Subwoofer overkill?

mhartman29

I'm about to venture into a new SW. I already have a few models I'm leaning strongly towards, but I'm curious if they'd be complete overkill for my room. My HT room is fairly small, about 200 sq ft. It also has a couple of windows on one side and it's mostly open to the another room on the other side.

I'm really looking at the av123 mfw-15 or the Epik castle, but would those be overkill for this size of a room? Would I be better off with a less powerful Epik like the Knight or Valor?

I'd say I lean 50-50 on music versus HT. I don't need the room to explode with bass, but I want good power and SQ.

J_Kennedy

I'd think cubic feet is more important, as well as room layout and placement.

ShinAce

If you can afford a nice sub, why not. My sub right now is overkill. It just means I keep it to a reasonable level.

The sub placement will have the biggest effect on its performance, next will be the room layout and then the volume.

nikolas812

Overkill??? I didn't know there was such a thing.:D

mhartman29

nikolas812 wrote: »

Overkill??? I didn't know there was such a thing.:D

LOL, that's what the guys at Epik said!

Rike255

Even if you do buy a sub that's too "big" for your room, you can always set it down a bit. That way if you ever move to a bigger room, or decide you want more bass, you don't have to go buy a new sub.

nikolas812

Rike255 wrote: »

Even if you do buy a sub that's too "big" for your room, you can always set it down a bit. That way if you ever move to a bigger room, or decide you want more bass, you don't have to go buy a new sub.

Ditto.

SlowcarIX

bass = setting the air in the room in motion. i went from a single to double sub yesterday and was a day and night improvement - standing wave issues is pretty much fixed.

only problem now...the subs would stay on

AndyGwis

I have an Mirage Omni S-12 and LOVE it. Great sub with great looks to boot.

They retail for $800 but can be found for much less. . . if you can find one. Tweeter used to carry them and sold them off for half price at one point.

Early B.

mhartman29 wrote: »

I'm really looking at the av123 mfw-15 or the Epik castle, but would those be overkill for this size of a room?

Huh? Overkill?

My room is slightly larger than yours, and I'm looking at adding another 15" sub. If I didn't have WAF constraints, I'd have a sub in all four corners.

BTW, both of these subs are excellent options. I look forward to your review.

hockeyboy

My room is about the same size as yours and I run a pair of these.

http://svsound.com/products-sub-cyl-csplus2.cfm

Remember these ones are passive though so you need a couple of amp channels to drive them. I love em, and in no way are the overkill since they acoustically couple if they are not too far apart.

mhartman29

Well, I have an order in for a Castle and one for dual MFW-15s, since they are about the same price. I guess I'll let fate decide (via who ships first) which one I get. I'm at a loss for determining any other way!

Early B.

mhartman29 wrote: »

Well, I have an order in for a Castle and one for dual MFW-15s, since they are about the same price. I guess I'll let fate decide (via who ships first) which one I get. I'm at a loss for determining any other way!

Keep both of them.;)

Ron Temple

On Craig's point system you're about equal...price about equal...so that's as good as any way to decide. I don't think you'll have one regret with either solution.

Be sure to let Mark and Chad know they are competing...might get a sub or two faster .

mhartman29

Assuming, per craigsubs list, that 2 mfw-15s will give relatively equal performance to 1 castle, is there any reason to favor the dual sub setup? I hear some people say using 2 subs makes a big performance improvement. Assuming, of course, that 2 castles is not an option in the foreseeable future!

Ron Temple

mhartman29 wrote: »

Assuming, per craigsubs list, that 2 mfw-15s will give relatively equal performance to 1 castle, is there any reason to favor the dual sub setup? I hear some people say using 2 subs makes a big performance improvement. Assuming, of course, that 2 castles is not an option in the foreseeable future!

6 of one...

Dual MFWs co-located will have ~ the same output as the Castle except at the very bottom. You might get a better FR in room with duals or you could have cancellation issues...depends on your placement options...either way you'll have to tweak the sub(s) for optimization. With either option you will have awesome bass output. How big is your room?

mhartman29

My room is about 2800 cubic feet, but it is also open to another room of similar size. Placement is actually my biggest worry, since I don't have too many options.

Now that I think about it, I probably need an additional plug if I'm going to have it close to the rest of my equipment. Will it be too much for a single outlet to handle my amp, plasma tv & a SW or two?

Ron Temple

mhartman29 wrote: »

My room is about 2800 cubic feet, but it is also open to another room of similar size. Placement is actually my biggest worry, since I don't have too many options.

Now that I think about it, I probably need an additional plug if I'm going to have it close to the rest of my equipment. Will it be too much for a single outlet to handle my amp, plasma tv & a SW or two?

You should be fine with either sub(s), however you might want to split up the load on a couple of circuits. The Bash amps are pretty efficient, but you might be drawing 750 watts from time to time...what's that?...about 5 amps I think. With the rest of your gear, I'd want either a dedicated 20 or 2 15s.

mhartman29

Are there any general guidelines for SW placement? Or does it pretty much depend on the layout and acoustics of your room?

VR3

I have some sub overkill!

No such thing!