best HT sub under $1000

[Darrick M]

Hey all, I am building a house with a dedicated theater room so thought that it was the time to upgrade my subwoofer.

The room is 14*18*8' and enclosed by a door, no windows. (in basement)

if it matters I will be upgrading my fronts to Klipsch rp-8000f's and have the Klipsch rp-500c new in the box(recent sale for $230 ish) . I will also move my current Klipsch tower fronts (not sure on model as they are in the pod- r-24F i think?) to the side surrounds and Klipsch R-41M will be the rear surrounds. (again nib from sale)

It will be mainly used for movies and gaming on the ps5 (mostly movies)

The ones that caught my eye were the pb-3000, sb-3000 and SVS 3000 micro as well as the vtf-3 mk5. The vtf-3 mk5 is about $1050 shipped (with the 5 yr warranty added) to me where the sb-3000 and micro will be under $1000 especially because I can wait for an outlet sale/black Friday. From the reviews, the SVS 3000 range are all very impressive and likely good enough for what I am wanting but unfortunately cannot test any of these subs to hear for myself. (and I likely will only have 1 sub to start) I searched the web and youtube reviews but i don't really see any of these subs compared against each other. From what I read was the vtf-3 mk5 was the "value leader" but that was before the 3000 series came out. Does anyone have any hands on comparing these to each other? For my space will the sb-3000 be enough and anything more overkill/diminishing returns? I'm looking for the best bang for buck without "needing" to upgrade down the road and am open to other subs or cheaper ones that would work great in my area as well.

To me, if I heard them all and they were all very close the sb-3000 for the $150+ savings on sale would be the way I would go. BUT, if the vtf-3 mk5 was noticeably better I would happily spend the extra for it. (not sure if they ever go on sale, but like I said I can wait)

 

[Pogre]

From the reviews, the SVS 3000 range are all very impressive and likely good enough for what I am wanting but unfortunately cannot test any of these subs to hear for myself.

Actually you can. SVS offers a 45 day risk free trial period, full refund, shipping paid both ways, no questions asked. You could order 1 of every sub they make, try them all out and keep only the one you like. Now, that's an extreme example, but we had a guy who did order 2 or 3 different models and did just that. Kept the one he liked best.

Now, to make things a little bit easier on you, I'd forget about any sealed designs. Ported is always the better choice unless restricted by space limitations. To make things even a little easier I think the VTF-3 MK5 is the best bang for buck of your choices. I own a pair of them and they're legit. Clean, powerful and linear. Great performance for the money.

 

[shadyJ]

You can eliminate the SB-3000 and 3000 Micro from your consideration in that pool of choices. The PB-3000 and VTF-3 mk5 are far more powerful subwoofers. The VTF-3 mk5 and PB-3000 look to be about on par with each other as performance goes, with the PB-3000 having the added feature of app control. The primary advantage of these large ported subs versus the sealed subs is deep bass. The sealed subs will struggle with deep bass.

 

[Darrick M]

Actually you can. SVS offers a 45 day risk free trial period, full refund, shipping paid both ways, no questions asked. You could order 1 of every sub they make, try them all out and keep only the one you like. Now, that's an extreme example, but we had a guy who did order 2 or 3 different models and did just that. Kept the one he liked best.

Now, to make things a little bit easier on you, I'd forget about any sealed designs. Ported is always the better choice unless restricted by space limitations. To make things even a little easier I think the VTF-3 MK5 is the best bang for buck of your choices. I own a pair of them and they're legit. Clean, powerful and linear. Great performance for the money.

I am not restricted by space really but bang for buck is highest on my list. Do i have the money for a $2000 sub sure, but i would rather spend money on other things if i can be happy with less. anything cheaper that is a better "value" IYO?

 

[Pogre]

You can eliminate the SB-3000 and 3000 Micro from your consideration in that pool of choices. The PB-3000 and VTF-3 mk5 are far more powerful subwoofers. The VTF-3 mk5 and PB-3000 look to be about on par with each other as performance goes, with the PB-3000 having the added feature of app control. The primary advantage of these large ported subs versus the sealed subs is deep bass. The sealed subs will struggle with deep bass.

Brilliant advice shady!

 

[Darrick M]

You can eliminate the SB-3000 and 3000 Micro from your consideration in that pool of choices. The PB-3000 and VTF-3 mk5 are far more powerful subwoofers. The VTF-3 mk5 and PB-3000 look to be about on par with each other as performance goes, with the PB-3000 having the added feature of app control. The primary advantage of these large ported subs versus the sealed subs is deep bass. The sealed subs will struggle with deep bass.

i saw this in other forums but then saw that you cant really hear anything under 20hz (for most people?) the main thing i was seeing from ported is more boom in bigger spaces which i wasnt sure i needed....

 

[Pogre]

I am not restricted by space really but bang for buck is highest on my list. Do i have the money for a $2000 sub sure, but i would rather spend money on other things if i can be happy with less. anything cheaper that is a better "value" IYO?

Right now I think the best value, "bang for buck" as I said, the VTF-3 MK5. Now if you can get a deal on a PB3000 for the same price or less that would work also. I'm pretty sure HSU will be the price winner between the 2 tho, even factoring shipping.

 

[Pogre]

i saw this in other forums but then saw that you cant really hear anything under 20hz (for most people?) the main thing i was seeing from ported is more boom in bigger spaces which i wasnt sure i needed....

Humans don't hear much below 20 hz, but you can for sure feel it. There's a tactile quality with deep bass like that. It adds weight, depth and texture.

 

[Darrick M]

Humans don't hear much below 20 hz, but you can for sure feel it. There's a tactile quality with deep bass like that. It adds weight, depth and texture.

gotcha, so i want ported then. I would imagine feeling the bass adds to the movie experience which I would want. thank you, this helped. Any input on the vtf-15h vs VTF-3 MK5 for movies?

 

[Pogre]

I am not restricted by space really but bang for buck is highest on my list. Do i have the money for a $2000 sub sure, but i would rather spend money on other things if i can be happy with less. anything cheaper that is a better "value" IYO?

I'd be looking at a pair of subs with a $2k budget. Dual subs help deal with room modes for linear bass across a larger seating area. I think you could get away with a pair of VTF-2 MK5s in your room, tho a pair of VTF-3 MK5s wouldn't hurt. The latter cost me less than $1800 shipped and I have zero regrets. I'm glad I went big. There's no replacement for displacement!

 

[Pogre]

gotcha, so i want ported then. I would imagine feeling the bass adds to the movie experience which I would want. thank you, this helped. Any input on the vtf-15h vs VTF-3 MK5 for movies?

They're both very, very close. The VTF-15H uses a slightly bigger box, but the same driver and amp. Performance wise it will play slightly deeper than the VTF-3, but they're really virtually the same. Aesthetically the VTF-15H is the nicer looking of the 2.