Landmonster's Subwoofer quest is over (or just started?) = dual Monolith 16 Ultras

Did Landmonster order too much subwoofer output?


  • Total voters
    15
Landmonster

Landmonster

Audioholic
Hi guys,

So I have ordered 2 of the Monolith 16 Ultras. :oops:

Some of you may recall I've been looking for subwoofers for the past few years, asking about the differences and obsessing over minutia for about 2 years. I have hesitated to buy anything, largely because I had concerns or things that bothered me about all the existing offerings.


TLDR version: There was stuff about each brand I was not crazy about so I have had no subs. I just ordered dual Monolith 16 Ultras. I will probably need guidance on how to setup and optimize these things in the near future.

-----------

I wanted something with extreme output, but also a classy/upscale finish, without sacrificing looks or distortion. I also was not willing to pay $6k+ for a pair of subwoofers to achieve this, for what is basically a hobby/leisure room in my house.

Hopefully, the Monolith Ultra will meet all my criteria. I'm sure the 13" Ultra would also meet these needs for my room size. However, I have not seen the 13 Ultra for sale with the matte black finish yet.

These subs seem to fit all my criteria:
1) Massive SPL output & extension
2) Extraordinarily low distortion
3) Reasonably priced
4) Good aesthetic design with good finish (I ordered the matte black paint version)


If you care, here's a summary of my thoughts on the competition, which has held me back from purchasing each of these brands. These may or may not be fully true, but these are my impressions:

JTR = These subs have incredible audio performance, but I've never been a fan of their industrial finishes. I can't hide the subs, so the finish would always be visible to the room. This issue can be overcome by purchasing a custom finish, but not at an acceptable price point to me. Also, I am still concerned about customer support from a brand that is largely operated by 1 individual, located extremely far away from me. If something were to break on the sub, or the owner were to pass away or retire, I'm not sure where that would leave me.

SVS = The piano black finish on the SVS looks best of any sub, but I am concerned it would be a lifelong magnet for fingerprints, dust, cat pawprints etc. I'm sure the higher end SVS subs produce satisfying audio output, but the value per dollar with this brand is relatively poor, and their prices keep increasin A pair of PB-16 Ultra is now $5,600 before tax or shipping. The customer service should be excellent with this brand, so that is not a concern.

Rythmik = This is a brand I was very curious about, especially that is local to Texas. However, several reviews with measurements showing high distortions kind of steered me away from this brand. I don't fully understand the Servo system, and I'm not sure why it is necessary.

HSU = These subs are very appealing overall, but I always felt like they were underpowered vs the competition. Just on paper, they have 50% or less the wattage of their peers... so that tells me they are leaving something on the table.

Monolith = I have always been drawn to the reports about the Monoliths, except they have been lacking in 2 key areas: 1) The amplifiers they have used have been underpowered relative to their raw size, 2) I have not been attracted to their cheap-looking fake wood-veneer finish and angular corners. They remind me of the lower level line of Klipsch speakers, who's aesthetics never appealed to me.

Enter, the Monolith Ultra.
  • Round corners.... check
  • Attractive furniture-grade finish.... check
  • Exceedingly capable output.... check.
  • Adequate amplifier power..... check.
  • Extremely low distortion measurements... check.
  • THX certification .... check (Third-party verification can't hurt.... sure why not).
  • Backed by a reasonably large company with solid support .... check.

In any case, I'm hoping these subs will likely be extreme in every sense of the word. :cool:

Potential concerns:
My theater room is 10.5 feet wide by 20 feet deep, with 10-foot ceilings. :oops:
I also have to lug these up a flight of stairs somehow. :oops:
**Also my wife has never heard a subwoofer, so she is not sure quite what they do. :oops:

I feel like I have ordered a disrespectful amount of bass, I'm truly curious to see how they perform.
 
Last edited:
D

Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
Hi guys,

So I have ordered 2 of the Monolith 16 Ultras. :oops:

Some of you may recall I've been looking for subwoofers for the past few years, asking about the differences and obsessing over minutia for about 2 years. I have hesitated to buy anything, largely because I had concerns or things that bothered me about all the existing offerings.


TLDR version: There was stuff about each brand I was not crazy about so I have had no subs. I just ordered dual Monolith 16 Ultras. I will probably need guidance on how to setup and optimize these things in the near future.

-----------

I wanted something with extreme output, but also a classy/upscale finish, without sacrificing looks or distortion. I also was not willing to pay $6k+ for a pair of subwoofers to achieve this, for what is basically a hobby/leisure room in my house.

Hopefully, the Monolith Ultra will meet all my criteria. I'm sure the 13" Ultra would also meet these needs for my room size. However, I have not seen the 13 Ultra for sale with the matte black finish yet.

These subs seem to fit all my criteria:
1) Massive SPL output & extension
2) Extraordinarily low distortion
3) Reasonably priced
4) Good aesthetic design with good finish (I ordered the matte black paint version)


If you care, here's a summary of my thoughts on the competition, which has held me back from purchasing each of these brands. These may or may not be fully true, but these are my impressions:

JTR = These subs have incredible audio performance, but I've never been a fan of their industrial finishes. I can't hide the subs, so the finish would always be visible to the room. This issue can be overcome by purchasing a custom finish, but not at an acceptable price point to me. Also, I am still concerned about customer support from a brand that is largely operated by 1 individual, located extremely far away from me. If something were to break on the sub, or the owner were to pass away or retire, I'm not sure where that would leave me.

SVS = The piano black finish on the SVS looks best of any sub, but I am concerned it would be a lifelong magnet for fingerprints, dust, cat pawprints etc. I'm sure the higher end SVS subs produce satisfying audio output, but the value per dollar with this brand is relatively poor, and their prices keep increasin A pair of PB-16 Ultra is now $5,600 before tax or shipping. The customer service should be excellent with this brand, so that is not a concern.

Rythmik = This is a brand I was very curious about, especially that is local to Texas. However, several reviews with measurements showing high distortions kind of steered me away from this brand. I don't fully understand the Servo system, and I'm not sure why it is necessary.

HSU = These subs are very appealing overall, but I always felt like they were underpowered vs the competition. Just on paper, they have 50% or less the wattage of their peers... so that tells me they are leaving something on the table.

Monolith = I have always been drawn to the reports about the Monoliths, except they have been lacking in 2 key areas: 1) The amplifiers they have used have been underpowered relative to their raw size, 2) I have not been attracted to their cheap-looking fake wood-veneer finish and angular corners. They remind me of the lower level line of Klipsch speakers, who's aesthetics never appealed to me.

Enter, the Monolith Ultra.
  • Round corners.... check
  • Attractive furniture-grade finish.... check
  • Exceedingly capable output.... check.
  • Adequate amplifier power..... check.
  • Extremely low distortion measurements... check.
  • THX certification .... check (Third-party verification can't hurt.... sure why not).
  • Backed by a reasonably large company with solid support .... check.

In any case, I'm hoping these subs will likely be extreme in every sense of the word. :cool:

Potential concerns:
My theater room is 10.5 feet wide by 20 feet deep, with 10-foot ceilings. :oops:
I also have to lug these up a flight of stairs somehow. :oops:
**Also my wife has never heard a subwoofer, so she is not sure quite what they do. :oops:

I feel like I have ordered a disrespectful amount of bass, I'm truly curious to see how they perform.
Bro there is never such a thing as too much BASS!!!!. Wow just wow!!! I'll be ordering a pair of those next year hopefully.

I can't wait to see pics and your impressions when they arrive!!!!

Yes we'll help you with any setup questions you have

What equipment and speakers are you pairing these subs with?
 
D

Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
Be very careful getting those upstairs even boxed they are like 200 lbs. Have the right type of moving stuff to move them and make sure that you have help!
 
D

Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
Oh and don't ever lose the boxes if you ever need to sell someday for any reason or if you decide you want to return them I highly doubt it but it's possible you'll need those boxes!!!!
 
Landmonster

Landmonster

Audioholic
We got a new house this year, which has a media room. It's 10.5' wide, 20' deep, and 10' tall, with no windows and fully enclosed.

The system thus far:

Processing: Denon X4500 receiver
Amp: Emotiva XPA7 gen 3 (250 watt x 7 channel)
Main: Polk LSiM 707 towers
Center: Polk LSiM 706c
Side surround: Polk LSiM 702 FX
Rear surround: Polk LSiM 705 towers

Streaming: Xbox OneX.... might need to upgrade to something better.

Pics forthcoming soon.
 
Last edited:
D

Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
Hi guys,

So I have ordered 2 of the Monolith 16 Ultras. :oops:

Some of you may recall I've been looking for subwoofers for the past few years, asking about the differences and obsessing over minutia for about 2 years. I have hesitated to buy anything, largely because I had concerns or things that bothered me about all the existing offerings.


TLDR version: There was stuff about each brand I was not crazy about so I have had no subs. I just ordered dual Monolith 16 Ultras. I will probably need guidance on how to setup and optimize these things in the near future.

-----------

I wanted something with extreme output, but also a classy/upscale finish, without sacrificing looks or distortion. I also was not willing to pay $6k+ for a pair of subwoofers to achieve this, for what is basically a hobby/leisure room in my house.

Hopefully, the Monolith Ultra will meet all my criteria. I'm sure the 13" Ultra would also meet these needs for my room size. However, I have not seen the 13 Ultra for sale with the matte black finish yet.

These subs seem to fit all my criteria:
1) Massive SPL output & extension
2) Extraordinarily low distortion
3) Reasonably priced
4) Good aesthetic design with good finish (I ordered the matte black paint version)


If you care, here's a summary of my thoughts on the competition, which has held me back from purchasing each of these brands. These may or may not be fully true, but these are my impressions:

JTR = These subs have incredible audio performance, but I've never been a fan of their industrial finishes. I can't hide the subs, so the finish would always be visible to the room. This issue can be overcome by purchasing a custom finish, but not at an acceptable price point to me. Also, I am still concerned about customer support from a brand that is largely operated by 1 individual, located extremely far away from me. If something were to break on the sub, or the owner were to pass away or retire, I'm not sure where that would leave me.

SVS = The piano black finish on the SVS looks best of any sub, but I am concerned it would be a lifelong magnet for fingerprints, dust, cat pawprints etc. I'm sure the higher end SVS subs produce satisfying audio output, but the value per dollar with this brand is relatively poor, and their prices keep increasin A pair of PB-16 Ultra is now $5,600 before tax or shipping. The customer service should be excellent with this brand, so that is not a concern.

Rythmik = This is a brand I was very curious about, especially that is local to Texas. However, several reviews with measurements showing high distortions kind of steered me away from this brand. I don't fully understand the Servo system, and I'm not sure why it is necessary.

HSU = These subs are very appealing overall, but I always felt like they were underpowered vs the competition. Just on paper, they have 50% or less the wattage of their peers... so that tells me they are leaving something on the table.

Monolith = I have always been drawn to the reports about the Monoliths, except they have been lacking in 2 key areas: 1) The amplifiers they have used have been underpowered relative to their raw size, 2) I have not been attracted to their cheap-looking fake wood-veneer finish and angular corners. They remind me of the lower level line of Klipsch speakers, who's aesthetics never appealed to me.

Enter, the Monolith Ultra.
  • Round corners.... check
  • Attractive furniture-grade finish.... check
  • Exceedingly capable output.... check.
  • Adequate amplifier power..... check.
  • Extremely low distortion measurements... check.
  • THX certification .... check (Third-party verification can't hurt.... sure why not).
  • Backed by a reasonably large company with solid support .... check.

In any case, I'm hoping these subs will likely be extreme in every sense of the word. :cool:

Potential concerns:
My theater room is 10.5 feet wide by 20 feet deep, with 10-foot ceilings. :oops:
I also have to lug these up a flight of stairs somehow. :oops:
**Also my wife has never heard a subwoofer, so she is not sure quite what they do. :oops:

I feel like I have ordered a disrespectful amount of bass, I'm truly curious to see how they perform.
Bro those beasts in that room are going to blast you into the next dimension!!!! Wow just wow I'd all I can say congratulations on a great purchase!!!
 
D

Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
We got a new house this year, which has a media room. It's 10.5' wide, 20' deep, and 10' tall, with no windows and fully enclosed.

The system thus far:

Processing: Denon X4500 receiver
Amp: Emotiva XPA7 gen 3 (250 watt x 7 channel)
Main: Polk LSiM 707 towers
Center: Polk LSiM 704
Side surround: Polk LSiM 702 FX
Rear surround: Polk LSiM 705 towers

Streaming: Xbox OneX.... might need to upgrade to something better.

Pics forthcoming soon.
Nice setup!!!! You said your from Texas? (I caught that part where you said Rhymik is local) I'm from Texas as well at San Antonio.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Hi guys,

So I have ordered 2 of the Monolith 16 Ultras. :oops:

Some of you may recall I've been looking for subwoofers for the past few years, asking about the differences and obsessing over minutia for about 2 years. I have hesitated to buy anything, largely because I had concerns or things that bothered me about all the existing offerings.


TLDR version: There was stuff about each brand I was not crazy about so I have had no subs. I just ordered dual Monolith 16 Ultras. I will probably need guidance on how to setup and optimize these things in the near future.

-----------

I wanted something with extreme output, but also a classy/upscale finish, without sacrificing looks or distortion. I also was not willing to pay $6k+ for a pair of subwoofers to achieve this, for what is basically a hobby/leisure room in my house.

Hopefully, the Monolith Ultra will meet all my criteria. I'm sure the 13" Ultra would also meet these needs for my room size. However, I have not seen the 13 Ultra for sale with the matte black finish yet.

These subs seem to fit all my criteria:
1) Massive SPL output & extension
2) Extraordinarily low distortion
3) Reasonably priced
4) Good aesthetic design with good finish (I ordered the matte black paint version)


If you care, here's a summary of my thoughts on the competition, which has held me back from purchasing each of these brands. These may or may not be fully true, but these are my impressions:

JTR = These subs have incredible audio performance, but I've never been a fan of their industrial finishes. I can't hide the subs, so the finish would always be visible to the room. This issue can be overcome by purchasing a custom finish, but not at an acceptable price point to me. Also, I am still concerned about customer support from a brand that is largely operated by 1 individual, located extremely far away from me. If something were to break on the sub, or the owner were to pass away or retire, I'm not sure where that would leave me.

SVS = The piano black finish on the SVS looks best of any sub, but I am concerned it would be a lifelong magnet for fingerprints, dust, cat pawprints etc. I'm sure the higher end SVS subs produce satisfying audio output, but the value per dollar with this brand is relatively poor, and their prices keep increasin A pair of PB-16 Ultra is now $5,600 before tax or shipping. The customer service should be excellent with this brand, so that is not a concern.

Rythmik = This is a brand I was very curious about, especially that is local to Texas. However, several reviews with measurements showing high distortions kind of steered me away from this brand. I don't fully understand the Servo system, and I'm not sure why it is necessary.

HSU = These subs are very appealing overall, but I always felt like they were underpowered vs the competition. Just on paper, they have 50% or less the wattage of their peers... so that tells me they are leaving something on the table.

Monolith = I have always been drawn to the reports about the Monoliths, except they have been lacking in 2 key areas: 1) The amplifiers they have used have been underpowered relative to their raw size, 2) I have not been attracted to their cheap-looking fake wood-veneer finish and angular corners. They remind me of the lower level line of Klipsch speakers, who's aesthetics never appealed to me.
A couple of notes:
Rythmik's distortion characteristics is pretty good and is in line with these other brands. I don't know where you saw that they have higher distortion levels, but the third-party measurements I have seen do not show that. However, I agree that the servo system is not all that advantageous and is not needed.

Hsu is not underpowered, they are just very efficient. You should be looking at performance results and not amp ratings. That is just like judging a car by horsepower instead of track times. You can have a car with 1,000 hp engine, but it doesn't matter if that power can't be applied to the road efficiently. The Hsu subs are very good at translating power into performance. They don't need kilowatt amps to keep up with the competition.

Per SVS, there are some people on social media saying that SVS has poor output per dollar, but, as usual per social media, these people have no idea what they are talking about and never did. I think it is fashionable to bash SVS now that they are a large and successful company. The fact is that they do pretty well in terms of output. They don't really finish first in SPL drag races, but they do produce a good amount of output and are very well controlled. They are also very easy to manage (except for the 4000 series and 16Ultra series). The PB-3000, for example, has terrific performance, and I can carry that around myself with no help. And their cylinder subs probably has the best performance/weight ratio out there. The performance of the SVS subs are generally very good.
 
M

Mr._Clark

Audioholic Samurai
Hi guys,

So I have ordered 2 of the Monolith 16 Ultras. :oops:

Some of you may recall I've been looking for subwoofers for the past few years, asking about the differences and obsessing over minutia for about 2 years. I have hesitated to buy anything, largely because I had concerns or things that bothered me about all the existing offerings.


TLDR version: There was stuff about each brand I was not crazy about so I have had no subs. I just ordered dual Monolith 16 Ultras. I will probably need guidance on how to setup and optimize these things in the near future.

-----------

I wanted something with extreme output, but also a classy/upscale finish, without sacrificing looks or distortion. I also was not willing to pay $6k+ for a pair of subwoofers to achieve this, for what is basically a hobby/leisure room in my house.

Hopefully, the Monolith Ultra will meet all my criteria. I'm sure the 13" Ultra would also meet these needs for my room size. However, I have not seen the 13 Ultra for sale with the matte black finish yet.

These subs seem to fit all my criteria:
1) Massive SPL output & extension
2) Extraordinarily low distortion
3) Reasonably priced
4) Good aesthetic design with good finish (I ordered the matte black paint version)


If you care, here's a summary of my thoughts on the competition, which has held me back from purchasing each of these brands. These may or may not be fully true, but these are my impressions:

JTR = These subs have incredible audio performance, but I've never been a fan of their industrial finishes. I can't hide the subs, so the finish would always be visible to the room. This issue can be overcome by purchasing a custom finish, but not at an acceptable price point to me. Also, I am still concerned about customer support from a brand that is largely operated by 1 individual, located extremely far away from me. If something were to break on the sub, or the owner were to pass away or retire, I'm not sure where that would leave me.

SVS = The piano black finish on the SVS looks best of any sub, but I am concerned it would be a lifelong magnet for fingerprints, dust, cat pawprints etc. I'm sure the higher end SVS subs produce satisfying audio output, but the value per dollar with this brand is relatively poor, and their prices keep increasin A pair of PB-16 Ultra is now $5,600 before tax or shipping. The customer service should be excellent with this brand, so that is not a concern.

Rythmik = This is a brand I was very curious about, especially that is local to Texas. However, several reviews with measurements showing high distortions kind of steered me away from this brand. I don't fully understand the Servo system, and I'm not sure why it is necessary.

HSU = These subs are very appealing overall, but I always felt like they were underpowered vs the competition. Just on paper, they have 50% or less the wattage of their peers... so that tells me they are leaving something on the table.

Monolith = I have always been drawn to the reports about the Monoliths, except they have been lacking in 2 key areas: 1) The amplifiers they have used have been underpowered relative to their raw size, 2) I have not been attracted to their cheap-looking fake wood-veneer finish and angular corners. They remind me of the lower level line of Klipsch speakers, who's aesthetics never appealed to me.

Enter, the Monolith Ultra.
  • Round corners.... check
  • Attractive furniture-grade finish.... check
  • Exceedingly capable output.... check.
  • Adequate amplifier power..... check.
  • Extremely low distortion measurements... check.
  • THX certification .... check (Third-party verification can't hurt.... sure why not).
  • Backed by a reasonably large company with solid support .... check.

In any case, I'm hoping these subs will likely be extreme in every sense of the word. :cool:

Potential concerns:
My theater room is 10.5 feet wide by 20 feet deep, with 10-foot ceilings. :oops:
I also have to lug these up a flight of stairs somehow. :oops:
**Also my wife has never heard a subwoofer, so she is not sure quite what they do. :oops:

I feel like I have ordered a disrespectful amount of bass, I'm truly curious to see how they perform.
BWAH HA HA HA, too much bass? No such thing!

The stairs are potentially an issue, but that can be solved with some planning and/or brute force.

If I had room for them, a pair of the Monolith 16 Ultras would be near or at the top of my list.

Overall, I've been pretty happy with Hsu subs and the SVS subs I own, but they are not in the same category as the Monolith 16 Ultras (I have an SVS PB Ultra 13 that has never lived up to my expectations, but it might be a placement issue as much as anything)(There is only one place in the room that will not cause spousal issues)
 
Landmonster

Landmonster

Audioholic
2 questions before I set this up:
  1. Are Blue Jeans subwoofer cables legitimately good subwoofer cables, or should I be looking at something else that is better? --- I was about to buy: Blue Jeans LC-1 cables
  2. Do I need isolation feet for these subs? I'm not sure what they come with from Monoprice, or if they are easily replacable.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
2 questions before I set this up:
  1. Are Blue Jeans subwoofer cables legitimately good subwoofer cables, or should I be looking at something else that is better? --- I was about to buy: Blue Jeans LC-1 cables
  2. Do I need isolation feet for these subs? I'm not sure what they come with from Monoprice, or if they are easily replacable.
Nothing wrong with BJC… just pricey. I like the Monoprice High Quality Subwoofer (digital coax) cable. It is a beefier conductor (18AWG, as defined by the rg6u cable standard) than what Blue Jeans is offering in theirs.
Does it really make a difference for relatively short low voltage runs?
Nope.

Feet are usually attached by screw/bolt to threaded insert already in the cabinet. Mine were easy enough to change out. Thread count will be the tricky part, but not to difficult if you pop into a good hardware store.
As far as isolation feet, I really am a fan of the SVS Soundpath Isolation Feet. Less pricey than the other stuff on the market, and the do work at damping the transference of energy through the cabinet to the structure of the house.
This is only a potential issue on a suspended wood floor. If you are on concrete, not a concern at all.
I would recommend setting up and running the system without: see if you really need anything like that first.
(I’m in a suspended wood floor which is super spongy… trampoline like. I definitely benefited from isolating my subs, but my situation is also a bit of an outlier I think.)
Also, keep in mind that the feet will do nothing at stopping the soundwaves themselves from wreaking havoc in your room. And also, this story of “tighter” Bass is highly suspect, and I think it is based on those situations where a suspended floor is somehow picking up energy conducted through the cabinet.
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
2 questions before I set this up:
  1. Are Blue Jeans subwoofer cables legitimately good subwoofer cables, or should I be looking at something else that is better? --- I was about to buy: Blue Jeans LC-1 cables
  2. Do I need isolation feet for these subs? I'm not sure what they come with from Monoprice, or if they are easily replacable.
Good quality cable. More than sufficient.

Try them without isolation feet first. Why spend the extra if not needed? The driver is side-firing so the vertical movement transferred to the floor may be minimal. You can always address this later but I can understand not wanting to have to move them again. :)
 
Landmonster

Landmonster

Audioholic
Ok, so update here. The subs have arrived on 10/27. They are much larger than I imagined.... I can't even get my arms around 1 box.

I will need at least 1 other person to help me move these.
 
B

Bruce53

Full Audioholic
Ok, so update here. The subs have arrived on 10/27. They are much larger than I imagined.... I can't even get my arms around 1 box.

I will need at least 1 other person to help me move these.
I have the M215; it was a real bear until got a handtruck. Now can move almost anything.
 
Landmonster

Landmonster

Audioholic
Ok... update: 11:06 PM

The subs have been moved by hand upstairs, and into the media room. :cool:

I enlisted the help of my friend who is pretty strong. We managed to carry them upstairs by hand, then I was able to scoot them around the media room myself.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First listening impressions:

These things are massive and have a powerful presence in the room... both audibly and visibly. They are definitely difficult to move, but they aren't as unmanageable or as scary as I thought.

Bear in mind, I've never owned a subwoofer, or even played with one. So my 1st experience with home subwoofers is tonight with dual Monolith 16 Ultras. :D Take that for what you will.

At first, I was playing around with some movie scenes in Saving Private Ryan 4k Bluray, and I was honestly underwhelmed. The bass barely seemed better than my original Polk tower speakers, and I began fearing the worst. Were these subs were defective? Had I set up some connection wrong? Perhaps I just had an unrealistic expectation for what a subwoofer should do?

After verifying all the connections were solid, and verifying the subs were indeed playing bass, I re-checked all the system settings.


I realized, the Denon receiver was mistakenly set to some other kind of simulated surround mode instead of the official "Atmos" mode. Once I replayed the same scenes on Atmos, the subs became "switched on" and immediately more violent. So clearly Atmos mode was extracting much more bass output from the same scene.

The first takeaway then is that the setup of these things is pretty critical. There may be many more enhancements that I can improve upon.

I have the dial on the subs set to 0DB, Extended Mode, and crossover to "off" (since the Denon is handling it). I tried the Denon digital crossover set to 80hz and 100hz... I am not sure which is better.

I demoed various scenes, and experimented with different volume levels, from -20db, -10 DB, -5 DB, and 0 DB on the Denon x4500h, as well as crossovers from 80hz to 100hz.

When I approached 0 DB on the Denon in Atmos mode, with the cross-over set to 100hz, and the sound was incredible: Gunshots and explosions were literally visceral. The German tank rumbling through the street towards the Americans caused my entire floor to rumble with some palpable amplitude. The engine and vibration from the tank rolling forward vibrated the room violently.
1635482120132.png


When the Germans fired the 20mm cannon rounds at the Americas, the concussions from the 20mm cannon shots hit me in the chest and lower back more than any commercial theater in my lifetime. It was actually a "wince-worthy" effect.

1635481872969.png


So my second takeaway is that these subs have way more output than I can probably safely use. (I didn't even get into the positive ranges yet...)

I did not dare go beyond -0 DB on the Denon, because my wife came in yelling that all the ceiling can-lights and door hinges in the rooms downstairs were vibrating 4 rooms away. So at this point, I am not sure what effect these subs may have on the structure of the house itself.


My final takeaway is that I observed that by transferring all the heavy lifting of the bass to these subwoofers, it seems that the sound has improved from my other speakers.

I cannot say for sure if this is the case, but that was my impression. The entire system now SEEMS to have a much cleaner/crisper sound. This was something that I was not expecting.

One fear that I had was that by eliminating the deep bass from my 7 speakers, including my 2 tower speakers in the rear, that the bass might actually seem more localized and less enveloping. Thankfully, this did not seem to be the case. The bass was very omnipresent in the room.

-----------------------------

If you have any tips for extracting better sound output, I am open to tweaks/ideas/knowledge.

I do feel like the room itself needs some bass traps and acoustic panels. That was my 1st impression, never having owned subwoofers before in my life.
 
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Landmonster

Landmonster

Audioholic
Side note:

These subs are actually beautiful. I am well pleased!

Monolith shipped these with zero shipping damage of any kind, which is kind of impressive considering how heavy these are. These came in a black cloth bag, and packed with very thick foam. They even included white gloves to handle them!

The gloves were a nice touch. I thought they were a gimmick, but when I saw how easily that this paint gets smudged with handprints and grease, I am actually ONLY going to touch the subs with the gloves. It makes moving them much more convenient.

The matte black paint is beautiful. it is probably a better choice than gloss black or the black-veneer-looking faux wood.

I did not know to expect this... but the grills on this are MAGNETIC. So each front of the subwoofer has no holes! I like this because if you remove the grill, you don't have to look at unsightly peg-holes like many other subs.

Well done Monoprice!
 
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ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
And now we know how Moses must have felt on Mt Sinai.

It wasn't god....

It was Big Subwoofers!

Му bi^^h gоt а^ѕ lіkе twо 18ѕ
Неr fаvоrіtе tоо ѕhоrt ѕоng, іѕ іn thоѕе јеаnѕ
Ѕhаkе іt bаbу іf уоu lіkе thіѕ ѕоng
Dо а nаѕtу dаnсе еvеrуtіmе thеу turn іt оn
:cool:
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Ok... update: 11:06 PM

The subs have been moved by hand upstairs, and into the media room. :cool:

I enlisted the help of my friend who is pretty strong. We managed to carry them upstairs by hand, then I was able to scoot them around the media room myself.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First listening impressions:

These things are massive and have a powerful presence in the room... both audibly and visibly. They are definitely difficult to move, but they aren't as unmanageable or as scary as I thought.

Bear in mind, I've never owned a subwoofer, or even played with one. So my 1st experience with home subwoofers is tonight with dual Monolith 16 Ultras. :D Take that for what you will.

At first, I was playing around with some movie scenes in Saving Private Ryan 4k Bluray, and I was honestly underwhelmed. The bass barely seemed better than my original Polk tower speakers, and I began fearing the worst. Were these subs were defective? Had I set up some connection wrong? Perhaps I just had an unrealistic expectation for what a subwoofer should do?

After verifying all the connections were solid, and verifying the subs were indeed playing bass, I re-checked all the system settings.


I realized, the Denon receiver was mistakenly set to some other kind of simulated surround mode instead of the official "Atmos" mode. Once I replayed the same scenes on Atmos, the subs became "switched on" and immediately more violent. So clearly Atmos mode was extracting much more bass output from the same scene.

The first takeaway then is that the setup of these things is pretty critical. There may be many more enhancements that I can improve upon.

I have the dial on the subs set to 0DB, Extended Mode, and crossover to "off" (since the Denon is handling it). I tried the Denon digital crossover set to 80hz and 100hz... I am not sure which is better.

I demoed various scenes, and experimented with different volume levels, from -20db, -10 DB, -5 DB, and 0 DB on the Denon x4500h, as well as crossovers from 80hz to 100hz.

When I approached 0 DB on the Denon in Atmos mode, with the cross-over set to 100hz, and the sound was incredible: Gunshots and explosions were literally visceral. The German tank rumbling through the street towards the Americans caused my entire floor to rumble with some palpable amplitude. The engine and vibration from the tank rolling forward vibrated the room violently.
View attachment 51104

When the Germans fired the 20mm cannon rounds at the Americas, the concussions from the 20mm cannon shots hit me in the chest and lower back more than any commercial theater in my lifetime. It was actually a "wince-worthy" effect.

View attachment 51103

So my second takeaway is that these subs have way more output than I can probably safely use. (I didn't even get into the positive ranges yet...)

I did not dare go beyond -0 DB on the Denon, because my wife came in yelling that all the ceiling can-lights and door hinges in the rooms downstairs were vibrating 4 rooms away. So at this point, I am not sure what effect these subs may have on the structure of the house itself.


My final takeaway is that I observed that by transferring all the heavy lifting of the bass to these subwoofers, it seems that the sound has improved from my other speakers.

I cannot say for sure if this is the case, but that was my impression. The entire system now SEEMS to have a much cleaner/crisper sound. This was something that I was not expecting.

One fear that I had was that by eliminating the deep bass from my 7 speakers, including my 2 tower speakers in the rear, that the bass might actually seem more localized and less enveloping. Thankfully, this did not seem to be the case. The bass was very omnipresent in the room.

-----------------------------

If you have any tips for extracting better sound output, I am open to tweaks/ideas/knowledge.

I do feel like the room itself needs some bass traps and acoustic panels. That was my 1st impression, never having owned subwoofers before in my life.
Nice report! That thing is insanity.

By the way, bass traps and acoustic panels do not affect subwoofer range frequencies. They might help, but bass traps can only help in mid-bass frequencies.
 
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