Home Stereo is my thing!

[Mister House]

Just starting to build a home stereo. I am not really big into home theater. I currently have the Klipsch Icon XF-48 Powered Mains and I am looking for a sub or 2 subs to go with them. The site recommends some Icon X 10in sealed subs but they are hard to find and I feel are too pricey for a 10in. I am seriously looking for any brand sub at any size and even possibly 2 if need be to over power the low-end of my stereo. I grew up in the Car Audio scene with loud SPL competitions always bringing a smile to my face to I would really want a sub that will "move me" for lack of a better term. Thanks in advance to all suggestions. I am hoping all the great enthusiasts that come to this forum can guide me in the right direction.

 

[j_garcia]

You said pricey, but we don't know what that means to you. How much is pricey; aka what is your budget?

 

[agarwalro]

What is your budget like?

2 of SVS PB-13 Ultra or eD A7-700 or JTR Growler or Captivator or Seaton Sound SubMersive will shake and (re)move that smile right off the face...

 

[griffinconst]

I thought I didn't care about home theater either until I got a 5.1 hooked up. All I have to say is HOLY SH**! It is truly a revelation.

 

[Mister House]

Pricey = $1000 for a 10in sub. I guess in my weird logic I wouldn't mind paying that much for a powered 15in if of course I had too but that is me. I hope this clears it up a bit. Thanks again for showing interest.

 

[AVRat]

How about an 18" Epik Dragon: http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/products.html

 

[Mister House]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Presently I am torn between the A7-700 the SubMersive and the Dragon. I will of course do some more research but I certainly appreciate you helping me in the right direction. Take Care and Thank you a bunch.

 

[lsiberian]

If you competed in Car Audio why not build your own subs for home?

For 1000 bucks you can kick some serious tail.

Do you happen to have any JL Audio drivers or Infinity Kappa Perfect drivers lying around?

The JL Audio 8w7 can get 120db so don't let size fool you either.

In fact I suggest a sealed Audiopulse Axis build for home audio or an LMS.

 

[Mister House]

Thanks for the "build your own" suggestions but I don't think I am that "into it" so to speak. I am not the kind of person that gets satisfaction through hand crafted work. I don't mind wiring up the system but building the equipment just isn't my thing.

 

[DaleAV]

Actually, if I were only be interested in 2ch stereo audio, I would likely have kept my Velodyne DLS5000. 15" of glorious bass....as long as you don't need anything below 30Hz where the response takes a nose dive.
It moves lots of air in the room, and very musical.
Just does not do justice to movies like my Outlaw Audio LFM-1EX (Hsu based design) which was a bargain IMO.

 

[walter duque]

Pricey = $1000 for a 10in sub. I guess in my weird logic I wouldn't mind paying that much for a powered 15in if of course I had too but that is me. I hope this clears it up a bit. Thanks again for showing interest.

For music I would go with a 12" 1000 Watts. I think it would intergrate with your system better than a 15".

 

[Mister House]

I have a really good friend bringing over a 12" powered sub for me to get an idea from this Monday. I will be back here to post any results I come up with.

Secondly I am curious why Walter feels I would do better with a 12" instead of a 15" or even an 18".

P.S. Walter I looked at your pictures and I hate your friend for that room too lol

 

[Mister House]

Ok here we go. I finally had my buddy bring over a 12" 340watt powered sub over and we listened to it for a good while. As I was satisfied with the tonal response of the sub I was not impressed with the air movement per se of the sub. I feel this can be resolved by getting a sub with more wattage and also going with 2 of them. So my question to the experts here particularly Walter
lol does anyone recommend a 12" sub 500 watts or more for around 6 or 7 hundred?? Thanks in advance for all of your guidance.

 

[KEW]

As I was satisfied with the tonal response of the sub I was not impressed with the air movement per se of the sub. I feel this can be resolved by getting a sub with more wattage and also going with 2 of them.

I don't have any answers, but can help with some questions!
Please give as specific examples as you can of what instrument's sound was wrong and in what way. Was it just not loud enough?
Also, let us know what sub you listened to as that could be a factor in your experience.
Last, sub placement in the wrong location in your room can totally destroy the sound quality of even the best sub. Did your friend go through any type of set-up process?

 

[Mister House]

Thank you for the quick response. Like I said my friend just brought his sub over to give me an idea of what I was looking for. We didn't really go through and setup process per se. We set the sub in a forward location and basically just fired the port away from the middle of the room to give the wavelength to mature. Once we turned it and sat back to listen to it I just gave it some minor level adjustments while playing some tracks and basically just made some small decisions based on that. I realize that it may have not been a lot to go on but I have limited resources at this time.

 

[walter duque]

lol does anyone recommend a 12" sub 500 watts or more for around 6 or 7 hundred?? Thanks in advance for all of your guidance.

[/QUOTE]
I am running 2 powered towers (400 watts) each and (2) 1000 watts subs. One is front firing with sidefiring passive radiator and the other one is downfiring, both are 12". I also have a 400 watt downfiring which I am not using right now. The difference I noticed in the downfiring with the more powerfull amp is very noticible. Very thight sub. For a good 1000 watt sub you might have to spend a little more then $700.00 because the amp runs over $500.00 and a good driver is around 3-4 hundred and that's without the enclosure. On the used market I am sure you can pick one up for that price, new I don't think so.

 

[AVRat]

What sub? A well designed sub in the wrong location or a poorly designed sub in the right location may both provide terrible results. Any of the already recommended subs are well designed, taking the enclosure, drivers, and amp into consideration.

The only one that comes to mind under $700 is the Epik Vanquish which is a sealed design but still provides good low end extension.

 

[walter duque]

What sub? A well designed sub in the wrong location or a poorly designed sub in the right location may both provide terrible results. Any of the already recommended subs are well designed, taking the enclosure, drivers, and amp into consideration.

Very good point, location is very important.

 

[Mister House]

walter duque;620377
One is front firing with sidefiring passive radiator and the other one is downfiring, both are 12".

I am curious Walter did you plan on these 2 different types of subs or did you just happen to end up with them? Do you feel that the 2 different times of enclosures compliment each other? Do you think you would get more if you had 2 matching sub enclosures?

 

[Mister House]

A well designed sub in the wrong location or a poorly designed sub in the right location may both provide terrible results.

Is there a science to placing a sub? Or is the best way just to keep moving it around the room till the sweet spot appears?