4 uls-15 mk2’s vs 4 pb-2000’s

[Reckel]

Hi guys. I’m new to the forum but I want to upgrade from my existing subs to either 4 uls-15 mk2’s or 4 pb-2000’s, appreciate any advice. I’m running 4 pl-200’s now and I know they’re budget subs but when I bought them 5yrs ago that’s what I could afford at the time after moving into a new house.

 

[lovinthehd]

Why the comparison between four ported 12's vs four sealed 15's? What do you want in the way of extension? SPL? What are your room details? Size of sub box matters not?

 

[shadyJ]

Hi guys. I’m new to the forum but I want to upgrade from my existing subs to either 4 uls-15 mk2’s or 4 pb-2000’s, appreciate any advice. I’m running 4 pl-200’s now and I know they’re budget subs but when I bought them 5yrs ago that’s what I could afford at the time after moving into a new house.

Both would be good choices, but they have different advantages. The PB-2000s would have more deep bass output but the ULS-15s would have more mid-bass output. Review of ULS-15 mk2 and review of PC-2000 (it will have nearly the same exact performance as the PB-2000, the only difference is shape of the enclosure which will not impact performance). The PB-2000s have more output below 30 Hz and the ULS-15s have a lot more output above 30 Hz.

 

[Reckel]

I’ve read bunch of reviews on both and both have good reviews. I do watch a lot of movies but I also listen to music while drinking at the bar in basement. Movies would be my main concern but I also want music to sound good. I’ve read on the mk2’s that if you had multiples that it would be pretty sweet for movies but if you’re saying that the pb’s/mk2’s would be fairly similar, it sounds like a toss up between the two

 

[Reckel]

I don’t want massive boxes like a pb-16, solid extension to 20hz or lower and my listening room is 2000 cubic ft but the left side of it opens up to the rest of basement so maybe a total of 5-6000 cubic ft. My speakers are rp-260f 440c 240s’s n 150m’s for rears

 

[lovinthehd]

For movies particularly I'd rather think about four of Hsu's ported subs (VTF-3 mk5s or VTF-15Hs), than the ULS15s unless size is an issue (especially 5-6000 cft...subs work with the volume open to them rather than the speakers which are more about your distance from them at your listening position) plus they have variable tuning if you want them to act more as sealed units.

 

[Reckel]

Any other subs I should be considering for spending $3-$3200 to get 4 of them

 

[Reckel]

I was actually looking at those too

 

[lovinthehd]

The base dual drive option for two VTF3 mk5s is 1549 plus 192 shipping. If you ask for four I suspect you could get an additional discount. Probably with your budget what I'd be looking at as long as you can accommodate them in your room. If you need smaller I doubt the ULS15s would disappoint you altho may not be as capable in their range at/above tuning.

 

[Reckel]

Yes there is room for the mk5’s. I’d send a pic of the room but haven’t figured out how to do that yet. Would you say hsu is better than svs or equal in some areas?

 

[lovinthehd]

Yes there is room for the mk5’s. I’d send a pic of the room but haven’t figured out how to do that yet. Would you say hsu is better than svs or equal in some areas?

Personally I'd go DIY for value (and do). I like Hsu more than SVS as long as you don't want/need the trial period thing I don't think SVS is the value leader they once were, tho.

 

[Reckel]

Thx guys. I don’t just wanna settle on the uls15s if they’re not gonna hit hard like I want. Wife would probably want the sealed box but I won’t be in trouble for the mk5s (hopefully)

 

[Reckel]

Shadyj, I remember reading a post from you on here about the uls15s being a monster system with 4 some time ago that was posted last year. Do you still have same opinion or they’re really not gonna compete with quality ported subs?

 

[shadyJ]

Shadyj, I remember reading a post from you on here about the uls15s being a monster system with 4 some time ago that was posted last year. Do you still have same opinion or they’re really not gonna compete with quality ported subs?

Four ULS-15 mk2s would be a monster system, but sealed subs do not have the same response as ported subs. At 40 Hz and above the ULS-15 is brutal, and I would guess its the highest performing sealed sub in its price class. But the VTF-3 mk5 and VTF15 mk2 use largely the same driver and amplifier in a ported cabinet, so they have all of that monster mid bass power but with a lot more deep bass output afforded by the ports. In deep bass frequencies, a sealed subwoofer can not compete with a larger ported subwoofer, everything else being equal.

 

[KEW]

Any other subs I should be considering for spending $3-$3200 to get 4 of them

How big is the room they will go in?
Have you done the sub crawl with your current subs?
What AVR do you use?

I'd defer to ShadyJ who is familiar with them, but I'd wait until Black Friday and see if Outlaw Audio does anything special with their Ultra X12's!

 

[Reckel]

Four ULS-15 mk2s would be a monster system, but sealed subs do not have the same response as ported subs. At 40 Hz and above the ULS-15 is brutal, and I would guess its the highest performing sealed sub in its price class. But the VTF-3 mk5 and VTF15 mk2 use largely the same driver and amplifier in a ported cabinet, so they have all of that monster mid bass power but with a lot more deep bass output afforded by the ports. In deep bass frequencies, a sealed subwoofer can not compete with a larger ported subwoofer, everything else being equal.

Thx shady, appreciate you responding. Sorry man I fell asleep last night to World Series game. I’m just going back n forth trying to decide what to get. Someone else suggested an outlaw sub but that one seems to me that it would be comparable to the vtf2 mk5 right? I would assume both are good subs, this hobby drives me crazy

 

[Reckel]

How big is the room they will go in?
Have you done the sub crawl with your current subs?
What AVR do you use?

I'd defer to ShadyJ who is familiar with them, but I'd wait until Black Friday and see if Outlaw Audio does anything special with their Ultra X12's!

What’s up man. Listening room is 2000cft but left side of it opens up to rest of basement which is probably two more of my listening room, maybe 5-6000cft. I didn’t crawl, 2 are up front next to my stand inside the towers n 2 are behind my second row of seats on riser. Using Yamaha 860 with outlaw 5000 amp, speakers are klipsch 260f 440c 240s n 150m. Isn’t the x12 comparable to the vtf2 mk5?

 

[Reckel]

Thx shady, appreciate you responding. Sorry man I fell asleep last night to World Series game. I’m just going back n forth trying to decide what to get. Someone else suggested an outlaw sub but that one seems to me that it would be comparable to the vtf2 mk5 right? I would assume both are good subs, this hobby drives me crazy

I’m not opposed to spending less as long as I get sweet bass n I’m sure anything I step up to will be better than what I have now, which honestly is sounds pretty good in the uppers but I’m pretty sure I’m missing out on the lower end

 

[KEW]

What’s up man. Listening room is 2000cft but left side of it opens up to rest of basement which is probably two more of my listening room, maybe 5-6000cft. I didn’t crawl, 2 are up front next to my stand inside the towers n 2 are behind my second row of seats on riser. Using Yamaha 860 with outlaw 5000 amp, speakers are klipsch 260f 440c 240s n 150m. Isn’t the x12 comparable to the vtf2 mk5?

You should really do the crawl with your current subs! Unless they are one-note wonders, you will likely find the best locations for your new subs as well and that may inform you on size. Don't underestimate the effect of the room on how your bass sounds. Your current subs may be better than you realize. Of course, WAF and room layout may limit you. In one set-up I put a 12" sealed sub on top of a 6' tall cabinet. It took a fair amount of felt pads to get rid of vibrations in that cabinet, but it worked out better than any of the "on the floor" options.

IME, having good subwoofage in the main listening area works fine. My LR is open to the office, kitchen, and dining rooms as well as a large foyer and two stories tall. I am not about to buy subwoofers as required to properly pressurize such a large area, but am pretty happy with the bass I get from 4 sealed 15" subs. OTOH, I am not a hard-core bass head.
@shadyJ can better advise you on how the X12's compare to the Hsu models and how much sub you may need, I just wanted to mention the Outlaw as people don't always think about them and when they are on sale, they are probably the best value (if they will work for your situation)!

 

[Reckel]

You should really do the crawl with your current subs! Unless they are one-note wonders, you will likely find the best locations for your new subs as well and that may inform you on size. Don't underestimate the effect of the room on how your bass sounds. Your current subs may be better than you realize. Of course, WAF and room layout may limit you. In one set-up I put a 12" sealed sub on top of a 6' tall cabinet. It took a fair amount of felt pads to get rid of vibrations in that cabinet, but it worked out better than any of the "on the floor" options.

IME, having good subwoofage in the main listening area works fine. My LR is open to the office, kitchen, and dining rooms as well as a large foyer and two stories tall. I am not about to buy subwoofers as required to properly pressurize such a large area, but am pretty happy with the bass I get from 4 sealed 15" subs. OTOH, I am not a hard-core bass head.
@shadyJ can better advise you on how the X12's compare to the Hsu models and how much sub you may need, I just wanted to mention the Outlaw as people don't always think about them and when they are on sale, they are probably the best value (if they will work for your situation)!

I’m not a hard-core bass head either and I’m not spending 5k on subs but I do want to be hit in the chest on movies. My subs now are 4 bic pl-200’s, they’re good budget subs but imo they’re not true subwoofers. They sound pretty good with the upper end but I think they’re limited in the lower end. I did forget about outlaw, looking at their numbers the x12/vtf2 look comparable and trust me I’d spend less if I’m getting quality. I think anything I get would be an upgrade to what I have now