New Subwoofer recommendations

[theJman]

That should be the motto of every audiophile, (WAF and non-audio attributes aside). Anything beyond "what can be heard" is useful only for academia, bragging rights or to feed some prejudice.

Amen to that.

 

[joegator81]

Once again great advice everyone. So, I thinks been mentioned but what about the rythmik L22? The reputation of rythmiks being very "musical " subs and having Jim salks approval has my interest peaked.

 

[PENG]

Once again great advice everyone. So, I thinks been mentioned but what about the rythmik L22? The reputation of rythmiks being very "musical " subs and having Jim salks approval has my interest peaked.

I have a couple of SVS and 1 Rythmik and like them both. I thing the L22 will be a great sub for the price, that's if you are in the US.

 

[Basshead81]

Just a heads up...there was a member over at AVS that has directly compared the VTF-3 MK5 and XS30se, he preferred the XS30se for music. He does mention that the VTF3.5 is still really good. I am guessing you will be happy either way you go! Good Luck

 

[shadyJ]

Just a heads up...there was a member over at AVS that has directly compared the VTF-3 MK5 and XS30se, he preferred the XS30se for music. He does mention that the VTF3.5 is still really good. I am guessing you will be happy either way you go! Good Luck

That is nonsense. He didn't directly compare them. If he directly compared them, he would have had to use them side by side. His comparison is about a month apart, nor has he had time to dial the VTF3 in; he just received it. I did hear a VTF3 mk5 that was dialed in a room and a month later a PSA S1500 that hadn't been dialed in- guess what, the VTF3 sounded great and the S1500 sounded like nothing. I don't go on to make comparative statements between the two based on that experience though. The XS30se might have more headroom in music frequencies, but I would be surprised if it had any qualitative advantage at all beyond that.

 

[theJman]

I did hear a VTF3 mk5 that was dialed in a room and a month later a PSA S1500 that hadn't been dialed in- guess what, the VTF3 sounded great and the S1500 sounded like nothing.

Why would dialed-in vs not dialed-in even warrant a post? FUD perhaps?

Given your past history it's not difficult to draw a conclusion as to why you bothered to post that in the first place. It's obvious there isn't a PSA model you would ever consider decent, regardless of how much better it was in real life than what it was being compared to. I too know the VTF-3 from first hand experience, and it's one very nice subwoofer for sure. But to even suggest the S1500 would be "nothing" in comparison is not something you'll get anyone with experience to believe, save for the occasional newbie with no practical knowledge.

 

[shadyJ]

Great work on completely missing the point of my post.

 

[theJman]

I missed nothing, and neither did any of the established members of AH.

Animosity aside... you've obviously worked hard to ditch the Troll status you had for so long. Of late I've seen many posts from you that were not only helpful to the person asking a question but also provided them with unbiased advise. A few years ago that was rarely the case. You should continue doing what you have been and leave the rest of that nonsense in the past.

That's my 02 anyway. Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

 

[shadyJ]

The point you missed was that if subwoofers are to be fairly compared, the comparison can not occur a month between listening to each unit, and it can not occur between a sub which has been calibrated and a sub which hasn't.

 

[theJman]

The point you missed was that if subwoofers are to be fairly compared, the comparison can not occur a month between listening to each unit, and it can not occur between a sub which has been calibrated and a sub which hasn't.

If that's truly the case - and the negative reference to a PSA product was merely coincidental - then perhaps I did miss the comparison.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Since I prefer only externally-powered Subs, I will toss in my recommendation for the RBH SX-1212N subwoofer. It has an MSRP of $1450, but it can be much less expensive on sale price. For amp, I think a Crown XLS amp would do just fine, especially when you have Audyssey XT32 Dynamic EQ.

 

[joegator81]

As much as I appreciate the reco, the 30se is more than I want to spend since I want to buy two subs

 

[Tom V.]

I missed nothing, and neither did any of the established members of AH.

Animosity aside... you've obviously worked hard to ditch the Troll status you had for so long. Of late I've seen many posts from you that were not only helpful to the person asking a question but also provided them with unbiased advise. A few years ago that was rarely the case. You should continue doing what you have been and leave the rest of that nonsense in the past.

That's my 02 anyway. Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

Seems appropriate?

Tom V.
Power Sound Audio

 

[Basshead81]

That is nonsense. He didn't directly compare them. If he directly compared them, he would have had to use them side by side. His comparison is about a month apart, nor has he had time to dial the VTF3 in; he just received it. I did hear a VTF3 mk5 that was dialed in a room and a month later a PSA S1500 that hadn't been dialed in- guess what, the VTF3 sounded great and the S1500 sounded like nothing. I don't go on to make comparative statements between the two based on that experience though. The XS30se might have more headroom in music frequencies, but I would be surprised if it had any qualitative advantage at all beyond that.

blah blah blah....Guess what, that same person wishes he had his PSA sub back. Hopefully you can sleep after reading this.

 

[joegator81]

I decided to wait for more reviews of the mkII before pulling the trigger. the 2 reviews I've seen, one of which was JMan's, were overwhelmingly positive. I've got a question for JMan though, ULS m15 mkII or VTF3 mk5? Which is the best all around sub? Which is best for music? From your review I assume the uls is the best bang for buck??? Please answer considering a dual drive setup. Thanks!

 

[joegator81]

Also, since im still considering the rhythmic L22, how would two 12" drivers stack up against one 15" theoretically?

 

[shadyJ]

two 12"s will have more surface area than a 15", but a 15" like the ULS will likely have more excursion than a budget 12" driver. In terms of displacement, I am thinking they would be close.

 

[theJman]

I decided to wait for more reviews of the mkII before pulling the trigger. the 2 reviews I've seen, one of which was JMan's, were overwhelmingly positive. I've got a question for JMan though, ULS m15 mkII or VTF3 mk5? Which is the best all around sub? Which is best for music? From your review I assume the uls is the best bang for buck??? Please answer considering a dual drive setup. Thanks!

The size of your room will be a factor, of course, but assuming it's not very large... in a system that's strictly used for music I would give the edge to the ULS, but I'm not sure I would consider it the best bang for the buck. The VTF-3 does a solid job pretty much everywhere, so for most people it would probably represent the better overall value.

Also, since im still considering the rhythmic L22, how would two 12" drivers stack up against one 15" theoretically?

I reviewed the F8, not the L22, so I can only speculate on the former. Be that as it may, dual 12's come close to equaling an 18" driver so in theory it should have an advantage over a single 15. In the real world the difference could prove less obvious though. The L22 is an awesome sub, so there's really no downside to it.

 

[joegator81]

Jman, the listening area itself isn't too bad,still big, but when you consider that it's a living room open to a dining room which opens to the kitchen and family room then that's quite the space. Music is where I am most picky which is why I zeroed in on the uls mk2, not to mention price and lower cost of return shipping. With movies I feel like the epik legend I have now gets me close to what I want but I feel like it comes up short in the music dept. this decision is way harder than I thought it would be.

 

[theJman]

this decision is way harder than I thought it would be.

Never heard that one before.

Your sentiment is almost inevitable. A lot of people feel a subwoofer will be one of the easier audio decisions they'll make, but as they learn more - and see the breadth of options available - it starts to become a bit overwhelming and more difficult than anticipated.