subwoofer ideas

[JasonJCarney]

I am looking for a subwoofer. Can anyone give me some ideas in the $400 range? Thanks

[Youthman]

Hey Jason. Here a few questions for you.

1. How large is your room?

2. What percentage of Movies/Music do you listen to?

3. Is size of sub an issue? (Wife Acceptance Factor)

4. Where are you located?

5. Have you checked your local Craigslist? There are often sweet deals on used gear.

6. Are you willing to buy new?

That should be enough to allow us to better offer advice than just saying check SVS, Epik, Velodyne, HSU blah blah blah. LOL

[JasonJCarney]

1. My room is 10.5 x 17

2. 95% movies and video games

3. Size is not an issue. I have a nice area in the corner and actually I prefer bigger to add to the coolness factor!

4. Massachusetts

5. I have looked in craigslist but since I don't know most of whats out there I don't know what is a good sub nor do I know what is a good price.

6. I am willing to buy new.

I have looked at SVS...the issue with them is their availability for purchase (unless you buy right from them) and the cheapest one they sell is $600. I have no experience with the other brands you mentioned. (hsu, velodyne, or epik)

[Rick]

If you can increase your budget a bit this is currently on sale (black):

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2-mk3.html

This thing is huge and very powerful! I just got one myself in walnut finish when they cleard them out. Great sub and comparable to SVS.

Or this one for $388 shipped:

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html

[Ironsave]

I have read good things about the Klipsch Sub12. (I believe its in your budget). I am not a big Klipsch fan when it comes to subs, but most seem to like it.

I love my Emotiva Ultra 12. It is not in your budget at the moment.... (I got it on sale for $369 shipped). Currently is $599.... My sub has a small footprint, which you seem to want bigger; but for music.... my sub is accurate, deep and keeps up with fast paced blast beats that many subs can not do. (You indicate movies are your primary use so this may not matter).

Do some googling and see what peaks your interest.

Velo, Epik and Hsu are all known for being good quality..... SVS and Elemental Designs are as well.....

I was in your shoes 2 months ago.... The shopping and learning part was a lot of fun! []

Good Luck!

[Youthman]

This Velodyne HGS-18 would rock your world but it's quite a bit above your budget. Link

Not sure what model this is but it definitely fits the budget. Link

Here is a Velodyne HGS10 (10" woofer with 1000 watt amp) for $500 Link

The HGS series are rock solid subs but they don't pop up too often.

If you find something on CL that you are interested in, post a link to it here and we'll try and offer some advice.

[JasonJCarney]

Thanks for all the help. If you had to pick which one would you go with? I was thinking about the sub-12 cause it can be had for $280 but just not sure how good it is.

[elementfbl114]

The search for a perfect sub is a pain... I just ordered a elemental designs sub (a5-350) for 715 shipped. I'll get it in hopefully in a few weeks. I've only ever used their car audio so I'm taking a leap of faith, but I've really heard nothing negative about them. From what I've seen, svs subs look a lot nicer (and I'm sure have better sq), but they cost more...

Anyways, on your budget i would look into a2-250 (350), a2-300 (415), or the a3-250 (450). All the prices include shipping.

If mine comes in before you decide on a sub, I'll post some pics and let you know what I think of it. It took me two weeks of comparing every sub I could find... I barely got anything done at work or at home. There was a lot of stress lifted off of my shoulders when I finally clicked submit on my order []

Well good luck on your search for a sub and let me know what you end up going with.

[JasonJCarney]

wow...just checked those subs out. 15 inch 500 watt! Can't wait for your review on that one. 18hz too.

[JasonJCarney]

anyone ever heard the paradigm dsp 3400?

[BluBitRates]

more like heard from it

[JasonJCarney]

how do you like it? What have you had in the past to compare it to?

[dan4510]

I built one using a partsexpress 15" high fidelity reference driver. Went to home depot bought mdf to make a 24" cube with some bracing.

Used a free program to cut the right sizes to come up with the 24" cube. It does weight about 80lbs.

Built the cube put in a 240 watt parts express amp, stuffed it with fill out out of two polyeaster pillowsand it rocks. I built it sealed and it will still vibrate the couch and punch your chest.

You can put a bash 500 watt amp with it and do ports and it will really rock and go very low.

I havent prettied mine up yet, but I do like the jet black driver and how it sounds.

Only cost about $275 total and about 6 hours going slow. And I have the pride of having built it along with my Klipsch Belle Clones

Dan

[BluBitRates]

Before the dsp-3400 i was using 2 velodyne dps-10s. I found that it was not a huge step up in bass from the 2 dps-10s but it was an improvement. I very rarely turn it up over half way and it can dig pretty deep (sub 20 hz). You really should be able to pick one of these up for $650 (maybe with tax included) new if you can find a place that sells them locally. 3 Year warranty is nice to have too. Things i enjoy about the subwoofer: looks, deep bass, head room, design , versatility. Also the sub is huge but i like that in a sub but just know you will need some place to set it down. I think this sub would work good for you and fit in with what you have now and will go with any upgrades you may eventually make. I am not saying this is the perfect sub but i have found very little faults in it. I am sure the svs pb-13 ultra would wreck this thing but i can tell you i am not hurting for bass. Any more questions feel free to ask, dont forget to check your local CL for a high end used sub in the meantime

[nyt]

forget buying commercial, for $400 you can build a monster sub like a tht or an llt.

[Ironsave]

I built one using a partsexpress 15" high fidelity reference driver. Went to home depot bought mdf to make a 24" cube with some bracing.

Used a free program to cut the right sizes to come up with the 24" cube. It does weight about 80lbs.

Built the cube put in a 240 watt parts express amp, stuffed it with fill out out of two polyeaster pillowsand it rocks. I built it sealed and it will still vibrate the couch and punch your chest.

You can put a bash 500 watt amp with it and do ports and it will really rock and go very low.

I havent prettied mine up yet, but I do like the jet black driver and how it sounds.

Only cost about $275 total and about 6 hours going slow. And I have the pride of having built it along with my Klipsch Belle Clones

Dan

I was going to buy the kit they sell; 15" driver; cabinet and 200w amp......

They have been out of stock for almost 2 months; so glad I did not wait.

[BluBitRates]

Forget building your own if you ever plan to resell the sub, they just do not have the resell value. Plus i dont think they look as good as a commercial sub. The warranty on the sub and ease of mind knowing professionals who make subs for a living put my sub togethor is good too. Now if you are into to projects like that or absolutely needed the loudest bit of bass you can get on a limited budget it might be for you.

[nyt]

Commercial subs are just not large enough to not suck. Do you think there's some magic that a commercial builder puts into the enclosure that a normal person can't? It's a lot less complicated than building mains. If you want them to look pretty, you can finish them however you want. Resale value is the worst excuse I've ever heard to not DIY a sub. At the least you can take it apart and reuse the components or sell them at a good price. Wood isn't exactly expensive. I highly recommend front loaded horn subs if you have the room for it. Alternatively, if you don't need such ridiculous bass dynamics or levels, you can build an LLT which will extend very low, or even a sealed box.

[dtel]

I like DIY, for less than $300 (minus the amp) I have a sub that cost way more than I could afford otherwise for a sub.

[Islander]

anyone ever heard the paradigm dsp 3400?

I've been using a Paradigm PW-2100 with my La Scalas (and now JubScalas) for five years and been very happy with it. Realistic-sounding bass instruments and power to spare.