Newbie-Need a Sub

[u2generator]

Hi,

I am new to subs and would like some advice.
My room is 18’ X 20’ with a cathedral ceiling that is 10’ tall at its peak. I have hardwood floors. My speakers are Bose 901’s and my receiver is a Pioneer VSX-D603S. I have decided I need a subwoofer and would like your opinion. I am looking at a Hsu VTF-2 MK 3 Subwoofer. I mostly listen to music but want something that will do DVD’s justice as well. I listened to a Polk PSW 12 at a local audio store the other day and if that is anything like what a subwoofer is supposed to sound like then I don’t want one. My 901s sound better than that by themselves. So, my question is, am I on the right track or is there something else out there I would be more happy with? I’m not really looking for earth shattering volume, just something to compliment my 901’s.

Thanks for you responses,

TW

 

[abboudc]

You're on the right track.

Hsu, SVS, and AV123 (Onix) make some great subs. Any one of them would complement your speakers well. They all sound good, it'll probably come down to which one looks the best with your stuff

 

[no. 5]

if it makes you feel better, Polk is not known for making good subwoofers.

 

[Nick250]

One thing to remember is that a sub woofer by itself sounds horrible. Second thing to remember is that the best sub out there will mostly likely sound horrible even with good speakers until it is dialed in properly for your room. Subs are very location sensative. Thirdly, your room may have acoustic properties that require bass traps (ie "room treatments") and careful placement of the sub. I own an Hsu (six years) and a Rocket sub (one year) and they are great products and I would buy the same again. SVS is in my comfort zone too.

Nick

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

The VTF-2 is a great choice for the money.

 

[j_garcia]

The VTF-2 is a good choice, however the Mk2 won't be enough for that size room. You'll need to look at the Mk3, which is a 12" vs the Mk2 10" and has more power, would be my recommendation.

The next choice would be the SVS PB-12NSD.

 

[u2generator]

Thanks for all the replies,

I looked at the SVS Site a little more and read about the 25-31 PCi. I need to place my sub behind my entertainment center which is arranged perpendicular to one corner of the room. This "size" sub will certainly make it easier to fit back there. I know my SO will want to keep the center as close to the edges of the two walls as possible. The price is a little out of my range, but maybe I need to “bite the bullet” and put this sub at the top of my list. Does any one have opinions on this model?

Thanks,

TW

 

[j_garcia]

My previous seutp was a corner setup and my cylinder is 48" tall, 18" in diameter. With the display and rack in front, nobody even noticed the sub. A friend also has a corner setup with a 20-39PC Plus and you can't see it either. The 25-31PCi would be a good compromise compared to the Plus as it has the most output of the PCi lineup.

 

[Ron Temple]

I think the 25-31 would work well in your room if sealed. I'm the guy with the hidden 20-39+ in a 2000cube room that opens to the rest of my common areas, another 5000 at least. It's plenty. While I'd still recommend the Plus series over the PCi, the 25-31 still is your best option in the single driver NSD line for output. I doubt you'd be sorry with the Hsu .3's either, but I'd lean to the VTF 3, not 2.

 

[u2generator]

Thanks,

I actually have two (nearly) 4' wide framed openings along one of the walls which join to the corner I'll be placing the sub and one more at the next wall intersection (across from the sub location). The 25-31 PCi is at the upper end of my budget. I don't think I can stretch to the Plus sersies. I'm not looking for reference level listening. I don't even crank my amp past 1000.

Thanks,

TW

 

[u2generator]

SVS and I have been swapping emails the last couple of days. They also say I should get the PC Plus series for “enthusiast” level listening but also said the PCi series would be fine for medium to loud listening in my room (around 3200 cubic feet). Since I don’t turn my receiver past about 10 o’clock I think I will stay with the PCi series, although I think I will opt for the 20-39. I just missed a B Stock 20-39 that showed up last night but was gone before I could make a purchase. The folks at SVS are really good at reading and replying to email traffic.

FWIW,

TW

 

[Peter Marcks]

u2, do you have a rough drawing of your room that you could share with us?

How much space will you have behind the entertainment center to fit a subwoofer? As long as you can accomodate a subwoofer there, box or cylinder should be ok, as long as the driver and/or ports are not directly up against the entertainment center or back wall.

Sincerely,

 

[u2generator]

I can pull the EC out far enough to accommodate about anything, but I may have problems with WAF if I bring it out much. So, to answer you question, I can probably stand a box sub of approximately 15” X 18” fairly easy. This would place the sub about 3” from the EC and 3” from one wall (with about two feet to the opposite edge of the EC, but since it is not quite perpendicular to the apex of the corner, the usable space is nil. The sub would be very near the wall it is parallel to. I don’t know how to create and link a lay out of the room.

Thanks,

TW

 

[Ryan8886]

SVS and I have been swapping emails the last couple of days. They also say I should get the PC Plus series for “enthusiast” level listening but also said the PCi series would be fine for medium to loud listening in my room (around 3200 cubic feet). Since I don’t turn my receiver past about 10 o’clock I think I will stay with the PCi series, although I think I will opt for the 20-39. I just missed a B Stock 20-39 that showed up last night but was gone before I could make a purchase. The folks at SVS are really good at reading and replying to email traffic.

FWIW,

TW

Both are excellent subs. My 25-31PCi handles a 3000 cubic foot room with no problems at all. Go with what SVS recommends, but you might want to reconsider going to the 20-39. While you're gaining a few Hz on the low end, you give up some volume with the lower tuning. Once in the room, the 25-31 should have no trouble reaching 20Hz, particulalrly if you have it corner loaded. Unless you're into the heavy pipe organ music, there isn't all that much material for the common man that goes below 20Hz. Just a thought. You can also get the 25-31 modified by SVS to a 22 Hz tune (splitting the difference, so to speak) getting you down a little below 20Hz in the room without sacrificing too much in volume. Enjoy the hunt! It's hard to find their cylinder subs on B-stock and they do tend to move fast.

 

[u2generator]

Yeah,

They had a B Stock 20-39 on their Site the other day. I decided to sleep on it. It was gone the next day. I am still trying to decide. SVS has suggested the 20-39 for my room versus the modded 25-31. I have a couple of months before I can scrape up the dough.

TW