Supercube 1 -- James EMB-1000 ????

[Tazmoj]

I'm in need of a sub for a room that is 22 x 30. Was considering the SVS or the EP500 ( both strongly endorsed by all you fine folks! ). I recently subscribed to the absolute Sound and this issue ( my 2nd ) features their 2006 Editors Choice awards. They've given them to definitive SuperCube 1 ( $1199) and James EMB-1000 ($1595-1895) in these price categories ( they award one that costs $40,000..). I'm no expert ( far..far from it!), but I've never seen these mentioned?? Any input?????

 

[The Chukker]

Most of the folks in this board will steer you towards Hsu or SVS -- they build great subs that absolutely perform. Realize that "The Absolute Sound" for whatever reason tends to push certain brands whilst excluding others -- I do not want to speculate why. Now that being said, I am a Def Tech nut and I can tell you without a doubt that the Supercube I is a great sub. However, in its price range you can now find competition that outperforms it. Perhaps when it first debuted it should have been @ the top of your list. I own and use in conjunction two Supercube References that I wouldn't trade for the world -- but the difference in performance between a Supercube I and a Supercube Reference is quite noticeable. What exactly is your budget?

 

[Tazmoj]

Thanks for the help here!
I was looking to invest +/- $1500 in the sub. My plan is to add a second next year when i can afford it. My home theatre/sectional seating area is about 14-16' from one end to another ( 10 foot ceilings, we hve a full/queen size sectional/couch between the 2 recliners on each end). Base gettng to each side of the viewing area is another concern. I have a $300 Bodton Acoustics now I purchased 4 yrs ago from S.A.

I'm hearing that the SVS is great option, but seems to require a lot of "tweaking" to get optimal performance. I'm not equipped to calibrate anything. EP500 was the hot thing here ( but isn't mentioned that often anymore) but seemed more of a "plug and play" sub. I'll start looking into those you're suggesting

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Taz,

With your budget, I think I'd have a tough time deciding between one SVS Plus/2 or two PB12 NDS's. You can go dual HSU VTF-3's as well with that budget. It just depends on your space.

 

[kgb540]

If I may offer another suggestion, I think you should seriously consider a Earthquake MKV-15 Supernova. This beast should fall well within your price-range with online retailers offering huge discounts on their products. There are plenty of very positive reviews on this sub out there and , having owned one myself, I can tell you that there are only a couple sub that have I heard (and I have heard and owned WAY too many!) that can compete, let alone best this subs performance. Good luck!

 

[Tazmoj]

I appreciate all the suggestions. I'm in SW fla and there aren't many ( if any ) studios to listen to products like these. When you folks made your buying decisions, did you do so based on specs and validations through forums like this??

 

[Nick250]

I would buy a sub based on this forum. Now that I think about it I did. Rocket UFW-10. Nice sub. I would stick with a sub from a major ID company that has an established track record (Hsu, SVS, Rocket, Axiom etc) and a 30 day return policey.

Nick

 

[Haoleb]

we use james loudspeakers for alot of the homes we do custom installs in at work, And have 4 of the 12" EMB subs in our showroom theater (9.4)! They are good subwoofers, in a small package. Stereophile class B rated. But in my personal theater at home ive got an Axiom Ep600. Either way you arent going to go wrong. But for the price of the james you could get something that would probbably give a little more oomph.

 

[Tazmoj]

You guys, this group, are the best for helping me make a decision on a rather major purchase. I read all these magazines ( Home theatre, Sound and vision etc..) and I think that like film ctitics, they seem to have a certain degree of "bias" toward a product without any true tenure with the product. I 'd welcome more input, and appreciate all to this point.