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PSA: Things that go Thump in the Night


Nismo

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I got a great new delivery from Ohio today... the 15" sealed, dual driver XS30se from PSA

 

For the past few months I've considered ported, sealed & vented options from the usual suspects.

 

But, after speaking with Tom V. from PSA, he pointed me in the right direction for my room & space.

 

Pretty sure the XS30se with dual drivers will far out perform my existing dual sub set up.

 

In fact, with the XS30se upgrade....I might not even need 2 subs in my HT anymore.

 

Looking forward to selecting the right location & orientation. This week will be fun for sure.

 

Here's a few unboxing shots and a few pics with the RP-140SA to give an idea on size & proportions. 

 

800w RMS (Continuous)  /  2400w (Peak)  /  18" x 23.5" x 22.5"  /  122lbs

 

 

 

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Also finally got my X4100W back from service today!! HT will be back to normal & better than normal soon.

 

 

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Edited by Nismo
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Oh, I would imagine that the new PSA sub will render the Velodyne and the Polk obsolete. I actually owned dual PSW505's and when my Rythmik showed up, they were both sold on CL the next day.

I love buying new subs. Enjoy the new toy and be sure to report back!

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Oh, I would imagine that the new PSA sub will render the Velodyne and the Polk obsolete. I actually owned dual PSW505's and when my Rythmik showed up, they were both sold on CL the next day.

I love buying new subs. Enjoy the new toy and be sure to report back!

The Polk was a budget pick up a few years back for my computer room. I was bored & brought it into the HT when I had dual sub pre-outs available. It stayed in the HT as it somewhat helped to fill in the right side of the room (evened / smoothed things out acting more like a mid-bass sub). But it was never a serious sub by any means.... I could gut it, insulate it & use it as a cooler.(lol).

 

The (sealed & servo controlled) Velo was good for its time & served me well. But 10+ years later, time moves on & it was long over due for an upgrade. If I recall... I probably paid about the same for the Velo back in the day as the PSA XS30se.  No question the PSA is on a whole nother level, especially considering its going in my 13' x 16' x 8' (1,664 cubic foot) space. Its like an omni-directional bull in a china shop. :D     

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Congrats on the new sub, it looks like a real beast!

Oh yeah... both the Velo & the Polk are out of the HT. I'll put the Velo in the computer room. Polk will collect dust packed away in the basement.

 

The PSA is a beast..... it actually weighs more than both the Velo & Polk combined. (lol)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Nismo,

I have been waiting read a real word review.

Been kicking around unloading my 2 RSW 10's for one of these... or the VT1800...I do like the fact that this has both front and rear drivers.And being made in America to me is also a plus.

Where did you end up placing it?

Edited by oldred
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Nismo,

I have been waiting read a real word review.

Been kicking around unloading my 2 RSW 10's for one of these... or the VT1800...I do like the fact that this has both front and rear drivers.And being made in America to me is also a plus.

Where did you end up placing it?

You & me both. I too was looking forward to experiencing a (front & rear) dual driver 15" sub in my space. Different than the Klipsch RSW-15 which has an active 15" rear firing driver, combined with 15" front firing passive radiator. Sadly, there is something wrong with my XS30se. Possibly received damage via shipping. After multiple placements, orientations, calibrations, I've never been able to get it to perform in my space. I've had 5 different sub combinations in my current space & they have all performed to their expected category & class. By all accounts (on paper) the 15" dual driver XS30se is the best sub I've ever purchased for my space. However, gonna have to return it & swap it out for a different PSA. I'm sure (under normal circumstances) the XS30se is solid performer, unfortunately my particular XS30se has experienced issues.

 

Also, I've become accustomed to having dual subs in my HT. The XS30se has a large footprint & that will make it difficult to place 2 of the XS30's in my space, so after the return, I doubt that I'll try another XS30se in my space. As an alternative model, the XS15se is basically the same sub, just offered as a single 15" driver vs a dual 15" driver. The XS15 also has a much smaller footprint, making it easy to again have dual subs in my HT.   The S1500 is another 15" single driver offering from PSA worthy of consideration. I wish the XS30 wasn't defective, would have enjoyed experiencing a dual driver sub.

Edited by Nismo
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OK.... I spoke with PSA this morning to troubleshoot the XS30se. Ruled out a defective unit, since Audyssey could recognize & calibrate the sub, but there was concern that Audyssey might be having difficulty calibrating frequencies under 40Hz in my space. Like Scrappy mentioned the gain structure of the BASH amp will adjust the amplification differently. Tom mentioned that gain with the BASH could require 100% & its not a problem, while a similar ICE amp could only be at 40%. And should your space require 100%... Audyssey might overcompensate & make the sub levels too low. He said don't worry about it, just turn the gain to 100% & bump up sub levels +2-3-4-5-dB as needed after calibration.

 

In my case (when having issues earlier) the calibration settings were similar to any previous set up (so all seemed normal). Tonight I reran setup & bumped everything up after the fact & the XS30se came alive. I would have never thought (going from 12" subs) that a dual driver 15" sub would require those particular settings in the same space (i thought the much larger sub would have to dial back the other direction, (but that was wrong). I think limited corner placement opportunities with a 15" dual driver in my small to average space (1664 cubic feet) was giving Audyssey fits.

 

So good news, the XS30se is not defective, Tonight I'm dialing in settings & placement, plus just for good measure I'm adding new RCA's from Mediabridge. Plus, there's a phenomenal 4-1/2 minute music track on the Atmos demo disc... with perfect bass source material to dial everything in (also using MAD MAX, & U2 Rattle & Hum). It will be nice to finally properly demo the XS30se !!

 

 

 

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My dual PSA XS30SEs and Audessy do not get along at all. Audessy Pro dials them back way too much, to non-existence. Still playing with the setup...occasionally.

That's the same issue I was having. While all my initial calibrations seemed "normal"... I couldn't hear any audible "bass". Turning the gain up (based on the Audyssey settings) made it sound horrible..

 

Tom said, no worries, crank the gain (for amplification) to 100% if needed, adjust distances (feet) to reflect accurately (Audyssey waaay overcompensated for that in my space), then bump up the sub levels 2-3-4-or-5 dB's via the AVR as needed. Did that tonight & the XS30se finally started to crush it in my space. Its alive !!

Edited by Nismo
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