Well, I'm like a broken record around here
But IF you can somehow squeak your way up to $500, plus another $60 for shipping, the Rythmik FV12 is a very clear, and very worthwhile step up over pretty much any sub that costs less. The FV12 is easily my favorite $500 sub because it is the least expensive sub I've heard that doesn't really have any obvious weaknesses. It is accurate. It has good extension - almost right down to 20Hz. It's linear. It's "clean" and "tight" sounding. It's just a very good all around sub for about as low a price as is possible for that kind of performance.
Now, that's not to say all subs below the FV12 in price are "bad". Far from it! It's just a case where there are some rather obvious compromises being made in order to hit a lower price point. Subs that cost less than $500 have to give up something. It might be really deep extension. Or it might be the "tightness" and "cleanliness" of the sound. Personally, I'd much rather take a sub that is "clean" and "tight" and accurate, and doesn't play quite as low vs. a sub that might play a little lower and hit a little harder, but gives up accuracy and tight transient response to do so. But that's just me! If you've been used to a Velodyne though, and given what you say you listen to, I think you'd be better off with the sort of sub that I would prefer.
Personally, in that $400-ish price range, I quite like the
HSU STF-2 a lot. The thing is, I'm not sure if it will have the same loudness of output as the Velodyne that you're replacing. I took a quick peek at the VA-1012's manual and it looks as though the STF-2 SHOULD actually be able to play louder and maybe a touch lower. The VA-1012 is a sealed design with a passive radiator, from what I could tell. The STF-2 is a ported design. A passive radiator works somewhat similarly to a port in that it allows for more movement of air inside the subwoofer's cabinet and produces some output of its own. The STF-2 has a substantially more powerful amp than the VA-1012 though, so that should allow the STF-2 to play louder than the VA-1012 rather easily.
I'm not sure how much of an "upgrade" the STF-2 would really be overall, but just based on the design and specs, it should easily be "just as good" as the sub you're replacing.
As I say, the $500 (+$60 shipping) Rythmik FV12 is a really clear and obvious step up. If you can somehow get your budget up there, I can guarantee you that your VA-1012 never sounded as good as the FV12 would sound. That said, I TOTALLY understand having a budget and needing to stick to it. And I really like the HSU STF-2 a lot. It's what I would certainly pick with $400 max to spend. Based purely on design and specs, I would
expect the STF-2 to outperform your VA-1012. But I wouldn't expect a massive difference or upgrade. The STF-2
should easily have more output and impact though, just based on the amp and the ported design.
Hope that helps!
