Best Sub under $1000 for following criteria??

How big is your room, and do you have any idea how loud you *actually* listen?

Looking at your initial post I'd consider the Rythmik F-15. It's a moderately sized sealed subwoofer with a 15" driver, special servo technology for excellent sound quality, deep (<15hz) extension, and while it won't knock your house down, owners have been very impressed with its output. It'll also be less than $1,000 with shipping. Seems like a good option in your case unless your room is huge or you require more output than you're letting on. Here's a link:

http://ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/subs/f15.html

Disclaimer: I've never heard either the Rythmik or the MFW-15. My suggestions are based on user posts I've read and generalizations about subwoofers. That said, here are some (somewhat educated) estimates of pros and cons for each sub.


PROS FOR MFW-15:

1. The MFW-15 will get louder. Considering your listening habits, I don't think that will be a factor.

2. The MFW-15 is cheaper. It won't be tons cheaper - maybe $100 cheaper after shipping depending on the finish, but it's certainly a factor.

3. The MFW-15 is available in many nice finishes. The Rythmik doesn't look bad, but the FMW-15 certainly takes it up a level. You mentioned that aesthetics aren't too important so this might not matter either.


PROS FOR RYTHMIK:

1. The Rythmik is smaller than the MFW-15. Size doesn't seem to matter to you, so that might be irrelevant.

2. The Rythmik is sealed (which some people believe have better sound quality than ported subs), and uses a special servo technology, again lowering distortion and improving sound quality. The MFW-15 sounds great with most material, but I'd expect the Rythmik to sound even better.

3. The Rythmik should have deeper extension. It is -2dB at 14hz (and could even get down to 10hz or lower depending on the room), whereas the MFW-15 is rated -4dB at 18hz (I'd guess it will have usable output down to 15-17hz depending on the room).

4. I haven't read of any problems with the Rythmik. The MFW-15 has well-documented reliability issues - bad amps, drivers, and even internal wiring.


Considering your needs, I'd recommend the Rythmik. The MFW-15's output advantage is somewhat of a moot point in your situation, and the Rythmik should best it in sound quality, extension, and reliability. I'm certainly not saying that the Rythmik is the only good choice for you, but it seems to be a very good fit for your needs. Best of luck with your decision.

what about TCA new SUB that supposed to be out soon,,,, the scamp-10 aka sasquatch-10 aka SS-10 ,,, I think there is a thread on this forum about it

Rythmik would be my first choice for your criteria.

What about it? There is going to be a stampede when the SS 10 actually becomes available. "Soon" with new companies can mean 6 months.

I don't even want to mention other possible confounding possibilities, but if you read the Forum, the cast of characters adds some "excitement" to waiting for the SS 10.

Where did they end up sourcing the cabinets, amps and drivers?

+1

I have the same criteria as the op when it comes to subs except that I don't have the room for a huge sub like the MFW. I was just going to get one of the supercubes until I heard about these rythmiks. However, who actually has one? I'd like to hear from you.

I also read something about not being able to defeat the crossover past 80hz on the rythmik. Can someone confirm this? If true, then is that a big deal w/servo technology?

My room is 19x12 w/vaulted ceilings going from 8' at couch to 11' at HT. Would the f12se be enough? I also heard a 15se is coming soon from rythmik. True?

You should forget about AV123 products for now, the Owner is ill, the company isnt doing well IMO (forum down, backorders, problems with many customers, Online sales down). I would wait to see if AV123 survives in this economy at all before researching anything from them!!

dont hold your breath on that one, we were all excited at one point

What the Rythmik does not have is a crossover in/out switch which is moot since the crossover can be taken out of play by adjusting it beyond your AVR's crossover point.

There is supposedly piano gloss version of the F15 in the works.

OK, that's great. Any ETA? And if the dimensions for this front firing f15se are going to be like the mfw, then it will be too big. Maybe the f12se. It fits the size requirement. But is it enough. That is the 60 million dollar question.

You should call Ascend or Rythmik on the ETA, but I thought I read 3 months. The F12 having enough output depends on your room and listening habits.

well if it doesnt come out by mid to late summer then I could buy the next best thing...

I have been living with my current POS for 7 yrs now.... im sure a few more months wont matter..... but if it does come out,,, I will gladly give my money for one,,,,, or two..

so far everything I have read,, what the goals are,, sounds like a dream come true

My room is as described before 19x12, vaulted ceilings inclining from 8-11'. I don't listen terribly loud. I would say normal to moderate. I'm usually in the -20s on the avr gain.

The F15 @ 18x18x24 probably would be too big for my set up. But, what about the amp clipping that I am reading about with the f12. At what point does that come into play?

Where did you read about the clipping?

It is all about your room and listening levels. Without knowing how your avr is calibrated, the "-20s" number is just arbitrary.

BTW...I think the dimensions you listed are for the D15SE....my F15 with the grille is about 19x21x19.

Someone was talking about it on one of the threads in the Ascend sub forum. The conversation was about sub testing and the response curve, distortion, and clipping of various subs.


With my room, I get good response from my 10" in my front towers. I think that because of the way the ceiling is, the tower subs are a little "boomy". I just wanted to help them out a bit with some tighter bass.


What would be a better way to describe that? Decibel levels?

Right....decibel levels. Do you have an SPL meter?

No. I read that I can buy one at Radio Shack, but I don't have a clue on how to use it. What is all of this about correction tables? Is there a tutorial out there?

Go to http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=824554 for info on HT.

Bill

What about a sub from Elemental Designs??, After reading through the threads from users, I ordered the A7s-450, with amp upgrade 1300w, and eq.2. You should look at their site they have subs of all size..

a7s is like mfw-15 with more output, according to elockett
or like pb13 ultra according to some other guy

You should know better than to repeat what "some other guy" may have said about the A7S-450 being "like" the PB-13 Ultra.

I know someone who says that the HSU 3.3 is like the A7S-450 except better sounding. I guess that makes the 3.3 "like" the PB-13 Ultra...

Just because the name hasn't come up yet in thread, how about Epik?

The Dragon looks like it would meet your criteria quite nicely at $999.

Pretty much any of the popular Internet direct brands in the 1k category is probably a massive step up over your old sub.

One thing I will say from my own experience with a higher end subs: If you are used to the distorted sound that most teenagers bump in their cars. Or the buzzing distortion older cheaper subs had when pushed to hard you will think your sub sounds odd at first.

Clean bass sounds great once you get used to it. Having no distortion is amazing.

He said what he said, they sound similar to him in terms of SQ and output, and he actually uses the a7s in his two-channel setup because he preferes "sealed" for music. Yes I know cacihome prefered 3.3 over a7s for SQ, he prefered it to mfw-15 too, I guess he really likes the 3.3 sonic signature or something. Another owner found a7s-450 "much better" than pb12plus/2, so it's a good sub to consider under $1k, although I have no doubt Rythmik is a more musical sub.

it looks like progress is being made.. http://www.tweakcityaudio.com/forum/...+audio&page=14

they have been having progress for like a year on that. i for one wouldnt want to be on its maiden voyage.