New to HT, looking for advice for a sub

[EriCS1981]

Hello and thanks for any advice! I’m currently putting together a HT set up in my basement that I finished and ran wiring for a 5.2.4 system to start. As a beginner I was always interested in svs for their subwoofers mostly from earlier reviews and their marketing which caught my attention years back. Well considering the reviews I have done I decided to purchase the older Ultra series bookshelves and center channel from their outlet and have not been disappointed so far. I also purchased an Onkyo RZ 50 for a highly discounted price. Understandably I am aware of the non independent subwoofer outputs, more into that later . I still need to purchase rear surrounds and figured the prime satellites would be a cost friendly option.
As far as the specs on my basement my main listening area as well as a recreation room for my daughters that is not separated by a doorway is about a total of 4000 cubic feet. I will be going for dual subwoofers and was suggested through SVS that 2 pb 2000 pros would work well for my setup and give me the expectations of base I’m interested in having. I will be purchasing one sub for now and purchasing another at a later time when it’s financial more reasonable for me. After researching other subs on YouTube I see there are some other options to consider. So far I’ve researched the RSL speedwoofer 12s and HSU vtf-3 mk5 as possible options. Monolith would be an option but there customer service reviews has turned me away. On that topic customer service is important to me for tuning and companies that stand by their products. Any suggestions as to which sub would be the best bang for the buck or any other options/advice would be great. Also back in the topic of non independent subwoofer outputs. I do understand I may have to pick up a minidsp 2x4 when I get the 2nd sub to tune them for the optimal performance. Yes it will a learning curve, I also like the idea of the svs app and being able to adjust each sub although I do not know if that will be the best approach for me. Obviously ease of use as a beginner is something consider when tuning. Dirac will eventually be used as room correction once I get the sub and rear surrounds. Thanks!

 

[shadyJ]

SVS, RSL, and Hsu are all solid options. Monoprice Monolith is great too. The customer service for Monoprice isn't bad, but its more like a typical large corproation than the personal service that you get with these smaller companies. I think you have already identified the best bang-for-the-buck subs in terms of performance. I think the RSL sub would dig the deepest, but the Hsu sub would hit the hardest, and the SVS and Monolith subs would be somewhere inbetween. There isn't a bad choice between them.

 

[EriCS1981]

SVS, RSL, and Hsu are all solid options. Monoprice Monolith is great too. The customer service for Monoprice isn't bad, but its more like a typical large corproation than the personal service that you get with these smaller companies. I think you have already identified the best bang-for-the-buck subs in terms of performance. I think the RSL sub would dig the deepest, but the Hsu sub would hit the hardest, and the SVS and Monolith subs would be somewhere inbetween. There isn't a bad choice between them.

Any suggestions in regards to the built in app for svs considering I’m a beginner? Or should I just maybe really narrow it down to the RSL considering it’s price point of 800 vs 1100 for the svs?

 

[shadyJ]

Any suggestions in regards to the built in app for svs considering I’m a beginner? Or should I just maybe really narrow it down to the RSL considering it’s price point of 800 vs 1100 for the svs?

If you are not the type to fiddle around with the system after you have set it up, the app isn't all that useful. Its main advantage is the parametric equalizer, but if you see yourself getting into Dirac down the road, that doesn't matter as much. If you want to get into manually EQing the subs, it would save you the cost of something like a miniDSP 2x4. Other than that, for all subs, just leave the polarity at zero, gain at manufacturer's recommendation, and low-pass filter set to 'off', and let the AVR take care of the rest.

As for RSL vs SVS, the PB-2000 Pro does have a bit more headroom overall. And the VTF-3 mk5 has a bit more headroom on top of that. It all depends on how loud you see yourself listening. If you aren't aiming for reference level listening, than no need for monster output subwoofers.

 

[EriCS1981]

SVS, RSL, and Hsu are all solid options. Monoprice Monolith is great too. The customer service for Monoprice isn't bad, but its more like a typical large corproation than the personal service that you get with these smaller companies. I think you have already identified the best bang-for-the-buck subs in terms of performance. I think the RSL sub would dig the deepest, but the Hsu sub would hit the hardest, and the SVS and Monolith subs would be somewhere inbetween. There isn't a bad choice between them.

What’s your opinion on the Klipsch rp1600sw on sale for 900 as an option? Other than that i like the reviews of the Rsl 12s and the Hsu we spoke about.

 

[shadyJ]

What’s your opinion on the Klipsch rp1600sw on sale for 900 as an option? Other than that i like the reviews of the Rsl 12s and the Hsu we spoke about.

Short version: the Klipsch RP-1600SW is pretty darn good. Long version: here.

 

[EriCS1981]

Yes I have researched it but a lot of comments in regards to the old versions with amp failures has a tendency for people to disregard the performance. However if you were in my position would you go for something large like this in a 3500-4000 cubic foot basement or just consider getting two of the rsl’s in time. From my shallow knowledge I always hear two is better than one. I also thought about maybe just getting 2 1200’s right now and being done with it if the price is right. Again weighing price and value with performance. Thanks for the help!

 

[EriCS1981]

Also will a 16” sub be too much for my mains? (Svs ultra bookshelf and center)

 

[shadyJ]

I can't speak to amp failures. But if there is widespread reports of amp failures, that is certainly something to factor. Regarding the SW-1600SE vs the RSL 12", even two RSL 12"s is no match for a single RP-1600SW in overall output. The Klipsch 1600 really is performance bragain. But its big, heavy, and possibly has reliability issues, but you would have to look deeper into that.

Also, there is no such thing as a sub being 'too much' for any particular speaker. There can only be 'too little.' Any sub can be level matched to the speakers no matter how powerful it is. The question is, what will run out of headroom first, the sub or the speaker. I think a 1600 paired with the SVS speakers is unlikely to run out of headroom for either for any normal use.

 

[EriCS1981]

I can't speak to amp failures. But if there is widespread reports of amp failures, that is certainly something to factor. Regarding the SW-1600SE vs the RSL 12", even two RSL 12"s is no match for a single RP-1600SW in overall output. The Klipsch 1600 really is performance bragain. But its big, heavy, and possibly has reliability issues, but you would have to look deeper into that.

Also, there is no such thing as a sub being 'too much' for any particular speaker. There can only be 'too little.' Any sub can be level matched to the speakers no matter how powerful it is. The question is, what will run out of headroom first, the sub or the speaker. I think a 1600 paired with the SVS speakers is unlikely to run out of headroom for either for any normal use.

Thanks! Sounds like the Klipsch is more than enough and the cheapest option…