Best Sub available in UK for under £500?

[alphawave]

Will be used for music only.

Room size is 3.25m x 3.25m (2.88m high). In feet that's 10 feet 8 in x 10 feet 8 in (9 feet 6 high). I get that to roughly 1000 cubic feet

Would like to get as close to 20 Hz as possible. Looks not important

Hit me with 'em.

 

[its phillip]

Probably this:
SVS PB-1000 Black - Subwoofer - Speakers
or this:
SVS SB-1000 Black - Subwoofer - Speakers

But I don't know how much shipping or tax would be for you.

 

[jkgsxr]

500 euros is about 640 us dollars don't know what's avaliable in uk? Check on psa, hsu, svs, and rythmik see what's available in your price range. They are all well liked sub manufacturers here.

 

[alphawave]

By available in UK I mean that I can buy in the UK ie not spending money on shipping and tax.

 

[TLS Guy]

By available in UK I mean that I can buy in the UK ie not spending money on shipping and tax.

Most people on this forum have no clue of the UK market. Trying to ship a sub from the US would be fraught with risk and difficulty. If there are code problems it will be confiscated at HMC.

Pretty much across the board European subs are very inferior to US ones.

Don't be too fixated on bass extension, a 3db point of 25 Hz is fine. What you need to worry about is spl level in the last octave. Reliability is also an issue. Subs tend to be the most unreliable audio devices around, especially at the lower price points.

Having said that in your price range I do think there is a clear winner, in terms of what I outlined above. I would go for the Tannoy TS2.12.

It is a little above your price range but no by much.

 

[GIEGAR]

Hi Alphawave, I thought you were set on the BK XLS200-FF MK2. Did the speculation about it's output in your other thread make you nervous?

For your 100% music usage and room size, I maintain that the BK will be perfectly fine. It also has all the connections and adjustments you need. If you have second thoughts about it's output, ring BK and quiz them about the maximum SPL it produces while maintaining the published frequency response and reasonable distortion levels.

Given your increased budget, you could step up to the BK XXLS400-FF to be 100% sure. However, to increase your chances of a uniform bass response, I'd encourage you to aim for dual XLS200's ultimately; one now and a second later on when funds permit.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi Alphawave, I thought you were set on the BK XLS200-FF MK2. Did the speculation about it's output in your other thread make you nervous?

For your 100% music usage and room size, I maintain that the BK will be perfectly fine. It also has all the connections and adjustments you need. If you have second thoughts about it's output, ring BK and quiz them about the maximum SPL it produces while maintaining the published frequency response and reasonable distortion levels.

Given your increased budget, you could step up to the BK XXLS400-FF to be 100% sure. However, to increase your chances of a uniform bass response, I'd encourage you to aim for dual XLS200's ultimately; one now and a second later on when funds permit.

The trouble with that outfit is that they do not state the power at 20 Hz.

I have personally modeled that Peerless driver and get the same result as Madisound. It is a sealed box woofer. The problem is it have very poor excursion, only 12 mm.

The woofer on that box has an F3 of 49 Hz. With Eq you can get useful output only into the mid 30 range because of cone excursion limitation.

To design a decent sealed sub you need a driver with much better excursion and power handling, and that is expensive.

There is a severe lack of measured data on European subs.

The Tannoy sub is an ABR unit and much more likely to have useful power to the mid twenties, as tuned boxes ported and ABR have much lower F3 than sealed units. Sealed units have to be heavily equalized to get to the 20 Hz range and this requires huge amounts of power.

This is what Madisound say about that sub driver. That agrees with my modeling.

You can use this woofer in a sealed and stuffed box of about 1.25 cubic feet for an in home F3 of 45Hz. If used with a plate amp that has a built in boost, it might get down to the mid to upper 30's.

The 50 lt box is 1.75 ft but only changes Fs a quarter HZ, but does lower Qt from just below 0.7 to around 0.6.

 

[ski2xblack]

Alpha, why the concern w/ 20 hz output for a music focused system? 30 hz extension should satisfy. Besides, a sealed 12 that rolls off at 40 in an anechoic situation will probably provide useful extension into the mid twenties in-room once cabin gain is factored in.

 

[Steve81]

Most people on this forum have no clue of the UK market. Trying to ship a sub from the US would be fraught with risk and difficulty.

True enough, though I'd point out that SVS does have a couple European dealers:
Karma AV
Subwoofer - Speakers

The lsound.co.uk site lists both the PB1000 and SB1000 at 429GBP.

 

[TLS Guy]

Alpha, why the concern w/ 20 hz output for a music focused system? 30 hz extension should satisfy. Besides, a sealed 12 that rolls off at 40 in an anechoic situation will probably provide useful extension into the mid twenties in-room once cabin gain is factored in.

I was allowing for room gain in the mid 30 Hz prediction.

The F3 is very close to 50 Hz, unfortunately the driver is displacement limited below F3, leaving room for only modest Eq at reduced power. This driver is really aimed at the car market.

The sub would in room provide good performance to the mid 30s and may be low 30s.

I agree with you there is too much emphasis on bass extension.

For the money this sub would provide good performance in the range of almost all instruments. It would reproduce a 16 ft organ pipe with authority, but be challenged by a 32 ft pipe.

However the OP wants 20s but not the price.

As usual getting bass extension from a sealed unit is much more costly than from a tuned unit.

 

[TLS Guy]

True enough, though I'd point out that SVS does have a couple European dealers:
Karma AV
Subwoofer - Speakers

The lsound.co.uk site lists both the PB1000 and SB1000 at 429GBP.

Well spotted! A US sub within budget. It has properly published specs.

That is at 2 meters, and below maximum drive. The actual power drive is not stated.

That is in his price range and likely his best value for money.

 

[markw]

His best bet would be that used Hsu sub he mentioned in his earlier thread.

 

[TLS Guy]

His best bet would be that used Hsu sub he mentioned in his earlier thread.

I missed that one. Do you remember the model?

 

[markw]

It was a Hsu VTF 1 Mk 2 but he posted this on the 19th. It doesn't do 20 hz but it probably comes closer to it than anything else he'll find and, unless he's changed his system, it's got the speaker level I/O he needs.

But, if he can get an SVS PB/SB 1000 I is price range, that'll be great.

 

[alphawave]

Hi Alphawave, I thought you were set on the BK XLS200-FF MK2. Did the speculation about it's output in your other thread make you nervous?

For your 100% music usage and room size, I maintain that the BK will be perfectly fine. It also has all the connections and adjustments you need. If you have second thoughts about it's output, ring BK and quiz them about the maximum SPL it produces while maintaining the published frequency response and reasonable distortion levels.

It did and I will

 

[alphawave]

Alpha, why the concern w/ 20 hz output for a music focused system? 30 hz extension should satisfy. Besides, a sealed 12 that rolls off at 40 in an anechoic situation will probably provide useful extension into the mid twenties in-room once cabin gain is factored in.

Well, I'm a newbie at this and I just thought that I'd try to get as close to human hearing limits as possible. As my B&W 602s3 aren't too bad at the low end I just thought that I'd try to plump for something that I could really hear/feel in terms of difference.

 

[alphawave]

It was a Hsu VTF 1 Mk 2 but he posted this on the 19th. It doesn't do 20 hz but it probably comes closer to it than anything else he'll find and, unless he's changed his system, it's got the speaker level I/O he needs.

But, if he can get an SVS PB/SB 1000 I is price range, that'll be great.

The guy selling the HSU wanted crazy money for it (£390) and then relisted it as £350, then dropped to £300, then to £200 when he got no bids - but it disappeared before it sold so I suppose he found someone prepared to pay more than I was or decided to keep it. I offered him £150 plus postage which seemed fair to me but each to their own I guess.

Going to check out the SVS though - thanks for this tip you guys.


Hmm - SB-1000 vs SB-2000 - worth the extra £170?

 

[theJman]

XTZ might have something to satisfy your needs. They make some very nice stuff.

 

[theJman]

After you post the special can you provide a link? I'm curious to see what you'll have.