Under $1000 Subwoofer Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[Craig Chase]

Phantom Menace was TOO much fun. I know a lot of people love to trash Episodes 1-2-3, but I love them. The Rythmik is outstanding on this disc. With some serious "bass bomb" levels, it only managed to bottom one time on the Pod Racer scene.


The light saber battle at the end gave that "in the chest bass" with each blow the Jedis/Sith landed. The cannons in the final battle scene, all of it was delivered with power and great sound.


It was good enough that after the test is done, I plan on seeing how the EP800 handles this disc.

 

[theJman]

Wow, you bottomed a Rythmik sub in two port mode? You must have really been cranking the volume. Somebody was having themselves a lot of fun, eh?

 

[Craig Chase]

Jim - Some of the Pod Racer scene has bass to below 10 Hz, and at pretty hot levels. We were at -7 dB from reference, but the shudders in the room were palpable.


Yes, one bottoming managed to get through for about a second. It was noticeable because otherwise the bass was so clean.


The guys at Rythmik did a terrific job with the limiter in the amp, as this was the only "bad sound" in the entire movie. The room is 25x24x8.5 feet - a lot of space to fill.


Wednesday night we are doing a double feature - Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.


I really wish Phantom Menace had been used on the other subs as well. It's an incredible bass feast/test disc, especially the Pod Race. Maybe we will do a Saturday beat down on the other subs with that scene.

 

[alabamaroberts]

So what are the odds of getting a GoldenEar ForceField sub? I'm really torn between that and the SVS.

 

[Dave Upton]

Regrettably - they aren't willing to participate in the shoot out, so Craig would have to buy one.

 

[Craig Chase]

I actually tried to purchase a Golden Ear Sub in December. The manager of the store was out, and I left my business card along with the model number of the sub, and requested he call with a price. He never called. Go figure.


Back to the Rythmik - It's still acquitting itself very well. We finished the entire Star Wars lineup this week, and with Attack of the Clones / Revenge of the Sith, there was another 5 hours of bass happy material.


The explosion at the beginning of "Clones" made my daughter jump out of her seat.


Between the SVS, Def Tech, Axiom, Hsu and Rythmik subs, I am astonished at the level of performance - both out right and in terms of size (Def Tech and Axiom) for under $1000.


All 5 subwoofers are easy recommendations for a variety of subwoofer needs.


Tonight, I am going to start with the Rythmik in its one port tuning, and will get a sweep up this weekend - after that, I will do the same with the Hsu.


At the conclusion, the sealed Axiom EP800 will be tossed into the mix for some graphs on its response curve and to see how it handles some of the really demanding scenes.

 

[theJman]

Golden Ear's reluctance is not the least bit surprising to me; twice in the past few years I've tried to arrange units for review but they proved to be less than accommodating. Perhaps there's a good reason why there's so little information about their products. For sure, the frequency response they quote is highly suspect. It's not likely a tiny sub with a single 12" active driver and a passive radiator is able to reach the claimed 12Hz (with any usable output at least).

 

[Craig Chase]

Guys - Apologies for no updates over the last few days - I have been working overtime on two new projects for my "day job". Look for the review stuff to start again this weekend with the Rythmik in its single port mode, then we will wrap up this round of tests with a summary.


"See" you guys Saturday!

 

[Nodscene]

Looking forward to it as it's been hard to wait for the rest of the reviews! Just glad you didn't hurt yourself again


Cheers

Guys - Apologies for no updates over the last few days - I have been working overtime on two new projects for my "day job". Look for the review stuff to start again this weekend with the Rythmik in its single port mode, then we will wrap up this round of tests with a summary.


"See" you guys Saturday!

 

[Craig Chase]

Hi guys ... Here is the graph of the Rythmik FVX-15 in room:

It does not change the sonic character of the Rythmik, as in both tunes, one is getting solid bass to well below 20 Hz - in this case, to about 14 Hz.


"Ant-Man" was the movie of choice on Friday, and as with the dual port mode, the single port was deep and percussive. Gunshots were particularly fun, with lots of weight and "hit in the chest" strong bass.

 

[Craig Chase]

Good morning guys ... It;s time to wrap up the review process on the Rythmik FVX-15 and discuss what is next.


The FVX-15 in its single port setting is, in use, at least as good as it is in the dual port setting. What one will give up in dynamics in the 18-25 Hz range, one picks up in extension, and in an intangible that one needs serious listening tests to discover.


Recall the FVX-15 "bottoming" briefly in the Pod Race scene. This scene has bass that is appx. 7-8 dB "hot", and it descends from 30 to about 10 Hz. The entire bass blast is about 2 seconds long, and in the two port setting, one could hear the "flutter" of the woofer below its tuning point - which is a form of bottoming.


Brian Ding, in an email exchange, thought it was the amp clipping, not a bottoming. At the same SPL, on the same scene, the unit did NOT bottom in its single port setting.


I have also never noticed any port noise in the single port setting.


Every disc that has been thrown at this subwoofer has sounded fantastic, with deep, tight bass. People have mentioned the Rythmik sound is "dry". I did not notice "dry" at all. What it does is play bass, VERY well.


As of this date, For different reasons ... and I will be spending more time switching off these subwoofers in the next couple of weeks ... each of the 5 subwoofers that can be safely recommended will be auditioned again, with some fairly quick swap outs between subs.


The Klipsch subs are going into a close friend's theater room he just finished in his home. He has a pair of vintage Bose 901 Series III's from his college days, a Harman Kardon two channel amp they were selling a couple of years ago for $2000 - I found for him a "B" stock for $900 last year, and a NAD CD player.


With some tweaking (including turning the speakers so the 8 drivers are facing you), the Bose sound surprisingly good, and the Klipsch will add a nice bottom end.


The Klipsch is a good subwoofer, but as noted before, it is outclassed in every way by the Hsu, and thus not recommended. The other 5 subwoofers are quite good, and will fill the need for many a bass addict.


Definitive Technology SC-6000 - This sub delivered amazingly deep, tight bass. In many ways, it delivers on the promise the Sunfire True Sub made almost 20 years ago: 20 Hz bass from a compact enclosure. The ability to shape its signal on the fly with the included remote, plus change volume without needing to access a receiver's menu, is a real plus.


It's reasonably priced, and will be the answer to the "prayers" of many guys wanting good bass, but needing a small size for the WAF issues.


Rythmik FVX-15 - The Rythmik takes the opposite approach to the Definitive Technology sub. It's BIG. It can hit to 14 Hz in our large room, and it is powerful. In its single port mode, I was unable to get it to make a bad sound. It will shake a room with ease, and is articulate. This sub is so good that I am seriously tempted to test out The F25 against the Axiom EP800.


Hsu VTF-3 Mark V - Take everything about the Rythmik, and it applies to the HSU VTF-3 Mark V. The only difference is the Hsu is so good, it makes me seriously tempted to try a pair of ULS-15 Mark II's against the EP-800.


Axiom EP-350 - The Axiom is an excellent bridge between the Def Tech SC-6000 and subs like the Rythmik and Hsu. It is more powerful to 20 Hz than is the Def Tech, and it has the best sounding 40-80 Hz bandwidth in the test. By best sounding - it does tracks like Stand Up bass with incredible articulation. it's a great choice even for larger rooms, especially if size is an issue. It has found a home in our large, 6500 cubic foot family room, where I have to be decor friendly in bringing product in.


SVS PC-2000 - Often times, the first sub tested gets overlooked when the process takes three months. Because of this, after some auditioning this weekend with the Rythmik, the HSU will be tried out in single port mode, then the SVS will be put back into the system.


The SVS is a really fine subwoofer, and it along with the Axiom somewhat remind one of the SVS Cylinder subs from 14 years ago ... they had a 25-31, a 20-39 and a 16-46. The first number was the tuning frequency, the second was the height in inches. The SVS PC-2000 is the "20-39" to the Axiom's "25-31". The SVS gives a bit in the 25-30 Hz range to add some extension.


Even though, on paper, the SVS seems like a "big sub", as a 16.6 inch diameter "black tube", it's incredibly easy to hide in a corner. Put a plant on it, and it looks like a column.


In terms of sound quality, it's excellent. It's hard to overload, and when it does bottom, it's graceful.


Special Merit to SVS and Axiom ... Trade in Policy:


SVS offers a full trade in for up to one year, with the only caveat being one has to pay shipping on the return sub and for the new sub. NOT having to try to sell a subwoofer when one decides that a PC-2000 needs to become a PC-13 Ultra is a real plus.


Axiom offers trade allowance "indefinitely". For example, an EP350 one has owned for two years would be worth $588 on trade against its selling price new of $840. Even a ten year old sub is still worth $366.

 

[theJman]

Thanks for the concise and well thought-out wrap up on these subwoofers. This was a fun journey to take with you, and it sounds as though it ended on a high note.

Hsu VTF-3 Mark V - Take everything about the Rythmik, and it applies to the HSU VTF-3 Mark V. The only difference is the Hsu is so good, it makes me seriously tempted to try a pair of ULS-15 Mark II's against the EP-800.

Give the ULS-15 a try. Trust me...

 

[Brendostunes]

Thanks for all the time and effort in this wonderful comparison.
Has been a fun discussion and read.

 

[RedSpyder]

Thank you for taking so much time and effort to do this Craig. We appreciate this so much.

 

[backseatrabbit]

I got this soundbar and it came with a woofer as well. I can't tell you how AWESOME my life has become. I believe it's made by Pioneer or Panasonic? Don't remember but it was less then 200 bucks (From BestBuy) after taxes and light enough for me to carry all the way to my house (20 minute walk). This beauty also included a sub-woofer. If you live in an apartment, OMG this thing is heavenly. Like I have a home theater in my 600ft (Probably less) in my home. It's f'n awesome! I'll post a pic in a day or two when I get home again. Soundbar's really blew my mind.

 

[Craig Chase]

I got this soundbar and it came with a woofer as well. I can't tell you how AWESOME my life has become. I believe it's made by Pioneer or Panasonic? Don't remember but it was less then 200 bucks (From BestBuy) after taxes and light enough for me to carry all the way to my house (20 minute walk). This beauty also included a sub-woofer. If you live in an apartment, OMG this thing is heavenly. Like I have a home theater in my 600ft (Probably less) in my home. It's f'n awesome! I'll post a pic in a day or two when I get home again. Soundbar's really blew my mind.

I finally have an excuse to start drinking again. Thank you.

 

[Michael BMF Martin]

Thanks Craig for the review. I have been waiting a long time to replace my UFW-12 that I wasted money on twice, the original and the HR. I have been watching the HSU that you reviewed but am torn between it, the VTF-15H MK2 and the SVS PB12 Plus. Slightly different price points but I don't want to spend money anytime soon on another sub.

My gut tells me to go with the VTF3 MK5 HP because it is so similar to it's bigger brother but I don't like the fact that HSU only has a 2 yr warranty on the amp. I am interested in the SVS because of the warranty and the reputation.

I have always trusted your opinion. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

ps this guy is still kicking like the day I received it...

 

[Craig Chase]

Michael - Thanks for the pic of the Gizmo!


If this helps - Hsu offers a $70 option to make the electronics warranty 5 years. When you add to cart, the option is on that page. Basically, for $958 delivered, you can get the VTF-3 HP with a 7 year driver and a 5 year electronics warranty.

 

[Michael BMF Martin]

The corners looked good but I am hoping the slices to the box are only cosmetic.

 

[Michael BMF Martin]

All is well so far.[emoji120]