pargol4 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 I have a circa 1993 SW-12, that is still pounding. With all the new subs that are out, would I be gaining anything by replacing it? I believe the specs on it are 150watts, 12" driver with a 12" passive radiator. I see new subs with 1000 watts! There are too many choices now. I mostly use it for home theater setup, but also enjoy ALL types of music, from rattle the house booming to hard hitting rock and roll. Any help would be appreciated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Subwoofer technology has advanced quite a lot in the last 11 years. Differences in surrounds an motors have increased what a sub driver can do. If you want to upgrade, you need to ask yourself: How much do I want to spend? Could I build one myself? How much room am I willing to sacrifice? Do I want loud or low, or a combination of the two? Do I want an industrial finish or wood veneer? Welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Subwoofer technology has advanced quite a lot in the last 11 years. Make that 21 years. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Subwoofer technology has advanced quite a lot in the last 11 years. Make that 21 years. Bill I was speaking about the last 11 years, it was stagnant before that. Plus, I can't subtract. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 (edited) I was speaking about the last 11 years, it was stagnant before that. I seem to forget that decade also. Plus, I can't subtract. Hey I am just spreading the love. I bust Youthman's chops quite often about his subtracting(and adding). Bill Edited August 14, 2014 by willland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 I can dish it out and take it too. I can also FUBAR with the best of them as evidenced above. Cheers Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 I have a circa 1993 SW-12, that is still pounding. With all the new subs that are out, would I be gaining anything by replacing it? I believe the specs on it are 150watts, 12" driver with a 12" passive radiator. I see new subs with 1000 watts! There are too many choices now. I mostly use it for home theater setup, but also enjoy ALL types of music, from rattle the house booming to hard hitting rock and roll. Any help would be appreciated. By all means yes, replace the sub. Before recommendations, room size, music/movie preference, other speakers, do you want to feel the impact of movies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pargol4 Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 I am currently running Polk Audio RTi/12 front, CSi6 Center, F/XiA6 Surround all powered by a JBL Performance Series AVA7 amp and AV1 processor. Room size is approximately 14x22. We enjoy most movies, and most music(everything from heart pounding Metallica to Beyonce and beyond). I have always been a 'best of both worlds' kind of guy. I love to feel/experience the movies/music, but I also want it to be clear and precise. I'm not looking to build anything. Budget is probably $1k-$2k. Finish isn't AS important, because the current sub is tucked away in the corner, but obviously something that looks nice would stand out a little more. I know how my SW-12 sounds now...great... It has a 12" driver, a 12" passive radiator, and I believe a 150W amp. I don't want to sacrifice anything either. You know you're getting old when you can say "they sure don't make things like they used to..." I had some old Rockford Fosgate amps sitting around that I decided to part with. Later I decided to upgrade my car stereo, and bought a new RF amp. I wish I never got rid of the old stuff! I can honestly say that I think the old amps threw out a lot more power and sound than the new one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 That's cause old Rockford stuff was quality. Then they started to smell them as best buy. So in order to meet best buy prices quality went downhill VERY fast. 1-2k is a great budget. If you can only do a single that makes that choice even easier. That will get you the top of the line Svs, top of the line rythmik, or an almost top of the line psa sub. If you wanna go duals then that changes things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 So my choices in order for a single would Be PB-13 ultra PC-13 ultra Psa xv-30f Rythmik would be at the bottom. If you are going duals then a pair of Svs Pb-2000's. Or maybe a pair of PC-12 plus. Can't remember what a pair of those run. Finish on all of these is going to be spectacular and all of them will be a huge night and day difference. And there will be no "don't make things like they used to" as you can see these are all pricey subs when you receive the PB-13 ultra if that's what you go with the 155 lb monster is every bit what you'd expect for it's price. They are awesome subs! I used to own a pair and never would have sold them had I not gone the diy route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORE KLIPSCH PLEASE Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 No don't replace it just add more. Two is better than one, three is better than two, four is better than three...... on and on..... lol lol :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I'm betting a single Svs PB-13 ultra would crush a pair, trio, maybe even 4 sw-12's. I had three RSW-10d's and a single PB smoked it!! Easily. Smoother, dug WAY deeper. And gobs of effortless output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K5SS Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Another Rythmik and SVS fan here. I haven't heard PSA personally but after reading great review after great review, I might try one or two of their subs out in the near future. I'd probably go with one Rythmik FV-15HP and possibly add another down the road. That would give you a sub setup that would decimate 99.8% of the HT systems out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORE KLIPSCH PLEASE Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I'm betting a single Svs PB-13 ultra would crush a pair, trio, maybe even 4 sw-12's. I had three RSW-10d's and a single PB smoked it!! Easily. Smoother, dug WAY deeper. And gobs of effortless output.That looks like one bad-a§§ sub. I might have check it out :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcon20x Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I had one for a few years, rocking the house it sure did. Plenty bass, but not really tight or deep. Overall it was a good sub but not great. The RSW 12, and RSW 15 are definitely a better upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan611 Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Another vote for SVS and Rythmik. Put PSA and Reaction Audio should also be considered. I would do some reading on AVS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japosey Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 I would first try two SW12 subs to see how you like it. I have one that I just picked up today that I'm refinishing the veneer before re-selling it. The main upgrades to the newer subs are the addition of room correction/EQ, sometimes smaller enclosures with higher excursion woofers and high powered amplifiers. Of course, the designers are now using finite analysis to model better sounding drivers, but you can still get great sound from the older subs and since you are using older speakers it is probably a better fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 (edited) I had some old Rockford Fosgate amps sitting around that I decided to part with. Later I decided to upgrade my car stereo, and bought a new RF amp. I wish I never got rid of the old stuff! I can honestly say that I think the old amps threw out a lot more power and sound than the new one. I hit 136 db with a single punch 40 and two series 1 12's. My best friend at the time used that same 40 watt amp to win nationals in the 0-100 watt class with two 18's in free-air configuration, it was nuts. I hear these guys wondering if 150 watts per channel is enough for small speakers and I just shake my head. You wouldn't exactly have a hard time beating your current setup, most anything is going to be a higher quality. Biggest thing that some of us perceived to have went downhill in terms of speakers since the old school Rockford days is that EVERYTHING is made in China now. I live near the now defunct factory that used to make Kicker, Lanzar, Bostwick, some JL audio, and more. I have multiple friends that worked there and they made high quality products with tight tolerances. Kicker was one of the first and biggest to bail, shortly after the square Solobaric's came out they sent all production to China. They tried to hang on and even produced their own version of the solobarics but the Credence brand never caught on. They laid people off but eventually had to close the doors. In my opinion the switch instantly made everything seem cheap, manufacturers instantly started incorporating lots of plastic and plasticy looking cheap materials. They tried to keep everything quiet and act like nothing happened but those who knew what was going on was kind of shocked. I think the manufacturing process over there has improved greatly but I still remember when the big switch came and it wasn't pretty. But then again, the xmax / xmech these new Chinese subs are getting is nowhere near what was possible back in the day. Hardcore subs back then are pretty standard nowadays. Hardcore subs nowadays would have been considered some kind of secret government space age project. Top SPL drag cars are squeezing out like 30 db more than what the top guys were getting back then. That's insane. Much of it is due to science, understanding the physics of what the sound waves are doing inside the car, but much of it is due to big leaps in subwoofer technology. Edited November 7, 2014 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japosey Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 I had some old Rockford Fosgate amps sitting around that I decided to part with. Later I decided to upgrade my car stereo, and bought a new RF amp. I wish I never got rid of the old stuff! I can honestly say that I think the old amps threw out a lot more power and sound than the new one. I hit 136 db with a single punch 40 and two series 1 12's. My best friend at the time used that same 40 watt amp to win nationals in the 0-100 watt class with two 18's in free-air configuration, it was nuts. I hear these guys wondering if 150 watts per channel is enough for small speakers and I just shake my head. You wouldn't exactly have a hard time beating your current setup, most anything is going to be a higher quality. Biggest thing that some of us perceived to have went downhill in terms of speakers since the old school Rockford days is that EVERYTHING is made in China now. I live near the now defunct factory that used to make Kicker, Lanzar, Bostwick, some JL audio, and more. I have multiple friends that worked there and they made high quality products with tight tolerances. Kicker was one of the first and biggest to bail, shortly after the square Solobaric's came out they sent all production to China. They tried to hang on and even produced their own version of the solobarics but the Credence brand never caught on. They laid people off but eventually had to close the doors. In my opinion the switch instantly made everything seem cheap, manufacturers instantly started incorporating lots of plastic and plasticy looking cheap materials. They tried to keep everything quiet and act like nothing happened but those who knew what was going on was kind of shocked. I think the manufacturing process over there has improved greatly but I still remember when the big switch came and it wasn't pretty. But then again, the xmax / xmech these new Chinese subs are getting is nowhere near what was possible back in the day. Hardcore subs back then are pretty standard nowadays. Hardcore subs nowadays would have been considered some kind of secret government space age project. Top SPL drag cars are squeezing out like 30 db more than what the top guys were getting back then. That's insane. Much of it is due to science, understanding the physics of what the sound waves are doing inside the car, but much of it is due to big leaps in subwoofer technology. Here is a link to a comparison of the 2006 Rockford Fosgate amps to "Old School" Rockford Fosgate amps: http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/Support/rftech.aspx?kbsrc=http://rftech.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/rftech.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php?p_cv=1.65&p_pv=&p_prods=0&p_cats=65&p_hidden_prods=&p_page=1&p_allorg=&advsearchmode=1&p_search_text=&p_new_search=1&prod_lvl1=0&cat_lvl1=65&cat_lvl2=0&p_search_type=answers.search_nl#knowledge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Much of it is due to science, understanding the physics of what the sound waves are doing inside the car, but much of it is due to big leaps in subwoofer technology. Agreed. Advances in surround material, magnets and manufacturing tolerances are producing some fine drivers compared to years past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.