$200 Sub Options (1 Viewer)

Hi All -

I've done some reading on this forum and am interested in opinions on some Subs.

Current System - Onkyo TX-NR801, Cerwin Vega fronts, center, rears.

I don't have a sub yet and am looking to spend $200 or not much more. Room size is probably 15X15X8.5 or so.

I've seen rave reviews here on the Dayton 10" sub. Almost seems too good to be true...

Thoughts on Velodyne VX-10 or if I stretch my budget a bit, the Velodyne VRP-1000?

Any other options I should consider?

I'm not looking for anything earth shattering and my Cerwin's with 12" woofers reproduce good base for music, but since my cerwin's aren't even getting the info on a 5.1 movie, I'd like to get in the game with a somewhat entry-level sub that will give me decent results.

Thanks in advance!

You have an 801 with Cerwin Vega speakers? That's a whole lot of receiver for those speakers.


Your speakers should be getting the same BASS information your sub would in a 5.1 setup if they are set to LARGE, which they should be if you have no sub.

If you haven't heard a decent sub that can cover down to the 20Hz region, you haven't heard what LFE really is though. A $200 sub probably isn't going to buy you an amazing amount of additional extension beyond what the CVs are already giving you, but it would allow you to offload some of the work from the 801 by not having to reproduce the lower frequencies. I'd save up a little and shoot for something like the HSU STF-2 or save even more and look at an SVS PB-10.

I do like the CV's...have had them a while and they meet my needs pretty well. Got the 801 for 1/2 off MSRP - couldn't turn that down since previous receiver was only pro-logic. Since I haven't done much research lately, I assume you imply that the CV's are not so good for the quality of receiver? How is CV generally thought of in the industry? I have to admit, I bought the fronts when I was in college and shaking pictures off the wall while listening to gangsta-rap was cool.

Good thoughts and thanks for the advice on the CV's getting the bass information from the 801. I'll make sure I'm set up right ( I think I am) and turn up the base to see how satisfied I really am. Makes sense about saving up for a better sub also...

That's pretty good then; and I kind of figured that you may have picked it up at a discount because that's a pretty nice receiver. I wasn't trying to put the CVs down, just that I would not typically expect to see this combination. I wouldn't call the CVs highly sought after, but I'm sure most of us have owned them or something like them at one point. My brother still has my old "BIG" speakers today If you like them, stick with them.

The STF-2 retails for $299 and would be a step up from the Dayton, while the PB-10 is $429 and would be a considerable jump from the Dayton.

The Dayton will get you down to 25hz... if you want more you'll have to spend more.

It would be cheaper to DIY a sub but if you're not into that then I would just save up for a HSU or SVS.

Got it, guys. Thanks again for the advice.

Some people might look down on Cerwin-Vega, but I stand by them as a good quality speaker for the money, and a great speaker for people that love exaggerated bass. Back in my high school days, I wasn't as concerned with accuracy as much as I was with volume and durability -- and the Cerwin-Vega speakers I owned at the time excelled at meeting my needs.

A good quality subwoofer will provide a substantial increase in "felt" bass.

Check your receiver configuration, and make sure that it's configured for NO SUBWOOFER if you don't in fact have one connected to it. The LFE channel from the 5.1 soundtracks might be completely missing from your theatre now, due to a simply having the wrong configuration. Your Onkyo will send the LFE channel information to your front speakers if you have the subwoofer 'disabled' in the setup, and have the front speaker types set to LARGE.

Greg

I checked and that is how I am set-up. Maybe I need to pick-up a good sub at a place with a good return policy to see if the difference with and without a sub is worth it to me...

John,

My understanding is that if a seaker is set to LARGE, it simply gets all of the bass information originally meant for it, not including the .1 LFE info. Setting it to SMALL sends all signals below the crossover (in that channel) to the sub to be combined with the LFE. Only if the receiver is told that no sub exists and the speakers are set to LARGE is the .1 LFE info redirected. Am I completely off-base?

That makes sense to me. I've got the fronts set to LARGE and have told the 801 that I have no sub, so it should be getting the info..right?

Yep, that's correct, I just neglected the part about setting the sub to none.

where is that STF-2 $299?

I second that question... right now it's $399 STF-2 and $299 for the STF-1. http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/

Am I missing something?

You'd be surprised how many good used subs are available out there. I got a good used 12" powered M&K sub in excellent condition for about $110.00 plus $35.00 shipping. I'd put it up against any $200.00 sub I could buy at the store now. Hope I don't have to eat my words,lol.

Comp usa
STF-2 for $199, used
Thats what I paid for it.

I was in the same price range as you a couple of months ago and did some research on this site as well. After reading a couple of threads I purchased a BIC 1220 for $195 and that was including shipping. I have a pair of CV towers in the front as with but only with 10s in them. I have been quiet happy with the results of my $200 sub purchase for movies and for music.

Helpful to hear about someone with a similar setup! I'm still trying to figure out if I want to pull the trigger now or later! Then, I need to figure out how to explain it to my wife!