2. Lava Subs LSP12 3. Sony SA-W3000/Z 4. Acoustic Audio HD-SUB12 5. Niles SW8 6. ....

[espanarules]

Looking for best musical of the following subs....

Finally got the PL-200...bottom heavy..."FO SHO!!!!" When tweaked with my 4 Infinity Primus 6 1/2 and the big Infinity center channel, it does great for HT...

Now it may be the crossover setting from the bookshelves...but I think it may be the sub just sticking to low bass...

I can't afford the SVS Rythmik...yada yada...I definitely don't need to shake the house that much...I REALLY REALLY just want to have a system that reproduces music to something equal of a live performance...

1. Stay with the sub...open it up...and continue to tweak
2. Lava Subs LSP12
3. Sony SA-W3000/Z
4. Acoustic Audio HD-SUB12
5. Niles SW8
6. Super Cube 2000
7. Martin Logan Dynamo 500
8. BOWERS & WILKINS AS2
9. Definitive Technology ProSub 1000

OR.......

Find better bookshelves...leave the surround Infinity and get better left and right front speakers???
All sourced from an HK AVR 1565....Also in the process of possibly upgrading....


All inputs welcome...that's what got me in this mess in the first place....lol

 

[shadyJ]

What is the crossover point you are using? Do have have other places you can put the sub? I don't think any of those subs are going to be tremendously better than the PL-200. In your budget you can not afford anything which reproduces live music, sorry. Multiply your budget by a factor of 10 for that. I would stick with what you have and try different things to make the bass sound better. One sub that is roughly the same price which should have substantially more mid bass output is this parts express kit right here. It will be very easy to assemble and should do better above maybe 40 Hz or so, which is where music is at.

 

[espanarules]

Well thanks for trying...and killing my dream at the same time....lol
I will stick with the PL-200 for now and/or hope for info from people who have some insight on the list of subs...
Last summer, I purchased and returned over 20 headphones and earbuds...I was able to really sample...home audio is almost a crap shoot...Anyone can say that all lower end subs are crap...I'm not trying to hear that...I'm trying to hear from actual owners...from the "PO FOLKS" section...lol

 

[shadyJ]

I am not saying those subs are crap, I am just saying you need to have realistic expectations for your budget. Live amplified performances can hit very loud SPLs, many of those type of subs can easily go above 130 dB at 2 m. The PL200 at its loudest hits 110 dB at 2 m, and probably doesn't sound very good when pushed to that point. None of the other subs on your list are likely to do any better, the differences would be marginal at best. This doesn't mean those on a tight budget have to be doomed to bad bass. It does mean it will take a bit more effort and resourcefulness to bring about good bass.

 

[Jeff R.]

I think you need to spend time learning how to setup your sub properly...I am guessing you have issues with location, crossover settings and possibly volume levels. I would read the home subwoofer setup threads on this forum for assistance. Once you have gone through all those scenarios then you will know for sure what your sub is really capable of.

 

[theJman]

Unfortunately, less expensive subwoofers are rarely "musical" by conventional standards. You need to put a lot of engineering and parts (read: money) into a product before it can aptly handle musical transients. That being said...

I reviewed a subwoofer from NXG that turned out to be more adapt then most in the lower-priced category. Provided your room isn't too large it might be worth considering.

 

[j_garcia]

What is your price range and approximate room size? Agree with Jeff R, how exactly do you have the system configured now, as your setup (both placement and calibration) could be factors.