etc6849 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Okay, I just realized I probably should have posted this here instead of the home theater sub-forum. I finally bought a second RT-12d (the triangular shaped one with two passive drivers and one active driver) as I saw one the other day on ebay.With this second RT-12d, I really feel my system sounds 100% better and it sounded great before! I'll admit that my room is less than ideal and is an odd shape. I also haven't installed any bass traps or sound treatment of any kind. I didn't do anything special to set them up either. I just ran the auto-eg on each sub (one at a time). Then I split the mono LFE out from my receiver (Onkyo TX-NR905) so that each sub could be driven. I also placed each sub on the back wall at opposite corners.I really don't believe how much better the system sounds as a whole. It sounds as good as $40,000+ systems I've heard in specialty shops, but at a fraction of the cost! So, since two RT-12d subs sound 100% better, I wonder if 4 RT-12d subs sound 200% better?I'm really surprised that most places I've shopped try to sell you separate amplifiers and a preamp, but none have ever recommended two subs! For the money, audio separates seem like a huge waste for driving such efficient speakers. A second sub seems like a must have! In retrospect, I only wish I'd bought a second sub years ago!Details: 2 x RF-83 (bi-amped), 1 x RC-64, 2 x RS-62, 2 x RT-12d, Onkyo TX-NR905. PS: Good website that discusses multiple subs:http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/get-good-bass/two-subs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 There was a time I really wanted an RT-12d and better yet two of them. I pretty much gave up because of the rarity on the used market. Great that you were able to get a second one. I'm really surprised that most places I've shopped try to sell you separate amplifiers and a preamp, but none have ever recommended two subs! For the money, audio separates seem like a huge waste for driving such efficient speakers With a beast of a receiver in the Onkyo TX-NR905, who "needs" seperates.[Y] Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etc6849 Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 The used sub I bought has some small scratches on the top, was missing the box and microphone, etc... If I didn't settle for this one though, I'd be looking for another 8 - 12 months or longer for one with the box and everything. It's a great sign though that no one is willing to part with their RT-12d, but I hear you about trying to find one! What I did was set a listing alert on ebay using the "saved searches" feature, and then proceeded to wait almost 8 months! It's a shame Klipsch discontinued such a musical sub. I dislike the subs that cover the lowest frequencies possible, but come up lacking when it comes to accuracy. Two RT-12d's is nothing short of awesome! I agree about the Onkyo. In bi-amp mode, it's putting 300 watts of RMS power to each RF-83. What more could a person need?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 My 805 was putting 260 to my rf-63's in bi-amp mode but I can assure you the 200 it was receiving from a seperate amp is slightly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 good... but two threads in two different sections? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etc6849 Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Two subs, two sections? [] Seriously though, my intent was to delete the other post after I copied the stuff to this one, but then I found I cannot delete posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etc6849 Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 It could have very well been different sounding. There are other things to consider such as how fast the amp can change it's output voltage. This is called slew rate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slew_rate in the electrical engineering world. I'm not an audio engineer, but I'm sure they would call it something similar. My primary concern would be clipping (e.g. voltage waveform being chopped off at the top) if I had to chose between separate amps versus the bi-amping of the Onkyo. I'm not against seperates though. I'd buy separates if they were of the same quality as the Onkyo TX-NR905 (made in Japan) and I could get enough of them to bi-amp my mains and center. http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp.htm Used Onkyo gear is a great value from my experience of looking on ebay. The silver TX-NR905 I have routinely sells for $800 and less on ebay! It has a massive toroidal transformer and is very well made, having two additional transformers to drive the video and processing circuits. I bought the 805 first. OIt wasn't a bad receiver for the price (I got an open box deal at frys), but the mic input didn't work so I took it back. Somehow I ended up with the TX-NR905 as they were being discounted at the time. I could hear a different between the 905 and 805. My 805 was putting 260 to my rf-63's in bi-amp mode but I can assure you the 200 it was receiving from a seperate amp is slightly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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