New subwoofer recomendations

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samhfoley

Audioholic
I just bought a new Onkyo TX-NR818. When setting the Audessey room calibration it had me set my subwoofer at 75dB. I was able to set my HSU STF-1 to that level, but during some BluRay discs the bass becomes distorted. Therefore I guess I am in the market for a new sub. I chose the smallest HSU sub as I live in a small place in Japan with neighbors above me. I called SVS about their PB12-NSD but its going to cost me half the price of the sub itself to ship to Japan. Any other thoughts? Thanks in advance.
Sam
 
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Pyrrho

Pyrrho

Audioholic Ninja
It is very difficult to give advice for people in different countries. Do you have some links to some stores that would be representative of the products and prices available to you?

Also, an SVS at 150% the retail price might still be better than the alternatives, depending on what, exactly, the alternatives are. I know I would pay that for an SVS versus the normal possibilities in most U.S. stores.
 
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samhfoley

Audioholic
It is very difficult to give advice for people in different countries. Do you have some links to some stores that would be representative of the products and prices available to you?

Also, an SVS at 150% the retail price might still be better than the alternatives, depending on what, exactly, the alternatives are. I know I would pay that for an SVS versus the normal possibilities in most U.S. stores.
Here's a link to a site that sells electronics form various outlets around Japan. ‰¿Ši.com - u”ƒ‚Á‚Ä‚æ‚©‚Á‚½v‚ð‚·‚×‚Ä‚Ì‚Ð‚‚ÉB
 
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samhfoley

Audioholic
Is there a better sub out there (for under $700) than the SVS PB12-NSD. for $699. ($350 shipping though....) Can't believe no one will do surface shipping.
 
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K

kini

Full Audioholic
The PC12NSD will cost less to ship. It weighs a lot less. I know how the shipping goes. I paid $230 for shipping to Hawaii for my PC12+. Since you live in a small apartment you might want to think about the SB1000 or SB12. Both are smaller and lighter than the PB12NSD and would cost less to ship. Either of those sealed subs would be an upgrade to your HSU.
 
Pyrrho

Pyrrho

Audioholic Ninja
I have not found any better subwoofer from your site, though since I do not read Japanese, it is possible that I missed something.

In the U.S., SVS subwoofers are a great value. With an added $350 shipping, they become a less good deal, but they are still great subwoofers.

You might want to ask SVS about shipping of other subwoofers they sell. Back when they used to charge people in the U.S. for shipping, the cylinder subwoofers cost less for shipping, as they are lighter weight. (They are able to weigh less because they can make the cabinet thinner, as a curved surface is inherently stronger than a flat one, so the less weight is NOT a sign of an inferior model.) If you have no objections to a cylinder subwoofer, you might want to ask them what it would cost to ship the similar PC12-NSD:

PC12-NSD

It costs $50 more, but given that it weighs 49 pounds instead of the 66 pounds of the PB12-NSD, it might save a little money going with this one instead, though you will need to check with them to determine if this is the case or not.

The cylinder subwoofers take up less floor space and go taller than the box models that are similar to them, and they are also easier to move, both because they weigh less, and also because the diameter makes them pretty easy to grab onto. I own SVS cylinder subwoofers, and I like them very much.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
I would also check out Rythmic's LV-12R which would be on par withe the PB12NSD
 
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samhfoley

Audioholic
What did you expect from that sub? A miracle. It is what it is. Are you in the service? This http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/beginners-audiophytes/88303-new-speaker-setup.html#post1002753 is what I think of most so highly recommend subs on these forums. I think they suck. They shouldn't even be classified as subs.
Well, honestly 5 years ago when I bought that sub, I didn't know a whole hell of a lot. That was the first system I put together. With the output that I was getting from the Onkyo TX-NR617 at the time it worked pretty well for the 5 years I had it. When the HDMI board went out and I upgraded to the TX-NR818 I found the HSU sub to be lacking in output. That brings me here to ask for help...

You say you think most of the subs here are crap, but offer no other alternatives of your own.....
 
walter duque

walter duque

Audioholic Samurai
I have listened to a lot of subs. The only one that impressed me is the SVS PB 13 Ultra, a friend of mine owns 2 of them and uses them with Phase Technologies speakers and I have to say they blended very well (they sound real). I don't want to get into any brand bashing here, to each it's own. My subs I can't bring into this discussion since they are in a whole different league. I think you're best bet would be the SVS PB-1000.
 
walter duque

walter duque

Audioholic Samurai
Well, honestly 5 years ago when I bought that sub, I didn't know a whole hell of a lot. That was the first system I put together. With the output that I was getting from the Onkyo TX-NR617 at the time it worked pretty well for the 5 years I had it. When the HDMI board went out and I upgraded to the TX-NR818 I found the HSU sub to be lacking in output. That brings me here to ask for help...

You say you think most of the subs here are crap, but offer no other alternatives of your own.....
I have been giving this post a little thought. Since you where satisfied with the sub for the last 5 years, might not be the sub that's lacking in output, maybe it's the lower output voltage of your new AVR. Seems to me older AVR's had higher output voltage then the newer ones. HSU is a decent sub, if anything it's not lacking in output.
 
S

samhfoley

Audioholic
I have been giving this post a little thought. Since you where satisfied with the sub for the last 5 years, might not be the sub that's lacking in output, maybe it's the lower output voltage of your new AVR. Seems to me older AVR's had higher output voltage then the newer ones. HSU is a decent sub, if anything it's not lacking in output.
Old Onkyo TX-SR606
Front L/R90 W + 90 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz
0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
105 W + 105 W (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
110 W + 110 Wm ¡·ðÈR(o0 ø;$R57
Center90 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
105 W (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels
driven, FTC)
110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.1%,m ¡·ðÈR(
Surround L/R90 W + 90 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
105 W + 105 W (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
110 W + 110 m ¡·ðÈR(o0 ø;$R576
Surround Back L/R90 W + 90 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
105 W + 105 W (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
110 W + 110 m ¡·ðÈR(o0 ø;$R576
Dynamic Power210 W (3 ohms, 1 ch)
180 W (4 ohms, 1 ch)
110 W (8 ohms, 1 ch)

<tbody>
</tbody>
New Onkyo TX-SR818
Amplifier Section
Power Output
All Channels135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Front L/R135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
125 W + 125 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Center135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
125 W + 125 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Surround L/R135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
125 W + 125 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Surround Back L/R135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
125 W + 125 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Dynamic Power300 W (3 ohms, 1 ch)
250 W (4 ohms, 1 ch)
150 W (8 ohms, 1 ch)

<tbody>
</tbody>
 
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walter duque

walter duque

Audioholic Samurai
Old Onkyo TX-SR606
Front L/R90 W + 90 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz
0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
105 W + 105 W (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
110 W + 110 Wm ¡·ðÈR(o0 ø;$R57
Center90 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
105 W (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels
driven, FTC)
110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.1%,m ¡·ðÈR(
Surround L/R90 W + 90 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
105 W + 105 W (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
110 W + 110 m ¡·ðÈR(o0 ø;$R576
Surround Back L/R90 W + 90 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
105 W + 105 W (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
110 W + 110 m ¡·ðÈR(o0 ø;$R576
Dynamic Power210 W (3 ohms, 1 ch)
180 W (4 ohms, 1 ch)
110 W (8 ohms, 1 ch)

<tbody>
</tbody>
New Onkyo TX-SR818
Amplifier Section
Power Output
All Channels135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Front L/R135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
125 W + 125 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Center135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
125 W + 125 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Surround L/R135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
125 W + 125 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Surround Back L/R135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
125 W + 125 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%, 2 channels driven, FTC)
Dynamic Power300 W (3 ohms, 1 ch)
250 W (4 ohms, 1 ch)
150 W (8 ohms, 1 ch)

<tbody>
</tbody>
It's the voltage from the sub out jack on the AVR I'm talking about.
 
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Alex2507

Alex2507

Audioholic Slumlord
I just bought a new Onkyo TX-NR818. When setting the Audessey room calibration ...
I would guess that this is where stuff went sideways. It could be that the bass is being integrated well enough that it blends so well that it's not as pronounced as your last set up and to you this seems lacking while to somebody else it would be termed seamless. Get an SPL meter and manually check the output level of your speakers and sub before anything. If it's relatively level then I would think that your mic and 818 are ruled out as trouble sources. You could also run the auto calibration with the sub volume set at the 11 o'clock position and then bump it up to the 1 o'clock position after the auto calibration. That might get it to what you had previously gotten use to.

Giving the auto calibration settings a chance for a couple of weeks might be all it takes to let you get use to what well integrated bass sounds like.
 
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