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  1. #1
    AR Newbie Registered Member
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    Subwoofer advice

    I am moving from Atlanta to NYC. So I am looking to buy a good subwoofer. Small size, not too heavy (definitely under 50 LBS), mainly for music, so I am willing to sacrifice power for tight bass. Budget is $500. I've been looking at SVS 25-31 PCi (a little too big, can't find weight info) and HSU Research STF-1. Any advice or suggestion?

    My current one is a 15" Velodyne subwoofer (CT-150). It's too heavy (80LBS) to move and too big to fit into my new place.

  2. #2
    Forum Regular N. Abstentia's Avatar
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    I'd stick with SVS and HSU, and add Outlaw to the list.

    www.outlawaudio.com
    Their LFM-2 is $279 and weighs 37 lbs.

  3. #3
    AR Newbie Registered Member
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    What about Onix/Rocket ULW-10? I like its small size, and supposedly the quality of the bass is quite good. But with a sealed box design, some people were complaining that it was lacking in the quantity & extension department so much so that it almost sounds like it's not on. Should I be concerned that it's too much a step down from CT-150?

  4. #4
    AR Newbie Registered Member
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    Check out the Acoustech H-100 for $249 online. The weight is around 40 lbs. Some people bash Acoustech, but I just got one and it is the most musical sub I have ever heard. Supposedly it was designed in cooperation with Dr. Hsu, and uses the same amp as the STF-2. The best way to describe it is "subtle". You hear and feel the bass, but it doesn't overwhelm the music or the other speakers. On the downside, although it isn't terribly heavy, it is big...approximately 18"x18"x18", but it has a piano gloss finish on top, and looks quite good for a subwoofer.

  5. #5
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by calvinyw
    What about Onix/Rocket ULW-10? I like its small size, and supposedly the quality of the bass is quite good. But with a sealed box design, some people were complaining that it was lacking in the quantity & extension department so much so that it almost sounds like it's not on. Should I be concerned that it's too much a step down from CT-150?
    The decision on whether to go with a sealed sub can depend on your room. Typically, a smaller room will go better with a sealed sub, because with a sealed alignment, the dropoff at the low end will occur at roughly the same rate that the room boundary reinforces the low frequencies. In that situation, a sealed sub can give you very low bass with better balance than a ported sub in the same room would likely give you. In addition, the sealed design might subjectively sound more "musical" because by design it has a quicker transient response and a more gradual rolloff at the low end compared to a ported design. On paper at least, that Rocket sub is a very attractive option.

    I use a sealed 12" sub (the Adire Audio Rava) and it's definitely not lacking for quantity or extension! My room is approximately 13'x18' and the in-room bass extension goes down past 25 Hz (-3db at ~22 Hz). Based strictly on the specs, the Rocket ULW-10 delivers comparable performance.

    Above 400 square feet, you'll likely want to go with a ported sub because a 10" sealed sub in a room that large will not benefit as much from the room gain, and the ported design allows for higher output.

    Even with these generalities, the Hsu and SVS subs are highly recommended by almost everyone who has first hand experience with them. The Hsu subs have the added versatility of including port plugs and the option of using them in conjunction with an equalization switch that lets the user choose between lower extension and higher output.

    If you decide on a sealed sub, you could also look into an Acoustic Visions MRS-10, or retail options in that general price range from B&W, Atlantic Technology, and Martin Logan. Another frequently recommended option is the Dayton subwoofer kits from Parts Express.

    No matter what option you go with though, I highly recommend that you look into subwoofer equalization. Room interactions, especially in smaller rooms, will typically create huge peaks and dips in the response curve that make your bass sound overly boomy with certain notes and anemic with others. A parametric equalizer along with careful measurements will allow you to tune the subwoofer so that it works better with your room acoustics and produces a fuller and more even sounding bass. Believe it or not, before I equalized my sub, the problem it had was that it overwhelmed the room and sounded extremely boomy. This topic was discussed earlier in the week.

    Subwoofer equalizer recommendation
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  6. #6
    Forum Regular
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    Go with an adire sub and build the box yourself. If you can use a circular saw to cut a straight line you can build a box. Building your own sub means you end up with a far better sub for much less money. Goto www.acoustic-visions.com and look at adires line up. They are backordered for a couple weeks sence the company is in the middle of a merge. Now that Dan Wiggins has a patent on XBL2 technology he will soon take over the subwoofer market and then the world. muhahahaa

  7. #7
    Tyler Acoustics Fan drseid's Avatar
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    The HSU and SVS subs are both excellent choices IMO, but as guessed, they are not small subs (they are quite good, however).

    As for the ULW-10, I have heard its sister sub the UFW-10 (I bought one for my dad), and it is definitely the real deal if it sounds similar. It is indeed quite small and attractive, but it has some weight to it, both physically, and sound-wise. The size is quite deceptive, IMO. I would say the Rocket would be the best choice for music listening, and it will hold its own on HT... but don't expect it to compete with the maximum SPLs of either the HSU or SVS subs... Those guys really are the HT kings at their respective price points. The Rocket is more refined, but less loud than those two. It will come down to what your ultimate priorities are... All three are quality subs that are highly recommended in your price range.

    ---Dave
    Integra DHC-40.2 Pre/Pro
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