looking at new subs

[Jetblack3]

Well my old Infinity alpha 1200 bit the bullet yesterday so I am now looking for a replacement. A few years back I swapped my definitive supercube out with the larger Infinity and was pleased with the result. The Definitive performed better on my home theater setup (we don't play it very loud). The infinity was a step up in my man cave where I listen to music and there it can get loud.

Back then when I was considering replacing the supercube with something bigger before trying out the infinity. I had narrowed my search down to HSU or SVS and was steered to the HSU from advice on this site. Now that the Infinity is dead and a replacement is a must.. here we are again. I see now HSU makes a sealed unit and they are running some sales on other units as well. Less than $100 dollars difference between there ULS 15 and the VTF 15. I like the smaller footprint of the sealed models but its not a deal breaker, this will be a 100% music sub. Any input appreciated.

 

[KEW]

Go with the ULS!
I think sealed 15" sub is the sweetspot, especially for music and the Hsu is a good value!!!

Edit: Get two if you can swing it!

 

[Littlefoott]

budget and room size is a large factor for recommendations

 

[Jetblack3]

room size is 18x28

 

[lovinthehd]

room size is 18x28

It has no ceiling? Is it sealed off or open to other space as well?

What happened to the old sub?

 

[Jetblack3]

It has no ceiling? Is it sealed off or open to other space as well?

What happened to the old sub?

Room has 9 ft ceiling, concrete floor. Room has couple doors that open to other rooms

Tore down the old sub this morning to troubleshoot. Something in the amp enclosure. Unit won't power up, no lights at all. Speaker ohms at 3.4

 

[lovinthehd]

So about 4500 cuft, if you can close all those doors a big space (and if the doorways can't be closed then the adjacent space can come into play for sub frequencies). Cement floor eliminates the fun some people get from suspended wood floors and bass, too (some even build risers for their seating to compensate). Depending on how many seats you want good bass at I'd certainly think about multiple subs.

Repairing the amp is perhaps an option, or even using an external amp but then again new subs are more fun!

 

[Jetblack3]

Old sub sat on top of refrigerator behind my bar so it was right in your face. In this room there are 4 polk LSI 9's - one in each corner mounted near ceiling. Added a Sherbourne amp a few years back to give the polks a little more juice. 2 subs would be nice but its just not in the budget. I'm guessing the new sub will be a good bit better than my old infinity so should be an improvement. The ULS with shipping is about $870 the SVS 2000 is $700 free shipping. Is the HSU worth the extra $$

 

[shadyJ]

Old sub sat on top of refrigerator behind my bar so it was right in your face. In this room there are 4 polk LSI 9's - one in each corner mounted near ceiling. Added a Sherbourne amp a few years back to give the polks a little more juice. 2 subs would be nice but its just not in the budget. I'm guessing the new sub will be a good bit better than my old infinity so should be an improvement. The ULS with shipping is about $870 the SVS 2000 is $700 free shipping. Is the HSU worth the extra $$

The Hsu should be about twice as powerful as the SB2000, so yes, I would say it is worth it.

 

[Jetblack3]

Received the new HSU sealed sub yesterday and spent an evening in the man cave tuning it in. Chose the sealed sub over the ported due to its size. Wanted placement in same spot as old ported Infinity. While I'll say the HSU is more powerful I'm not totally sold on its sound yet. It's ok when normal listening but when I start to lean on it hard it goes to crap and I find myself tuning it down. Wondering if the ported model would not get so muddy at higher volumes. Seems like the sealed unit vibrate more and my old ported model was a little cleaner. Price point of ported is virtually the same, would love to try the ported model and if it performs better I'd just have to find a different location for placement. Wish HSU had the same trial policy as SVS

 

[shadyJ]

Use the ULS-15 in EQ2 mode, not the EQ1 mode. EQ1 boosts the deep bass too much for many situations. The ported model does indeed have a lot more clean output, but below 40 Hz, so for most music it won't make a difference, since most music has no content below 40 Hz. There are exceptions though like certain types of electronic music and pipe organ music. What kind of music are you listening to?

 

[Jetblack3]

Use the ULS-15 in EQ2 mode, not the EQ1 mode. EQ1 boosts the deep bass too much for many situations. The ported model does indeed have a lot more clean output, but below 40 Hz, so for most music it won't make a difference, since most music has no content below 40 Hz. There are exceptions though like certain types of electronic music and pipe organ music. What kind of music are you listening to?

50-50 rock n country. Played some more last night. I noticed my infinity crossover went to 150hz whereas the hsu cuts off at 90. I find myself adjusting sub volume more depending on what artist. Have to say I like being able to add more when I want it. Bought a 25 ft cable today and gonna do some crawling

 

[shadyJ]

You should let your AVR deal with crossover frequencies. That is something you want to set and forget on the subwoofer amp panel controls. What AVR are you using? If it has bass management at all, or if it was made in the last 15 years, you want the AVR to deal with it, so set the crossover switch to 'out'.

As for subwoofer volume, you also want to control that with the AVR. I would set the subwoofer's volume knob to somewhere between 9'o'clock and 12'o'clock, and then control the subwoofer volume from the AVR's 'LFE channel level' on its remote control.

 

[Jetblack3]

You should let your AVR deal with crossover frequencies. That is something you want to set and forget on the subwoofer amp panel controls. What AVR are you using? If it has bass management at all, or if it was made in the last 15 years, you want the AVR to deal with it, so set the crossover switch to 'out'.

As for subwoofer volume, you also want to control that with the AVR. I would set the subwoofer's volume knob to somewhere between 9'o'clock and 12'o'clock, and then control the subwoofer volume from the AVR's 'LFE channel level' on its remote control.

Onkyo sr 805 / put sub on floor next to fridge and alot of vibration left. Got a nice bounce off concrete. Had to get it further away from bar to eliminate wkiskey bottle rattle. Dialed back avr some. It's coming around