Just got my A2-300 Sub

[myke]

After a wait of almost 2 months I finally got my Elemental Designs Sub. I knew about the wait when I ordered, plus I heard the price would go up(which it did) so I think that added to the time. Also when I sent them a email about a week ago they told me they were just swamped and the packing company had just shipped in the foam corners so they were in process of getting out the ones made.

Well i just got it. Huge box. I had him drop it outside. Im thinking to myself, if its that big I can hear it now from the spouse "Why is that black speaker box so damn big & ugly"

So I unpacked it and I now see why they wait for the foam corners. Big beefy foam. Not one mark on the sub. Its a large sub but not to big in my opinion. Solid spike feet that can be split in half by unscrewing them. You can use them as flat metal feet or spikes. Also comes with some other rubber sticky's for you hard floor type.

A lot of people said they didnt like the finish because it has a orange peel type texture. Its pretty smooth to me. More of a mild orange peel texture. Not similar to guitar amps or concert monitor texture if you know what I mean.

Id love to give a review but I dont have time to hook it up tonight. Im sure it will suit my purpose well. (my place isnt huge)

Only thing I was a little disappointed about is the subwoofer itself was all black. I was expecting one of those silver fancy ones with the ED signature like the pictures. I got over that fast though. Why? because it fires down. Who really cares.

Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents. I will post a reply to this when I have a chance to hook it up. Maybe this weekend. If any of you have some tips for this sub please feel free to let me know!

Thanks

 

[bwilberg266]

I'm gonna be picking up one of these myself in a week and was curious what your review on it was as its been a little while that you've had it in your setup. Pro's, Con's, overall thoughts, etc.

 

[smihalik]

Keep us posted. Would love to hear your impressions. And take some pics!

 

[BufordTJustice]

I owned an A2-300 w/ the COMEX braided-fiber cone until a few weeks ago. I sold it to a friend because I bought an A7s-450.

However, I'm pretty confident that you'll be happy with the performance. It is unbeatable for the price. I've found that music sounded very good on them when I crossed them at 60-70Hz. It really is tuned to about 20-21 Hz. It had meaningful output down to 18 Hz in my old living room. Great sub. I'll be looking forward to the OP's review and pix.

 

[adwilk]

Pics or it didn't happen...

 

[bwilberg266]

So now there is a wrench in my plans for the A2-300. I was set to buy and was feeling good about my purchase, but before I even bought the thing an opportunity for a VTF2 MK3 showed up and I'm finding myself second guessing my decision. I still have time to change my mind but seeing as you guys already own/have owned an A2-300 I would love to hear your honest opinions.

Did the A2-300 leave you in want for anything? And if so, is it anything that the VTF2 would be able to provide?

I know the HSU has variable tuning but I'm not sure how much I would really utilize that. My thoughts are once I have the sub dialed in to my system I'm not going to want to keep switching the modes back and forth.

 

[gmichael]

Pics please...

Time to dial that sucker in and rock the house.

 

[BufordTJustice]

So now there is a wrench in my plans for the A2-300. I was set to buy and was feeling good about my purchase, but before I even bought the thing an opportunity for a VTF2 MK3 showed up and I'm finding myself second guessing my decision. I still have time to change my mind but seeing as you guys already own/have owned an A2-300 I would love to hear your honest opinions.

Did the A2-300 leave you in want for anything? And if so, is it anything that the VTF2 would be able to provide?

I know the HSU has variable tuning but I'm not sure how much I would really utilize that. My thoughts are once I have the sub dialed in to my system I'm not going to want to keep switching the modes back and forth.

The HSU will probably sound better for music, but may slightly lack in overall output to the A2-300. The A2-300 digs very deep for its price. It would really boil down to how cheap are we talking for the VTF2-Mk3? If they are the same price, I'd prolly go with the HSU VTF2-Mk3.

If you're looking at an A2-300 w/ free shipping for $415 and a VTF2-Mk3 for $509+ shipping....the A2-300 is still the better deal and unless you're a critical (i.e reference bookshelf) listener, the A2-300 seems it would be a better fit.

Frankly, if you're that distraught, I would up and pay the $699+ shipping for the VTF3-Mk3:

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-3-mk3.html

OR look at the $600 w/ free shipping A3-300 (eD's front firing 12" sub w/ 300 watt RMS amp and an upgraded driver with 25mm/1 inch one-way excursion):

http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_41&products_id=102

The VTF3-Mk3 has an XBL-2 woofer design that has much longer and more linear excursion than the VTF2-Mk3. It would be worth the additional funds between the two, even at the VTF2-Mk3's father's day sale price, IMHO. The eD A3-300 sounds very similar to the SVS PB12-NSD, but plays louder and slightly lower while listening to my buddy's test disc. The SVS PB12-NSD would also be an option.

I owned an 'original' VTF-2 w/ the 10" woofer and sold it to my brother a while back in favor of my A2-300 because I moved into a bigger living room. Now he loves using it...it's gonna be 8 years old soon. The A2-300 just had more excursion and plenty of power to put it to use. There are a couple reviews of the A2-300 out there, but they are all of units with the older amplifier, old cabinet, and older aluminum driver....so there isn't a wealth of reviews on the new A2-300.

Lemme know if you have any specific questions about the A2-300.

 

[bwilberg266]

The HSU will probably sound better for music, but may slightly lack in overall output to the A2-300. The A2-300 digs very deep for its price. It would really boil down to how cheap are we talking for the VTF2-Mk3? If they are the same price, I'd prolly go with the HSU VTF2-Mk3.

If you're looking at an A2-300 w/ free shipping for $415 and a VTF2-Mk3 for $509+ shipping....the A2-300 is still the better deal and unless you're a critical (i.e reference bookshelf) listener, the A2-300 seems it would be a better fit.

Frankly, if you're that distraught, I would up and pay the $699+ shipping for the VTF3-Mk3:

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-3-mk3.html

OR look at the $600 w/ free shipping A3-300 (eD's front firing 12" sub w/ 300 watt RMS amp and an upgraded driver with 25mm/1 inch one-way excursion):

http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_41&products_id=102

The VTF3-Mk3 has an XBL-2 woofer design that has much longer and more linear excursion than the VTF2-Mk3. It would be worth the additional funds between the two, even at the VTF2-Mk3's father's day sale price, IMHO. The eD A3-300 sounds very similar to the SVS PB12-NSD, but plays louder and slightly lower while listening to my buddy's test disc. The SVS PB12-NSD would also be an option.

I owned an 'original' VTF-2 w/ the 10" woofer and sold it to my brother a while back in favor of my A2-300 because I moved into a bigger living room. Now he loves using it...it's gonna be 8 years old soon. The A2-300 just had more excursion and plenty of power to put it to use. There are a couple reviews of the A2-300 out there, but they are all of units with the older amplifier, old cabinet, and older aluminum driver....so there isn't a wealth of reviews on the new A2-300.

Lemme know if you have any specific questions about the A2-300.

Buford... beautifully put, that was exactly the input I was looking for!

The A2-300 I'm demo'ing on Monday has a brand new driver and amp replaced by ED so it's not the older parts. I can't wait to check it out and bring her home if everything is on the up and up.

For now the A2-300 should fit the bill perfectly from what you've said, and once I have a dedicated theatre I can start looking at some really fun equipment

 

[myke]

Anyone care to tell me how to post pics real quick. Ill snap them right now and write a quick review.

(i think I found it give me a few minutes)

 

[GlocksRock]

either use the attachment feature when you create a post, or upload them to photobucket or some other pic hosting site and use the image tags.

 

[myke]

quick pics taken right now of my current setup. Speakers are all EMP Impression. Center is tucked in the credenza behind the trap door.

I realize my sub is probably not in the best place, but I havent had time to do the crawl test. Where it is at right now does more than enough for me. I never even get into the + Volume on my receiver.

What do I think of the sub? I think it rocks. Watching movies is now an almost nightly event. I even use it for regular TV. UFC Sound- Thumbs up!

One concern I had was size. I didnt care how big it was but I thought the spouse would complain of the "box in the living room". Not one word. I think she is a fan too because I crank it up sometimes and Im still good.

As far as music goes I am not sure. I guess I would have to compare it to another so called "more musical" sub I see people talk about. My primary use for this was home theater. I wanted to feel explosions and crashes and add depth to my system. The EMP speakers are good but the towers just dont give the thump and bang.

I posted a question a few days ago on here in regards to my setup. My receiver (the pioneer elite) has so many damn settings I was wondering if I had it even set up right. With a little help from the members on the forum on this post:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=723109#post723109

I got it to sound better and I havent even gone through the whole process. Just the basics they told me.

The only thing I guess I would have liked was some taller spikes for the bottom. After this thing sets in it is pretty close to my carpet. The weight set it in all the way to the hard floor beneath the carpet and pad. I might order the hourglass feet instead or make my own risers because I think that might be robbing me of a little sound by looking at how close the woofer is to the carpet. Feel free to correct me if i'm wrong. Im just assuming that the carpet might be deadening some of the sound.

Over all I highly recommend. I considered the HSU. Still would too. However. I am in CA so I would pay Tax and Shipping.

I got this shipped free and no tax. Arrived at my door in a well padded box in perfect condition.

 

[mannoiaj]

cool, lets hear it. I've got a few eD subs myself including the a2-300 and would like to know what you think.