Age old question...which subwoofer? (around $500) (1 Viewer)

[Seth G]

I know I've posted about this before, but that was more of a hypothetical then. I'm serious about dropping the $$ this time.

I'm looking at the Adire Rava, the HSU VTF-2, and the SVS 25-31PCi. My current speakers are:

Fronts: Polk Audio RT35i
Center: Polk Audio CS245i
Surrounds: Polk Audio f/x300i

The room is about 14' by 18'.

I don't need to shake the whole neighborhood (as much as I'd like to). The wife has complained about the volume before with just the little Polks. But still, I'd like solid bass. These three subs look extremely solid and they all receive good words from these forums.

Somehow, I get the feeling that I'm going to be told I can't go wrong with any of these.

Is there anything else I need to consider to help make the decision?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Richard_B]

Somehow, I get the feeling that I'm going to be told I can't go wrong with any of these.

My thoughts exactly. Consider talking to these three manufactures about what you're looking for. This may help narrow your decision.

I have an SVS and I can tell you that they are a great company to deal with. Goodluck

 

[george king]

Seth,

Would you consider DIY? You could get a driver and amp, build the enclosure and have a better sub for less money. I just got a PE Titanic 12"mkII driver (from a friend) and will wait for a sale at Parts Express on their 250W plate amp (when it will then be $100), and build a box ($20 in MDF). I am going to put the driver in a 54L sealed box, stuffed, and it should do 21Hz in room, all for about $250-300 bucks.

 

[Seth G]

No, I don't think DIY is an option. If you've ever seen Homer Simpson's spice rack, you'd have some indication of my skills. I'll let someone else build it, thank you very much.

 

[george king]

ok, but you could buy a premade cabinet (adds to cost), and just screw in the driver and amp. You would then be around $500, but it would just as good, and maybe better, than the others listed (although they are all great subs)

 

[Edward J M]

The Rava is a sealed design and won't go quite as deep or as loud as the other two choices. For a HT and music mix, I'd throw in the $600 Dharman as a better suited and more comparable/competitive offering from Adire/Acoustic Visions.

With both ports open (Maximum Output Setting), the VTF-2 has a tune point of 32 Hz, which might be a bit lacking for HT applications, as quite a few of the recent popular DVDs dig into the mid to low 20's. You can tune the VTF-2 lower to 25 Hz by plugging a port (Maximum Extension Setting), but at that point you're working with a single port and a 10" driver. While it will offer similar extension, it won't keep up with the larger SVS and Adire offerings in terms of overall output and impact.

I'd also consider the 20-39PCi for $600 if you can stretch the budget a bit. It offers strong output to about 17-18 Hz in-room. The $600 PB1-ISD is also a strong performer offering near identical output and extension as the 25-31 and 20-39 PCi series, but in a box form if you prefer that.

 

[BobAlbano]

My vote would be for a 22-31pci in this case. You should be able to have very good extension in room to about 20hz. SVS will do the custom tune down to 22hz for free if you tell them that this is what you want. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Edward J M]

Just in case you weren't aware, the "22-31PCi" is a 25-31PCi with a longer vent tube installed at the factory, which gives it a 22 Hz tune instead of a 25 Hz tune.

There is no official model designation for the "22-31PCi" on the website - you have to request it at the time of order.

There is a similar 17 Hz tuned offering for the 20-39PCi, unofficially known as the "17-39PCi", but this variant is not nearly as popular as the "22-31PCi".

FWIW, the PB1-ISD is tuned to about 22 Hz, and would be almost identical to the "22-31PCi", essentially splitting the difference between the 25-31 and the 20-39 in terms of extension.

 

[John Garcia]

Well, the VTF-2 doesn't have the rumble of the 25-31PCi, but it is also 1/3 the size and puts out very respectable bass for it's size (surprising for a 10" sub). Tuned to 32, it is clean and smooth, but not so deep. Tuned to 25, it gets some good rumble going in my ~19x20' room with high vaulted ceilings. Since I am in an apartment, the 25(22)-31 was just too much after hearing at a friend's house. I also got my VTF-2 used for much less than msrp, so it was a no-brainer.

 

[Yee-Ming]

I have the 22-31PCi, live in an apartment, and am totally happy with it. I didn't need the SPLs, but I took it rather than the 20-39 since I had WAF issues (she was still aghast at the size, but after the initial shock nowadays she doesn't say anything about it anymore ). FWIW, my living room is 13' x 26', 10' ceilings, and the 22-31PCi is more than enough.

If you can take the larger size and can just swing the budget, since you don't need loud, go deep, i.e. get the 20-39PCi, or even the 16-46PCi.

Just my $0.02's worth.