matter of taste and possibly ignorance. I tend to keep my sub turned down to the point you barely notice it and then just a hair more when listening to music. For HT use I turn it up.

[Woochifer]

True words about room placement! Also, I've notice many people have their subs turned way up which is a matter of taste and possibly ignorance. I tend to keep my sub turned down to the point you barely notice it and then just a hair more when listening to music. For HT use I turn it up.

You should consider tuning your sub with a parametric equalizer sometime. One reason why people have to constantly turn up or down the subwoofer level is because the boomy room-induced peaks dominate what gets heard from the listening position. One moment it will sound anemic, another moment if the bass hits just the right note, your head's ringing.

Once you flatten out the in-room response with an equalizer and eliminate those low frequency peaks (which in a typical room can go +20 db or more), then you can turn the sub level up much higher than before, yet it will still sound very accurate. Do a search for some of the previous threads on parametric equalization and the Behringer Feedback Destroyer in particular if you want to read up on the subject. (search terms "parametric" or "Behringer" should suffice) Posts by Richard Greene and Sir Terrence The Terrible are particularly informative on this subject.

[Feanor]

Thanks for the input everyone!!!!!

Suggestions for DIY using Parts Express appealed to me, but instead I was able to scope a PSB Subsonic 5 for Cdn$125 -- what a steal! This sub sounds great and integrates very well with my Magneplanar 1.6QR's.

This sub retails for $500 and was a 2006 Editor's Choice from The Absolute Sound. (My $125 steal was the very similar previous version to the current one.)

[Rock789]

awsome!

[GMichael]

Suggestions for DIY using Parts Express appealed to me, but instead I was able to scope a PSB Subsonic 5 for Cdn$125 -- what a steal! This sub sounds great and integrates very well with my Magneplanar 1.6QR's.

This sub retails for $500 and was a 2006 Editor's Choice from The Absolute Sound. (My $125 steal was the very similar previous version to the current one.)

Sounds too good to be true. Where did you procure this gem of a steal?

[Feanor]

Sounds too good to be true. Where did you procure this gem of a steal?

I bought it on eBay from a guy in my home town who insisted on local pick-up. (My error: it was actually US$125.)

[GMichael]

Great deal either way. Congrats....

[blackraven]

I recently was at best buy looking at a 46" lcd tv and listened to the Martin Logan dynamo sub, its not ported and has very tight and fast bass. It compared favorably to the REL subs. I turned it way up and it had virtually no boominess to it. I liked it so much and feel it will match my Maggies that I'm considering buying it over the REL.
Buy the way, REL makes some lower end subs starting around $500.
Check out www.sumikoaudio.net Best buy also stated that they can order REL subs through their Magnolia devision.

[Rock789]

I did not see the Martin Logan dynamo sub on bestbuy.com... was this something this individual store carried or perhaps something new not yet on bestbuy.com?

[Woochifer]

I did not see the Martin Logan dynamo sub on bestbuy.com... was this something this individual store carried or perhaps something new not yet on bestbuy.com?

Martin Logan products are not authorized for mail order sales. You have to visit a Best Buy store that has a Magnolia Home Theater mini-store inside (or any other Martin Logan dealer) in order to purchase it.

[Rock789]

Martin Logan products are not authorized for mail order sales. You have to visit a Best Buy store that has a Magnolia Home Theater mini-store inside (or any other Martin Logan dealer) in order to purchase it.

gotch ya
thanks