subwoofer decision help

acsubie

in the market for a new sub to clean up the bass a little in my HT setup, not like the polk psw10 is bad, just want to know i have good equipment, my room is on the smaller side, so i dont wanna over bass it, even though i can just adjust to my liking....right now im looking at the elemental designs line of subs and the SVS line( i like that SVS has the cylinder subs, but the way they have them pictured i cant get a real scope of how big they really are, saw a pic of their higher end cylinder next to an object and it was huge to say the least) cylinder might suit me best just because the GF nags about bigger components and it might be better for the way my room is setup

i hear decent things about the ED but to be honest they are quite ugly, my budget is about $700 and the SVS PB 12/NSD2 is a nicer looking subwoofer also, in cylinders the PCi line is in my price range but im wondering if there smallest unit would satisfy me?

anyone with experience with these 2 models, your feedback is appreciated!!

Face

eD makes a great sub, you can't beat them for the price! But I agree, they aren't the nicest looking. I believe you can order them bare and then finish the sub yourself.

MHayes

acsubie wrote: »

i like that SVS has the cylinder subs, but the way they have them pictured i cant get a real scope of how big they really are, saw a pic of their higher end cylinder next to an object and it was huge to say the least

SVS has the measurements listed right there on the webpage for each subwoofer. Take a tape measure and it's fairly easy to get an idea of how large each one is. If that doesn't give you a clear enough picture, then grab some poster board and model it. When I was looking at plasmas, besides looking at the different sizes in the store, I also taped an outline on my wall at home and it was very telling!

MHayes

Face wrote: »

eD makes a great sub, you can't beat them for the price! But I agree, they aren't the nicest looking. I believe you can order them bare and then finish the sub yourself.

And yes, the eD subs sound great, but man are they ugly. I would think that most wives/girlfriends would not be very accepting of an eD sub in the living room unless you did some major refinishing on it

beardog03

SVS is having a great sale...FWIW

Face

MHayes wrote: »

And yes, the eD subs sound great, but man are they ugly. I would think that most wives/girlfriends would not be very accepting of an eD sub in the living room unless you did some major refinishing on it

You could just throw a sheet over it. Mine is hardly noticeable with all my other equipment though.

MHayes

Face wrote: »

You could just throw a sheet over it. Mine is hardly noticeable with all my other equipment though.

When the bass hits, does it blow up like a tent

Face

MHayes wrote: »

When the bass hits, does it blow up like a tent

Since it only has a port on one side, it pitches a tent would be more appropriate.

vonnie123

Is your system used more for music or movies. I recently purchased a Martin Logan Dynamo subwoofer from Tweeter when they closed their west coast stores. It has served me very well for music listening. It is within your stated price range. Good luck.

Face

It's in my HT system, I don't like using subs for music. But due to space constraints, if I needed to use a sub with small speakers, I'd still consider eD(elemental designs). The A5-300 I own is anything but a "one note" sub.

Sherardp

go for the NSD/2 and be done, or spend a little extra and opt for the PB12+/2 both are awesome subs.

jwhitakr

I'll throw in my usual recommendation for HSU subs. I have heard the PB12/ISD (have not heard any of the newer models of SVS, nor have I heard any of the ED subs) and I would not say that it had any advantage over my HSU STF-3 for home theater performance.

Having said that, I don't think HSU makes particularly pretty looking or small footprint subs. If you are looking to go for a smaller footprint sub, the SVS cyclinders may be your best bet.

danger boy

the SVS cylinder subs are not small. i owned the mid sized one.. and it was tall.. and big and round... tough to integrate into a room, lookswise anyway. sound was amazing of course.

the cylinder subs are very lightweight though.. which was nice.. I could move it without getting a hernia

hockeyboy

I have a pair of SVS-20-39 passive subs that I drive with my Sunfire. They are both huge and acoustically couple so there is never a risk of "over subbing it" unless you intentionally do so. Everyone always looks at them and goes "are those the subs?"

You will not hide these in a room, but they are great looking cylinders and give the absolute best sound of anything I have ever heard anywhere. The room shakes when it should (Transformers/Saving Private Ryan, etc.) but does not overpower in normal scenes. Just remember to adjust your center to medium or small after you install them. I would also encourage you to email SVS for an immediate response on recommendations.