I am looking for a pair of ported subwoofers for a 3,200 cubic foot dedicated home theater room that is in the basement on cement slab. I currently have a pair of JLAudio f113s, which are sealed. I'm looking for more output in the lower bass. I think I need to go ported due to the size of the room and the cement slab. Use is 100% movies and occasional concert videos. I'm ok with somewhat larger cabinets but I would prefer to keep them as manageable as possible as long as I can get very good bass for the room. I have plenty of room for them on each side of the screen or below so I'm less concerned about size than I am weight. I would really like to avoid subwoofers over about 150 lbs. The f113s are 130 lbs and they are just manageable, so I would prefer to keep the weight pretty close to that +/- a few pounds depending upon the performance. This means larger subs like the Rythmik FV25HP are out. The FV18 looks just a little too big I think, particularly if I can get enough bass for the room with a pair of the smaller FV15HPs.
From what I have gathered, it seems like a pair of good 15" ported subs is enough for this room, though even the 12" Monolith may be enough. The 12" Monolith is just under 100 lbs, which would be great if it's definitely enough for the room. The f113s are 13" sealed drivers, so my concern is that the 12" Monolith won't be enough of a jump up in deep bass performance. However, it is ported so it has that major advantage for deep bass. I have not had a ported subwoofer so I'm not sure exactly what to expect. Will the 12" Monolith likely be enough? I like to listen at about -10 to -5 in general.
If a pair of the 12" Monoliths might not be enough, I'm confident the 15" will. The main downside to the 15" is the size and weight. The aesthetics for the theater room are fine.
The other good option I am considering is the Rythmik FV15HP, a pair of which should be enough for the room. It is a little bit more manageable in size and weight than the 15" Monolith, though there isn't that much difference. It's 15 pounds lighter and a couple inches shorter. If performance is similar, I would lean towards the smaller subwoofer, so why not go with the FV15HP? My concern is that I have not had a ported subwoofer and I have come across some discussion about port noise being noticeable with the Rythmik FV15HP. It seems to have some whereas the Monoliths seem to have very little. Port noise does not seem to be an issue on the larger Rythmik FV18 but then I'm into a much larger, heavier subwoofer at 160 lbs and 9 inches taller than the FV15HP. I'm hoping to avoid going that large.
Based upon these considerations, I would love to hear input from those who have some experience with these subs and what they would recommend. Is port noise a realistic concern with the FV15HP when using 2 of them for this sized room? Will a pair of the Monolith 12s likely be enough for the room? Despite the increased size and weight of the Monolith 15s, should I step up to that instead of the 12s?
By the way, I have considered many other subs such as Seatons, JTR, and PSA, but for various reasons, mostly having to due with the cost, size, and weight, I have become focused on these 3 options. Thanks for any input!