Musical Subwoofer (1 Viewer)

[NickSI]

hey everybody
this may sound like a weird question but i want to know what are some good "musical" subs in the $300-400 range. For HT every here seems to reccomend SVS or HSU and when a person asks about speakers its always go and listen for your self. so my sub is for a 2.1 musical system that will be used for movies only in wierd cases. Im planning on picking up a pair of old athena speakers (old means last model line) the SCT line the S3's so they are a three way speaker 1" tweet, 5.5" mid and a 8" woofer. im still in college so im still in dorms so i don't anticipate any rooms much bigger than 20'x15' in an extreme case. if there is anyway you can point me, cause ive heard that the SVS does ok with music but since this is a music system thats my focus.

 

[Alan Pummill]

Nick,

A bass relex (sealed) sub will be your more musical choice!!

Bass Reflex or Ported Box: Bass reflex speakers are highly sensitive. They often require less power from the amplifier to produce a given level of sound. Ported speakers take advantage of the port's resonant frequency to amplify the bass frequencies acoustically.

 

[NickSI]

thanks alan but i did a quick search right now and it seems that if i want a "sealed" sub woofer i have to make it myself or be in a car. any recomendations of companys you know or if i can just take a ported one and plug the hole although im thinking the later suggestion is probably a bad idea

 

[Bobby T]

If you don't mind about 45 min.- an hour of assembly work the 10" Dayton Titanic Kit is going to hard to beat in your price range. It's a sealed design with a very good driver. Also the 10" kit was designed by Vance Dickenson. The 10" kit is $358 with free shipping.

 

[Bobby T]

there is also the SVS PB10. It's a little over your budget at $429 but a good sub.

 

[NickSI]

thanks bobby to be honest it seems that the Dayton subs are the most popular of the "cheap" subs and i was looking at another of the 10" ones for like 149 i think, it was really cheap!!! so how much different is this titanic one going to sound?

 

[Shane Harg]

The KEF PSW2500 is also a sealed design with a 250W amp and is around $430. It's even got a switch to make it behave more "musically."

 

[Bobby T]

The Titanic is night and day different from the cheaper Dayton subs. You save money on the Titanic because you have to do the final assembly yourself, but it's easy. Glue in the damping foam, mount the amp, connect to the sub, and then screw down the sub. Everything is included in the kit, even a finished enclosure. The Titanic will last you a long time.

 

[RichardH]

Bass reflex means it uses port(s) or a passive radiator. That is NOT what sealed means. Sealed means just that, no ports, just the enclosure and the driver.

That being said, if you're still in dorms for a while, maybe you should consider going without the sub. Get the Athenas you want and see how they are on their own. If you need more bass and don't have any problems w/ the neighbors, then see about a sub.

I agree that those Titanic kits are great bang for your buck, and have been reviewed pretty well on this and other forums.

 

[NickSI]

thanks everybody. now i know about sealed subs and such. i think im gonna heed richard's advice and just stick with the speakers for a while. when i get them that is.

 

[Ben Nelson]

Yeah, I was confused reading the thread.

Just so we're clear.

Sealed = Acoustic Suspension

Ported = Bass Reflex.

Sealed with Passive Raidiator = Bass Reflex

 

[Bobby T]

It's good advice. With a decent stereo receiver like a HK or Yamaha powering them it may be all you need for a long time. And I don't mean that you need to spend a lot of money. You can find a really good used or refurb stereo receiver on audiogon. Or places like Harmon Kardon's ebay store.

 

[Chris Quinn]

Acoustic Visions MRS-10 or the Onix ULW-10 but they require a little more budget.

 

[Elliot_W]

If you are listening to mostly rock, as I did in college, tight bass may not be a priority....then the aforementioned subs are ok.

But, if you want clean and tight, use the money to invest in better speakers with a fuller frequency range. Unless you are looking at a REL, but that is a lot more than a few hundred bucks.

I tried a sealed PSB sub with Paradigm monitors...no where near as accurate as my current full range towers.

 

[NickSI]

well elliot i listen to a range actually, from opera to rock to rap and back to classical so.... what is your reccomendation for "fuller" speakers in the $500 range which is what im looking to spend on the speakers and sub. my dad has a pair of boston VR1s and i did the shopping for them with him so ive listened to a few speakers in that price range 500-700 including some energy and digms and monitors and the bostons of course. none of them had too much bass but out of all them the digms had the most. but i like to feel my bass!!

 

[Bobby T]

This offering from cerwin vega is probably the perfect speaker for rocking out all types of music in your dorm room. And right in your price range.

If that's too big then this Cerwin Vega is a little smaller.

 

[John_RO]

I would go with a 10" sealed sub (like the dayton) and calibrate it to match your mains. If you don't have a meter, then put in a familiar song and turn the gain up on the sub just until it "fills in" the lows. Remember to set your main speakers to "small" and subwoofer to "yes" on your reciever.

 

[Chris Quinn]

Rel recently sold the business to Sumiko and the new name is Rel Acoustics. Word is they will be offering a budget sub. With Rel prices who knows what they consider budget.
http://www.sumikoaudio.net/rel/prod_r305.htm

 

[Elliot_W]

Hmmm....$500 for full range towers that give good bass, but are refined enough to handle opera?

A true challenge!
But I'd take a look at new old stock of Monitor Audio S6. $600 new on audiogon from a reputable dealer in Chicago. Shipping will be extra of course...but the Monitor Audio Silver series is one refined speaker, yet has a more forward presentation not unlike Paradigm or PSB.

I think it goes down to 38Hz....expect good accurate bass, but not 'slammin'.

This is the polar opposite of the Cerwin Vega recco...so you really have to decide if you want a good all rounder, or the big bass.

 

[Bobby T]

Yeah the vegas are definatly a slammin speaker. Accuracy is not thier specialty. I posted them because for some reason they just scream dorm speaker to me