Subwoofer for RF-7s speaker system

[spaldirl]

I have put together the entire RF-7 home theater speaker system (RF-7s, RC-7, RS-7s). I have not been able to locate a RSW-15 recently but from what Ive read on these forums, the RSW-15 may be a bit under-matched for the RF-7s? Ive seen recommendations for the Epik Conquest sub as a "good match"? Im relatively new this whole type of discussion, Im just trying to put together a decent system. I am looking for recommendations on how to best finish off my speakers with a sub-woofer. Am I best to continue my search for a RSW-15? Go with the new Klipsh RT-12d? or are Epik Conquest the only way to go?

If the Conquests are the best way to go, will a single sub be sufficient or do I really need to consider the dual or quad systems for it to be worth while?

Thanks

[gilbertma]

Hi spaldirl, the search for the right sub is difficult because of all the various qualifiers that come into play. I also have RF-7's and chose the Conquest because I'm a huge believer in headroom and I wanted something that could run with the 7's and not get winded when playing near the maximums.The Conquest is not going to fit well in a lot of living rooms though because it is huge, it is literally the size of a mini fridge (or larger). I'm saying this because my Conquest is temporarily sitting in my living room while my dedicated theater is being built (man cave), and my wife has already made comments about how she is glad "that thing" is not going to be there permanently. She was impressed though when we were watching War of the Worlds and it was shaking the house, it definitely will give you that movie theater experience and then some. For playing music in the 30 hz and up range there are smaller subs that do well (klipsch, martin logan, sunfire) but for earthquake quality sub performance you're going to need something bigger. The Conquest excels in the 30-10 hz range because of it's size and tuning and there are others by elemental designs, svs, and jl audio. It's hard to beat Epik subs at their price point when compared to some of the others out there and that was also a factor for me. If you go to the AVS forum you'll see that some people are doing dual Epiks in the smaller sizes but then there are some who are doing dual Conquests too! I would fear for my plaster with that setup and where are you going to put two of those?

[spaldirl]

Thanks for the reply.

1. While I listen to music, the primary use for my system will be for the heart thumping effects during movies. 2. Im single, 3. I am in the process of moving and during my purchasing of a new home having a large room for this purpose is one of my primary criteria.

So with the 1-3 above, I think the Conquests are what Im looking for.

[bhenry]

I have never heard anyone say that the RSW15 is "under-matched" with the RF7's. I may be crazy, but if this sub isn't a damn nice sub and perfect match then I don't know what is.

I'm sure there are better subs out there, but I can assure you that if you can find an RSW15 you won't be disappointed.

Good luck with your search.

[TheEAR]

The Epik Conquest is a great way to go as price/performance is huge. A high displacement ~30mm Xmax 18's in aported cabinet = MAJOR OUTPUT.

eD's large ported sungle 18" subs are also a great buy. Like Epik they offer MAJOR output and will dig deep.

JL Fathom and HSU's new selaed subs are superb but you need to double the number of subs to start to match a larger ported. No going around the effective use of a port,to augment output at and around tune.

[gilbertma]

I've had my Conquest for almost two weeks now and have experimented some with placement/ set up issues. From the get go it killed as far as HT apps and shook the house like nothing else I've ever owned. I was a little disappointed on how it sounded in 2.1 mode with my RF-7's at first. I had read that placement and room conditions make huge differences with how the Conquest performs and I agree. First off, this beast is only in my living room for a short time and my options for placement are very few. I had heard that laying it on it's side helped some people, but I only have one place I can put this sub and that is not an option because it would block access to another room. So I turned it upside down and had the driver nearer to the floor with the ports on top. Bingo- that made a huge difference in 2.1 sound, the bass tightened up and started blending with the mains better. I also noticed I didn't have to crank the volume knob on the sub amp as high to get the same volume levels as before. I think break in could be a factor with this sub also. I recorded some sub bass test tones from the Realm of Excursion website and played them over and over in the 14hz - 40hz range in steps at various volumes. In the 20hz - 30hz range this sub has incredible power, my windows in my house must be tuned to about 30hz and shook violently, I think the glass was flexing. I had the sub sitting on a tile floor and at one frequency in that range at high volume- IT STARTED WALKING ACROSS THE FLOOR- UNASSISTED! And this thing weighs 200+ lbs. I'm very impressed with how this sub works now, and with the RF-7's and Emotiva amps this is a mind blowing 5.1 AND 2.1 system.

[kelA]

There is a RSW 15 for sale in the garage forum. Here is the link.

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/107874.aspx