Help! I need to pick a new Subwoofer and speakers!

[mvp]

Hi, starting this new thread from the two I started earlier "Connecting another companies subwoofer with Bose double cube speakers" and "Connecting two subwoofers". All thw wonderful experts have convinced me that I should not try to fix my broken Bose Acousticmass 15 series 11, and instead get a new subwoofer as well as new speakers to replace the 5 Bose double cube speakers I have. Now the question is what to get! The room is about 4000 cubic feet (at least) and is open to the second floor (I did not count the second floor in my calculations of cubic feet). I like the reviews of SVS but I don't really understand the specs enough to be sure it would be a good subwoofer. I just read an article on this site about the different between sealed and ported subwoofers. It sounds like they are saying I need ported for a room of my size. But I am a litte worried about getting a Ported subwoofer setup correctly (timing, etc) and then there is the issue of the noise from the air coming out of the port. Maybe I should get two large sealed subwoofers???? What do you all think? I guess whatever I get will be better than the Bose acousticmass 15 what had three 5.25" subwoofers. Please help! BTW, I live in Houston and was wondering if any of the audio gurus was in my area.

 

[shadyJ]

What is your budget? Is this for home theater or primarily music? Are you willing to deal with larger-sized subwoofers?

 

[Replicant 7]

Hi, starting this new thread from the two I started earlier "Connecting another companies subwoofer with Bose double cube speakers" and "Connecting two subwoofers". All thw wonderful experts have convinced me that I should not try to fix my broken Bose Acousticmass 15 series 11, and instead get a new subwoofer as well as new speakers to replace the 5 Bose double cube speakers I have. Now the question is what to get! The room is about 4000 cubic feet (at least) and is open to the second floor (I did not count the second floor in my calculations of cubic feet). I like the reviews of SVS but I don't really understand the specs enough to be sure it would be a good subwoofer. I just read an article on this site about the different between sealed and ported subwoofers. It sounds like they are saying I need ported for a room of my size. But I am a litte worried about getting a Ported subwoofer setup correctly (timing, etc) and then there is the issue of the noise from the air coming out of the port. Maybe I should get two large sealed subwoofers???? What do you all think? I guess whatever I get will be better than the Bose acousticmass 15 what had three 5.25" subwoofers. Please help! BTW, I live in Houston and was wondering if any of the audio gurus was in my area.

Man, you lucked out! Inbox Shady J! You can't get any better advice on Subs than him. Cheers!

 

[-Jim-]

A potential layout diagram would also help the cause. How many speakers and subs are you interested in driving? Are you looking at Atmos too? 5.x, 7.x, 5.x.2, 5.x.4, 7.x.2, or 7.x.4 ? Of course the budget will determine a lot.

 

[Hetfield]

Loudspeakers | JBL

From floorstanding with powerful bass to bookshelf loudspeakers, we got it all. Create soundscape for your home that you can feel as well as hear.

www.jbl.com

The JBL Studio series is the best deal in audio right now. The JBL 590s at 399.99 each is incredible and you have a pretty big room. The 530 for surrounds would be excellent, but you could do towers for surrounds like the 580s or another pair of 590s, just depends on what you want and have room for. You could go with the 520C center channel or go with the Monoprice 365C 3-way center. The Studio series, not the Stage series.

 

[mvp]

A potential layout diagram would also help the cause. How many speakers and subs are you interested in driving? Are you looking at Atmos too? 5.x, 7.x, 5.x.2, 5.x.4, 7.x.2, or 7.x.4 ? Of course the budget will determine a lot.

It is an odd shaped room equating it to a box is is 23x17 for width and length, but is an open floor plan and not considering the adjoining rooms. It has a cathedral ceiling starting at 10' on one side going up to 20' on the other side. It is open to the second floor and not counting that volume either. I will post pictures so you can see the space better.

 

[mvp]

Loudspeakers | JBL

From floorstanding with powerful bass to bookshelf loudspeakers, we got it all. Create soundscape for your home that you can feel as well as hear.

www.jbl.com

The JBL Studio series is the best deal in audio right now. The JBL 590s at 399.99 each is incredible and you have a pretty big room. The 530 for surrounds would be excellent, but you could do towers for surrounds like the 580s or another pair of 590s, just depends on what you want and have room for. You could go with the 520C center channel or go with the Monoprice 365C 3-way center. The Studio series, not the Stage series.

I should have said that the room is wired for 5 surround sound speakers so I would want speaker that connect to those ports, rather than the towers you mention. Thanks for the help! I will look into those speakers!

 

[Mikado463]

my picks ............

Magnepan 1.7i

"This is a genuine Hall of Famer, and an easy pick for TAS 2021 Budget Product of the Year." In Issue 107, JV (Jonathan Valin - the absolute sound) selected Magnepan's tall, skinny, three-way, full range, quasi-ribbon, dipole MG 1.7 floorstander as one of his favorite loudspeakers of the last 70...

magnepan.com

The MD2 | RJS Acoustics

rjsacoustics.com

 

[mvp]

What is your budget? Is this for home theater or primarily music? Are you willing to deal with larger-sized subwoofers?

Not sure about budget. Maybe $2k? This will mostly be for home theater. The room is already wired for 5 surround sound speakers. It sounds like I will need at least one subwoofer and 5 speakers. I have a Denon AVR-1912 receiver. The room is an odd size but roughly 23x17 and has a cathedral ceiling from 10' to 20' high. The room is open to other rooms on the first floor (open floor plan) and is also open to the second floor. I am not counting that volume. I read some reviews and organizations seems to like the SVS SB-3000 subwoofer, though I am starting to understand that a ported subwoofer might be the best idea for the larger space. I am a little worried about properly adjusting the prot subwoofer (ie, timing of sound coming out of the port) though after reading articles about them. Also read about unwanted air sounds coming out of the port. So I am not sure what type of subwoofer to get. And not sure which brand/model to buy. Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

[Pogre]

Gonna need some idea of the budget you're working with, and do you need everything up to and including power and source?

You mention being pre-wired for 5 surround speakers. Is everything wall mounted? Would it put at least your front 3 speakers at ear level? Are you trying to keep with the same form factor as the bose cubes?

Yes I think you definitely want ported subs. Get the appropriate size and there's no need to worry about port noise. Today's ported subs have come a long, long way and perform just as well as their sealed counterparts.

 

[Pogre]

I read some reviews and organizations seems to like the SVS SB-3000 subwoofer, though I am starting to understand that a ported subwoofer might be the best idea for the larger space. I am a little worried about properly adjusting the prot subwoofer (ie, timing of sound coming out of the port) though after reading articles about them. Also read about unwanted air sounds coming out of the port. So I am not sure what type of subwoofer to get. And not sure which brand/model to buy. Thank you for any help you can provide.

Your concerns are unfounded wrt ported subs. A SB3000 will struggle in your room. A PB3000 would be much more appropriate, but there are other more budget friendly bang for buck options with other heavy hitters like Hsu and Monoprice. You might even consider a pair of ported subs for your space.

 

[mvp]

Gonna need some idea of the budget you're working with, and do you need everything up to and including power and source?

You mention being pre-wired for 5 surround speakers. Is everything wall mounted? Would it put at least your front 3 speakers at ear level? Are you trying to keep with the same form factor as the base cubes?

Yes I think you definitely want ported subs. Get the appropriate size and there's no need to worry about port noise. Today's ported subs have come a long, long way and perform just as well as their sealed counterparts.

The budget si maybe around $2k but I might go over it a bit. The front 2 and back two are wall mounted. The front center is not. The wall mounter are about maybe 9' high. I am not exactly sure what you mean by "keeping the same form factor". I am not sure what you mean by power and source. I have a Denon AVR-1912 receiver. I was not to place that, but I don't know much about the receiver's capabilities. I am glad to hear what you say about the ported speaker. It scared me last night when I was reading about it.

 

[Pogre]

The budget si maybe around $2k but I might go over it a bit. The front 2 and back two are wall mounted. The front center is not. The wall mounter are about maybe 9' high. I am not exactly sure what you mean by "keeping the same form factor". I am not sure what you mean by power and source. I have a Denon AVR-1912 receiver. I was not to place that, but I don't know much about the receiver's capabilities. I am glad to hear what you say about the ported speaker. It scared me last night when I was reading about it.

Your receiver while a bit outdated is still very capable. If it still does everything you need and the connections are up to date enough for you then you can keep right on using it. It also has a version of Audyssey MultEQ that will help you dial your new sub(s) in and get the timing right. Provided you still have the setup mic that is.

So, assuming you're going to continue using the same receiver it sounds like you just need to focus on speakers and subs. I would look at lowering those 9' high front speakers tho. As to form factor I mean the same small cube like build. Would you consider larger floor standing or books on stands?

 

[Pogre]

VTF-2 MK5 Subwoofer

Introducing the VTF-2 MK5, the epitome of affordability and value in the renowned HSU lineup. This subwoofer is designed to cater to budget-conscious enthusiasts without compromising on quality or performance. Most affordable and budget-friendly subwoofer One of the smallest subwoofers so it...

hsuresearch.com

A pair of those would fit the bill nicely and the price is very fair, tho you have to add in shipping with Hsu. As far as speakers go, there's a whole wild world of options out there. We just need to figure out where you're coming from and your goals. Are we prioritizing sound quality or aesthetics? The 2 don't always go hand in hand. The more you go one direction the less you get with the other unless you wanna spend a lot more money for both.

 

[Pogre]

BTW, I had the same receiver you do and it's still in service today at my neighbor's house. It's a very good receiver. I only updated because I went to 4k. Otherwise I'd still be using it.

 

[Danzilla31]

The budget si maybe around $2k but I might go over it a bit. The front 2 and back two are wall mounted. The front center is not. The wall mounter are about maybe 9' high. I am not exactly sure what you mean by "keeping the same form factor". I am not sure what you mean by power and source. I have a Denon AVR-1912 receiver. I was not to place that, but I don't know much about the receiver's capabilities. I am glad to hear what you say about the ported speaker. It scared me last night when I was reading about it.

Since the reciever is still good as some members cab attest don't change that yet save the money for the sub and speakers

We really could use some pics of the room and where the speakers go. The reason we are recommending towers is because it's a big room. But we really need to see pictures and where the speakers would go before we can recommend anything

 

[shadyJ]

Not sure about budget. Maybe $2k? This will mostly be for home theater. The room is already wired for 5 surround sound speakers. It sounds like I will need at least one subwoofer and 5 speakers. I have a Denon AVR-1912 receiver. The room is an odd size but roughly 23x17 and has a cathedral ceiling from 10' to 20' high. The room is open to other rooms on the first floor (open floor plan) and is also open to the second floor. I am not counting that volume. I read some reviews and organizations seems to like the SVS SB-3000 subwoofer, though I am starting to understand that a ported subwoofer might be the best idea for the larger space. I am a little worried about properly adjusting the prot subwoofer (ie, timing of sound coming out of the port) though after reading articles about them. Also read about unwanted air sounds coming out of the port. So I am not sure what type of subwoofer to get. And not sure which brand/model to buy. Thank you for any help you can provide.

At $2k subwoofer budget, definitely get at least two subs. The SB-3000 is a fine sub, but I would go ported if possible. Don't worry about people talking about unwanted sounds coming from a port; most of the sound that a port produces are ones you want it to make. It can make unwanted sounds only if you push it really hard- and that would be a point at which an equivalent sealed sub would be making much worse sounds.

In a $2k budget, I would be looking at a dual setup of Outlaw Audio Ultra-X12, Hsu VTF-2 mk5, Monoprice 12" THX Ultras, SVS PC or PB-2000s. If you can stretch your budget a tad, look at dual Hsu VTF-3 mk5s (small discount for duals can be had here).

 

[mvp]

At $2k subwoofer budget, definitely get at least two subs. The SB-3000 is a fine sub, but I would go ported if possible. Don't worry about people talking about unwanted sounds coming from a port; most of the sound that a port produces are ones you want it to make. It can make unwanted sounds only if you push it really hard- and that would be a point at which an equivalent sealed sub would be making much worse sounds.

In a $2k budget, I would be looking at a dual setup of Outlaw Audio Ultra-X12, Hsu VTF-2 mk5, Monoprice 12" THX Ultras, SVS PC or PB-2000s. If you can stretch your budget a tad, look at dual Hsu VTF-3 mk5s (small discount for duals can be had here).

Thank you! I just came from the best buy near me. They didn't have the SVS PB-2000, which I most wanted to hear, or any of the others you mentioned. They did have a SVS SB-2000 and compares to the other subwoofers they had it had the most crisp and undistorted sound. So I know I like the quality of the SVS, even though it wasn't in the Ported version. Then I compared their ported base to the SVS SB-2000. The ported did produce more sounds/bass (although of lower quality) so that provides some sense of the difference between sealed and ported. I can get two PB-2000s for $2100 with free shipping. That is a littler over my budget but doable. Then I need to find some speakers. I was thinking of maybe a polk S15 (or ES15). What do you think? I will look at the HSU VTF-3 mk5s as you recommend. I just wish there was a place where I cold hear them!! BTW, I can't get your link to work for where someone is selling two for a good deal.

 

[mvp]

At $2k subwoofer budget, definitely get at least two subs. The SB-3000 is a fine sub, but I would go ported if possible. Don't worry about people talking about unwanted sounds coming from a port; most of the sound that a port produces are ones you want it to make. It can make unwanted sounds only if you push it really hard- and that would be a point at which an equivalent sealed sub would be making much worse sounds.

In a $2k budget, I would be looking at a dual setup of Outlaw Audio Ultra-X12, Hsu VTF-2 mk5, Monoprice 12" THX Ultras, SVS PC or PB-2000s. If you can stretch your budget a tad, look at dual Hsu VTF-3 mk5s (small discount for duals can be had here).

OK. The link works now. It is interesting. They said this on the page about having 2 of the HSU VTF-3 mk5s: "You can never have too many subwoofers - having two VTF-3 MK5 HP will give you lower distortion and higher headroom, and better long term reliability because each sub needs only 1/4 the power to play as loudly as a single VTF-3 MK5 HP." What do they mean that by having two subwoofers, eavch sub only needs 1/4 of the power to play???? I would think they would need 1/2 the power????

 

[lovinthehd]

Thank you! I just came from the best buy near me. They didn't have the SVS PB-2000, which I most wanted to hear, or any of the others you mentioned. They did have a SVS SB-2000 and compares to the other subwoofers they had it had the most crisp and undistorted sound. So I know I like the quality of the SVS, even though it wasn't in the Ported version. Then I compared their ported base to the SVS SB-2000. The ported did produce more sounds/bass (although of lower quality) so that provides some sense of the difference between sealed and ported. I can get two PB-2000s for $2100 with free shipping. That is a littler over my budget but doable. Then I need to find some speakers. I was thinking of maybe a polk S15 (or ES15). What do you think? I will look at the HSU VTF-3 mk5s as you recommend. I just wish there was a place where I cold hear them!! BTW, I can't get your link to work for where someone is selling two for a good deal.

I wouldn't put much into a demo at BB in any case, let alone worrying about an audition that really won't tell you much in most showrooms (compared to your own room). How did you compare the subs, particularly where did you come up with them being of lower quality on the ported model? Both Hsu and SVS produce very good ported or sealed subs. I'd want larger speakers than the S15s myself, even if stuck with wall mounting (I'd prefer floorstanders or bookshelf on stands but out in the room away from the wall). Is the $2k budget for subs and speakers or just subs? If the latter what's the speaker budget?

Power fed to subs and spl aren't exactly the same subject, but can be a bit confusing in that sense. The link was to Hsu's site where they have a "dual drive" package for the VTF-3 mk5 (they also have dual pricing for other subs, a slight discount that is for the second sub).

If you hadn't seen it yet, here's shadyJ's review of the Hsu VTF-3 mk5 and it's slightly bigger brother, the VTF-15H mk2. https://www.audioholics.com/subwoofer-reviews/hsu-vtf-15h-mk2-vtf-3-mk5-hp-subwoofers (ps oops, not shadyJ's)