Need Help picking out a new sub (or 2)

keeneyrm01

Ok so I need help selecting my next major home theater upgrade, a new sub. I already know the good major brands and popular internet direct companies, so I am hoping to get some helpful insight on what would work best in my situation. I know some people give little of the necessary information that others need to give good advice and others give so much that nobody bothers to read it. I am going to go with latter and hope there's a few people bored enough to read through it.

I'll start off with the equipment I already have. Onkyo 807 receiver, Polk RTi A 3 fronts, CSi 3 center, RTi 4 surrounds, and the PSW-111, which I got for free with the other polk speakers. I planned to upgrade the sub eventually but it ended up impressing me with what it was capable of doing especially in this particular room.

So on to the background information. I set up this little home theater room in my parents basement, which whom I am still living with. I am in my final semester of college and am moving on to grad school in January. This means I will probably have to stay living here for a few more years because debt will be racking up. I am trying not to spend my money on things like stereo equipment right now because as a finance major, I know I really should be investing my money more wisely at this point of my life... But I am about to graduate with a 3.9 GPA and think I deserve to treat myself to something unnecessary, and the most needed upgrade is the sub. So with that in mind, I need to make this purchase a long-term, worth while expenditure. I don't want to have to upgrade subs after this until I am able to build a real dedicated home theater and even then I rather add on than replace. I'm working and building up to a really nice system and after I get the sub situation set I would like to get higher end speaker and external amps so I would like the sub purchase to make a large leap forward.

So with keeping the near future in mind, I need to consider that I won't be living here forever and need to buy something that will be flexible into different room layouts and conditions but will also perform to potential in the current room. I am looking to spend some decent amount of cash if it is for a smart purchase. The problem with my room is that it is small and I don't have a lot of placement options. I will attach some pictures to give a better idea of what I am working with. The subs current location (and only possible pace to put it unless I buy speaker stand and get rid of the cabinets the front speakers are currently on) is in the front left corner with a dvd cabinet to its right and the side of a couch about a foot and a half in front of it. This location beefs up the output of the little sub to make it practical but it just can't hit the low notes of action movies. It also creates uneven sound that isn't very accurate. It also makes the ceiling tiles rattle like crazy just above it.

Some of the subs I have been looking at are SVS PB12-NSD and PC12-NSD. Both the cylinder and box sub will fit in the corner location. The issue with that is I don't wether a large cylinder or large box will be more flexible when I move into my own place and if there is much sound difference between the two styles. Another option I was considering is making room between my front speakers and the cabinet I have my center speaker located on and going with two smaller subs like the Emotiva Ultra Sub12, which is now on clearance for $330 each. The problem with this is will I be happy buying that sub when they just came out with a new version with double the power. Or would those small sealed subs go deep and loud enough when compared to a large ported sub like the SVS models, keeping in mind that in two years I might have a larger and more open space that I will need to fill.

The current room is 21x13x6.75 (1,800cf, which also includes the open staircase) and the listening area is in a 14x13 section of the room setup the width way. I'm also trying to finagle getting a new 65 inch panny plasma out of my parents as a graduation gift. If that happens I might consider changing the room set up so it's the long way, making use of the entire space. Doing that would probably eliminate being able to go with a cylinder sub because it wouldn't be wide enough to place it off to the side. I would probably need to put the sub under the TV like I mentioned doing before with the current setup and smaller subs.

For the most part I use my system for movie but some music and concert blu-rays. I would like to try to get subs as accurate as possible but I would rate power and lower extension more important that detail and accuracy. As far as money goes, I am pretty flexible and am willing to spend more if its worth it but I would like to try to keep it around $800 if possible wether it be two smaller subs or one better one. Other brands I've looked at are epic, hsu, eD. I attached some pictures of the room to give a better idea of what I am working with. All feedback will be much appreciated and thanks for reading.

Sherardp

If the budget allows.

http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/dualempire.html

Since your in NY

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?homesubw&1326903716&/Epik-Sentinel-

keeneyrm01

Thanks, I've been looking at Epik. Dual Empires are out of my budget but even if I stretched it, I wouldn't have room for two, but I might be able to swing one. I would be able to fit dual legends though... but the side firing woofer setup would be firing right into the side of my center cabinet on each side with only about two inches of space... I don't know how that would effect the sound. That sentinel is interesting, the pictures are loading for some reason though.

tommyt21

Outlaw Lfm-1 EX will go onsale most likley for black friday, hurry and sign up for their secret sale.

keeneyrm01

Thanks, I signed up for Outlaws secret sale deal. The Lfm-1 EX looks pretty solid and I didn't really look much into this one earlier. I wonder how the outlaw would compare to the svs pb12 nsd; anyone have any experience with that comparison? If the outlaw goes under $600 including shipping for the black friday sale, would that price offset the performance the svs would have at $170 more?

Another thing is my floor is hard tile directly on top of concrete with an area rug... Would down firing vs forward firing woofer have different effects on this flooring?

amulford

It would be harder to localize the downfiring sub. The flooring will actually help with the performance...

codyc1ark

I love my lfm 1 +, and may add a second if the price is right. :cheesygrin:

keeneyrm01

So to my disappointment, the lfm 1 ex was not included in the secret black friday sale. Now I debating wether to buy it under their regular Thanksgiving weekend sale. Its $650 including free shipping and a free wireless transmitter (that I don't really care about). I don't know if I should jump on this or wait and watch it until Christmas time to see if a better deal comes along.

I was hoping someone familiar with Outlaw's prices could chime in. Is the current deal worth it, or does this sub go on sales a lot? From surfing around, it seems like a lot of people got this sub for under $600 shipped. I wished they lowered the price a bit instead of including that wireless thing.

tommyt21

keeneyrm01 wrote: »

So to my disappointment, the lfm 1 ex was not included in the secret black friday sale. Now I debating wether to buy it under their regular Thanksgiving weekend sale. Its $650 including free shipping and a free wireless transmitter (that I don't really care about). I don't know if I should jump on this or wait and watch it until Christmas time to see if a better deal comes along.

I was hoping someone familiar with Outlaw's prices could chime in. Is the current deal worth it, or does this sub go on sales a lot? From surfing around, it seems like a lot of people got this sub for under $600 shipped. I wished they lowered the price a bit instead of including that wireless thing.

I went ahead and got the plus. I didnt care about the wireless adapter, however I think I will use it to stream music to my reciever from my computer room instead of using it for the sub.

keeneyrm01

tommyt21 wrote: »

I went ahead and got the plus. I didnt care about the wireless adapter, however I think I will use it to stream music to my reciever from my computer room instead of using it for the sub.

After thinking about it for awhile, I went ahead and ordered the EX. I guess saving $90 on shipping isn't too bad. I'm gunna do the same as you with the wireless transmitter sending music from my laptop. I might actually end up using that a lot so it might work out to be a pretty good deal.