HT Subwoofer Opinions

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L

Luth

Enthusiast
I'm trying to get a "decent" (read: cheap, but not so bad that it makes my ears bleed) sub to tide my HT over until I can work up the nerve (and scratch) to get a F113. There are two on CL at the moment, but since I know next to nothing about subs in general, its nearly impossible for me to distinguish based on a brand or model which is the better of the two.

Anyway, I'm babbling. The two subs are:
1) JBL CS80
Described as:
Frequency Response 35Hz – 120Hz (–6dB)
Low-Frequency Driver 8" (200mm) Woofer, bass-reflex enclosure
Weight 38 lb (17.3kg)

2) NHT SW2P and MA-1A Powered Subwoofer
(no description with listing, but they had a bunch of pictures)

The room I'm using it in is 17'x12', carpeted. If I knew any more, I'd tell more, but that's about all I've got.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 
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tomd51

tomd51

Audioholic General
In addition to the budget, it might help if you can tell us whether it will be used for mostly HT, music, both and if both, what percentage (e.g. 50/50 Music/HT, 80/20 M/HT, etc.) for which you intend to use it.

If you plan to use it for HT, I would suggest making sure it can get down to 28Hz or lower, preferrably as close to 20Hz as you can get w/in your budget. If it's mostly/only music, how low its going to dig won't be as critical.

That's a decent sized room, so you're likely going to want to go with something larger as the cost for a quality sub in a smaller enclosure is generally more expensive... -TD
 
ivseenbetter

ivseenbetter

Senior Audioholic
I’m saying you should purchase the MFW-15 from AV123. I have no basis for saying that other than the fact that it is what I bought.  If you provide some more detail we might be able to suggest others though.
 
jinjuku

jinjuku

Moderator
Luth said:
I'm trying to get a "decent" (read: cheap, but not so bad that it makes my ears bleed) sub to tide my HT over until I can work up the nerve (and scratch) to get a F113. There are two on CL at the moment, but since I know next to nothing about subs in general, its nearly impossible for me to distinguish based on a brand or model which is the better of the two.

Anyway, I'm babbling. The two subs are:
1) JBL CS80
Described as:
Frequency Response 35Hz – 120Hz (–6dB)
Low-Frequency Driver 8" (200mm) Woofer, bass-reflex enclosure
Weight 38 lb (17.3kg)

2) NHT SW2P and MA-1A Powered Subwoofer
(no description with listing, but they had a bunch of pictures)

The room I'm using it in is 17'x12', carpeted. If I knew any more, I'd tell more, but that's about all I've got.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
You could save a few $K by going with Epik or Elemental Designs. Same or better output, less money. They only thing you don't get is the bragging rights to say you bought a JL F113 (and paid through the nose for it).
 
L

Luth

Enthusiast
Sorry for not getting back sooner. The two subs listed above were listed as the same price on CL ($250), so it really is a This One or That One choice. As for the f113 and other high-ends, that wont be for quite awhile, really; I'll be back to talk about them in a few months. For now, I'd just like to grab one of these two this weekend to enjoy for the next few months. :)

As far as Use is considered, 60% video games / 40% movies. I've never just listened to music in that room, though my wife does... but she turns it up loud so she can hear it while working upstairs. ;-)

I'll be using this through an Onkyo TX-SR605 with 5 paradigm speakers.

*edit*
Well, the NHT SW2P and MA-1A was sold before I got an email off. I guess I have my selection by default, huh? ;P
This is a very selfish request, but if anyone wants to look at my local CL listings and see if they spot a better deal real quick, I'd appreciate it and... I dunno, can you send 6-packs over the internet yet? I just lack the experience to be able to look at a sub and say "Yes, thats good" or "Nope, thats a piece of junk." :(
 
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L

Luth

Enthusiast
AVRat said:
I would've chosen the NHT. How about an AV123 X-sub instead? Cheaper and better performance. http://av123.com/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,41/category_id,9/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,37/
Click to expand...
Thanks for the recommendation. :)

As I keep stating, my audio IQ is low enough to trip over, but unless there's a healthy backing for a particular speaker (or sub) from a few of you audio geniuses, I find it really hard to buy something without having the chance to hear it first. Ya know what I mean? I may not know specs, but I'd like to think that I can at least say "yeah, that sounds good" or "no, that's... that's just giving me a headache.":eek:

I'll call my local speaker retailer and see if they carry this (or anything in its line). Does anyone else have comments on the AV123, or any other sub-$300 sub I should put my meager researching skills to?:confused:
 
R

rnatalli

Audioholic Ninja
Stretch a little and grab a b-stock HSU STF-2 sub. A couple other options are the new Dayton HSU subs from Partsexpress (although I think they won't have them till August) and the BIC H-100.
 
L

Luth

Enthusiast
See, this is where I get so lost. :-/ You experts/entusiasts/audioholics recommend what I'm sure are great subs, and all within my price range... but I cant tell them apart. I have no idea why one would be better than the other. Yeah, I can compare numbers (This one says 20Hz+, that one says 40Hz+) but I'm sure there is more to know than that.

Would you mind, terribly, explaining briefly why you would take that sub as opposed to any of the others suggested?
 
R

rnatalli

Audioholic Ninja
Luth said:
See, this is where I get so lost. :-/ You experts/entusiasts/audioholics recommend what I'm sure are great subs, and all within my price range... but I cant tell them apart. I have no idea why one would be better than the other. Yeah, I can compare numbers (This one says 20Hz+, that one says 40Hz+) but I'm sure there is more to know than that.

Would you mind, terribly, explaining briefly why you would take that sub as opposed to any of the others suggested?
Click to expand...
That's because there are a fair amount of good subs in any given price range. If you want easy, simply buy anything from HSU and SVS and you can't go wrong.
 
L

Luth

Enthusiast
Are there retailers that carry this Dayton, or is it strictly order-n-ship? I have one audio retailer that I go to around here for demoing products, but they typically carry the really expensive stuff. (I only ask because the cost of shipping a sub raises the price a full 30%.)

AVRat recommended an M&K V-125 which is selling on my local CraigsList for $300. Is it worth the extra $100 to get this sub, or is this Dayton going to out perform it?
 
L

Luth

Enthusiast
Mazer, have you heard either of these personally, the Dayton or the Cadence?
 
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