Best sub for my money?

[j_garcia]

According to this guy he got it to go 16hz with room gain:
Subwoofer SVS PB1000 - Underworld awakening - YouTube
SVS has an outlet sale for $449 for the PB1000. So tempting, but gotta hold off...BTW what are those things called that cover the port hole? looks like a sponge and do you guys use them much?

My old SVS PB-10, the original 10" beast, got down to 18Hz with decent output and still had a little output at 16Hz as well. Not many 10" subs can do that.

 

[shadyJ]

BTW what are those things called that cover the port hole? looks like a sponge and do you guys use them much?

Those are called port plugs. They block the port and prevent it from resonating. The port is what generates much of the low frequency sound in ported subs rather than the woofer. It works on the same principal which causes soda bottles to make a distinct note when you blow over the open top. If you want your sub to roll off higher, for whatever reason, you can plug the port and knock off most of the deep frequency output. In multi ported subs like the Hsu VTFs, blocking one port actually tunes the sub deeper, but at the expense of output mostly in the port's range.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I would like to see CEA numbers for the $589 shipped Rythmik LV12.

 

[TheStalker]

It would be interesting to make a definitive list of the best performing subwoofers in the $300-$800 range in $100 increments. From everything I've learned so far, would you guys object to the following rankings?

$300-$400 BIC PL-200 $330
$400-$500 SVS PB-1000 $500
$500-$600 SVS PB-1000 $500
$600-$700 SVS PB-1000 $500
$700-$800 Power Sound XV15 $800

I see very few options for high performance budget sealed subwoofers.

SVS SB-1000 $500
SVS SB12-NSD $650

 

[shadyJ]

Different subwoofers have different strengths, so you can't really make an absolute list without a more explicit criteria. For instance, the BIC can probably get louder than the STF2 at certain frequencies, but the STF2 is a more linear performing subwoofer. It will have a flat response whereas the PL-200 has a peakish response, so the STF2 is a more accurate sub.
Same thing with the XV15 as opposed to the Outlaw, SVS, and Hsu subs; yeah, it gets louder in some frequency ranges, but at the expense of linearity.

As for those rankings, even if you go by using Steve81s table, which I wouldn't, the VTF2 is a higher performer than the PB1000. The Outlaw sub is going to outperform it as well. The PB1000 would likely be behind the VTF2, LFM-1 Plus, and Rythmik LV12 with regards to performance. For $500, the Premier Acoustics PA-150 is a bargain as well. It doesn't quite dig as deep as the VTF2 and PB1000, but its mid and especially upper bass output blows those subs away. It's upper bass output even surpasses that of the PB13 Ultra, although it doesn't play quite as cleanly. Again, it's frequency response is decidedly not the most linear.

As far as sealed subs go, you seem to have grouped the XS15 in with the ported subs. Some other great options would be some of the parts-express subs, namely the Dayton Reference 12", the Dayton Titanic 12", the Titanic 15", and the Dayton dual 12". What's really nice is, if you are willing to do the assembly yourself, a very easy project, that shaves $150 off the assembled prices: check them out on the subwoofer kits list. For sealed subs, I am guessing those kits are by far the best value out there, unless you go all out DIY.