Subwoofer buying advice (1 Viewer)

[Dave Johnson]

I'm going to rely on the cumulative expertise on subwoofers from you good people. Here's my situation.

Rotel PreAmp (RC-972)
Rotel Amp (RB-981)
Vantas DPA-S50 Processor/Amp
Vienna Acoustics Bach Speakers

I'm looking to purchase a sub to augment my current system. I would like the sub to be musical, as 80% of my audio enjoyment is music. The catch is I'm not willing to spend over $600. I've read good things about the Adire Audio Rava, and the Hsu VTF-2. Are there better recommendations, and which of these two would be the preference for music listening?

Thanks!

 

[Jeff Gatie]

SVS 25-31PCi, below your cost, compared more than favorably against the above in more than one review, and customer service second to none. Can be custom tuned to 22Hz for no extra charge. I have one and never regretted it, best $550 I've ever spent. Does not have the 50Hz 'bump' that some people seem to prefer for music, but I say I do not want a 'bump' for any frequency if it is not in the original source. YMMV

 

[Chris Quinn]

the best sub you're going to get for under $600 is an infinite baffle sub. If you are marginally handy it would be the best choice. Check out "the Cult of the Infinitely Baffled" at http://f20.parsimony.net/forum36475/index.htm .

 

[Lew Crippen]

No one knows for sure but the UFW-10 from Rocket (just released in beta) has had very favorable early comments.

The Rava is very fine for the money. I’ve not heard the Hsu, but certainly the reviews are very good.

 

[Lynn Little]

I agree with everything Jeff said. I couldn't have said it better...

 

[Jason Reich]

I also agree with Jeff. I have a 25-31PCI tuned to 22hz and its incredible. SVS customer service is excellent as well.

 

[Michael R Price]

Dave, it depends if you are willing to try a DIY or custom built product, which could deliver a better result than some other options (depending on your taste). Also, if your room is not conducive to good bass response, you might want to consider including an equalizer in your budget.. $120 spent on a BFD to fix up things a bit is probably worth more than the difference between a $450 subwoofer and a $600 subwoofer.

Do you want to have really low bass? How much output do you need?

 

[Dave Johnson]

Thanks all. I'm comfortable with DIY projects, but alas, with a young family, I simply don't have the time for all the projects I need to do, let alone the ones I want.
I shy away from equalizers because I feel they have a tendency to muck the sound up - perhaps just in my hands.
I'm also not a huge fan of loud bass. I want clean, accurate bass where required by the audio, but no artificial boost, and no bumped up bass. 85% of my music I think the Vienna Acoustics are more than capable for my taste, I'm just looking to augment them and define the lowest spectrum. (and perhaps get a nice rumble from the occasional movie.)

So I'll look into SVS 25-31PCi. Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Dave,

It's just barely in your price range ($599), but I'd also recommend the Adire Audio Dharman. While I haven't heard one specifically, I'm very familiar with both the driver and amp used in the Rava and Dharman. I'd expect the Dharman to be fairly competitive with the SVS sub and best the VTF-2.

But if you are really leaning towards clean, accurate bass and not max SPL, the Rava is an excellent choice as well.

 

[Dave Johnson]

After looking at the SVS, I hate to be the aethestic weenie, but I really don't think I'm getting approval for a 32" high, 16" diameter tube in the family room. Compromises. So I'm leaning toward the Adire products...

 

[Lynn Little]

How about a sub that's 18" wide x 21" high x 20" deep, and weighs 78 pounds? In other words, the SVS PB1-ISD. $599 + shipping...