NewB looking for Subwoofer Advice (1 Viewer)

[Skormy]

I am just putting together my first Home System and looking for suggestions on a sub. Here's what I have so far:


'm configuring my first home audio setup, fairly low end, but I'm looking for something to deliver good sound for both music and movies. I have an Onkyo TX SR-505, and I'll be using a pair of Monitor 70s and a CS2 and was wondering which subwoofer to use. Here are a couple of things I'm looking at Klipsch SW-350(31Hz), Boston Acoustics CSSUB10B(32Hz), YAMAHA YST-SW216BL(25Hz), or a Polk 505 (28Hz). Any opinions on these?

 

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by Skormy
Any opinions on these?

All made by companies known for either their speakers or their receiver but not for the quality or performance of their subs. Based on the price range of all of them, the Lava 10 will easily play lower and louder for the same price. http://www.lavasubs.com/10_inch/powered_home_subwoofer.html


What size room is this sub going in? Is it open to other rooms? What movies do you watch? How loud? I'm trying to find out your goals and see whether or not this sub or others like it will meet those goals. If you have an open floor plan and want to watch Master and Commander at reference levels to feel the cannon shots, then you will need to raise your budget. If you listen to music and movies like normal people and want to fill in the low end with some quality bass then the Lava will fill that need.

 

[Skormy]

Thanks for your reply. The room is roughly 16 x 16, but it does merge into the kitchen so the whole space is a bit longer. The room also has wood floors. I don't have any extra ordinary movie tastes, like to watch your typical movies, along with some music/concert vids. Also, just enjoy listening to music. I'll check out the lava subs. From what I read, I just need a sub that plays at enough of a lower frequency than my floor speakers or I'm not adding any real value.

 

[CB750]

Skormy


Robert knows quite a bit about Subs as he also builds his own and he has kept you in the price range. I am sure if you were to increase your sub budget he could give you more recommendations.


One thing I will comment on is since you have hardwood floors which also opens in to a kitchen you have a fairly lively room environment. You might want to add some area rugs in the family room or some drapes on the windows or things that you can do to adsorb some of the sound. For a brief period during a family room renovation I removed the old carpet and furniture to paint and it really changed the acoustics of the room. It returned to normal when the new carpet and furniture were installed.

 

[Skormy]

CB750,


We just finished the kitchen/family room renovation, thus the new wood floors. We will have an area rug in place. I should also mention that the room has a vaulted ceiling. Sounds like the Lava should work with the other speakers and it's lows are lower the ones I was looking at that were in the same price ballpark. Looked and didn't find much in terms of reviews on the Lava subs, but it is very intriguing. I'll probably give them a call on Monday to get a better feel for the company and product. And, since this will be my first experience with a subwoofer, I hope to get a little education from them as well.


~Skormy

 

[dmiller68]

I really like Definitive Technology Subs however I have never heard the lower-end versions. I have only heard and owned the Supercube level.

 

[Robert_J]

Lava is a relatively new company but the founders all came from other, well known manufacturers.


Other sub manufacturers that we often recommend are:

SV Sound (aka SVS) - The founders met at this forum back when the DIY section was really active. Their customer service people are also from this forum. Finally their driver designer is one of my favorites.


Elemental Designs - Best known for being an car audio company but they have jumped into home audio with both feet. When you call their help line, you can get anyone from the sub designer to the janitor to the owner of the company. They host an annual meet and greet with their customers at their Newton, IA factory. They also build custom subs based on your design. If it is interesting, you can get in their monthly newsletter.


Epik Subwoofers - Chad, the owner, is a long time member here. Most of his drivers are sourced from Fi Car Audio. Who are they? Their owner has designed the Resonant Engineering XXX line of subs.


Hsu Research - Dr. Hsu has been designing subs for years for both his company and others.


DIY - Do It Yourself - The best value in subs if you have the tools, time and basic construction know-how. I build subs because I like the woodworking aspect along with the physics behind audio reproduction. You can also go crazy with the design. The example below uses 18" drivers that weigh about 75 pounds each. They are some of the best on the market.

http://i.imgur.com/VQICH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/WuUQh.jpg