Klipsch Reference RP-1600SW vs PSA EV1813M

[aldburg]

I am currently in a large open-design condo with tall 18' ceilings with a living rooom volume of approximately 3000 cubed feet. I bought the SVS SB-3000 because I listen to a lot of music on my system and it excels at that. However, I lack output below 40Hz for movies. Currently looking at either Klipsch Reference RP-1600SW which is back on sale compared to the PSA EV1813M which is also a fairly compact ported sub. Thoughts on either one of these for not only movies but for music?

 

[aldburg]

Just a guess here but I think you meant 3000 square feet (floor space).
I doubt your apartment is just 14' x 12' with 18' ceilings.

Correct, the volume is not for the condo but refers to the volume of the open high-ceiling living room which is about the dimensions you provided.

 

[dolynick]

All good. My head math was out to lunch too (which is why I deleted the post to try again, but you already quoted it), but something seemed off.

If the open floorspace around the living room area is much larger than the living room area, have you tried a more nearfield placement for the sub? I suspect placement vs MLP is already playing some role if you're really struggling with just 40 Hz as it is. While not as massive a cone as the others you listed, the SB-3000 is not a "small" sub either.

 

[ryanosaur]

If the open floorspace around the living room area is much larger than the living room area,

This...

Is that Living Room Area open to more space? If so, you need to account for the TOTAL open-room volume.

Subwoofers and Low Frequency Sound Waves don't care about arbitrary boundaries, rather fixed real ones like concrete walls and closed doors.

While the SVS 3000 Series are good Subs, the Sealed box would not be a good candidate for very large space. Once you get above 3000 cu.ft (in an actual sealed room), Room Gain goes out the door, pretty much. You definitely will want good ported Subs for that use case.

 

[aldburg]

This...

Is that Living Room Area open to more space? If so, you need to account for the TOTAL open-room volume.

Subwoofers and Low Frequency Sound Waves don't care about arbitrary boundaries, rather fixed real ones like concrete walls and closed doors.

While the SVS 3000 Series are good Subs, the Sealed box would not be a good candidate for very large space. Once you get above 3000 cu.ft (in an actual sealed room), Room Gain goes out the door, pretty much. You definitely will want good ported Subs for that use case.

The kitchen's ceiling is smaller due to the loft above it. It's around another 2000 cu.ft. Around 5000 cu. ft. in total for the worst case.

My seating arrangement is pretty static with the subwoofer right behind my chairs.

 

[lovinthehd]

How critical is box size? What are the limits?

 

[aldburg]

How critical is box size? What are the limits?

The biggest limitation is width. No more than 2 feet (24") across. Depth is more flexible with my current arrangement, less than 30". High is flexible. Would like to keep the price around 1500 USD.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Personally I’d buy PSA before Klipsch all day. Every day. Have you talked to Tom? He should be able to find the best sub for your room, and won’t upsell you.

 

[lovinthehd]

What is it about the Klipsch and PSA subs that interests you particularly? Are there any measurements available for the PSA?

 

[ryanosaur]

Are there any measurements available for the PSA?

Haa-Haa-Ha-Ha-Haaaaa!
Measurements for PSA Subs.
Whew, that's a good one.

 

[lovinthehd]

Haa-Haa-Ha-Ha-Haaaaa!
Measurements for PSA Subs.
Whew, that's a good one.

What, Tom doesn't offer any? I remember how he feels about third party measurements....

In any case, @aldburg am more curious why so many others didn't hit your radar.....

 

[aldburg]

What, Tom doesn't offer any? I remember how he feels about third party measurements....

In any case, @aldburg am more curious why so many others didn't hit your radar.....

The recent audioholics review on the Klipsch Reference RP-1600SW seems very promising for performance per dollar ratio. The PSA EV1813M seems like it would fit nicely in my space (22" x 20" x 24" with grille ) even more so than the RP-1600SW (23-9/16"W x 23-7/16"H x 27-7/16"D ). Both seem to be large ported subwoofers that should provide good value for the dollar.

from

 

[lovinthehd]

The recent audioholics review on the Klipsch Reference RP-1600SW seems very promising for performance per dollar ratio. The PSA EV1813M seems like it would fit nicely in my space (22" x 20" x 24" with grille ) even more so than the RP-1600SW (23-9/16"W x 23-7/16"H x 27-7/16"D ). Both seem to be large ported subwoofers that should provide good value for the dollar.

from

Yes, but there are others as well. If the Klipsch were deeply discounted I'd consider it, the PSA would be my preference if just your two choices. However, I'd look at other offerings......I assume you're in the US?

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

What is it about the Klipsch and PSA subs that interests you particularly? Are there any measurements available for the PSA?

Here’s someone’s in room measurements. It’s for a different sub, but there are others out there.

 

[lovinthehd]

Here’s someone’s in room measurements. It’s for a different sub, but there are others out there.

Meh for in room measurements for comparison purposes....unless rooms are fairly similar.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Meh for in room measurements for comparison purposes....unless rooms are fairly similar.

I agree it’s not definitive, or a comprehensive review but I’ve spent enough time in the PSA thread, and had conversations with Tom that I would feel confident buying from him.

 

[lovinthehd]

I agree it’s not definitive, or a comprehensive review but I’ve spent enough time in the PSA thread, and had conversations with Tom that I would feel confident buying from him.

Which ones did you buy?

 

[aldburg]

This is my take on the differences between your current sub and the PSA you're looking at. (I had dual sb3000 in the same room). Take for instance the opening spacecraft scene of Interstellar. The SVS is a sub trying to sound like a space ship and the PSA is liking having a spaceship in your living room. There is a visceral experience the PSA can produce that no other sub or combination of subs, beside maybe a DIY THT Tuba I built years ago, has done.

Music reproduction is the same, it's the difference between listening to a recording and live performance. It feels effortless.

I'm strongly considering the PSA EV1813M, I'm happy to hear that you enjoy it and have used the same subwoofers as me. The hesitation I have is that there aren't a whole lot of reviews on the PSA EV1813M subwoofer.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Which ones did you buy?

I haven’t. My financial status is not in a place to buy anything atm. I also have extension to 14hz, and mostly enough output, and while I would like to upgrade I’m not in a place to do so. When the time comes, if I don’t build my own devastators I will I will definitely consider PSA. I did see a listing on here where a guy who loves closeish is selling three fv15hp’s for 850ea. Would love to pick up all three but even one isn’t happening at the moment.

 

[shadyJ]

GIven your room and enclosure size limitations, I doubt you would use either sub anywhere near their limits. Between those two subs, I would go for the Klipsch. You might also take a look at a dual RSL 12S system, that would give you strong bass down to 16Hz as well as a nice symmetry to your system. Also consider the HsVTF15h mk2 which has a 16hz tuning, or dual Hsu VTF-2 mk5s which have 18Hz tuning frequency. Monoprice's Monollith subs would also knock it out of the park there.