Hello to everyone. Sub dilemma.

[gamelovers11223]

Hello everyone. First post here. Great looking forum. I finally got a real Home Theater system.
Polk Audio Signature Series:
2x S60 fronts
1x S35 center
2x s15 rear
And a new receiver: Denon AVR-X3300W.
However the sub is old, Harman Kardon TS18 10" 200w.
Question is, should I change the sub for something 300-400 dollars worth now or wait, save up and get something close to $1k?
The room is a medium size rectangle with pathways to other rooms.
I like how the current HK sub performs on most music and movies. When it comes to really bass demanding music or movie scenes, the bass is not deep, floor still shakes but there is no deep bass/gut feeling.
I also have read that these particular subs have issues with amps. Mine is still ok but does have its glitches.
Here is how the system looks, there are also 2 s15 speakers hung on the back wall symmetricaly a little above the listener that are not visible.

 

[TheWarrior]

You've got a room open to others? Quantity of subs will be far more important than quality (assuming said 'subwoofer' can actually play 20 hz, audibly).

$400-$500 really doesn't buy you much - think about it. You need a sturdy box, an amp, AND a quality driver. I say stick with what you've got and add to it in the future.

 

[Lilmo6868]

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/sub-gain-is-it-normal.108031/

 

[2channel lover]

Hello everyone. First post here. Great looking forum. I finally got a real Home Theater system.
Polk Audio Signature Series:
2x S60 fronts
1x S35 center
2x s15 rear
And a new receiver: Denon AVR-X3300W.
However the sub is old, Harman Kardon TS18 10" 200w.
Question is, should I change the sub for something 300-400 dollars worth now or wait, save up and get something close to $1k?
The room is a medium size rectangle with pathways to other rooms.

Without knowing how large the room is and the adjacent spaces it's open to it's hard to say what you need but I'll say this from my experience.

You can get a killer sub like a HSU VTF 15Hmk2 and it will you give you that bone shaking BOOM that you're missing. However, if you put it where you have the current sub, there is a pretty good chance some seating areas in the room are going to have some dead spots, meaning they are not getting the same BOOM as the people seated in the sweet spot. I've found this dead spot issue to be more pronounced in music than movies. If you can find the perfect position where there are no dead spots this one sub will probably be great.

If you can't find the ideal location, my suggestion would be stay with what you have for now and pool together a little bit more than the $1000 (probably $1500-$1700) and get two slightly less killer subs to balance out the bass.

Two may or may not be feasible, but from my experience balanced good bass is better unbalanced mega bass if that makes sense.

 

[ATLAudio]

I'd go with saving up for the best $1k sub you like, and then save up for a second.

It appears that your room is quite large (all those other rooms count as part of the main room) so room gain won't provide much benefit. However, the beauty of a ported system is you should get good extension with placement care.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Yeah, I'd save for the best single sub and try for a second one in short order. Pretty much anything in the 1k range will outpace anything in the 3-400 range. If you think that HK unit sounds good, just wait. Quality bass is worth the investment.

 

[lovinthehd]

Really need total volume dimensions of the space the sub(s) need to fill but I'd bet at least duals are in order from the pic.

Aside from sub, why are your speakers so close together? How far away from them is your seating? Do you have that wooden floor covered with carpeting?

 

[gamelovers11223]

Thanks for your opinions guys. I will save up and get one good sub.

Really need total volume dimensions of the space the sub(s) need to fill but I'd bet at least duals are in order from the pic.

Aside from sub, why are your speakers so close together? How far away from them is your seating? Do you have that wooden floor covered with carpeting?

Will measure the room tomorrow.
Speakers are that close because there is a limited amount of wall space, there are dining room to the right and hallway to the left connected. Kitchen is located on the other side of the wall where the HT system with TV is.
Sitting position is a couch about 7ft away, it's within that listening square. All speakers are symmetrical, including the rear ones.
No carpet anywhere, just parquet flooring.

 

[gamelovers11223]

Hello everyone. After a lot of reading and debating I bought an SVS PB2000 sub. Holy cow, now I know I have a sub!

 

[ATLAudio]

@gamelovers11223 Move the HK sub to another location to help smooth out bass. Rerun Audyssey.

 

[gamelovers11223]

Another addition to the system: AC Finity T8 cooler.
And finally bi amped the two fronts, now they really sing.

 

[gamelovers11223]

@gamelovers11223 Move the HK sub to another location to help smooth out bass. Rerun Audyssey.

HK sub just sold on eBay. One svs is plenty for my room.

 

[KenM10759]

My son has one of those. His room is 4 walls and it shakes every one of them when he wants it to. And the dishes in the kitchen next to that room! Great sub.

P.S. - Glad you took the stickers off the speakers.

 

[gamelovers11223]

Another new addition: New rack, Teac cd650. Now there is space for an Emotiva amp.

 

[lovinthehd]

P.S. - Glad you took the stickers off the speakers.

Maybe the avr can get the same treatment

 

[gamelovers11223]

Another addition to the system: Polk Audio LSIM 706c. Snatched it off eBay. Sounds amazing.

 

[KenM10759]

All great components. What you might work on next is getting the CD's and DVD's stored elsewhere so you can get a lower, flatter stand. That will allow lowering everything, especially the TV.

 

[gamelovers11223]

Thanks. I actually wanted a high stand. Tv might look very high but it's actually comfortable to watch. A small black bookshelf is on the way for all those CDs and DVDs. Next step is an Emotiva amp.

 

[afterlife2]

I actually like the first setup better. Although the 2nd placement of speakers/sub looks better and I'd toe-in a bit. Beautiful arrangement and fully enjoy.

 

[gamelovers11223]

Thanks. I am enjoying it very much. First set up looked good to me too, however there was no space for extra components. With current set up I have space for all components and then some, better speaker/sub placement (sounds better too) and cleaner look. When the bookcase for all cds comes and two tv cables hidden, the whole set up will look even cleaner.