Powerfield 1500 Replacement

[Yovwmon]

In a bit of a quandary as I’ve been out of the home theater game for 15 years and a lot has changed. I had a Definitive Technology Powerfield 1500 Subwoofer at the time. We had kids and I took a long break, which included selling the sub. Fast forward, the kids are grown and I’m finally building the media room I’ve always dreamed of. I’m looking for a replacement for the sub and I want something equally as powerful (house shaking) as the Powerfield 1500. Ideally I would find something under $300 used, hoping for some solid recommendations from the folks here. Thanks in advance!

 

[lovinthehd]

Hard to recommend what might be available used or in your area (shipping usually kills a deal on a used sub). I'd avoid particularly Deftec these days for subs and look for those from the sub specialists, major ones like SVS, Rythmik, Power Sound Audio, Hsu, etc.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Well, in that price range, it’s gonna be tricky. While the original literature for the PF1500 is highly exaggerated, for its day it was pretty good. Subwoofers have come sooooo far from that ol def tech. is 300 a self imposed limitation, or just where you are hopeful to find a good subwoofer

This 15” to my estimation would probably be similar to the PF1500.

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Dayton Audio SUB-1500 15" 150 Watt Powered SubwooferDayton Audio SUB-1500 15" 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer Add thrilling low-frequency effects to your home cinema experienceThe Dayton Audio SUB-1500 15" powered subwoofer system is the perfect addition to any home theater system. This powered sub...

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But a pair of these 12” subs from Dayton would be much better in output and smoother response. From what I recall, the extension is about the same. If 300 were my personal limit, I’d buy these.

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Dayton Audio SUB-1200 12" 120 Watt Powered SubwooferDayton Audio SUB-1200 12" 120 Watt Powered SubwooferAdd thrilling low-frequency effects to your home cinema experienceThe Dayton Audio SUB-1200 12" powered subwoofer system is the perfect addition to any home theater system. This powered sub...

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I do agree with HD though. If you can raise your budget it will open doors to much better subwoofage.

 

[Yovwmon]

Thanks for the quick responses. $300 is self imposed but based on selling the PF for $150 I’m open to recommendations for sure, especially if there’s that fantastic sup in the $500 price range. Thanks again!

 

[everettT]

Thanks for the quick responses. $300 is self imposed but based on selling the PF for $150 I’m open to recommendations for sure, especially if there’s that fantastic sup in the $500 price range. Thanks again!

While supplies last

Amazon.com: SVS PB12-NSD Subwoofer: Home Audio & Theater

Buy SVS PB12-NSD Subwoofer: Subwoofers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

While supplies last

Amazon.com: SVS PB12-NSD Subwoofer: Home Audio & Theater

Buy SVS PB12-NSD Subwoofer: Subwoofers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Yep. That’s one!

 

[Danzilla31]

Yep. That’s one!

Honestly that's about the only one in that price range

It's hard to find a really really good sub in that range these days for around that price subs have come so far

HSU is your best bet although you won't find much on the used market that says something right there lot of happy owners they have a 12 inch sub for 500 and some change that's a good performer

RSL for 400 with the speedwoofer 10S although I'd pick the SVS over that

But some more info might help room size, volume when you say dream theater room or media room is this a dedicated build?

Is it just converting an open room are you going full home theater with projector

What's your budget range on this build? Because your budget should be tied a lot into getting the best front 3 speakers and sub or subs you can

But it depends on what your trying to do and how much of the budget is tied up in converting the room

Any info helps us give options for you

 

[Yovwmon]

The space is being built, it’s 13’x24’, my sub budget is $500 or less. I was hoping for the lower end of that with something powerful and used. Would you take the Ported SVS PB12 over the Sealed SVS PB12-NSD? If yes why?

 

[everettT]

The space is being built, it’s 13’x24’, my sub budget is $500 or less. I was hoping for the lower end of that with something powerful and used. Would you take the Ported SVS PB12 over the Sealed SVS PB12-NSD? If yes why?

Ported will be the way to go with your room and the PB12 is probably the best option under 600, with free shipping.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

The space is being built, it’s 13’x24’, my sub budget is $500 or less. I was hoping for the lower end of that with something powerful and used. Would you take the Ported SVS PB12 over the Sealed SVS PB12-NSD? If yes why?

Well, ported subwoofers have a huge advantage in efficiency. It can take as many as 4 sealed subs to equal the output of a comparable ported one. So I would definitely take the PB-NSD over the SB. The only place where sealed wins is size. IMO, if you’re serious about this build, I would really consider using two pb12nsd but I understand budget too. So, this is a tough one. Two Dayton sub1200 is a good bargain, but the SVS is a better sub. My normal recommendation is buy the best sub you can afford now, and add a second one as soon as can budget for one. In this cases the PB12’s won’t last that long.

What are you considering for the rest of the system? AVR, speakers and sources etc?

 

[Danzilla31]

The space is being built, it’s 13’x24’, my sub budget is $500 or less. I was hoping for the lower end of that with something powerful and used. Would you take the Ported SVS PB12 over the Sealed SVS PB12-NSD? If yes why?

As stated the ported SVS PB12-NSD has a huge advantage for movies. If you can swing it Id go with 2 of them not for output but for better response across all your seats.

But I too understand like others have said if your running on a tight budget been there myself

 

[lovinthehd]

The space is being built, it’s 13’x24’, my sub budget is $500 or less. I was hoping for the lower end of that with something powerful and used. Would you take the Ported SVS PB12 over the Sealed SVS PB12-NSD? If yes why?

The PB12-NSD is not sealed. PB=ported box, SB=sealed box in the SVS naming scheme.

 

[Yovwmon]

First off, thank you for all the sound advice. (no pun intended)

I wen't-ahead and ordered the SVS PB12-NSD, it looks like a solid choice that nearly everything in that price range and more is compared against. I might attempt to add a second SVS PB12-NSD once I get other components of the build in place, depends on if I survive the wrath of my wife.

This leads me to William's question

What are you considering for the rest of the system? AVR, speakers and sources etc?

I am building around my old Boston VR950 towers, I have four of them. I also have a matching VR910 center that I hope to replace with a used VR12 down the road. I hope my digressing is okay.. Boston stoped making the VR series speakers so for ATMOS I'm not really sure what to use in the ceiling, newbie here, are the ATMOS ceiling speaker power rating the same as front and surrounds? I will also be on the market for a receiver soon as mine is old 7.1.

Here's a few shots of the build so far. I will pull cable for four ATMOS speakers in the ceiling before the drywall goes in. I'm totally open to any other recommendations that come to mind.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

First off, thank you for all the sound advice. (no pun intended)

I wen't-ahead and ordered the SVS PB12-NSD, it looks like a solid choice that nearly everything in that price range and more is compared against. I might attempt to add a second SVS PB12-NSD once I get other components of the build in place, depends on if I survive the wrath of my wife.

This leads me to William's question
I am building around my old Boston VR950 towers, I have four of them. I also have a matching VR910 center that I hope to replace with a used VR12 down the road. I hope my digressing is okay.. Boston stoped making the VR series speakers so for ATMOS I'm not really sure what to use in the ceiling, newbie here, are the ATMOS ceiling speaker power rating the same as front and surrounds? I will also be on the market for a receiver soon as mine is old 7.1.

Here's a few shots of the build so far. I will pull cable for four ATMOS speakers in the ceiling before the drywall goes in. I'm totally open to any other recommendations that come to mind.

Ok. I think the Boston rig will work just fine. Until you decide you want something different, or upgraditis sets in lol.
For ceiling speakers, there are a lot of choices. Don’t be too worried about timbre matching as you won’t likely be able to match the Boston’s, and it also won’t matter too much. I used four, RSL c34e’s and imo very reasonable at 125 each. I have seen people use many different kinds, by Polk Yamaha tannoy etc. at all kinds of prices. They don’t need to be expensive but like anything, they certainly can be. The biggest thing is to find some with wide dispersion. Those specs are hard to find so if you’re interested in a speaker, try to find reviews, and especially ones that have measurements of some kind. Hopefully they’ll have the dispersion windows. Power isn’t a big consideration either, unless you’re doing a 10,000 foot professional monstrosity.

A4L is a good source for reconditioned(and sometimes new) gear. Good place to find an AVR if your comfortable with a refurb. Lots of us here have purchased from them.

Accessories4less: High End Audio at Low End Prices!

www.accessories4less.com

 

[lovinthehd]

Boston stoped making the VR series speakers so for ATMOS I'm not really sure what to use in the ceiling, newbie here, are the ATMOS ceiling speaker power rating the same as front and surrounds? I will also be on the market for a receiver soon as mine is old 7.1.

Power rating? You mean max power handling capability or impedance or ?

 

[Yovwmon]

Power rating? You mean max power handling capability or impedance or ?

RMS wattage, do Atmos speakers typically demand the same as front, center and surround?

 

[lovinthehd]

RMS wattage, do Atmos speakers typically demand the same as front, center and surround?

RMS wattage is just a caution as to maximum continuous power the speaker can handle, often well beyond the listenable point, too. Not really all that useful a spec altho a consideration so you don't blow them up, too. Sensitivity and your impedance demands from the speakers are more important considerations and even then not generally a concern for what you're asking unless there's some extremes involved.