Is it a bad idea to pair an expensive sub with budget speakers?

[Jeff R.]

Most on this site will not usually say to down size your sub budget....in your case if it was me I think I would consider spending less on a sub and a little more on speakers. The output from a well made HSU or SVS will never be able arrived at in an apartment without having the Police knocking at your door. Maybe get your self a nice set of towers and center channel and spend about $300 max on the sub....add some rears later. EMP May have some reasonable options for you. I still vote used. I have really scored some great deals on craigslist in my local area. I have bought and sold very nice gear at great prices. In my sig. I bought my PSB setup for $700 used for example. They are in Mint condition when bought....IMO can't go wrong with this kind of an approach.

 

[templemaners]

I see no problem with having an expensive sub with cheaper speakers. I spent nearly 2x on my sub then I did on my 5 other channels combined.

BTW, I live in an apartment and haven't had any issues with my sub causing others to be miserable. I do have good restraint with the volume control though And since budget and keeping the peace are both priorities, something like a STF-2 or VTF-1 would be a good choice.

 

[Jeff R.]

How about this in Buffalo Craigslist.

Home Theater Sound System

 

[Jeff R.]

Or this for a sub....I believe this is a very solid performing sub....bet you can get it for less the $500.

MAKE OFFER!!! high-end home theater amplifier and EP-350 subwoofer

 

[shadyJ]

Hey Dan, here is another option: the Rumba 12. It is a basic sealed 12" with a decent amount of power. Because of its sealed design it will not have the monster deep frequencies of a VTF3, but that might be a benefit in an apartment, plus it will be easier to move around. Moving the VTF3 is a two man job, and what I do if I am moving mine is place it inside its box and then just slide it around. The VTF3 also has a sealed mode and a Q control which gives it a higher roll off and tighter sound similar to a normal sealed sub and cuts down on the deep frequency output, but it won't be as easy to move around as a Rumba 12. Note that the Rumba 12 is still pretty heavy for a sealed sub (75 lbs), but its shape will make it less awkward to pick up and carry. I'd love to see Josh Ricci review one of these Rumbas, I think it might fair very well next to its SVS and Emotiva sealed 12" competitors.