PhillyGuy Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 I posted this yesterday in the Woofer section, but since I got no replies, I thought I would try it out here. I recently picked up a pair of the RF-3 II speakers for my apt. Now I want to pick up a center channel (RC-3 II) and a subwoofer. I know that you want to get a center channel that is matched to your speakers, but what about the subwoofer? I rather not get the RSW-10 subwoofer right now b/c I don't think I would be able to fully enjoy it (I'm on the 3rd floor apt and I don't think my neighbors share my audio tastes). Will a smaller less expensive subwoofer ($500 range) degrade the sound? Any suggestions for a subwoofer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 PhillyGuy, congrats on a good start. Natural sounding subs with power and musical grace are hard to come by at that price. Your best bet, IMHO, is to pick up an SVS CS (Cylinder Series) for $329 + freight... and if you can find one in their discounted B-Stock section, you can do it for less. That's for a passive subwoofer... which means you will need to find a good, clean power supply that can be rigged to provide 350 watts at 4 ohms. It is relatively easy to come by a used monoblock or reconfigure an old stereo amp to a new life. As a lot of Klipsch board members will tell you, SVS definitely gives you more bang for the buck and the flexibility of picking the power amp that fits you best pocket and performance wise. They also can be made to play nice for the neighbors in apartment situations. You will find them at www.svsubwoofers.com ) HornEd ======================================= "Where Klipsch Legends Cavort Six Ways!" FOREGROUND SOUND STAGE: KLF 30's: Left Main, Center Main, Right Main SB-2's: L & R Front Effects on 5' sand filled columns BACKGROUND SOUND STAGE: KLF 30's: Left Surround, Rear Effects, Right Surround LARGE MOUTH BASS: Twin SVS CS-Ultra subs, Samson Megawatt Amp KLIPSCH SPEAKER SUPPORT SYSTEMS: Mitsubishi RPHD1080i 65", Yamaha RX-V3000 Receiver Toshiba Pro Scan 6200, Toshiba Pro 6-head SVHS W808 and such... Tweakin' On! Music Respite System: vintage Cornwall based Klipsched Class "A" Motorhome: On the road testing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyGuy Posted February 5, 2002 Author Share Posted February 5, 2002 HornEd, Thanks for the info. I looked at the SVS site and there stuff looks great. I have an OK reciever (Denon 1602) which serves me good. Being in an apt building, I can't go too loud. When I move out I'll invest in a better reciever. Now, do you find using an amp and a passive woofer better than just using a powered woofer? I've never owned a sub before, so I want to get something quality that'll last me a while (like my RF-3II's). Will I find that as I get nicer equipment, that an amp/passive woofer performs better than a powered one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 Frankly, PhilyGuy, there are some technical/performance reasons for my preference of passive subs over powered subs. If you could stretch your budget for a CS+ you have a sub that can fill your ears and maintain good relations with your neighbors. While there is not a lot of deep bass in most sound sources, there is enough here and there for this sub to add a note of realism to all your HT and music needs. Don't let the separate amp issue get in your way, you'll find it an advantage as years go by. Email SVS tech service and tell them your worst sub fears... and they will help you find an honest solution. HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 HornEd- Can you go into a bit more detail why you like the passive vs powered subs? Thanks much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 jhawk, just saw your post on that other thread. & yea congrats on your B-Ball team. cyclones hang big time. i was talking on svs & what i've researched. the old seperates equals bigger & better sound thing. though not universal, does seem to apply to svs to some degree. though we don't have that choice w/ our powered subs. though i'm still happy w/ my velo hgs. ------------------ My Home Systems Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 What I like about these SVS 16/46's is that they dig deep without a crossover. Straight off the pre-amp to a amp bridged in mono. As with most subs in this situation, they will always have a midbass peak, in my experiences. (I do have a active crossover.) This isn't the case with these subs. My only problem is that the amp is way underpowered for the subs, to keep up with the rest of the system. But Hell, I thought the amp was a goner, and was whining about it on another thread, and HornED told me to quit sniveling and scrounge up something. So I figured 'what the heck' gave my NAD another chance and rebiased it. I got it to run stable and now have it back in the system. Didn't cost a dime. Now I can get by until I can scrounge the cash for a real sub amp. I will need a 700 watt amp to keep up. Rare short list of my crap.(Read it quick, because I don't like posting my gear.) Yamaha MX-1 power amp. Yamaha CX-1 pre-amp. Modded Samsung 709 DVD player for music. Panasonic RP-56 for DVD movies. '95 Klipsch Chorus II's with upgraded crossovers. Two SVS 16/46's NAD 2100 junk amp to power the subs. Twisted Teflon Cat5 wire for cables, and internal speaker wire. I have a audio control Richter scale II bass EQ crossover, I'm not using it because it's a noisy little devil. And I have a crossover kit that I plan replacing the audio control with. The reason I went with passive subs is the flexibility of using different amplifiers for them. BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! THANX! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted February 7, 2002 Share Posted February 7, 2002 Boa- Thanks. Now what I am worried about is being up in the top 4-5 at the end of the year, which probably makes us a #1 seed in a region, unless we suck up the Big 12 tourney. KU can't seem to play well when there is a #1 ranking on the line. But, it is very nice to have them up this high. Yeah, I love my PW2200, but kinda itching for a pair of the CS+, would have a hard time deciding on 16- or 20-. I guess with a CS you can put much more power into the sub than the PC, but is there another reason? Smoother sound, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted February 7, 2002 Share Posted February 7, 2002 Well one thing is, you are not limited to the amp provided with the sub. I'm sure the amps provided are more than fine, soundwise. But the sky's the limit for a external amp, it all depends on your budget. You can find a better designed external amp, than most the plate amps. But I am sure there is good plate amps as well. You don't need a 00000000.1% THD amp for subs, just some guts. THANX! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted February 8, 2002 Share Posted February 8, 2002 Mike is right on with his last post. There are compromises that often must be made in an internal amp and that's true even with companies as great as SVS. Most people pick a powered amp figuring its less hassle... but it just doesn't take that long to set up a sub... and you give up versatility, power and potential upgrades when you buy a powered sub... especially one with the flexibility of being totally tubular. Fixed boxes, like the great 18" one Boa has are much pickier power eaters and benefit from an amp that fits the box. You know, PhillyGuy, part of what makes a tube sub work is volume and the restraint a cylinder wall has from flexing. Add an overachieving driver and pray for some divine intervention on dynamic port tuning and you too could be knocking out bottom dwellers. Maybe I can squeeze in a few more comments later... right now I have to get on to other things. Be well. HornED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted February 8, 2002 Share Posted February 8, 2002 Mike/HornEd- Thanks for the replies. I will certainly keep it all in mind as my upgraditis condition continues. "Totally tubular." Now there is a phrase I haven't heard in a long time. Horn, you just took 20 years off everyone's age with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted February 10, 2002 Share Posted February 10, 2002 I have not had a chance to hear SVS; I am sure they are good but wnated to keep things simple. Adire Audio Rava $399 adireaudio.com 270 watts 12 inch sealed heavy 60 pound cabinet easy sub to use and enjoy the "sealed " sound; kind of like an M&K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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