Thinking of a new sub?

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dhark

Junior Audioholic
Hey guys thinking of upgrading my sub. Room is 20x13x9 hardwood floors. Right now I have an old Cambridge Soundworks PSW from and ensemble set I got in like 95. Are these any good or junk by today's standards? Mainly want something for movies, under $1000 and would consider a DIY kit if you think it would be a better route. Also have Polk Monitor 70 series 2 and CS2 up front if that matters. TIA.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
To use your words, I'd say junk. Cambridge is great, but subs have come so far since then it's not funny.
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/index.html
https://www.svsound.com/pages/subwoofers
http://www.hsuresearch.com/
https://www.powersoundaudio.com/collections/subwoofers
These are the usual suspects, for ID companies. Lots of value over B&M stores. Dual subs can provide more even coverage over multiple seats, but that usually means doubling the budget. I'm a believer in buying the best single you can afford now, and immediately start saving for another. The reason I say that is, even if you have 10, $500 subs that roll off at 25hz you'll never got deeper than that. A larger sub that goes deeper, and more linearly with less distortion will, IMO, give a better overall experience. Maybe not so for multiple seats, but also you can't just plop 2 subs in a room and have it be magical either.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Hey guys thinking of upgrading my sub. Room is 20x13x9 hardwood floors. Right now I have an old Cambridge Soundworks PSW from and ensemble set I got in like 95. Are these any good or junk by today's standards? Mainly want something for movies, under $1000 and would consider a DIY kit if you think it would be a better route. Also have Polk Monitor 70 series 2 and CS2 up front if that matters. TIA.
Is that the ensemble set with the "subs" like these?
ensemble sub.jpg


I had a set of these, they're nothing like an actual subwoofer :) You can do quite well going DIY with that budget...

PS Just noticed you mentioned a psw model, these were passive. Still, the Cambridge SW subs can easily be bettered these days....
 
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dhark

Junior Audioholic
Is that the ensemble set with the "subs" like these?
View attachment 20334

I had a set of these, they're nothing like an actual subwoofer :) You can do quite well going DIY with that budget...
No those are actually part of the front mains, they were like a 2 piece speaker a small bookshelf and those were paired together. I also have a separate powered sub model PSW
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
:eek: I remember those. Yeah, not exactly a sub, they were basically the bass module for the sats.

The last subs they made, the P200 and P500 were dual opposed driver setups with a BASH amp and controls that were remoted to save space and were not bad. Still not competing with SVS, HSU, Rythmik, etc...

 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
No those are actually part of the front mains, they were like a 2 piece speaker a small bookshelf and those were paired together. I also have a separate powered sub model PSW
I still have my sats, one of the "subs" started making funky noises so got rid of them and just used the sats as surrounds afterwards. You interested in a full DIY (make your own box) or AIY (using precut flatpacks)? :)
 
D

dhark

Junior Audioholic
I still have my sats, one of the "subs" started making funky noises so got rid of them and just used the sats as surrounds afterwards. You interested in a full DIY (make your own box) or AIY (using precut flatpacks)? :)
Either kinda like precut flatpacks CNC precision cut! I am a carpenter and could do my own with some nice instructions. How do DIY stack up against SVS, HSU etc.....
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
DIY gets you more bang for your buck and you can achieve good results with them. Since you are a carpenter, that makes the whole idea of DIY a lot more attractive.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Either kinda like precut flatpacks CNC precision cut! I am a carpenter and could do my own with some nice instructions. How do DIY stack up against SVS, HSU etc.....
DIY can definitely hang with any sub, just depends on the driver/amp/dsp/box you put together (most of the ID sub guys were diyers at one point....). I've built several and wouldn't consider anything but now. I'm no carpenter either, but I did build my own boxes (plywood as I don't want to deal with mdf) but those flatpacks have been tempting as well. If you use an established design it's pretty easy to get good results, check out the diy subforum here for a start (and there are several other forums for further support/ideas, I got my start over at avsforum.com's diy subforum).
 
D

dhark

Junior Audioholic
DIY can definitely hang with any sub, just depends on the driver/amp/dsp/box you put together (most of the ID sub guys were diyers at one point....). I've built several and wouldn't consider anything but now. I'm no carpenter either, but I did build my own boxes (plywood as I don't want to deal with mdf) but those flatpacks have been tempting as well. If you use an established design it's pretty easy to get good results, check out the diy subforum here for a start (and there are several other forums for further support/ideas, I got my start over at avsforum.com's diy subforum).
How's this
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-18-ultimax-subwoofer-with-spa1200dsp-amplifier-and-cabinet-package--300-7200
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Well regarded driver, Seaton even used them in some of his subs. It's been a while but a memory says that size box is not optimal for a sealed box (but would work well).

I'm not a fan of plate amps, I use pro amps (Crown XLS in my case, supported by miniDSP 2x4 for dsp). Fan noise can be a consideration (the XLS are very quiet, tho), but something like the Behringer iNuke DSP series amp has it all in one box for a great price and used by quite a few DIYers, but has noisy fans and fan mods have been somewhat an issue for some.

Note that for a sealed box the dsp is more about eq capabilities, but even Audyssey can do a decent job; if its a ported box you may also need a high pass filter to protect the driver. That bundle without amp is $385 if you didn't see that.
 
D

dhark

Junior Audioholic
Well regarded driver, Seaton even used them in some of his subs. It's been a while but a memory says that size box is not optimal for a sealed box (but would work well).

I'm not a fan of plate amps, I use pro amps (Crown XLS in my case, supported by miniDSP 2x4 for dsp). Fan noise can be a consideration (the XLS are very quiet, tho), but something like the Behringer iNuke DSP series amp has it all in one box for a great price and used by quite a few DIYers, but has noisy fans and fan mods have been somewhat an issue for some.

Note that for a sealed box the dsp is more about eq capabilities, but even Audyssey can do a decent job; if its a ported box you may also need a high pass filter to protect the driver. That bundle without amp is $385 if you didn't see that.
I really appreciate all the help. Saying that it's getting a little over my head with separate amps, Dsps , high pass filters etc.... Maybe DIY is too commplicated for me (electronically wise) and I should stick to a store bought tried and true sub?
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I really appreciate all the help. Saying that it's getting a little over my head with separate amps, Dsps , high pass filters etc.... Maybe DIY is too commplicated for me (electronically wise) and I should stick to a store bought tried and true sub?
Could be. There's always a little electronics fussing to integrate a sub well, tho. Lots of help in the forums, too. A separate amp isn't that hard, just goes in the rack with the other gear. Easier than cutting out the back of the box, too :)
 
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