Looking for Sub under 1000$. Room 20x20x20 (8000cuft)

[rkalluri]

Hello folks,

Please please help me with trying to decide on a sub for sub 1K price range for this family room, 20x20x20 and opens into kitchen and foyer. 50% music 50% movies.

VTF-15H, POLK micropro 4000 ? or anything else?

Going crazy reading up all the various suggestions

Thanks
Ram

 

[zumbo]

Just a recommendation to research.

God I hate having to put disclaimers with my posts.

http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/empire.html

Dual Legends.

http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/legend.html

What I use is a NHT SW12. It's a very musical sub, and works very well for HT. I would prefer a sealed unit, which the new model is.
http://www.nhthifi.com/Subwoofer-home-theater-B-12d?sc=12&category=3779

http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/nht-b-10d-b-12d-subwoofers

 

[shadyJ]

polk micro is awful, doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the VTF-15H. For $1k, VTF-15H is your best bet, but there are other good subs, like Epik Empire and Rythmik FV15. The VTF-15H will probably pound the hardest, and in a 8000 cubic foot room, there isn't any other sub I would consider with $1k. Even the VTF-15H will need some careful placement and calibration to get decent bass in a room of that size.

 

[Warpdrv]

It's going to take more then 1 sub to pressurize that room.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Dual eD A5s-300 will cost you 1000k and you get free shipping too.
Or dual Epic Legends....
For both cases you'd have to wait a while....
Yea, Forget about Polk subs. period.

 

[sholling]

It's going to take more then 1 sub to pressurize that room.

+1, that's a lot of cubic feet.

 

[timoteo]

+1 for the VTF-15H!!

I've hear it myself & can attest to its precision, power & for the $ I really feel its the one to beat. IF size is an issue, because it is enormous, then fork out another $100 for the ULS-15. I LOVE sealed subs & having heard the ULS I can highly recommend it also. Rolls off sooner but has a great kick to it. At 18" cubed its a sleak "little" guy too!!

Your on the right track with the ones you've listed so your gonna end up with something nice.

Happy Huntin!

 

[Matt34]

Nobody has answered my question yet... why the hate for Polk? They make a very good product. I know they made a few turkeys, but so has everybody else in the world of audio.

From what I've seen of the micro series, they are a good sub if space is limited but a bad choice in this case with such a large space to fill.

For a single sub solution the HSU VTF-15 is probably going to give you the most output.

For duals I'd look at a couple SVS PB-10nsd, eD's A2-300 or Epik Legends.

If it was my room, I'd save a little more and get one of these and a Behringer EP2500 to power it. About $1500 total.

http://jtrspeakers.com/home-audio/captivator/

 

[rkalluri]

Thanks all for your quick responses. This is great; everyone is putting their heart into this. Fun.

Want to keep it to single sub because of the wiring issues. But just now wife freaked out at the size of HSU VTF-15. All the sealed subs recommendations are duals mostly. Any singles that can fill this room, around for 1k.

 

[Matt34]

Thanks all for your quick responses. This is great; everyone is putting their heart into this. Fun.

Want to keep it to single sub because of the wiring issues. But just now wife freaked out at the size of HSU VTF-15. All the sealed subs recommendations are duals mostly. Any singles that can fill this room, around for 1k.

If you're looking to buy now, two of the Emotiva 12's should get you started. Your going to loose a lot of the sub-30hz effects with this sealed alignment but it should give you some decent impact.

The Epik Empire or eD A7s-450, while not necessarily considered small, are not as big as the HSU and would be some other good, single-sub choices that are in stock.

Edit: It's a good time to be sub-woofer shopping, there is a sizable selection of subs available both from ID, the used market and even some B&M brands.

 

[jinjuku]

Nobody has answered my question yet... why the hate for Polk? They make a very good product. I know they made a few turkeys, but so has everybody else in the world of audio.

Speaking prior generation Polk Subs, even Polk employees will agree their sub offerings were a consistent weak spot in their line up.

It may take couple of generations for their subs to shake that general malaise that people tend to have.

I think the other problem (and I personally don't quite get this) is that the LSi 9's and up really need external amplification. So people into audio are scratching their heads and pondering:

I have to get $500-$700 amplification to drive a $1000 MTM with 5.25" woofers to realize what the can really do? Not saying it's right, and it IS conjecture on my part. I would personally ask someone how they sound comparatively when it is all said and done.

For the OP: I would look at the Elemental Designs being suggested. Solid build, like a tank.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I think the other problem (and I personally don't quite get this) is that the LSi 9's and up really need external amplification. So people into audio are scratching their heads and pondering:

I have to get $500-$700 amplification to drive a $1000 MTM with 5.25" woofers to realize what the can really do? Not saying it's right, and it IS conjecture on my part. I would personally ask someone how they sound comparatively when it is all said and done.
.

LSI/9 - funny enough -few years ago I auditioned multiple Polk shelfs at B&M Polk dealer and I found only the LSi/9 to my liking - unfortunately they there way out of my price point
Probably same goes for sub, they crappy, unless you get to really expensive models.. but then you could just get same performance from cheaper Internet direct companies.

 

[zumbo]

Thanks all for your quick responses. This is great; everyone is putting their heart into this. Fun.

Want to keep it to single sub because of the wiring issues. But just now wife freaked out at the size of HSU VTF-15. All the sealed subs recommendations are duals mostly. Any singles that can fill this room, around for 1k.

The NHT I recommended is 14" cubed, single, and under 1k.

My room is 34' x 20'. I have an exposed beam ceiling, with no attic. It is as far from an ideal ht room as you can get. I have had my NHT SW12 sub for eight trouble-free years, and it does a very respectable job. My sub is paired with a five speaker tower system. I have an amp pushing 175w x five to my speakers. Sub keeps-up just fine.

http://www.nhthifi.com/Subwoofer-home-theater-B-12d?sc=12&category=3779

 

[jinjuku]

You could look at the Dayton C1500K 15" sealed kit. It requires just basic assembly at $320 per.

I think the bottom line is getting more sub which means more $'s. But just a few more

 

[KEW]

Thanks all for your quick responses. This is great; everyone is putting their heart into this. Fun.

Want to keep it to single sub because of the wiring issues. But just now wife freaked out at the size of HSU VTF-15. All the sealed subs recommendations are duals mostly. Any singles that can fill this room, around for 1k.

I think some people overlooked your need to keep it to a single sub, though I really don't understand why you would let the wiring be an issue. It is only a matter of adding a Y splitter. Two sealed subs are easier to "hide" (WAF) that one ported sub.

 

[sholling]

+1 for the VTF-15H!!

I've hear it myself & can attest to its precision, power & for the $ I really feel its the one to beat. IF size is an issue, because it is enormous, then fork out another $100 for the ULS-15. I LOVE sealed subs & having heard the ULS I can highly recommend it also. Rolls off sooner but has a great kick to it. At 18" cubed its a sleak "little" guy too!!

Your on the right track with the ones you've listed so your gonna end up with something nice.

Happy Huntin!

A single ULS-15 isn't going to pressurize 8000cuft but two might. The VTF-15 might, but since it's 8000cuft plus the substantial areas (kitchen and foyer) that open into that room I think it will take two.

OP

This is where an irresistible force (WAF) bumps solidly into an immovable object - the laws of physics. In order to fill a room with bass you need to move a lot of air and the larger the total cubic footage the more that you have to move and that means some combination of size and raw power. Since the budget and wife aren't going to allow you to have enough subwoofer(s) to completely fill the room then the fall back is near field placement. Perhaps use two medium sized subs as end tables which would put them close enough to give adequate bass at the seating position. Using a pair of Outlaw's LFM-1 EX subwoofers as end tables would be slightly over budget but might be a solution.

 

[jinjuku]

Duh, another option is have a cabinet builder to a Table Tuba.

The driver and amplification costs are so nominal with this unit I don't see why a cabinet maker wouldn't be able to deliver for the the costs we are talking about.

 

[shadyJ]

Sholling makes a excellent point. The LFM EX's themselves are pretty large though (not as large as the VTF-15H), I think if you went that way, you could just as easily use the LFM Plus subs, and not lose too much performance, and keep closer to your original budget. But a one sub solution with a size limit and a budget limit in a room like that is mostly a no-win scenario. Near-field placement is the only way out that I can think of. The Hsu VTF2 and VTF3 subs are terrific for this as well.

 

[timoteo]

O.K I think I have your answer. This is what I would do if I were you (so it probably isnt anywhere near what you will do)

Get the HSU ULS-15 for $1099. You will get a great sub that is small yet very mighty. This will be just to get you by for a little while. Though you wont regret the buy, you may crave a little more punch after a bit. In the mean time you will have saved another $499 & you can go back to HSU & grab one of their MBM-12 subs. Now you may be thinking, "why would I mix a 15" & a 12"?"

With HSU their subs can be tuned to produce only certain frequencies. So you put the ULS-15 up front by your mains & you place the MBM-12 near your listening position. The MBM-12 is a Mid-Bass-Module tuned to pick up where your mains leave off (say 80hz) & only goes down to 50Hz. However, what it does in that range is UNREALl!! You will get slapped silly... At the same time you have the ULS-15 pick up right where the MBM-12 leaves off (50hz) & since you just free'd up quite a bit of power on the ULS-15, by releaving it of mid-bass duties, it's sound will improve even more giving you the low end you want.

Another advantage is that mid-bass is best near you & low bass needs room to breath. So having the ULS up front (or somewhere a little farther than the MBM) the sound wave has space to "stretch out" & sound very nice!

Well I hope this little tid-bit at least helps you somewhat in making a decision whatever it may be. I know you are looking to do this with 1 sub but honestly you should consider it, because you have a lot of space & to fill it properly is gonna be very hard to do with one driver. The MBM is even smaller then the ULS & can easily fit behind a couch or hidden somewhere.

Thats all Ive got for now buddy!!

 

[Warpdrv]

Don't get a small sealed sub for that size room - you'll be sorry.
Ported 15 at the least. Then add another later.