Due to available space constraints I am currently using a Yamaha YST FSW100. Sonically, it matches the YSP-800 nicely and has done a decent job so far. Transformers, Master and Commander, Matrix all sounded pretty good.
I tested War of the Worlds and finally found the subs limits.
Obviously for $120.00 I'm not going to get SVS performance but I'm very happy with the "back for a buck performance" Is there a sub-small in stature-that would surpass the Yammy but still fit behind my TV stand that is kitty cornered in the family room? It should only be about an 8" cube or at most a 10" vertical cylinder...and should be powered not passive

budget?

Due to available space constraints I am currently using a Yamaha YST FSW100. Sonically, it matches the YSP-800 nicely and has done a decent job so far. Transformers, Master and Commander, Matrix all sounded pretty good.
I tested War of the Worlds and finally found the subs limits.
Obviously for $120.00 I'm not going to get SVS performance but I'm very happy with the "back for a buck performance" Is there a sub-small in stature-that would surpass the Yammy but still fit behind my TV stand that is kitty cornered in the family room? It should only be about an 8" cube or at most a 10" vertical cylinder...and should be powered not passive

At that price limit with those extreme size limitations, just be glad you found something you think sounds alright. I don't see much point in upgrading, especially since you already seem content with the sub you have. When you require such a tiny sub, the only way you'll get a substantial improvement in performance is by spending a lot of money. I'd recommend enjoying what you have right now and waiting until you have either more flexibility with subwoofer size or a whole lot more money before you think about upgrading.

I have no issue buying quality even if it means spending good $
I caved into the Spouse Approval Factor and removed the 5.1 system (NHT Super One XU's and an SVS 20-39) when we moved into our new home and replaced it with the YSP-800/YST-100 combo. the new Yamaha setup is far more "pleasing"..IE less cabling and speakers

So dont please pigeon-hole me as "cheap" or small-budgeted. I'd have no problem ponying up $500-800 for a decent small form factor sub if it existed.
Even more if it were REALLY good..but fits my available space

I have no issue buying quality even if it means spending good $
I caved into the Spouse Approval Factor and removed the 5.1 system (NHT Super One XU's and an SVS 20-39) when we moved into our new home and replaced it with the YSP-800/YST-100 combo. the new Yamaha setup is far more "pleasing"..IE less cabling and speakers

So dont please pigeon-hole me as "cheap" or small-budgeted. I'd have no problem ponying up $500-800 for a decent small form factor sub if it existed.
Even more if it were REALLY good..but fits my available space

Sorry about that, it wasn't my intent to "pigeon-hole" you. From your post, I gathered (obviously incorrectly) that you had purchased the Yamaha for about $120 and were wondering if there was anything else in that price range that would be an improvement, to which my response was "don't bother." Since you didn't post a budget, I somehow ended up with the idea that your budget was about the same, and that your post was one of those "did I get the best I could for my money" types of posts. Don't ask why, probably an extreme lack of intelligence on my part :(.

Anyway, to make sure I'm not misunderstanding again, is 8"x8"x8" the maximum size your space can accommodate? If you could give exact dimensions so you don't get recommendations for subs that won't fit, that would be great. Are things flexible at all? Is it possible to move the TV stand out a bit from the wall, even an inch or two to accommodate a larger sub? If 8"x8"x8" is literally the limit, you can't even get a sub with an 8" woofer, which is about as small as subs get. That's why I'm asking.

no worries lala... tones, inflections and nuances never carry well on the internet. Sarcasm and humor are frequently lost in translation from one finger to the pixels on the screen.

I'll try and measure the triangular area I have behind the TV stand tonight and give you an "as-is" picture and any flexibility I may have with regards to extra space.

Now where did I put that tape measure?:confused:

Sounds good, dave. Every inch you can muster will give you a lot more options :). $500-800 can do some serious damage, and there are some great small subs out there for that price. 8" cube is a bit too small, IMO, but if you could get to around 14"-15" or so cube, you have a lot of GREAT options. Even up to about 12" cube will help a lot. Good luck.

no worries lala... tones, inflections and nuances never carry well on the internet. Sarcasm and humor are frequently lost in translation from one finger to the pixels on the screen.

Too true...I always found "chatting" or e-mailing with a significant other to be a very bad idea in certain contexts. The phone is better, but the best way is still by far face to face.

OK the open space behind the TV stand is a 22" by 22" by 31" triangle .

The long side is the back edge of the TV stand the other two are walls

I wish I was better @ trigonometry to figure how large a cube or tube will fit there. My sister the Asst. Profesor of Mathmatics should be doing this but I roughly figured a 12" diameter circle should fit in the open space as it sits today.

Maybe the X-Sub could be a good fit here. Small foot print with a larger height. I think there are also other subs with a similar build (can't remember exactly what I've seen) to the X-SUB.
OK....maybe not....I knew those numbers were small....but I just measured that out and wow....not much thats going to fit back there. If you can get the corners of the stand out to 32" up each side wall, then you may have something. There are a lot of measurments to figure when putting a square or rectangle inside of a triangle.
What if the sub was out on the floor, but disguised a bit? Say, maybe under an end or side table covered by a tablecloth or behind a piece of furniture other than the TV stand. Maybe the sub could even be completely covered by something when not in use and then unveiled when you want to watch a movie.

I think I'm pretty much stuck with the behind the TV corner loaded spot. Maybe I should see if anyone in the DIY section wants to contract out for an 8" or 10" sonotube sub?

I'm also interested to see what LA-LA has to say though!

Dave,

Is there ANY way of moving the stand a few inches farther out from the corner? Even an extra 3" or so would be huge. As it stands now, you're pretty much stuck with a tiny 8" sub. If you had that couple of extra inches, you could go for something like the Sunfire HRS-10 (11.5" cube). You might be able to fit the HRS-8 right now (10" cube), but I think the move to the 10" sub will give you a good deal more output and extension. Tell me what you think, and if there's ANY way to get that stand out a bit farther from the corner. Good luck.

I think I could shift the stand out some more of needed. I'm surprised there are notmore cylinder sub out there..mostly cubes. I know a 8-10" cylinder and maybe even a 12 would fit back there. the stand and TV would conceal the additional height of the tube too.

Whats the word on the Sunfire HRS and Juniors? Pricey but are they worth it?

I think I could shift the stand out some more of needed. I'm surprised there are notmore cylinder sub out there..mostly cubes. I know a 8-10" cylinder and maybe even a 12 would fit back there. the stand and TV would conceal the additional height of the tube too.

Whats the word on the Sunfire HRS and Juniors? Pricey but are they worth it?

I've heard good things about the HRS line. Audioholics loved the HRS-12. You can read about it here:
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/sunfire-hrs-12-subwoofer

I have no idea how large your room is, how loud you like to listen, etc, but if at all possible, I'd see if I could get enough room back behind your TV to fit an HRS-12. When space is premium, I think Sunfire's subs are a great choice.

I agree that a cylinder would be a good choice for placing behind the TV. I almost went that route myself, as my TV is in a corner with my subs behind it as well. (I ended up with two SVS PB10-NSD's, stacked one on top of the other, but I almost got a 20-39 PCi or PC-Plus). Unfortunately, manufacturers don't make 8" or 10" cylinders. The only cylinder subs I've seen have been ported, and I think in order to make a 10" diameter cylinder with large enough internal volume to work efficiently, the cylinder would have to be really tall - impractically so. It's interesting that I've never seen a sealed cylinder sub, though I don't know too much about subwoofer design - I'm sure there's a reason we don't see them very often.

Anyway, check out the Sunfires:
http://sunfire.com/HRS.htm

Good luck. And if you can give me an estimate of room dimensions (most important is cubic footage, and whether the room opens to other rooms or is more or less sealed) that might help too.

what's your take on the HSU STF-1 and/or it's twin the Outlaw LFM-2?

I think they would fit but are they worth the upgrade over the Yammy?

I'd certainly think of them as an upgrade over the Yamaha. A couple of questions you haven't yet addressed though: How big is your room, and how loud do you like to listen?

I think the room is approx 26 x 12 with two door sized openings on one long side. Listening levels are low to moderate 80% of the time. When the kids are out and I can enjoy some HD-DVD goodness (curse you BluRay) I go to "typical guy with a sub and no one is home" levels.

I found this in an underground cavern near my home. I think its Jurassic in age (if not skill level) but it represents the corner setup as it sits today. The yanmmy is in the triangular space benhind the TV stand-between the walls.

http://home.comcast.net/~davemcsjr/crap.bmp

I think the room is approx 26 x 12 with two door sized openings on one long side. Listening levels are low to moderate 80% of the time. When the kids are out and I can enjoy some HD-DVD goodness (curse you BluRay) I go to "typical guy with a sub and no one is home" levels.

I found this in an underground cavern near my home. I think its Jurassic in age (if not skill level) but it represents the corner setup as it sits today. The yanmmy is in the triangular space benhind the TV stand-between the walls.
]

Sweet, thanks for the info. So it looks like your room is around 2500 cubic feet. IMO the STF-1, while a quality sub, might not have quite the output you'd like for your "typical guy with a sub and no one is home" times. I really think if you can make the space, the HRS-12 would be a good choice. It's a 13.5" cube and should have sufficient output for your HD-DVD sessions (BTW, I'm sad too, as I was in the red camp but have since purchased a PS3 as I'm addicted to high def movies now). If you can manage a little more wiggle room, your options will open up greatly. But if the 13.5" cube will fit, the HRS-12 should give a lot of bass in a very small package.

I think what you'll find with a good sub is that explosions won't go "boom" as much as you'll actually "feel" them. I have a Dream Theater concert on right now and the double kick drums strikes are hitting me in the chest, not making a fat "boomy" sound. Good bass is addictive - trust me, when you upgrade your sub to a quality sub, you won't be able to get enough :D.

Good bass is addictive - trust me, when you upgrade your sub to a quality sub, you won't be able to get enough

True dat.. I know..going from the SVS 20-39PC to the Yammy sub is a huge step down..hence my quest for something better

Good bass is addictive - trust me, when you upgrade your sub to a quality sub, you won't be able to get enough

True dat.. I know..going from the SVS 20-39PC to the Yammy sub is a huge step down..hence my quest for something better

Duh, I totally forgot you had an SVS before. Keep me posted on the subs you've looked into/auditioned/etc. I hope you end up finding a great solution :)

what about a used Sunfire Junior?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1025492

:D

I'd strongly recommend the HRS-10 (or preferably the 12) over the Super Junior, based on the size of your room. The Super Junior should be a good step up from the Yamaha you have now, but I doubt it'll have enough output to fill your room when you want to listen loud. It also has very high THD, especially down low. Here's a S&V quick review:
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/speakers/842/tiny-killer-subs-page4.html

They are pretty positive, but keep in mind their comments are in the context of tiny subs, for which they don't really have very high expectations. For low to moderate level needs, the Super Junior might work for you, but if you could swing something larger like an SVS SB12+, Sunfire HRS-12, Martin Logan Abyss, etc, I think you'd be much happier. That said, if you don't think you'll ever want to listen loud, it might work out for you.

You also might see if you can get a deal on a used Sunfire Signature. It's a 13" cube and should pack some serious punch. Check out audiogon.com - I think there are some listed now. Check this one out - it might be worth going after:
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/auc.pl?homesubw&1210037462