The first time you heard a "real" subwoofer after owning an entry-level sub

24

Comments

  • ViperZ
    ViperZ Posts: 2,046
    edited March 2014
    I had 8-incher powered Polk, then JBL PB12 down-firing, then a couple dozen other mid-grade subs before ending up with fully rebuilt Velodyne ULD-15 in the 2-channel (with Maggies) and two NHT SubTwo in the theater. Will be last things that I will upgrade in both systems if I ever get to them.
    Panasonic PT-AE4000U projector for movies
    Carada 106" Precision Series (Classic Cinema White)
    Denon AVR-X3600H pre/pro
    Outlaw 770 7-channel amplifier
    B&W CDM1-SE fronts
    B&W CDM-CNT center
    B&W CDM1 rears on MoPADs
    JBL SP8CII in-ceiling height speakers
    Samsung DTB-H260F OTA HDTV tuner
    DUAL NHT SubTwo subwoofers
    Oppo BDP-93 Blu-Ray player
    Belkin PF60 Power Center
    Harmony 1100 RF remote with RF extender
    Sony XBR-X950G 55" 4K HDR Smart TV + PS3 in the living room
  • spencerthomass
    spencerthomass Posts: 2
    edited March 2014
    Went from three...yes...three PSW505's and a PSW650 to a HSU VTF-15h.

    That single HSU put out more bass at any volume than the three PSW505's could possibly muster. And did it cleanly where the 505's sounded like half dead flapping goldfish in comparison.

    Now I have two 15H's.

    While I haven't heard many other similarly priced subs, all the reviews seem to suggest it's the biggest bang for the buck sub on the market right now.
    This sub from HSU is amazing. I have owned it for a little over a year now and everybody that watches a movie in my theater comments how clean and deep the bass is. It truly is amazing and the price makes it even better. I had a velodyne before that I bought for around $600 about 14 years ago.
  • davidk0512
    davidk0512 Posts: 157
    edited April 2014
    Polk PSW 450, amp died in stages, first the LFE input, I ran with R/L speaker level for a few years, then that too quit. I bought a SVS PB1000, it sounded great but didn't give me everything I wanted. SVS has an upgrade policy that I took advantage of and I now have the new PB2000, I absolutely love it and I highly recommend SVS, they are undoubtedly the best customer service company I've ever dealt with.
    David
  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    edited June 2014
    Older thread, but I think its a good reference thread for all those folks debating whether or not to bite the bullet on a "real" subwoofer. I've owned a number of subs that did not plumb the sub-20 hz depths that were still great and very enjoyable subs. Now I think that if I had gone straight from a PSW-10 or even 505 to my current SVS I would have a black and white opinion, but I didn't and it taught me that there are some really good subs in the middle ground that a fast, tight, musical and hit a true 25 hz, which will be very satisfying for all "pop" music and most movies/games. The Mirage BPS 150i was a great music sub, as was the OMNI Prestige 10. The ACI Force was the best music sub I have ever owned, flat to 20 hz and extremely tight and fast, but pricier and rare. But there is still a pretty big difference on BD soundtracks with truly deep bass with my former HSU VTF-3r or current SVS. They just growl and fill the room in a way the smaller ones can't. So I do think that it is worth saving up and making one long-term purchase, but it's not like you can't get a solid sub for less$$$...
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • felipe
    felipe Posts: 423
    edited June 2014
    I had a BIC f12 and I thought I was a great sub...especially for 180 bucks. I recently got the SVS pb1000, and IMO it beats it hands down..clean, tight,thumpy,thunder rolling bass! No boxiness or boominess at all!! I thought I knew deep bass with the BIC, but after hearing the SVS, it makes the BIC sound like a MBM lol...IMO. Its a lil heavier on the wallet, but its worth it in the end ;-)
    My Setup: Denon AVR X3600h, Polk Signature S50 Fronts w/ S30 Center and S15 Rears, LG UBK90 4K Player, TCL 6-Series 65”4k TV

  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited June 2014
    The sub that floored me (literally0 was in my friend's HT... He had a pair of JL Audio F212s...
  • AudioPro
    AudioPro Posts: 10
    edited June 2014
    I was in my friends room listening to the Beastie Boys, lol..
  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    Klipsch to SVS. From unboxing, to setup and on to listening. All WOW factor. Then I added a second and completely submitted to the Sub Gods.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Coming off of Polk subs and hearing a Revel B15 sub, changed the way I thought about subs in general. Even by todays standards, that sub would still hold it's own.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • slk55amg
    slk55amg Posts: 305
    I moved from a PS10, to a micropro 4000. Huge improvement, glad I did it as the 4000 is no longer available.
    Emotiva XPA5, Sony ES 5300,: Lsi 15,s LSIC, Monitor 70,s, ( side surrounds) FXI 3,s, (rear surrounds)Micropro4000, Velodyne DEQ 10, Sony 55inchXBR 930D Sony BDP 790 Bedroom rig SonyES 3200 RTIA1,s CSIA4 FXI3,s polk PSW 10 SONY 34inch XBR960:cool:SONY BDP550
  • gce
    gce Posts: 2,158
    Coming from a 12" Klipsch and going to a SVS PC12-NSD was a HUGE upgrade for me!
    Anaheim Hills CA,
    HT 5.1: Anthem MRX 720 / BDP-Denon DBT1713UD / Polkaudio LSiM703 / W4S mAmp's / Polkaudio LSiM706c / Polkaudio LSiM702F/X's / SVS PC12-NSD / Panasonic TC P55VT30

    2 Channel: Rogue RP-5 / WireWorld Electra power cord / Marantz TT-15S1/ Ortofon - Quintet Black MC / Marantz NA8005 DAC / W4S mAmp's / Synology DS 216+ll-4TB / Polkaudio LSiM703
  • specd_out
    specd_out Posts: 505
    I started with a psw10 then stepped up to a dswpro 600. That was a huge change. Then I got my hands on a micropro4000. But that died shortly after. It was a great sounding sub. It a smooth strong sounding sub.

    When that died, I decided to build my own sub. I went with dayton 15" Ultimax in a ported 8 cuft box. Powered with a crown xls1000 bridged to mono @1100 watts. Calibrated with a minidsp and rew. This sounds like nothing else I have had no matter how good I thought they where. There is bass everywhere and it hits hard loud and clean. Never sounds boomy no port noise, no drone just perfect.

    Nothing against SVS or any other high end sub company . I am sure those subs are fantastic, I just cant afford 1,300 for a sub.

    If your handy and want an enjoyable project, I highly recommend building one
    HT Rig Samsung 64F8500 |Pioneer Elite BDP-52FD|Pioneer Elite VSX-32| Two Carver TFM-15cb Bridged for mains|Polk Audio RTiA5 Cherry|Polk Audio CsiA6 Cherry|Polk Audio T-15 Heights|Polk Audio FXia6 Surround|DIY 8cuft Dayton Ultimax 15" powered with a Crown XLS1000
    2Channel Rig Polk Audio LSi9 Cherry| Carver C-1BillD Mod|Carver M1.0t MkII Opt2|Pro-ject RM 1.3|SpeedBox S|AQ King Cobras|AQ Rocket88|
    ISF Level 2 Certified Calibrator
  • Chinsy cheap subs aren't worth listening to to be honest. They add coloration in music on bookshelves that can't handle anything else but that's about it. Dinky subs usually can't even play back the hardcore stuff on movies that require a sub in the first place.

    Currently I'm running two UltiMax 18's powered by an iNuke 6000 as well as two Klipsch 15's, just not at the same time, I get bored and play around and switch back and forth and like to learn the difference. I kind of want more, or at least go with a ported box so 20 something hz will be more powerful. What I've got now is about the minimum I'm cool with. A big box store 100 watt 10" is for music on your laptop, not home theater. :)
  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    Went from a modest PSW303 Polk to a sealed 15" Epik Valor.

    I played the first Iron Man movie and the scene where he comes from the cave in his first iron man 'suit'.

    I thought the house was going to shake apart!! That was some serious pictures on the wall rattling, ground rumbling bass!

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
  • Moved from Polk PSW 300 to Dual Shiva EBS alignment 12" each having 5 Cu. Ft. tuned to 17Hz.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
  • dpowell
    dpowell Posts: 3,050
    Started with a PSW300, went to a LSiW1000 to an SVS PB12 plus/2 and now to dual SVS PB13 Ultras. Noticeable improvements each time.
    ____________________________________________________________ polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS SVS PB13 Ultra x 2Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400, ADCOM 7807, Panasonic UB420, Sony SCD-C333ES, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050
  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    edited January 2015
    dpowell wrote: »
    Started with a PSW300, went to a LSiW1000 to an SVS PB12 plus/2 and now to dual SVS PB13 Ultras. Noticeable improvements each time.
    Duel SVS PB13's ought to be rockin' the foundation,lol ! To all newbs, this is how its done, to get good, clean, quality deep bass , you 're gonna have___ to spend at least $1200 on up on a sub(s) . Even spending $500.00 on bass traps for your room will surprise you in a good way. :) Started with a used MK V2-B sub, bought another used one, now running dual EPIK Empires , might add another Empire (used) or maybe go for a PSA sealed sub in the future.

  • MetropolisLake
    MetropolisLake Posts: 128
    edited January 2015
    I actually remember the first time I heard one. Before then I had been messing around with some Wharfedale 10" subs I got off an auction site for cheap. This place had an 18 flexing the bejeesus out of itself in the corner of an otherwise empty showroom. I think it may have had a TV up but that's about it. Absolutely insane, I didn't even know such things were possible outside of a vehicle environment. I don't even remember what brand it was, it was nearly 15 years ago but I do remember they wanted around 3 maybe 4 grand for the thing, it just blew my mind. Back then you might as well have told me they wanted 40 grand for it. It's still a ridiculous amount for a single sub.
  • slbenz
    slbenz Posts: 97
    I started years ago with a BIC passive subwoofer then went with a Velodyne VA1012, which was my first powered sub. Later, I upgraded to a Velodyne HGS-10 but because I have a large room, I upgraded again to my current Velodyne HGS-12 Series II sub. Very clean bass and integrated well with my Martin Logan and Magnepan speakers. Currently using it with a set of Polk Audio SDA 2B speakers I recently acquired. I found going with a higher quality sub provides better integration for music and greater bass impact for movies. Also, I have a Mirage Omni-S8 powered sub which I think is better performing than my old Velodyne VA1012.
  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    I have to give some credit to some of those original sub makers like M&K and Velodyne. Hats off to them :) A number of those old subs are still working and they have to be at least 20 to 25 years old. I honestly doubt any__ of the sub plate amps made nowadays will last that long.
  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 10,862
    Started with a Sony HTiB with a small powered sub. Then on to a Bose, very shortly after that I moved on to Polk with a 10", from there my biggest step up was to an Energy S10.2 which served me well until this past Friday when my SVS PB 10 NSD. So far I'm very impressed but not blown away. Mind you I have not yet had a chance to play around with settings and on top of that my wife requested I move it from its current location to a corner so it's less visible. The reason she wants it moved is that our whole set up on this wall makes our 42" Panny Plasma look very small. So come xmas sales I've been given a green light to look at 55-65" tv. So to save my back I'll leave the sub where it is and once the new tv is installed then if it still looks funny I'll move the sub.
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    I moved from a Polk PSW125 to a Elemental Designs A2-300. While nice it still just didnt have enough to really fill the room I had "right". Plus we lived in an apartment and while the room was decently optimized for bass, turning it up wasnt really an option.

    Then we bought a house on a slab. The A2-300 was even more overmatched with my current room so I built a DIY job.

    The DIY job does a REALLY GOOD JOB of bass until you hit 20hz (port tuning) where it drops like a rock. Even it struggles to really HIT you with bass, but let me tell you its there. The panels in my kitchen and pictures on the wall tell that story.

    And for music.... well it sounds GREAT, lots of kick drum in your chest....

    But thats not enough so now I'm debating 2 sealed 18" monsters to replace it so I can cull the depths of sub 20hz and feel the bass in my body. And of course fix any room nulls and modes by using one of the subs nearfield.

    But for now my DIY monster does a REALLY GOOD job. And I think @oldrocker would agree after his demo of the WOTW Pods Emerge Scene :smile:
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • oldrocker
    oldrocker Posts: 2,590
    It is a monster that looks awesome and sounds very great.

    Try playing the song Fantasy by Aldo Nova. Yeah, it's a super "cheesy song but I'd like to hear the intro on that thing... :o
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    oldrocker wrote: »
    It is a monster that looks awesome and sounds very great.

    Try playing the song Fantasy by Aldo Nova. Yeah, it's a super "cheesy song but I'd like to hear the intro on that thing... :o

    Will see what I can do. I've actually got some decent bass stuff I can play next time your down lol...
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    Wow, 2 sealed 18" subs would be massive. You'd probably be able to feel your pantlegs flopping against your shins,lol. :D Good ol' Aldo Nova, that was a great tune!
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    Polkie2009 wrote: »
    Wow, 2 sealed 18" subs would be massive. You'd probably be able to feel your pantlegs flopping against your shins,lol. :D Good ol' Aldo Nova, that was a great tune!

    Thats the goal lol....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • Irrenhaus
    Irrenhaus Posts: 1,082
    Hi all

    I went from a cheap Sony 8" to a 12 JBL L8400P and that was a nice upgrade. Now I have a Ryhtmik Audio F25 dual 15"s. The first movie I try was War of the Worlds. The house was shaking hard, even one of the smoke detectors fell off.

    Cheers
    HTAVR-Pioneer SC99XPA-DR3 Differential Reference AmpPolk R-700Rear- RT150Side- RT150Center-CSi5Sub-Rythmik audio F25Player- Panasonic DP-UB9000Projector- Optoma CinemaX P2Screen- Silver Ticket Products STR Series 6 120"Audio Room 2ch rig.Cary AE-3, Onkyo M-504, Marantz SA8005, Azur 851NWharfedale - Linton, SVS SB12-NSDMinis Forum PC (streamer) and Panamax MX5105Headphone rig;Schiit JOTUNHEIM and different headphones.Samsung 42" flat screen TV.
  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    That Rythmik Audio F25 sub is a total beast ! What size room do you have it in,lol?
  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,638
    Irrenhaus wrote: »
    Hi all

    I went from a cheap Sony 8" to a 12 JBL L8400P and that was a nice upgrade. Now I have a Ryhtmik Audio F25 dual 15"s. The first movie I try was War of the Worlds. The house was shaking hard, even one of the smoke detectors fell off.

    Cheers

    I blew a clock off the wall the first time I ran my SVS...
  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 10,862
    Yesterday when playing a bass test disk my ears popped like riding an elevator very fast. First time I've ever experienced that.