Subwoofer Help.

[kev1244]

I am in the market for a subwoofer (first time).

Here is my current system.
Denon receiver (3 years old), I am assuming it has a crossover.
2 bookshelf Energy Loadspeakers C-1 (Fronts, usable bass response 50 hz)
1 Energy Center Channel CC-1
2 bookshelf Paradigm Titans (Rears, usable bass response 60 hz)

I mostly want the subwoofer for great and accurate music, but I also want it for movies.
My budget is under $500 including monstersub cables.

Attached is a jpg showing the layout of my place and the solid rectangles represent the current speaker placement.

Currently I have been looking at:
Energy 8.3, or 10.2
Klipsch KSW - 10
SVS PB10 - NSD (turned off by shipping costs only)

Thanks for reading
I appriciate any help you can provide.

[blackraven]

There are many decent subs in the $300-600 range. Its a matter of taste. I prefer very tight, fast and musical bass. If you could jump up to about $550-600 the Martin Logan dynamo fits that bill. I recently heard it and am going to buy it. It compares favorably with the $1200 REL subs. I turned the sub way up in volume and it had no boominess to it. Others that are decent are HSU, Mirage Omni S8 for $300, Velodyne among others. The Energy 8.3 is the same sub as the mirage as Mirage and Energy are the same company.

Save your money and skip the monster cable, its way over rated, buy something cheaper and put the money to the sub. A better sub will give you much better sound then spending big bucks on a cable.

[kev1244]

Blackraven.
Thanks for your input.

I looked into your recommendations and I am now turned on to the HSU STF-2 (10").
They are also having a sale, so what was $399 is now $319.

If my wallet was open to Martin Logan I would definately check them out.

Let me ask a stupid question.
My sound area is about 1600 - 2000 cubic feet, I suppose an 8 inch would suit me fine. But the 10" price is great, any downsides of having a 10" sub in my room dimensions? I also figured it be better to have the 25Hz (10") cabability rather than the 32 Hz (8").

Thanks for your help
Unfortunately I am a frugal person who wants quality.
Kev.

[phillyguy]

Is your listening area open to the dining? If so, you really have a 3400 cu. ft. space. Contact HSU and SVS and tell them your budget, listening preferences, room, etc and they can point you to the best bang for the buck. You may want to wait and save up for a bigger sub, depending on you needs.

[audio_dude]

yeah, definitively go with the bigger sub, maybe a 12 incher if you can afford it!

a bigger sub doesn't really matter, unless you're in a TINY listening space, where a big sub wouldn't fit...

bigger the sub, lower the response. (meh, nobody bash me please, just clarify if you want...)

[kev1244]

Phillyguy. I see your point, my dining room is open to my listening area.
In addtion to the dining room, the stairs to the second floor are in the listening area.
After the 4th step, the ceiling goes straight up to the second floors ceiling. Should I be concerned about sound leaking up the stairs?

I'd hate to go bigger than a 10" sub, the larger size will really intrude with space.
I'll have to consult HSU.

With that said and size aside, I am unsure about getting a Single tuning sub (STF) or the Variable tuning sub (VTF). Does the VTF become more of a pain (switching back and forth for music or HT) or is it the next best thing since sliced bread? Im thinking I'd be better off not worrying about it. But I d expect both music and ht to sound well. How much emphises should go to that feature, especially for the HSU subs.

All.
Show me the light!

[kev1244]

Thanks Audio Dude.

[swwdts]

I bought a Sony 10" powered subwoofer for a room 15' x20'.It works great for me.

[blackraven]

I use an 8' sub in a 17x17 room with 9.5 foot ceilings and have no problems. The room opens up into another room thats 17x24. I'm not a fan of 12' subs especially lower end subs. They tend to be boomy. If your looking for nice tight bass more for music than HT, then I would tend to stick with a 8-10". Look at the specs on that Energy 8.3, its freq response goes down to 27Hz. Placement of a sub can make all the difference in the world. You just have to find the spot that gives you the best sound.

[musicman1999]

From the picture,the biggest problem i see is speaker placement.Your 2 fronts are off to one side,before you add a sub i would try to fix this problem.Visit the DTS,THX,or Dolby Digital websites and they will show proper set for different rooms.To get good sound you will have to rearange you room.The front and rear speakers should form a rectangle shaped soundfield.

bill

[swwdts]

I used the dts website set up rec.for my room & it sounds alot better than before.

[Dusty Chalk]

My sound area is about 1600 - 2000 cubic feet, I suppose an 8 inch would suit me fine. But the 10" price is great, any downsides of having a 10" sub in my room dimensions? I also figured it be better to have the 25Hz (10") cabability rather than the 32 Hz (8").

Absolutely not. Don't think of it as additional bass, think of it as additional headroom.

[kexodusc]

Anything less than a good 10" sub in that room is just a waste of money.
I'd say 12" or bigger, but woofer size is only part of the story.

The STF vs VTF thing isn't really that big a deal in my opinion - though it "can" help. I never used mine.

I wouldn't waste money on Monster sub cables - any decent quality RCA cable will work every bit as well or better and save you money.

[kev1244]

Thanks blackraven.
Im really leaning on the HSU STF-2 or HSU VTF-2 M2 (both 10"). I'll need look at the Energy 8.3 before I decide anything. The smaller size would be beneficial for placement.

My only thought with the VTF is the option to switch modes for music versus ht, but i'd rather save the money if its overrated. Anyone here have a Variable Tuning Sub?

You all continue to be a great help.
Thanks

[kev1244]

Thanks MusicMan 1999.
I know, my speaker location is not setup best. I need to work on that.
I was thinking of at least moving the front right behind the chair in the corner.

My real problem is TV position, I would need to completely rearange to get head-on viewing. Right now its an angle (kinda beat).

Thanks for your help.
K.

[audio_dude]

yeah, for best sound, re-arranging the room is probably the best thing you can do.

like music man said, make sure your speakers form a rectangular soundfield

[jpchleapas]

I just bought a pair of these. http://www.angelfire.com/biz/bizzyb/SUB.html with the shipping the cost is only $449 to my door. I have bought items from Paul before from tubes to replacement brass caps for my vintage Fisher gear. I will be using these subs with my 7 Hales speakers for my HT. His vacuum tube amplifiers have gotten very good reviews. I am sure these subwoofers will be better than my current sub which is a JBL PB-12. A pair of subwoofers seem to be the better route if you have the room, and the prior approval if needed from the significant other. Good luck! John

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/bizzyb/SUB.html

[kev1244]

Thanks for everyones help.

I just ordered the HSU VTF-2 MK2. ...wish me luck!!
$444, includes interconnect cable and shipping.

($30 dollar shipping from West coast to East cost, not bad!)

Thanks again.