Subwoofer Help Needed!!!

[nioveratus]

My friend is planning on buying a pair of subwoofers for his 7.1 HT....The main use would be HT and just a little bit of music..unfortunately his buget is really tight and he just has 250 tops per subwoofer so 500 total. I was looking online and reading here and these were the best choices I saw..
the Lava Sub - LSP08
the PA sub20
the Outlaw M8
Velodyne VX-11
Klipsch 10" black 200W powered subwoofer
BIC 12 (but it was too big for his room)

I know with that budget nothing really good might come out but based on this..can you please advice what choice would be the best??? or if you know of other sub that might be better for that price? Thanks.

 

[96cobra10101]

Definately the BIC. Biggest woofer, most power, and at $178 free shipping on Amazon the best deal.

 

[timoteo]

May i ask why your friend feels the need to run dual subs?

Does he have a large room that seats more than 2-4 people at a time & have that many people often?

I ask because at his price range, <$250 each sub will not get him that great of performance. Dual subs are almost always recommended because of the smoother bass response across a larger seating area (if placed correctly & carefully). There is a small increase in output as well (3dB if seperated). But unless he regularly entertains a few people, watching a flick, at a time then i would much rather have a single $500 sub over 2-$250 subs. If the $500 sub is placed in the right location, adjusted right & even a little EQed, he could get very good performance that would dig deeper & most likely play louder for 1-3 people setting at the "sweet spot".

Im not saying that for sure he shouldnt get 2-$250 subs. They can have their benefits as well. However, all the facts need to be considered first. Maybe they already have been, i dont know. But i believe a single Rythmik FV-12 would outperform any of those dual subs you listed.

Could you give a little more info on your friends room?
SqFt?
Open or closed area?
How many people regularly listen?

I just want to make sure we guide you in the best direction!

 

[nioveratus]

The room where he watches TV is 11x14 but it is separated from the kitchen(9x12) just thru the counter, on top of that, this room also connects with his living room which is 17x23...I think a lot of sound is lost cause the space is so big....I think that is why he wanted 2 subs instead of one...thanks

 

[Compadre]

I had the VX11 (in kids gameroom) and those subs can be had for $150 or less.
Comparing it to the LFM-1Plus and FV-12, of course its not close . However, the little VX11 is not a bad sub at all. Its not going to push any SPLs and you will hear bass and not feel it much (but there is some). It will and can rattle pictures on walls if needed to do so. It holds itself very well for a budget sub.

 

[timoteo]

The combined space is what the sub/s are trying to fill with bass. Thats a total of over 650sqft (if 8ft high its over 5,000cuft). According to HSU's room size rating, its a #4 "Huge" room. That is not easy to pressurize.

Dual subs give you better bass across more seats. But 2-$250 subs wont pressurize or give you the SPL of a single Rythmik FV-12. I would highly recommend he rethink the dual cheaper subs. If i were him i would absolutely get a single $500 sub with the intention of saving up to get a second $500 down the road. Then hed have the option of co-locating them (ie stacked) for a big 6dB increase or having them seperated for more even coverage & an increase of 3dB.

The Epik Legend while isnt quite as accurate or detailed, has the highest SPL of the bunch. It gets really loud which would be good in a large space. I typically recommend more accurate bass specially if he plans on adding a second sub later. But some people just want slammin bass so the Epik would fit the bill with that.

Between the HSU & Rythmik, the HSU is pretty much just as accurate but with a hair more max volume. But they are very similar with the Rythmik slightly more detailed but slightly less output. Almost a toss-up though!

Options of subs in the <$550 range (i added $50 to give more options)

Rythmik FV-12
HSU VTF-2 MK4
Outlaw LFM-1 EX
Epik Legend

 

[Nuance AH]

The Epik Legend while isnt quite as accurate or detailed, has the highest SPL of the bunch.

The Epik has more output than the Outlaw? Impressive.

By the way, I completely agree with timoteo; cheap $250 subs won't cut the mustard in that sized space.

 

[shadyJ]

If the measurements of the Empire is anything to go by, the Legend should have the most output above 60 hz. There is no way it will have more output than the LFM-1 EX at 40 hz or below though. The LFM is very competitive output-wise with the Empire itself up to 40 hz.

 

[Nuance AH]

If the measurements of the Empire is anything to go by, the Legend should have the most output above 60 hz. There is no way it will have more output than the LFM-1 EX at 40 hz or below though. The LFM is very competitive output-wise with the Empire itself up to 40 hz.

That's what I thought, but I haven't seen any measurements. You wouldn't happen to have a link would you? I'm talking about the Legend, by the way, as that's the one timoteo said had more output than the Outlaw. I haven't seen any measurements showing so, but if they exist I'd love to take a look.

 

[shadyJ]

I'm just going by Ricci's data-bass measurements, and I seem to recall Chad from Epik saying the Legend performs similarly to the Empire except it is 3 db short in maximum output. I can't seem to find where he said that, so I could be wrong though.