Question on quality of ELAN THP1200W Subwoofer....

[HDTVFREAK]

Just found one for 299.99 that "says" was originally 725.00.

12" sub.

PUtting it in my HT room. Just curious if anyone knows about this sub and it's performance.

Thanks

 

[Midcow2]

Never heard of ELAN .. sorry

Just found one for 299.99 that "says" was originally 725.00.

12" sub.

PUtting it in my HT room. Just curious if anyone knows about this sub and it's performance.

Thanks

Don't know anything about ELAN brand and/or their subwoofer. It is rated at 300W; okay but not really high. Only review I could find besides some One-Call buyers was Home Theater and they didn't say much.

If I were you, I would look at SVS or Hsu brands.

Just my $0.02

MidCow2

 

[AVRat]

Based on HT mag's measurements, it's probably not going to give you the performance you're looking for in your large 36 x 16 x ? room. You'll likely need to spend 3x that amount for decent HT performance.

 

[lsiberian]

Don't buy something off ebay unless you know the brand. A lot of junk is sold on there.

With that size room I think you would be best to go dual subs. But that's my opinion.

You could get away with one really nice one too, but Dual I think gives you easier placement options and better sound overall.

I suppose you could try dual Dayton 12 inches, but I suggest getting an SVS off ebay and then when you raise more funds getting another of the same type.

 

[tn001d]

I am also looking at this sub. Not many reviews out there, but seems like a solid subwoofer.

I dont think you can get anything better for $300.

 

[Midcow2]

I am also looking at this sub. Not many reviews out there, but seems like a solid subwoofer.

I dont think you can get anything better for $300.

Actually for $300 budget and a room 36 feet long i would consider getting two of these: Dayton SUB-120 HT Series 12" 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-635

But reading some of OP's other threads, it sound like he is seeting up a very, very nice theater room and if it were me I would forego the sub now and save for two of these SVS PB12-NSDs at $599 each.
http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-pb12nsd.cfm

Remember, just because a piece of equipment shows a very high list price that is significanly reduced for sale doesn't necessarily mean it is a good deal nor worth anywhere close to the original listed MSRP price.

Good Luck!

MidCow2

 

[rnatalli]

I think eD had a 12" subwoofer in the $300 range, but the price may have gone up by now.

 

[Jeff R.]

I have looked into the sub and come very close to buying one. I have researched ELAN some and they seem to be a pretty respectable company. It appears they do alot of custom home style systems, mostly wall mounted and decor specific. I believe the sub will perform very well looking at the specs. I am still toying with buying one, for $300 it can always move to a bedroom or some other room that needs a little low end assistance or sell it on E-Bay for $250-275. I think you can get it shipped for free.

 

[InTheIndustry]

Shedding a little light....

Elan is part of a very large company called Nortek.

See all of the Nortek brands here: http://www.nortek-inc.com/companys.htm

Particularly under the Linear LLC section. You'll see some heavy hitters in that section!

Does this mean that the Elan subwoofer is "good"? No. It's an alright product. Elan theater stuff has gotten some pretty decent reviews. They pride themselves on their in-ceiling speakers (which are pretty decent). It's not like you're secretly getting a cheaper version of one of the Sunfire (also owned by Nortek) subs.

The rep in my territory has been pusching the Elan stuff at me for years. It's really nice, really pretty whole house audio product that's also added some really cool home automation expansion capabilities to it. Expanding into HT speakers was a natural progression when the market was booming. We'll see where they ultimately go with it. As a custom theatre company, I'm not too thrilled with their speakers. It's more geared towards companys who already carry Elan electronics who just want to sell the "brand" as an easy transition sale on a project. "Oh, Elan Amp? Elan Sub makes sense too then." sort of thing. I couldn't imagine a dealer picking up Elan JUST for the speaker side of it. Make sense?

I think that if you're in the market for a great deal on a sub, hold out until you find something "great" that fits your price point.

As a dealer, I'm always buying things in bulk to sell at decent price breaks to clients & unloading what I don't need either on e-bay or places like here for a steep discount (if I don't have to install it I cut the price wayyy down).....

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51315

Yes, a shamelss plug, but a good deal none the less! I'm not the only dealer who does stuff like this. Wait until you find the right piece, not just the right price!

 

[tn001d]

Any updates on this sub?

 

[LFEBehind]

FWIW: I bought the THP1200SW new off the evilbay for something just over $200. I'm using it in a stereo music listening set up with an Outlaw 2150 receiver and two Ascend Acoustic CBM 170 SE bookshelf speakers. Room is about 24 by 22 feet. I think it performs great in this setting. It is positioned just behind and to the side of the listening area. Bass just melts into the 170's positioned in front. I listen to jazz and classical mostly.

 

[tn001d]

How is the build quality? How does it compare to other subs that you have looked at or owned before ?

 

[tn001d]

I am considering the Elan or the SVS SB12-Plus. The two are very similar in design (12 inch sealed). The Elan seems to be much heftier (56 lbs vs 40 lbs)
The elan right now is half the cost of the SVS. And it comes in a gloss finish i think.

 

[LFEBehind]

tn001d,

It is a very hefty and seemingly well-made piece of equipment and, yes, has a very nice high gloss piano black finish (comes with white cloth gloves for handling it). I don't know how much the supposedly very strong kevlar cone adds to the sound, but I really like the unobtrusive performance I get out of it. Seems to compare well with the best of the moderately priced stuff I've heard, but your experience with different equipment is no doubt much greater than mine. I'm picky about sound, but I'm not going to spend a fortune to chase elusive and diminishing returns.
Note that it has the very sharp cone shaped metal feet that work fine isolating it on the carpeted floor it sits on. However, it does come with disc covers for the points if it needs to sit on a wooden floor.

 

[tn001d]

LFE

THanks for the info. Do you think you could post a few pics of the sub please ?

 

[Jeff R.]

I found a little bit of a review not much detail but they do comment on the quality of contruction and at the end it is noted the sub has a very strong performance.

http://hometheatermag.com/compactspeakers/107elan/

I am to the point I think I am going to buy one and take a risk. I read an individual review on amazon that said it outperformed many subs in the $1500 range, now obviously there are subs that are always terrible. I have only found about 5 individual reviews and all were 5 of 5 stars. I would like to think most of the purchasers were chasing a deal and taking a gamble, if they were even remotely disappointed I would think we would see some type of disclaimers in those reviews.

 

[tn001d]

When are you expecting it to arrive?

Please provide a review for us with pics

 

[Jeff R.]

Have not purchased yet. Still dancing on the ice over it. I was in the process of doing a DIY setup and still can not decide.

I actually stumbled across some more info on it today and the person who wrote it commented that the -3db drop or I believe it is denoted F(3) was at 34 Hz. That scared me a bit. The sub specs indicated a frequency range down to 23 Hz I believe.

Can anybody out there quantify what that means in the real world of listening??

 

[Captainmorgan89]

Eh, if it was me, I would stay away if your going to watch alot of movies, based on that review, it indicates that the lower –3-dB point is at 40 Hz and the –6-dB point is at 34 Hz.

Music doesnt usually dip below 30Hz, but movies are anywhere from 5-25Hz, so im guessing this sub is near useless for any real LFE.