New sub, ext. amp, or new fronts for more midbass/range

vadang

So the OCD has kicked in, I have only been on this site for a week or two and I am already an addict. Now I can't stop thinking of buying stuff which is bad, because I'm already broke

Here is what I have managed to nab off of craigslist for my budget HT in the last week or so:

-Pioneer VSX-9040TXH
-CS400i
-RT800i x 2
-PSW10 & Athena AS-P6000 (replacement amp, original died) these I basically got for free

-Room is approximately 20x15 w/ 10' ceilings.
-90% movie 10% music listening
-I only plan on running 3.1, no rear surround


I've done the MCACC, played with speaker positions, interchanged the subs, tried both subs simultaneously, etc etc but I really feel like I am lacking a good solid midbass/midrange punch. Front stage is set to small and I've changed crossover points from 50-80 hz and still not thrilled. I've tried setting them to large, but then the receiver automatically reduces the sub output tremendously.

So finally my question:

Which item would make the most impact in the $200-300 range:

[1] new sub, I was thinking of a BIC F12, PA-120, or equivalent polk.
[2] Ext. 3 channel amp (recommendations for my budget? used is ok)
[3] Get beefier front stage (M70s? used RTi8? RTi10? or some other pre-powered fronts)

I know I need a better sub, but I can live with what I have for now, if getting an ext amp or new fronts would give me a better midrange.

Thanks for any help!

cfrizz

Start with a better sub. Look at the Polk DSWPro 400 or 500. Once that is in place, start saving more money for a 5 channel amp.

tonyb

Better sub, your room is pretty big for the psw10 to pressurize. Try taking the sub out of the mix all together,set fronts to large and sub to "no" and play your fav. test cd and see what happens. Also check your speaker levels, sometimes the auto calibration sets them pretty low. Return them to 0.0.

vadang

I've run MCACC a few times and it set the LCR anywhere from +2.0 - +3.5, so I just left them alone.

I guess I am on the hunt for a sub now....thanks!

djperez81

I would definitely upgrade the sub i first started out with a psw 10 and i thought it sounded ok but when i got my velodyne it was on another level. It had nice clean deep bass. Good luck.