Hi, my name is Justin and I have never owned a subwoofer.

[Steve81]

I just saw the PS-1000 described as such:

They are slow, plodding, inarticulate noise makers.

If that's the case, I have much to look forward to.

As you've noted, bandpass isn't known for ultra-high fidelity. I'd expect something like a VTF 3.4 to put it in its place. I'd expect something like a Chase VS 18.1 to blow it into the next neighborhood

At the same time, for a $50 stopgap meant to hold you over while you research and save up, given your impressions here:

Explosions and machine gun fire are pretty impressive, punching me in the chest. I've never experienced that at home before. My wife is going love this.

I'd not spend a lot of time worrying about reviews of your new toy.

 

[GranteedEV]

Okay, I just did a quick calibration with only one mic position. I wanted to see where Audyssey would set the gain on the sub with volume at half. Put it at -5.6db. I'll have to double check...I think I'm good on that.

I put in Iron Man and cranked the volume on the Denon. Previously, I had learned that setting the volume much past -10 was going to cause my front speakers to bottom out in bass heavy content because they were set to full range. Audyssey set the crossover on my Monitor 7s to 40hz and the CC-350 to 60hz. I left them there for now but I found I can actually increase the volume considerably. I had it at 0db in some intense scenes and it was loud. Even with a lot of low frequency stuff, my system did not clip or bottom out of distort in any way. Explosions and machine gun fire are pretty impressive, punching me in the chest. I've never experienced that at home before. My wife is going love this. My God, what would an HSU VTF-3 MK 4 sound like? FUN!

More tweaking ahead. I know this is crazy, but I swear my 65" Panasonic plasma looks BETTER with better sound.

Like I said earlier - I don't believe in auditioning subs as valid. Too many outside factors.

Also K suspect that with your Big Screen background, you're biased towards less deep bass below 35hz. Pro sound subs roll off early and don't benefit from room gain, because they are optimized for output in a very large space. You may find the SVS etc subs to have more deep bass content but don't presume that to be a bad thing. it may simply be content from the original source material.

 

[hjustin]

Like I said earlier - I don't believe in auditioning subs as valid. Too many outside factors.

Also K suspect that with your Big Screen background, you're biased towards less deep bass below 35hz. Pro sound subs roll off early and don't benefit from room gain, because they are optimized for output in a very large space. You may find the SVS etc subs to have more deep bass content but don't presume that to be a bad thing. it may simply be content from the original source material.

That's an interesting point. And that's the listening experience I'm trying to achieve at home...what I'm used to from large, multiplex auditoriums. And that's probably why when I auditioned the GoldenEar Forcefield 4 the other night I kept telling the sales guy that was bass was too much.

My interest in auditioning home audio gear is really to give me a sense of potential, of what is possible.

 

[Jeff R.]

Good decision...do your research and make the big purchase when u r ready.

 

[GranteedEV]

That's an interesting point. And that's the listening experience I'm trying to achieve at home...what I'm used to from large, multiplex auditoriums. And that's probably why when I auditioned the GoldenEar Forcefield 4 the other night I kept telling the sales guy that was bass was too much.

My interest in auditioning home audio gear is really to give me a sense of potential, of what is possible.

Don't get me wrong. Mistuned bass can sound boomy. But it's important to separate boomy bass from deep bass. Deep bass is not normally heard at the multiplex because the systems are simply not capable of reproducing it. it is intentionally cut off to keep away from system overload.

This is the source material for example of one famous-bass scene from Lord of the Rings:

and yet here is the frequency response of one popular Cinema subwoofer:

http://www.jblpro.com/BackOffice/ProductAttachments/4645C.pdf

It`s -15db at 20hz!

 

[hjustin]

Next weekend when the wife and I go see Cloud Atlas at the Rave 16 our friend manages, I'm going to have him take us up in the booth. I'm curious to see what they're doing with their audio since they have gone all digital. When I was still in that business, I never paid much attention to the specifics. But I do recall (and the same is true now) that certain houses sound better than others. And we always try to screen in those particular houses if we can.

This Paradigm should hold me over for a few weeks so I'm going to increase my budget I think and look at the Hsu VTF--15H and see what I would get for my money over the VTF-3 MK4. I'm also going to read up on the Rythmik FV15.

I know this isn't the forum for this question but I'll ask it anyway: how much impact would moving to separates have on my home audio experience? Like maybe the Emotiva amp and pre-pro? Probably opening up a large can of worms with that question.

 

[Steve81]

Like maybe the Emotiva amp and pre-pro? Probably opening up a large can of worms with that question.

The wisdom that I subscribe to is that if you're not driving your system hard enough to cause clipping, there shouldn't be a significant difference in sound between competently design amplifiers (be they separates or part of a receiver). Of course, if you're getting a new subwoofer and you find yourself wanting to push the limits...may not be a bad idea to have more power on tap for your mains to keep up.

In the end though: it depends on your speaker (sensitivity in your room, actual impedance load they present), how loud you want to push them, and how far they are from your listening position.

 

[GranteedEV]

I know this isn't the forum for this question but I'll ask it anyway: how much impact would moving to separates have on my home audio experience? Like maybe the Emotiva amp and pre-pro? Probably opening up a large can of worms with that question.

Not even a fraction as much as the move to better speakers.

 

[anamorphic96]

Next weekend when the wife and I go see Cloud Atlas at the Rave 16 our friend manages, I'm going to have him take us up in the booth. I'm curious to see what they're doing with their audio since they have gone all digital. When I was still in that business, I never paid much attention to the specifics. But I do recall (and the same is true now) that certain houses sound better than others. And we always try to screen in those particular houses if we can.

This Paradigm should hold me over for a few weeks so I'm going to increase my budget I think and look at the Hsu VTF--15H and see what I would get for my money over the VTF-3 MK4. I'm also going to read up on the Rythmik FV15.

I know this isn't the forum for this question but I'll ask it anyway: how much impact would moving to separates have on my home audio experience? Like maybe the Emotiva amp and pre-pro? Probably opening up a large can of worms with that question.

The Paradigm is a good sub and should hold you over longer than you might think. Nice score.

You should hold out for dual VTF-15's. All the low end you would probably ever need and then some.

The Rave 16 will probably have anywhere from 5 to 12 amps per house. 3 of which will be dedicated to the left, center, and right in a bi-amp configuration. One amp per channel. There should be 1 to 4 amps for surrounds and 1 to 4 amps for subs. The number of amps for surrounds and subs will depend on the size of auditorium. Amps will probably be QSC. Maybe Crown. But QSC is in 75-80% of all theatres. Processors will probably be made by Dolby or USL - Ultra Stereo Labs. Speakers will probably be Klipsch, JBL, or QSC.

The processors in cinemas really don't decode anything anymore. They are simply being used to set levels and EQ (B-Chain) the auditorium, and adjust volume. Everything is routed out of the server as 5.1 lossless audio via digital or or analog cable depending on situation and equipment used.

 

[hjustin]

Not even a fraction as much as the move to better speakers.

We watched Rodriguez's Planet Terror last night (which is a Halloween tradition so I've seen it more times than I can remember). The PS-1000 really makes a big difference. I kept wondering how much better it would sound with new speakers.

But, holy moly, there's just so much to choose from it's almost overwhelming. I haven't really looked yet, but maybe there are a few brands that are often recommended above everything else in a given price range....similar to SVS and HSU in the sub arena.

 

[hjustin]

The Paradigm is a good sub and should hold you over longer than you might think. Nice score.

You should hold out for dual VTF-15's. All the low end you would probably ever need and then some.

The Rave 16 will probably have anywhere from 5 to 12 amps per house. 3 of which will be dedicated to the left, center, and right in a bi-amp configuration. One amp per channel. There should be 1 to 4 amps for surrounds and 1 to 4 amps for subs. The number of amps for surrounds and subs will depend on the size of auditorium. Amps will probably be QSC. Maybe Crown. But QSC is in 75-80% of all theatres. Processors will probably be made by Dolby or USL - Ultra Stereo Labs. Speakers will probably be Klipsch, JBL, or QSC.

The processors in cinemas really don't decode anything anymore. They are simply being used to set levels and EQ (B-Chain) the auditorium, and adjust volume. Everything is routed out of the server as 5.1 lossless audio via digital or or analog cable depending on situation and equipment used.

I distinctly remember Crown amps and JBL speakers at the 16-house multi I was at north of Dayton back in 2004/2005. That was before National Amusements sold most of their theaters to Rave.

 

[hjustin]

Here are a few (crappy iPhone) pics so you guys can see what I've been yapping about. Too lazy to get the DSLR out.

 

[Adam]

Hi, Justin. At least for me, your images don't show up. The links use "https" and might be exclusive to you and your logon to your cloud drive. Perhaps there is a "share" link on Amazon's cloud drive that would work here?

 

[Grador]

I kept wondering how much better it would sound with new speakers.

I will warn you, this is the rout to constant upgrades, sometimes "upgrades" and infinite money spent. I try to look at things more along the lines of resolving actual problems in the system, this gives you a little more direction in what you're looking for next and can cut down on the upgraditis a little bit.

 

[Steve81]

I will warn you, this is the rout to constant upgrades, sometimes "upgrades" and infinite money spent. I try to look at things more along the lines of resolving actual problems in the system, this gives you a little more direction in what you're looking for next and can cut down on the upgraditis a little bit.

Can't echo this sentiment enough. There's seemingly always something "better" around the corner; you know how it is: the grass is always greener on the other side. More often than not, without a clear goal in mind, you're getting "different" rather than truly "better".

 

[ratm]

I will warn you, this is the rout to constant upgrades, sometimes "upgrades" and infinite money spent. I try to look at things more along the lines of resolving actual problems in the system, this gives you a little more direction in what you're looking for next and can cut down on the upgraditis a little bit.

Great point.

 

[hjustin]

Tried posting the pics again, after sharing them on Amazon and then on Flickr but they will not show up in when I preview the post. And I can't edit my earlier post so maybe some other time.

Edit...I can post links.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89319361@N07/8132401671/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89319361@N07/8132429160/

 

[hjustin]

Duly noted regarding upgrade-itis. I haven't spent any significant money on home theater audio in ten years or so. I have quite an inventory of old V1 Paradigm stuff...almost enough for two complete 5.1 systems.

So I wonder if my ears would be happier with something new. I'll have to figure that out. I have a lot more brand options available locally for auditioning speakers.

Dynaudio; Focal; NHT; PSB; B&W; Definitive Technology; MartinLogin; Energy; Episode, and new Paradigm stuff.

Local furniture store is blowing out all their Paradigm stuff. They have a floor model CC-390 for $297 and a pair of Monitor 9s (v6, I think) for $600. I just don't want to buy this stuff, get it home, and find out it's no better than what I have. Evaluating this stuff is both fun and frustrating all at once.

 

[Grador]

I've auditioned the mini monitor series 5 and 7, and own series 6. I found the 5 and 6 to be very very similar, and the 7 to be slightly superior.

I've been told by a few people that the monitor series equipment all pretty much sounds like monitor series equipment, going back to series 1. I don't know how true this really is, but from the last several series I find this to be decently true.

If you think you really want a change I would probably look to broader horizons, but if you feel like staying true to the paradigms they could be worth a try?

 

[hjustin]

I've auditioned the mini monitor series 5 and 7, and own series 6. I found the 5 and 6 to be very very similar, and the 7 to be slightly superior.

I've been told by a few people that the monitor series equipment all pretty much sounds like monitor series equipment, going back to series 1. I don't know how true this really is, but from the last several series I find this to be decently true.

If you think you really want a change I would probably look to broader horizons, but if you feel like staying true to the paradigms they could be worth a try?

Broader horizons, indeed. If I do make the leap to something new, I will very likely choose another brand.