Awww, Shady... That might've been the first subwoofer review I ever read from you. <3
The main difference, I suppose, is that is down-firing. Any pros or cons to that engineering choice?
Very little changes... I've seen arguments made about front-firing having more impact... I've seen comments made about having a carpeted and padded floor being the first contact with LF soundwaves perhaps having a negative impact... *shrugs
I have no complaints.
Yes, I am an owner. I am not interested in creating other X-13 owners.
It is a very good sub, as are all the others discussed previously.
For me, my choice was based on a couple things. First, I've only had a down-firing sub, and kind of like the idea of not having an exposed cone. I've known some previous Outlaw owners, all of whom have enjoyed their experience. The aesthetics and size worked for me. They put the X-13s on sale for $1K, ea, shipped, during the Black Friday sale and BOOM I ordered 2 (and they repeated that pricing for the X-mas/NewYears sale (which is when I bought my 2200s from them!)).
Claridy, an audio design specialist helped design the X-13, as well as the Monolith line.
I'm already on record her, saying I would order X-13s again. Yes I am still curious about other products. And as mentioned before (and had been pointed out to me many times), you can't really go wrong at this level of Sub.
Hsu = Value
SVS = Customer Satisfaction (the previously mentioned customer bill of rights policy they have, as well as the markup to pay for that)
Outlaw, Rythmic, Monolith, PSA (and HSU)... all seem to roll the dice on the fact that they have a solid product which you won't have any complaints about
One other note: Of everything I've heard discussed about subs and the visceral impact of a good subwoofer: this is a Mid-Bass phenomena, starting IIRC at about 60Hz. Hsu may be the strongest contender for this. (I do not claim experience here.) When it comes to infrasonics, I personally was chasing the Pipe Organ Low-C at 16Hz. I may very well have left something on the table.
Even though I can't hear below say 23 or 22Hz, I can feel it. My subs will shake the house like an earthquake without making an audible (to me) pitch. But there is this "chest-thump' that comes from that mid-bass which I can't say I experience.
One last note: When I set up my subs in my ~2000'3 room, I set the gain at 50%... and pressed play. Wow. within 5 minutes, my ears went numb. Not listening fatigue like I got from KEF speakers, but just this weird numbness. I generally find that my subs are best between 1/4 and 1/3 gain in my room. Each sub will react differently, but at this size and level, you are in for a treat. You will hear and feel things in a different way. Shady introduced me to some music through the Subwoofer Candy thread that I absolutely fell in love with BECAUSE of the infrasonics and how they make my body feel. But listening to that is different than listening to Jazz, for example. Subs too me, are like espresso: every day is an adventure! Some days, my espresso wants a finer grind, just like my Subs want a finer tuning with some music. Other days, its all out, just like the trim on my Subs. (Yes, that's a nerdy example, but its true... jazz bass should not vibrate your @$$ like a movie or some electronica does.)
Long story short: Enjoy!
Once you decide what will work best in your space and for your aesthetics, you are in for some good times!
