Which of these low-end subs to choose from?

[Trace79]

I really don't know what would be best for my situation so I'm asking for help here. I'd like to keep the budget around $200, my room is small -around 450 square feet and not rectangular, my desk is somewhat in the middle where the sub will go under near my feet or under my nearby bed as long as the height doesn't exceed 15". I'll be hooking it up through my Realtek 889 soundcard or possibly an external USB soundcard and matching it with a pair of powered studio monitors like the audioengine5+ or something very similar. Would 8" driver be okay or should I go 10" minimum? 12" will make the sub too big for my space to rest it. Also, I would like the sub to have a focus on music instead of movies or gaming. I want clear sound but also some good base for heavier electronic music at times if possible.

I just had the Logitech Z-5500 that finally burnt out. The 10" 188W Sub was loud but didn't seem to be that clear. I'm hoping to match or get close to that with better sound if possible and solid reliability.

This is what I have found so far and am open to other suggestions:
Pinnacle 10-200 Amazon.com: Pinnacle Speakers SUB-SONIX 10-200 10-Inch 200 Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer (Black): Electronics
Velodyne VX-11 Amazon.com: Velodyne VX-11: Electronics
MartinLogan Dynamo 300 Amazon.com: MartinLogan Dynamo 300 Home Theater and Stereo Subwoofer: Electronics
BIC V1020 Amazon.com: BIC V1020 10" Down-Firing Powered Subwoofer: Electronics
Energy ESW-C8 Amazon.com: Energy ESW-C8 8-Inch Subwoofer (Black): Electronics

These are just a quick few I found from reading a few other threads and am open to other suggestions. I'd like to take advantage of black friday though and make a purchase relatively soon. Thanks for the help.

 

[Soundman]

did you buy a sub yet? if not, cyber monday is around the corner.

 

[bikemig]

Outlaw M-8 b stock at $225, B-stock Order Form

 

[agarwalro]

Dayton Audio SUB-1200 12" 120 Watt Powered Subwoofer $115 shipped.

 

[Trace79]

No, I didn't buy one yet. I bought a pair of Tannoy 501a and realized that patience is a virtue when trying to match good bass with good sound. I'm going to avoid the cheaper subs and go for something that may produce better results to match these Tannoy's. My limit however is $400 for the sub and my room is pretty small...my neighbors already hate my Tannoy's lol...think college dorm style living lol

 

[anamorphic96]

No, I didn't buy one yet. I bought a pair of Tannoy 501a and realized that patience is a virtue when trying to match good bass with good sound. I'm going to avoid the cheaper subs and go for something that may produce better results to match these Tannoy's. My limit however is $400 for the sub and my room is pretty small...my neighbors already hate my Tannoy's lol...think college dorm style living lol

The Martin Logan might surprise you. It may not go super deep but in a small room it will hold it's own.

 

[Transmaniacon]

I would go for the HSU VTF-1 MK2, which is on sale right now for $419. It comes with port plugs and you can modify the sound to suit your needs. HSU makes wonderful sub woofers and you can audition them as well.

 

[bikemig]

No, I didn't buy one yet. I bought a pair of Tannoy 501a and realized that patience is a virtue when trying to match good bass with good sound. I'm going to avoid the cheaper subs and go for something that may produce better results to match these Tannoy's. My limit however is $400 for the sub and my room is pretty small...my neighbors already hate my Tannoy's lol...think college dorm style living lol

How about a good pair of headphones then? $400 will buy you a heck of a pair of headphones and an amp/dac if you need one in your rig.

 

[ImcLoud]

I wouldn't think of 450 sq feet as a small room, by any means... What are the dimensions and ceiling height?

Emp has the 1010i and 10 on sale them may fit what you are looking to do...

 

[Trace79]

Sorry for the long delay but work had most of my time occupied recently.

I would go for the HSU VTF-1 MK2, which is on sale right now for $419. It comes with port plugs and you can modify the sound to suit your needs. HSU makes wonderful sub woofers and you can audition them as well.

I don't think I can use this one since it does not have any speaker outputs in it. My PreSonus Audiobox USB external soundcard only has a R/L out that are going to my studio monitors. I'm going to have to run my L/R output from my external SC to the sub I buy, and then from the sub's outputs to the SM's.
...the SC does have a headphone out as well but I do not know if I can use that as a subwoofer output and keep all volumes controlled under one dial.
This is what I am working with...PreSonus | AudioBox USB - Features.

How about a good pair of headphones then? $400 will buy you a heck of a pair of headphones and an amp/dac if you need one in your rig.

I do plan on getting a decent pair of 2.0 headphones in the future but don't want to spend more than $100 for them. Am open to suggestions.

I wouldn't think of 450 sq feet as a small room, by any means... What are the dimensions and ceiling height?

Emp has the 1010i and 10 on sale them may fit what you are looking to do...

My ceilings are about 9' high. The room itself is a very weird layout; like a tetris shape lol...imagine a red cross symbol but the west and south ends are connected at a diagonal angle. The north and east cut-outs are even proportions; my desk, speakers, and soon to have sub, sit on the inner-most left side of the northern wall inside that eastern cut-out...so somewhat in the center of the oddly shaped room. I hope that is descriptive and articulate enough to give a visual .

My floors are tile but I have hand-woven Persian wool rugs covering about 50% of the floor space. Walls are a mix of cinder block, drywall, and wood cabinets.

Regarding that Emp sub, I checked the dimensions and it is just a little too high @ 27 1/2" for the allocated locations I have set to place a sub unfortunately. I'm really working around space limitations in this room . The sub has to go under my desk (25" H X 23" W but need room for my feet so no more than 15" D,) where my feet go or under my bed (14 1/2" H max for the sub there.)

 

[Trace79]

After looking at all the recommended subs in my $ range and that fit my needs in physical and mechanical necessities...I've pretty much narrowed it down to the HSU STF-2. I hear nothing but good things about this sub when it comes to its accuracy in sound. My only regard is it is a continuous 200W - no more, no less...from what I understand - so I'm wondering if it might not provide enough punch at loud volumes. I could be totally wrong and this thing could be more than I need...I wish I could hear it combined with my studio monitors before I buy

Reminder* I'm running two Tannoy 501A's.

Also, I noticed it says on the back of the HSU STF-2 for the speaker outputs "only use if no sub out on source." Is this something I need to worry about? Or can I just run a L/R 3.5 from my Audiobox into the L/R inputs to the sub only to have RCA L/R outputs from the sub come in to XLR input in my monitors...set the volume on the sub and control everything with my Audiobox?

The only other sub I found that caught my eye, but is slightly out of budget at the moment, is the brand new SB-1000 - SVS.

It's small, got a 12" driver, 300W, and seems to have the necessary input/outputs for my setup. Would it be overkill for my Tannoy's and should I just stick to the HSU, or is this a way better sub? IF it is going to be a night and day difference I can save the money and buy it in a month or so if it will be worth it.

Thanks again all for your help. I'm slowly piecing together one bad mutha of a computer speaker system...if it even falls into that category anymore

 

[agarwalro]

If you're looking at the SVS's, go with the PB-1000. With room gain and corner placement, you'll have a better shot at usable 20Hz performance. From the published specs,

PB-1000 measured:

SB-1000 measured:

 

[Trace79]

If you're looking at the SVS's, go with the PB-1000. With room gain and corner placement, you'll have a better shot at usable 20Hz performance. From the published specs,

PB-1000 measured:

SB-1000 measured:

I checked out the dimensions of this sub and it will fit under my desk but just barely. It's so close that because of the 20" depth of the sub the driver will be firing less than two inches into a wooden face...and there probably wont be any room in the back for the cables sticking out.

Plus, I noticed this is a ported 10" driver where the SB1000 is a sealed 12". If music is my main focus isn't sealed better...and 12" better as well? I see on the graph how the PB1000 can hit lower Hz on higher dB though...but it's only about a 5Hz difference.

One other question I have about these SVS subs - both the PB and SB1000 have this feature - is that the outputs have this "80Hz High Pass Filtered Output connections." Does that mean that nothing lower than 80Hz will go to my studio monitors? If this is the case than I'm almost sold on this sub because the only thing that starts to get a little distorted on these monitors is the bass at higher levels.

 

[Steve81]

One other question I have about these SVS subs - both the PB and SB1000 have this feature - is that the outputs have this "80Hz High Pass Filtered Output connections." Does that mean that nothing lower than 80Hz will go to my studio monitors? If this is the case than I'm almost sold on this sub because the only thing that starts to get a little distorted on these monitors is the bass at higher levels.

It's not a brick wall; presuming there's some family resemblance between the SB1000 and the SB12-NSD, there is a 12dB/octave filter with the knee at 80Hz; IOW, output to your Tannoy's would be 12dB down at 40Hz relative to 80Hz plus whatever roll off they exhibit.

 

[Trace79]

It's not a brick wall; presuming there's some family resemblance between the SB1000 and the SB12-NSD, there is a 12dB/octave filter with the knee at 80Hz; IOW, output to your Tannoy's would be 12dB down at 40Hz relative to 80Hz plus whatever roll off they exhibit.

Gonna be honest, I don't know what any of that really means. I've been trying to find a beginners guide on google and youtube on dB, frequencies, and crossover pertaining to home audio. It hasn't been easy. Either what I find is too complex or too simple. If anyone knows a good guide or a place I can start educate myself on this that would be a big help, thanks.

 

[Steve81]

Gonna be honest, I don't know what any of that really means.

Basically it won't completely eliminate bass frequencies from the signal your main speakers get, but it will progressively reduce their intensity.

I've been trying to find a beginners guide on google and youtube on dB, frequencies, and crossover pertaining to home audio.

This should be a start:

ESP - Frequency, Amplitude and dB

 

[Trace79]

Thanks for that Steve81. I called SVS and they returned my call within 2 minutes on a Sunday...awesome! I sure like that SB1000 because of its small footprint but the low frequencies of the PB1000 will be better for the bass that's in dubstep and other electronic music so I'm going with that. Already $500 less in my bank account

I am going to need to find some really long, solid quality cables though since I found a place behind my couch for the sub. Will need about 20ft long RCA cables and 20ft of RCA to XLR coming back to my studio monitors...anyone have recommendations on a good website to get these or what kind?

 

[Steve81]

Will need about 20ft long RCA cables and 20ft of RCA to XLR coming back to my studio monitors...anyone have recommendations on a good website to get these or what kind?

Monoprice is usually pretty reasonable on pricing and the quality is good in my experience.