Hi guys. I'm in the market to buy a new subwoofer for a very large space (my basement, which is probably on the order of 5000 cubic feet, although I don't really require "reference level" volumes. These will predominantly be used at something much lower than that). Eventually I'm going to have dual subs, but for now, in order to maximize my "final product", I want to spend what I can spend on the very best sub I can get for my budget, with the plan being to eventually add a second one when I can (I have a functioning home theater system already on the main floor that I'm reasonably happy with, so I'm not in a rush to get to the finish line with this).
I'm zeroed in on these three brands at the moment, and I just wanted to talk about some Pros-and-Cons that I think I'm seeing/reading, and see if anyone wanted to reaffirm or deny my current thought processes.
1) SVS - I already have an SVS PB-1000 in my upstairs system. It was my first "real" subwoofer (IE, not a big box store display model fart box). Their customer service is great, and everything I read and hear indicates that their amps are best-in-class (AV Rant listener here, for one thing). The high gloss piano black is appealing to me, too.
But, at a given price point, I do seem to be sacrificing driver size ($1400 for a PB12-Plus, $1200 for a PC12-Plus, where as PSA and Rythmik all have 15's at LOWER price points...
So where I'm at right now is that SVS has good looking (high gloss finish) subs containing THE BEST amps, but the smallest drivers that come at or near the highest prices...
2) Rythmik - Definitely seems to allow me to step up to a larger 15" driver (like the E15, which I can get in glossy piano black for $50 less than a PB12-Ultra), as long as I'm willing to go with a Sealed Sub (kinda wanted to go Ported for extra extension). Unfortunately, they don't seem to offer a glossy piano black option for their 12" Ported offerings, only the 15's... and the 600 Watt 15" Ported option, in high gloss, I think is out of my price range.
The sealed 15's could work though, and I love-love-love the idea of changing out the black cone for a silver one ($50 upcharge).
So Rythmik seems to be giving me great driver size at this price point, and I think the glossy black finish with the silver cone driver is my #1 choice aesthetically, but the amps all seem to be rated to lower power outputs than either the SVS's or the PSA's...
3) At this price point, something like the PSA V1500 seems very appealing, because its giving me the 15" driver size that the Rythmik offers, with 725 Watts RMS amplification (approaching what SVS advertises), all for only $1100... seems like a great buy for all of those reasons. But for the life of me, I can't seem to find anything on their website that indicates there might be an option to "up" the Satin Black Texture to something comparable to what SVS and Rythmik speakers offer above...
Performance matters to me. That's why I'm looking to spend this kind of money, and zeroing in on SVS, Rythmik, and PSA, rather than just driving over to Best Buy and buying a $250 fart box. But, for this kind of $$$, I'd be lying if I said aesthetics didn't factor into my decision...
So where I'm at right now is:
- Do I go with sealed 600 watt Rythmik, where I get a 15" cone and a REALLY appealing glossy black finish with a silver cone?
OR
- Do I go with the SVS PB12-Plus and get the massive 800 Watts RMS amplifier and the three giant ports, but limit myself to the 12" cone...
OR
- Is there a way to get that PSA V1500 in any sort of a more "premium" gloss finish?
Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions are welcome...
I'm zeroed in on these three brands at the moment, and I just wanted to talk about some Pros-and-Cons that I think I'm seeing/reading, and see if anyone wanted to reaffirm or deny my current thought processes.
1) SVS - I already have an SVS PB-1000 in my upstairs system. It was my first "real" subwoofer (IE, not a big box store display model fart box). Their customer service is great, and everything I read and hear indicates that their amps are best-in-class (AV Rant listener here, for one thing). The high gloss piano black is appealing to me, too.
But, at a given price point, I do seem to be sacrificing driver size ($1400 for a PB12-Plus, $1200 for a PC12-Plus, where as PSA and Rythmik all have 15's at LOWER price points...
So where I'm at right now is that SVS has good looking (high gloss finish) subs containing THE BEST amps, but the smallest drivers that come at or near the highest prices...
2) Rythmik - Definitely seems to allow me to step up to a larger 15" driver (like the E15, which I can get in glossy piano black for $50 less than a PB12-Ultra), as long as I'm willing to go with a Sealed Sub (kinda wanted to go Ported for extra extension). Unfortunately, they don't seem to offer a glossy piano black option for their 12" Ported offerings, only the 15's... and the 600 Watt 15" Ported option, in high gloss, I think is out of my price range.
The sealed 15's could work though, and I love-love-love the idea of changing out the black cone for a silver one ($50 upcharge).
So Rythmik seems to be giving me great driver size at this price point, and I think the glossy black finish with the silver cone driver is my #1 choice aesthetically, but the amps all seem to be rated to lower power outputs than either the SVS's or the PSA's...
3) At this price point, something like the PSA V1500 seems very appealing, because its giving me the 15" driver size that the Rythmik offers, with 725 Watts RMS amplification (approaching what SVS advertises), all for only $1100... seems like a great buy for all of those reasons. But for the life of me, I can't seem to find anything on their website that indicates there might be an option to "up" the Satin Black Texture to something comparable to what SVS and Rythmik speakers offer above...
Performance matters to me. That's why I'm looking to spend this kind of money, and zeroing in on SVS, Rythmik, and PSA, rather than just driving over to Best Buy and buying a $250 fart box. But, for this kind of $$$, I'd be lying if I said aesthetics didn't factor into my decision...
So where I'm at right now is:
- Do I go with sealed 600 watt Rythmik, where I get a 15" cone and a REALLY appealing glossy black finish with a silver cone?
OR
- Do I go with the SVS PB12-Plus and get the massive 800 Watts RMS amplifier and the three giant ports, but limit myself to the 12" cone...
OR
- Is there a way to get that PSA V1500 in any sort of a more "premium" gloss finish?
Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions are welcome...