Putting together a system- need sub

[GlocksRock]

Well I pulled the trigger on a PB12-NSD. I'm sure this will be more than enough for me. Can't wait to get it.

Did you get the one on audiogon? I see the one that I had mentioned was just posted yesterday, and is already sold.

 

[j_garcia]

Outlaw Audio is having a sale, you can get the LFM-1 EX for $550 shipped. That would have been the one to get, I thing it would have hit harder than the VTF2, PB12, or A3-300, while being cheaper than all three.

The LFM-1 EX is essentially a revised VTF-3.

 

[BobD]

ParadigmDawg,

Why did you say that SVS subs suck?

 

[GlocksRock]

ParadigmDawg,

Why did you say that SVS subs suck?

Pretty sure he was just joking, seeing as how he just got his second ultra the other day.

 

[Matt34]

ParadigmDawg,

Why did you say that SVS subs suck?

You will learn not to take anything he says seriously after awhile.

 

[SJTrance]

Congrats on ordering the sub. It's a major contender in the price range. You journey to subwoofer bliss isn't over, however. You must now look into dialing it in. Have you given any thought to using a sound level meter and a test tone CD to help dial the sound in? SVS has a link that talks about the Avia II DVD and a radioshack SPL meter.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

ParadigmDawg,

Why did you say that SVS subs suck?

Yep, if you know me you would get that it was a joke. I may be the biggest SVS Fanboy on here nowdays.

I have owned a bunch of subs and the Ultra is the only one that has had a chance at staying at my house. I have a feeling that I will always use SVS for my sub needs moving forward. They are a great bunch of guys with CS that no one can touch.

Here is a picture of my twins. If you ever need to talk to them, they are named Zeus and Poseidon.

 

[SJTrance]

Yep, if you know me you would get that it was a joke. I may be the biggest SVS Fanboy on here nowdays.

I have owned a bunch of subs and the Ultra is the only one that has had a chance at staying at my house. I have a feeling that I will always use SVS for my sub needs moving forward. They are a great bunch of guys with CS that no one can touch.

Here is a picture of my twins. If you ever need to talk to them, they are named Zeus and Poseidon.

Everytime I see those subs, my heart skips a beat. They're just so damned purdy! BRB, aplogizing to jealous girlfriend.

 

[BobD]

SJTrance ,

I haven't thought about dialing it in at all. I thought I would pretty much plug it in and play. Are there adjustments on the sub to dial it in?

 

[SJTrance]

SJTrance ,

I haven't thought about dialing it in at all. I thought I would pretty much plug it in and play. Are there adjustments on the sub to dial it in?

Oh yes! There is a lot of dialing in of this sub with various methods. For one, you're going to want to find a proper place to put the actual sub. Where the sub sits in the room can have a LOT of difference to how it sounds. One good method is called a sub crawl. That's placing the sub in the place where you would sit and then going to all the different possible places you can place the sub. Go to each of those areas and listen for where the bass is the loudest. That would be the optimal placement for the subwoofer.

Then, if you your receiver has it's own calibration system, you should run it with the sub's power at the 25% mark and the receiver dialed in at 0.0 DB. Make sure that you have all speakers set to "small," that the sub is "on," the crossover set to 80 Hz, the DRC (dynamic range control) set to off, and the LFE ATT (if your receiver has that feature) to off.

After that, you use a sound level meter (like you get at radioshack) using the test tones to ensure that, at the seating position, all the channels and the sub are all at the same level. From there, if you want your sub to run a bit hot and have it more emphasized, raise the sub 5 DB or 10 DB depending on what you want it to sound like. You can get the Avia II DVD from amazon.com and read up on how to use that. The DVD has the test tones, video adjustments and walks you through the whole process.

Read this:
http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/get-good-bass/bass-management-basics-2013-settings-made-simple

 

[bandphan]

Here is a picture of my twins. If you ever need to talk to them, they are named Zeus and Poseidon.

What are those crappy speaker next to those beautiful subs

 

[ParadigmDawg]

What are those crappy speaker next to those beautiful subs

You would have to say that right while I am fighting myself not to upgrade to Sigs...

 

[BobD]

Yikes! Got the sub today and it's WAY too much for my room. It's just physically too big. And the sound is too "thuddy" for my tastes. Not anywhere near as musical as I thought it would be. It may be that I just don't have it setup correctly but since it's physically too big I'm gonna send it back. I think I'll probably go with a much smaller woofer like a CSW's P205 or P300HD. I know you'll all probably poo-poo those subs but I think that's more my speed than these audiophile subs.

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[gmichael]

Subs? I couldn't see any subs in that pic. Once I saw those speakers I got tunnel vision.

(Where's the drolling icon?)

 

[SJTrance]

Yikes! Got the sub today and it's WAY too much for my room. It's just physically too big. And the sound is too "thuddy" for my tastes. Not anywhere near as musical as I thought it would be. It may be that I just don't have it setup correctly but since it's physically too big I'm gonna send it back. I think I'll probably go with a much smaller woofer like a CSW's P205 or P300HD. I know you'll all probably poo-poo those subs but I think that's more my speed than these audiophile subs.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Man, that sucks. As to being thuddy, I'm sure you can tune that out but the physical size thing isn't something you can tune out. You probably should have looked more closely at the dimensions of the sub and mocked it up in your space before you purchased it. But, there are several other subs that are close to that price range that will be much smaller without the output... even from SVS. Maybe their SB12-NSD might be the one for you. Since it's a small sub, you will be able to make it even better for music. It's only about $50 more (retail) than the one you have.

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-sb12nsd.cfm

If you're looking just for a 10" sub, then the Emotiva sub is very inexpensive.

http://emotiva.com/ultra_subs.shtm

I don't know much about the Cambridge subs, so I won't comment about them.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Yikes! Got the sub today and it's WAY too much for my room. It's just physically too big. And the sound is too "thuddy" for my tastes. Not anywhere near as musical as I thought it would be. It may be that I just don't have it setup correctly but since it's physically too big I'm gonna send it back. I think I'll probably go with a much smaller woofer like a CSW's P205 or P300HD. I know you'll all probably poo-poo those subs but I think that's more my speed than these audiophile subs.

Thanks for everyone's input.

You had to perform a bad calibration on it or something else was wrong. I will say that my ported SVS is every bit as "musical" as my JL F113 was.

Oh...and there is no such thing as musical subs and HTsubs. A good sub will perform equally well in either application.

 

[BobD]

Any input on the Klipsch subs? Specifically the RW-10D. I can actually go listen to that at a Best Buy. I'm thinking that may be a better alternative than doing the online purchasing.

 

[bandphan]

used


http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?homesubw&1287924521&/SVS-SB12-Plus

 

[SJTrance]

Any input on the Klipsch subs? Specifically the RW-10D. I can actually go listen to that at a Best Buy. I'm thinking that may be a better alternative than doing the online purchasing.

Don't give up, Bob. I know that it can be frustrating but there's sooooo much to learn and understand so that you can have a great home theater experience. Read, read and then read some more. Buy a sub that's known and liked by all at a good price and then learn about how to use the radioshack meter to tune everything in. Believe me, when I got my first sub, I was also severely disappointed. I had the sub like that for months until I learned what it was supposed to sound like. There's so much to know about dialing in all your other speakers with your sub.

Is there a clear website, page or web article that breaks down how to tune your system with an SPL?

 

[j_garcia]

You would have to say that right while I am fighting myself not to upgrade to Sigs...

I would have gone with Sigs over dual subs

Any input on the Klipsch subs? Specifically the RW-10D. I can actually go listen to that at a Best Buy. I'm thinking that may be a better alternative than doing the online purchasing.

It won't come close to the PB12, so maybe it will work for you. I'd just go listen and decide for yourself.