Definitive Technology Supercube II vs. Supercube 4000

[Seth=L]

how about this one?
BOSTON ACOUSTICS RPS1000 Reflection 10in 500 Watt Powered Subwoofer | Accessories4less

Interesting sub. I'm interested in it but I cannot find any user information let alone 3rd party measured performance. Found one review on amazon that said the amp had a problem after 14 months. I wouldn't base my decision on that review though.

I was looking at the Velodyne HGS-10 until I saw how many amplifier problems they had. Too bad because they appear to basically be pre-DD series.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Interesting sub. I'm interested in it but I cannot find any user information let alone 3rd party measured performance. Found one review on amazon that said the amp had a problem after 14 months. I wouldn't base my decision on that review though.

I was looking at the Velodyne HGS-10 until I saw how many amplifier problems they had. Too bad because they appear to basically be pre-DD series.

yea not much,
all I got is this from htm:

The RPS 1000’s close-miked response, normalized to the level at 80 Hz, indicates that the lower –3-dB point is at 41 Hz and the –6-dB point is at 26 Hz. The upper –3-dB point is at 119 Hz using the LFE input.—MJP

Boston Acoustics Reflection RS 260 Speaker System HT Labs Measures | Home Theater

sub is blue

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

to be honest Supercube II graph from htm looks better... all depends how much each cost

 

[timoteo]

DIY!!!!!

You can build a "tiny" enclosure that houses DUAL 8" drivers on each side. In a sealed design they would give you a 6dB increase in output over a single 8" & being on opposite sides they would cancel out vibrations!!

TangBand makes some GREAT 8" drivers that perform extremely well & at very affordable prices. 8" drivers typically dont call on a lot of juice & so a 300w or 500w plate amp will drive dual 8" no problem.

You could stay within your budget, have a great performing sub for both music & movies & plan it out so you keep your enclosure to the size you want. All you need to know how to do is cut some MDF, screw/glue it together & roll on a rubber coating. Plus itd be a fun little project & the feeling of accomplishment that comes from finishing something like that!!!

PartsExpress has great options for driver/amp
HomeDepot supplies the MDF/screws/glue

You can EASILY beat a commercial sub in the same price range!!
Thats my advice...

Edit:
For a great performing diy subwoofer id go this route! You can keep it "small" too (15"cube).

•Two TangBand W8-740P 8" Subwoofers = $146.20 (for both!)
•One BASH 300w RMS Plate Amp = $168.70
(or one BASH 500w RMS amp for $249.88 for more umph)
•MDF Sheet (4'x8') = $22
•Wood Glue = $5
•Box of screws = $5

TOTAL = $346.90

 

[Seth=L]

I cannot seem to find the htm measurements for the supercube II. Would you be so kind enough to provide a link?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I cannot seem to find the htm measurements for the supercube II. Would you be so kind enough to provide a link?

see my post - #4

 

[GlocksRock]

I heard the Supercube II at my friends house yesterday and while it did have impressive output for its size, it sounded a bit boomy to me. But that could have been his settings and not the sub, I don't really know, but I could just be used to the bass I get from my SVS subs. But as much output as it had, I would still probably go no smaller than the Supercube I if you want a definitive sub.

 

[Seth=L]

Where did he have the SuperCube positioned?

 

[GlocksRock]

Where did he have the SuperCube positioned?

In a corner, close to the walls.

 

[Seth=L]

I guess it will be the Supercube I. I looked at new offerings from most internet direct companies and just could not find anything used I wanted to buy or that was not an auction, I lose 90% I bid on.

 

[Seth=L]

I've learned through reading that the sub 30Hz output is mostly 2nd and 3rd order harmonics which explains it's ability to shake walls at 20Hz. The THD at such low frequencies will likely be difficult for me to differentiate from a cleaner FR.

 

[GlocksRock]

Let us know your impressions when you get it up and running.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The latest Home Theater Magazine reviewed the new DefTech 4000 sub.

Did not extend much below 30Hz as I vaguely recall.

What about passive subwoofers so you don't have to worry about the amp inside the sub going bad?

I used to own the NHT SW2P sub. It was 10" and the XO/amp was outboard. Quite powerful and nice. Reviewed on Stereophile along with the NHT SuperZero.

 

[Seth=L]

The Supercube I should be superior.

 

[Seth=L]

I just received the Definitive Technology Supercube I.

It blends very well with my Thiel CS.5s and has very good extension. It's definitely is not capable of reproducing anything under 20Hz. It's senselessly overpowered for my needs but it does sound much better than any of the other 4 subwoofers I have. I have it turned up maybe 15-20%. It is slightly larger than I expected it to be, but still smaller than 3 out of 4 of my subwoofers. My smallest is a Yamaha 8" that was part of a HTIAB which isn't that bad of a subwoofer all things considered.

I would have hoped for more extension but I wasn't willing to spend much more than I did and I wanted something that in the event I wanted to opt out a year later I could recover my investment and put it toward something after I've had more time to research and better understand subwoofers.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I just received the Definitive Technology Supercube I.

It blends very well with my Thiel CS.5s and has very good extension. It's definitely is not capable of reproducing anything under 20Hz. It's senselessly overpowered for my needs but it does sound much better than any of the other 4 subwoofers I have. I have it turned up maybe 15-20%. It is slightly larger than I expected it to be, but still smaller than 3 out of 4 of my subwoofers. My smallest is a Yamaha 8" that was part of a HTIAB which isn't that bad of a subwoofer all things considered.

I would have hoped for more extension but I wasn't willing to spend much more than I did and I wanted something that in the event I wanted to opt out a year later I could recover my investment and put it toward something after I've had more time to research and better understand subwoofers.

Congrats Seth.

p.s: senselessly overpowered does not apply to any subwoofer

 

[Seth=L]

Congrats Seth.

p.s: senselessly overpowered does not apply to any subwoofer

Tell that to my neighbors.

The great thing about this sub is that you don't realize it's there, it blends quite effortlessly even after a rough/5 minute setup. I have a knack for winging it with speaker positioning and adjustments, and it doesn't really cone from a firm understanding of room acoustics, it's just from doing it over and over again with countless pieces of audio equipment. I'd wager more stuff has come to be in my system than most reviewers have. That by no means makes me an expert or better equipped to set things up. ......tangent


Any way, the subwoofer only comes out from under it's ruse when it is required to do so for some LFE. Popped in War of the Worlds to hear how the cube would fair. It covered the frequencies better than I'd heard before and pressurized the room effectively. I didn't test it's full potential and probably won't for a while if for only one reason, avoiding eviction.

 

[Seth=L]

When I initially got the sub I started by testing it out with WOTW's pod emergence scene. It pressurized the room however, it did not go as low as the Paradigm PS-1000 I used to own. The PS-1000 was a bandpass design with twin flared ports on the rear. By plugging one port the FR was effectively dropped below 20Hz and I really enjoyed the peformance of that subwoofer. I had a strong hope the Definitive Technology would be just as capable as the Paradigm PS-1000 however I'm realizing that was quite silly of me. The PS-1000 is much larger than the Definitive Supercube I and I sold it when I was unemployed. Matching the peformance of the PS-1000 at even the amount I spent on the Supercube would be difficult.

The Supercube has one distinct character that makes it appealing (in the acoustc sense). It blends very well with my speakers. I recently aquired a Athena Technologies AS-P400 subwoofer which utilizes a 100 watt RMS BASH amplifier coupled with a 10" injection molded woofer in a front ported box. I got it just before the Supercube in a subwoofer/subwoofer trade. Essentially it cost me $80 and I've got to admit it's peformance for my needs is comparable to the Supercube with a few key advantages. The number one advantage is that it was substantially cheaper than the Supercube. The second advantage is a slightly better true FR. I can actually hear it at 20Hz, unlike the Supercube. I put my ear next to the Supercube I while it was playing a 20Hz sine tone and heard nothing/felt nothing. Stood in different parts of the room where I knew bass propogated, no audible or tactile bass. The Athena Technologies AS-P400 blends almost as well with my speakers as the Supercube I and I imagine with some more tweaking it may blend just as well.

The only advantages the Supercube I seems to hold over on the Athena would be output level and no port noise (more on that later) however, high output is not required for my application so all things considered the Supercube is almost pointless for me to have. The Athena exceeds my day to day need for output

Port noise from the Athena seems only to occur when super low bass is present. Basically anything under 15Hz causes the port to chuff, but this happens on only rare occasions and is forgivable considering total investment.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that the sub has got to go. I got it at a price that I can afford to recover with no trouble.

You were right, I was wrong. Here's to hoping this wasn't an expensive lesson...