Subwoofer?

[RAMM241]

Putting together my HT and was wondering what type and size of subwoofer should I get. Room is 15' X 20' with carpet over cement floor. Was thinking of a JBL 12" series or similar. Thanks:thmbsp:

[DougMac]

Check out SVS or Hsu subs. They're online direct and tests have shown them to be excellent. Home Theater Shack did extensive tests.

Doug

[VQLT]

i have a similar size room using only an 8" sub. wish I had went with at least 10". recently,the size of the sub housings have been reduced making for easier placement

[whoaru99]

AV123's MFW-15 is supposed to be a very good sub for $600. There are also very good subs from Elemental Designs and Epik. Of course, the two "old hats" previously mentioned, SVS and HSU, both make some really goods subs too.

I'd save up in a secret subwoofer fund if the general fund isn't quite there to buy a good one. :)

The MFW-15 I mentioned earlier is rated amongst very well regarded company costing several times more.

[HomerJ]

My basement is the same size and setup (concrete/carpet) as yours. I bought a Velodyne ULD-12 off eBay for 250$ (1500$ish originally) and it is PLENTY.
These series of subwoofers are incredible and very cheap on eBay.
They are so good that I could point out where it is in the room; I resorted to putting it in the closet space under the stairs and it works great.
Highly recommended.

[whoaru99]

They are so good that I could point out where it is in the room; I resorted to putting it in the closet space under the stairs and it works great.
Highly recommended.

Velodyne is another good brand. However, being able to localize the sub generally isn't a good thing and often comes from a too high crossover/LPF setting. Of course, depending on speakers, a (relatively) high LPF setting might be necessary.

[prisoners]

Velodyne is another good brand. However, being able to localize the sub generally isn't a good thing and often comes from a too high crossover/LPF setting. Of course, depending on speakers, a (relatively) high LPF setting might be necessary.

Agreed, you shouldn't be able to find it with your ear. I bought a 12" Paradigm (PS-1200) 10 years ago and I've never had a problem with it. My friend had a that JBL and it didn't last long. Best Buy actually gave up on them after so many returns.

[HomerJ]

100hz too high?

[prisoners]

100hz too high?

Yes. That falls within the range of the human voice and therefore easily allows the listener to locate where it's coming from. That's a BIG no-no!

[whoaru99]

100hz too high?


In general, I'd say yes, that's on the high side for a sub.

However, it depends on your other speakers. If they're small bookshelfs that don't have much bass below 60-80Hz, or you're trying to add a bit more "kick" to the system, then 100 might be appropriate. But, it does tend to allow one to rather easily pick out the sub's location.

[HomerJ]

Good point. The speakers are a little bass-shy. By the way, I use the sub ONLY for movie watching, it's totally independant of audio listening.