I am in the market for a new subwoofer, and since I have Infinity speakers (Alpha 50's, 37C) it seems to make sense that a subwoofer from the same company would round out my system. I understand that subwoofers don't really need to be matched to your speakers, but being that the Infinity SW-12 has the same material (CMMD) for the driver as my other speakers, perhaps it would be a good match. I am wondering if anyone has opinions on this particular sub? I am moving into a condo so I don't want anything that will rock the house down, but has ample bass extension and power. Is there a subwoofer on the market which is perhaps cheaper and better performing than this Infinity? Does Infinity even make a decent sub for that matter? My options are open, but I don't want to spend anything more than $700, and less expensive would be even better. Thank you for any information.

I have a similar setup with Beta 50s, primus 160s and an IL-36 center. I used to have two infinity subs: the PS-12 and an old HPS-250 (both 12 inchers with 250-400 watts of power)

I now have an SVS plus/2 and a Dayton Titanic 15" (900 and 1000 watts respectively)

The infinity subs seemed ok, but would rapidly lose output below 30Hz.

I am very happy with my current setup. I have audible bass well below 20hz in my room (17x35x8 open floorplan into kitchen)

While I was happy with the infinity subs, i will say that the other two are MUCH better. I don't feel that subs from the same manufacturer are necessary.

In my opinion, you get much more sub for your dollar with the internet direct brands, compared to brick and mortar (i.e. Infinity)

Check out the craigsub thread for his rankings and to get an idea of what other brands are out there.

Todd

I have a similar setup with Beta 50s, primus 160s and an IL-36 center. I used to have two infinity subs: the PS-12 and an old HPS-250 (both 12 inchers with 250-400 watts of power)

I now have an SVS plus/2 and a Dayton Titanic 15" (900 and 1000 watts respectively)

The infinity subs seemed ok, but would rapidly lose output below 30Hz.

I am very happy with my current setup. I have audible bass well below 20hz in my room (17x35x8 open floorplan into kitchen)

While I was happy with the infinity subs, i will say that the other two are MUCH better. I don't feel that subs from the same manufacturer are necessary.

In my opinion, you get much more sub for your dollar with the internet direct brands, compared to brick and mortar (i.e. Infinity)

Check out the craigsub thread for his rankings and to get an idea of what other brands are out there.

Todd

I can verify what Todd said. I'm using an Infinity PS212 (uses MMD, not CMMD) and a SVS PB10-NSD in an 11x10 room. Originally I had just the Infinity, and when running LFE sweeps with the AVIA disc, the Infinity basically just stopped having any usable output below 30hz. Consider this is in a tiny room, in which you'd expect some pretty serious room gain in the low bass. I bought a PB10-NSD to replace it, but have ended up using both subs. The PB10 finishes the LFE sweep in AVIA, pressurizing the room and making me aware of rattles I didn't know were there before. In its usable response range (30hz and up), the Infinity does quite well. I know the SW 12 you're looking at has a similar deep extension spec, so I would assume it would be pretty similar. It will be fine for most music, but there really is a new dimension to movie bass when you're getting to 20hz and below.

It's certainly not necessary to use a sub from the same speaker lineup as your other speakers. Todd is right in that the ID brands will give much better bang for your buck. To address your question about whether Infinity subs are any good, I think my PS212 does a good job above 30hz. The Infinitys just don't get low enough for really deep HT bass. Check out SVS, Hsu, Epik, and eD. They make excellent subs that will far outclass just about any sub you can find in a brick and mortar store in their price ranges. IMO, eD and Epik are the best price/performance options out there, but SVS and Hsu also make great subs, and their finishes (especially SVS) are far nicer aesthetically. Good luck.

Stephen

Thanks for the replies. Like I said, I don't need anything that is going to shake my house down, but I did look at HSU and SVS and I do like what I see. I think I've narrowed my choices to the SVS PB12-NSD and the HSU VTF3-MK3. Anyone have any opinions on the pros and cons of these 2 subs?

As I mentioned before, I own a PB10-NSD and love it. I'm personally a bit partial toward SVS. SVS has amazing customer service. Any e-mail you send will be answered in less than 24 hours. They'll be extremely helpful, won't try to sell you something more expensive than you need, are very patient about e-mailing back and forth to answer all questions you might have, and truly make a quality product. From what I understand, Hsu also has great service, though I can't comment on that specifically since I haven't dealt with Hsu myself. Either the PB12-NSD or the VTF-3Mk3 should be great subs. The Hsu might be a bit better for music, so if music is a priority it might be a good choice. Not that the PB12 will sound bad, but Hsu subs have a great reputation for being very musical. For HT, both are very powerful. At the Hsu's current sale price, it is probably a better deal than the PB12-NSD, but when it's at normal price, I think it's pretty much a tossup. I'd contact both companies and let them know your room dimensions, listening habits, etc, and make your decisions based off of that.

As I mentioned before, I own a PB10-NSD and love it. I'm personally a bit partial toward SVS. SVS has amazing customer service. Any e-mail you send will be answered in less than 24 hours. They'll be extremely helpful, won't try to sell you something more expensive than you need, are very patient about e-mailing back and forth to answer all questions you might have, and truly make a quality product. From what I understand, Hsu also has great service, though I can't comment on that specifically since I haven't dealt with Hsu myself. Either the PB12-NSD or the VTF-3Mk3 should be great subs. The Hsu might be a bit better for music, so if music is a priority it might be a good choice. Not that the PB12 will sound bad, but Hsu subs have a great reputation for being very musical. For HT, both are very powerful. At the Hsu's current sale price, it is probably a better deal than the PB12-NSD, but when it's at normal price, I think it's pretty much a tossup. I'd contact both companies and let them know your room dimensions, listening habits, etc, and make your decisions based off of that.

Thanks for all of the great info lalakersfan. My listening habits are mostly video games, movies and music, in that order. I wouldn't be particularly concerned of one sub being more musical than the other, and I'm quite sure either one of these 2 will be more than enough for my needs. As far as the room goes, I'm buying a condo and will be getting in there the first two weeks of Jan. I know what room I'm going to be using, but I don't know the dimensions. If I had to guess, I'd say the room is 14x12 and the ceiling is about 8 ft. high. Not a large room, but moderately sized. It's actually a master bedroom, but I'm using the smaller room to sleep, because my home theater setup comes first. Luckily, my wife agrees.

Thanks for the replies. Like I said, I don't need anything that is going to shake my house down, but I did look at HSU and SVS and I do like what I see. I think I've narrowed my choices to the SVS PB12-NSD and the HSU VTF3-MK3. Anyone have any opinions on the pros and cons of these 2 subs?

If I had to guess, I'd say the room is 14x12 and the ceiling is about 8 ft. high. Not a large room, but moderately sized.

The PB12-NSD and VTF-3Mk3 might not shake your house down, but in a room that size, they might come pretty close :D. You'll be thrilled with either one for HT in a 14x12 room.

Just bought an Infinity SW12 for the master bedroom. I chose it over the SVS and HSU for its bang for the buck. It has a higher average SPL than both of them when tested under the same conditions and is $100 less or more on the internet. It also comes in Cherry and that was a big plus.

See the attached link for the test result comparisons. SVS and HSU are great subs but the Inifinity performs better than the similar products from the previous mentioned for less.(25-62Hz)

P.S. My other sub is an RSW15!!!!!!

http://home.comcast.net/~frank_carter/Nousaine.htm