jfmacken Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 I am thinking about getting a sub because my main speakers only do 35 hz. However, I am in a very small living room- and do not need a sub with crazy volume output. What is the cheapest sub that I could get that could hammer 20 hz as loud as any other note? I see the rsw-12 does 22 hz at -3db, is that really noticeable, or with notes down there be hard to hear? I listen to a lot of electronic music that has really unaturally low bass:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurch Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 It largely depends on how loud you will listen. If you look around at the vast majority of $1K (or less) subs, they will not go much above 90 db at 20 hz. They typically start rolling off at 30-35 hz and reach their limit below that. Look at their reviews (which include measurements) for the no-BS answer on what they can do. The Hsu VTF-3 is probably the cheapest, powered sub I've seen which can really hit 20 hz. vr, Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAS Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Actually, I think your answer is the SVS 16-46PCi. It's even cheaper than the VTF-3 (at $649 as opossed to $699) and digs even lower. Take a look at the performance chart on their website and you'll see it reaches the 16 Hz level quite well. It should hammer 20 Hz with no problem. I think that would be an outstanding solution to a smaller room that needs subsonic frequencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Hard to argue against either of the above HSU or SVS recommendations. Both excellent, especially for the price. Better than anything at retail costing 1 1/2 times more. The Klipsch RSW-12 is also a very good sub - accurate, tight, and musical - but not as much a "bottom feeder" as the other two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juba310 Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 He mentioned he was in a "very small living room". That could possibly make the SVS out of the question due to its size... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfmacken Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 Just looking at the svs website- it looks like the pci and plus models have better performance than the ultra at very low frequency? the ultra only is rated down to 20 hz, where the others go down to 16.. I could afford any of the three. So anyways- whatever will be along the price level of the rsw-12, I can afford. Does the svs have a good tight, powerful sound like the klipsch? I listened to the rsw-12 at the store and sounded pretty ridculously powerful.. the only way I would go svs was if I knew for a fact that it did kick the rsw-12's butt at anything less than 30 hz (and it does appear to be slightly cheaper). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfmacken Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 Hey, that pb2-plus looks like a nic box sub:) I don't like that funny lookin cylinder style. This is exactly the same price as the rsw-12. How does it stand up? Looks like I could get it tuned to 16 hz, and it has a 900 watt amp? Is that rms? Looks like I have some homework to do.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfmacken Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 One more thing.. why does this way so much??? The pb2-plus weighs in at 120 lbs for pete's sake. The rsw is only 58. Weird stuff. I wonder why it weighs twice as much?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAS Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 The PB-2+ will absolutely demolish the RSW-12 or the RSW-15. It weighs 120+ pounds because it has 2 drivers, a 900 watt rms amp, 3 large user tuning ports, and an enclosure the size of an end table. If space is what you're looking for then the PB-2+ is not what you're looking for. However, if you want bass below 20 Hz (I have one and 20 Hz is a killer) that'll shake your foundation loose, then the PB-2+ is what you want. Here's a pic of it in my house for a size comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAS Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 This may not be the answer as it is probably way overkill in your living room that you declared "small." If you like the boxes then the PB1-ISD is a smaller companion to the PB-2 line. You can email Tom at SVS to get his opinion on what you would need to best fill your room, however. If your living room is very small and you don't need great output then I have a feeling the PB-2+ may be like using a tank to kill an ant farm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfmacken Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 Well, you know, I am not in an exactly permanent residence right now, and I can only imagine I will be moving into a real house within the next 2 years, so I might as well buy something that can handle a bigger room;) You know, that pb2+ looks like a pretty sweet deal, I think I am going to order that sucker! Will be cool workin with my klipsch heresy's, plus it has a nice filtered rca output, so my main speakers will cut-off where the bass starts (i have a pre-out/main in)! My roomates are going to kill me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAS Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 I have to admit.....yeah, I like it even more than I like my car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfmacken Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 Haha, ridiculous. Just ordered it- does it take two weeks for the order to ship, or generally two weeks to receive the shipment? I can't wait to unpack this monster (with the help of a couple friends, unless I want to throw out my back). I even get bettercables at cheap as hell prices I can't wait to make my living room explode, it'll be great for parties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Hello newbies,the best choices for your hard earned dollars are the tube SVS subs tuned to 20Hz or the HSU tubes,also tuned low. With these designs you pay for...performance and the lest possible for the cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfmacken Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 Eh, I went with the ol' box setup. Those tubes look a little silly to me personally. I just wonder why and the heck the pb2+ weighs 120 pounds! The rsw-12 (pretty much equally priced, with dual 12" woofers) weights less than half of that. Maybe the SVS has a fragment of a neutron star in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAS Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 The ear is opinionated, too. He probably considers everyone a newbie. I think the cylinders look a little silly also, however the real problem is there isn't one that can match the PB2+. You'd need a pair of PC+'s but then the cost would far outweigh what I paid for the single PB2+. The best overall buy for me. True, it is slightly more efficient and cost effective to build a cylinder but who cares when it looks like you just deep-froze your mother in a cryotube next to the entertainment center? All silliness aside The PB2+ is so much heavier because it measures 18 X 25 X 28" and the RSW-12 measures only 15 X 16 X 22" with only one active driver (the other is a radiator). You'll see that size equals weight in a big way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 ---------------- On 4/26/2004 6:44:32 PM jfmacken wrote: Eh, I went with the ol' box setup. Those tubes look a little silly to me personally. I just wonder why and the heck the pb2+ weighs 120 pounds! The rsw-12 (pretty much equally priced, with dual 12" woofers) weights less than half of that. Maybe the SVS has a fragment of a neutron star in there? ---------------- Very easy,the RSW using one woofer and its cabinet has ONE brace.PB2-Plus cabinet uses two woofers,in a much larger cabinet,also the PB2 cabinets weigh over twice as much as the RSW12 cabinet(not including hardware in either case). The dB12 weighs more than the RSW12 woofer,the RSW12 PR is very lightweight,no motorstructure on a PR.And a motor structure represents often over 90% of the weight of a serious woofer. Just some things to remember Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfmacken Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 Is it true that the pb2+ can hit hard all the way down to 11hz? Some guy did a 10-100hz sweep and took some measurements and posted a review. In his graph, with the sub tuned to 16hz (and two ports plugged), it appeared to go steady all the way down to 11hz, if not louder from 20-11hz. I wonder what bass at 11 hz sounds (or I guess, feels) like..... http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=146561 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 A PB2-Plus hits hard at 11Hz...LOL What a load of corn,no subwoofer hits hard at 11hz,there is no such thing as hitting hard at 11hz unless you have a dozen Tumults in a dipole configuration.And you are in a very small room. Some people live by the hype they spit out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfmacken Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 Hey, I'm just reading some graphs here buddy. I too would find that hard to believe, but I am far from being fully knowledgable in the field of low frequency response. They definitely don't teach me that stuff in college. Seemed like a pretty honest and well-thought review to me, but hey, when is everything you see on the internet 100% accurate:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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