Paradigm Sub15 questions....

I'm trying to work out the best replacement for 2x MK MX350 Subwoofers.

My knowledge is a bit out of date because I've not really took too much notice of any other Subwoofers for around 6 years, as I've always had 2x MX350's in my room. After looking at a few options recently, I'm currently considering a Sub15.

I should point out that a single MX350 is actually more that enough to fill my room. I had a few reasons to go for 2 of them, but they aren't relevant to the point of the thread, so I won't go into them.

I'm looking for clean, fast, tight, punchy, etc etc bass (aren't we all) that goes as deep as possible but also performs well in the upper frequencies. As my room is fairly small I don't think volume will be an issue. I'm also trying to keep things sensible (in both size and price) which is why the Sub15 is the main contender right now.

So with all that in mind, my questions are:

Can a Subwoofer be too big for a room? Especially when using decent room EQ technology.

Would there be any benefit to me considering 2x Sub12's over a Sub15? Remembering that it's in a relatively small room and I'm not needing high SPL's.

Can anyone comment on the performance difference between an MK MX350 and the Paradigm Sub15?

Hi. Thanks for your response.

I'm in the UK, so I don't have access to all the brands that are available in the USA. The main reason for the Sub15 is because I can get a very good discount on Paradigm. It also seems to be one of the better spec'd subs (available here) in it's price range - on paper at least. I thought 12Hz at -3dB was pretty impressive, thats 6Hz lower than the MX350 can achieve.

To answer the question of more details....

Budget is up to £2k, but that will mean very little to anyone in the USA as prices over here are generally much higher. There isn't really a size restriction. The room is around 1000 cubic feet. Usage is roughly 70% movies, 10% TV, 10% music, 10% gaming. Movies are generally at around 90dB peak (maybe 95dB at the very most) everything else is usually lower. Looks aren't an issue and I am in no rush to purchase right now.

I should also add that I have just one seat in the room, so only have to calibrate for the sweet spot.

Thanks, but I'm trying to improve on the depth of the MX350's rather than take a sidestep or downgrade.

The Paradigm's seem to be clean, effortless and go very deep. I know this comes at a price compared to some, but the price I can get them for makes it all the more worthwhile.

I'm very limited on placement. 2x 12" subs can only go in the front corners of the room up against the side walls - this is how I have the MX350's at the moment. A 15" sub would be about 2ft in from a side wall and I could rotate it on the spot if required.

I thought that room EQ was supposed to address room problems. I'll be using Audyssey XT32/Sub EQ HT. I know it can't solve/improve every problem, but I expected that if I can get a good performance using a single MX350, that I would be able to improve on it with a better quality sub.

Thanks, but SVS isn't an option for me - as there are no longer any UK Dealers. I already have a better Sub, well, 2 of them. The MX350's give me great results but I'm looking for extra depth and the SVS won't give me that. I don't need high SPL's, so as far as I keep reading the Paradigm Subs produce much better sound quality over an SVS. I don't think it will work out that much cheaper than what I can get the Sub15 for either.

They do supply the UK, but they are in Norway. If there was a UK Dealer where I could get a demo, buy one and return to if there were any problems, then I would consider them as an option.

Which SVS would go down to 10Hz? The ones I looked at earlier didn't mention much about anything below 20Hz.

I've used a single MX350 at various times over the years and the results are still excellent, but I really would like to improve the depth.

I know the room has an effect on sound, but surely the better quality to begin with, the better the end result will be. It's not like the room will increase its effect when a better quality signal is being played.

Your input is appreciated, I'm just trying to look at things objectively. It's a big more for me to make and I just want to make sure I get it right, or at least make as good a choice as possible within my limitations.

Thanks. I'm still open to other options, but things are more limited over here in the UK. I've still got some researching to do, as I am still not sure what to do for the best.

It just gets confusing that people are saying that they notice an improvement in sound quality with certain subs compared to others, especially if they aren't supposed to be apparent. So either some people have a system or a room that is able to show these differences and others don't, or people are making false claims about what they hear - either purposely or inadvertently.

I know the SVS driver will be better, but the push-pull design more than makes up for it. What you have stated above about the specs are not actually correct, but I'm not getting into a debate about it. Your assumptions are very different to most other people I have had contact with.

Sorry, but what am I looking for in that thread exactly? It's obvious that all or most manufacturers bend the truth a little when they come up with their specs. But all I have to go on at this stage are specs and opinions.

Well it proves how little you know about the MK MX350 then. If you do a little more research you will find the error. But as I said before, I am not getting into a debate. So for the last time.... SVS is not an option.

All I'm trying to do is improve the depth of bass in my room without compromising in other areas. M&K subwoofers always impressed me by giving great results across the frequency range, whereas many subs tend to do a limited range really well and struggle with the rest of it, especially the upper frequencies from around 60-120Hz.

A 12" driver can only go so low in a certain sized box before the box gets to such a size that a 15" driver out-performs it. I can understand certain benefits/differences depending on the room, but in my situation I can't see any 2x 12" subwoofers outperforming a comparable 15" subwoofer. Is that so wrong?

As I have said, I want to improve depth. There is only so far a 12" driver can go. Older 15" drivers were generally quite sloppy, but things have clearly improved in the last few years or so - which is why I believe it's time for me to change.

You can knock M&K all you like, but they are well known for getting amazing results out of relatively cheap drive units. The 20 year old design has held up well, but improvements in driver technology is starting to show up their limitations - although they still put many to shame. Many recording studios around the world use them, can the same be said about SVS?

As with any manufacturer I've heard good and bad things about SVS. They used to be available through Dealers in the UK, but not anymore. If they still were then I would have considered them as an option.

The MX350's aren't ported. I would never buy a ported subwoofer.

The only graph I have is when I first used a Sub EQ in my room with the 2 MX350's. But I noticed a big difference when moving over to XT32/Sub EQ HT. I don't have XT32 at the moment, and also don't have any way to accurately measure the response.

It would be nice to know if I would get any benefit in my room and like you say the best way is to try it, but I'm not sure if that will be an option or not. I'm starting to wonder if I'm doing the right thing.

It is the MK version that I have. But I did also own the M&K version in the past.

After working in the industry I am not aware of a single company that doesn't have FOD's once in a while. If a product isn't in an acceptable state when bought brand new then it gets returned, simple as that. I haven't seen any mention of poor QC on the threads I have been looking at over the past few days.

I've seen the praise that the BK XXLS400 has been getting. I wondered how 4 of them would perform in my room!! I think it would probably be sidestep though, in my room anyway.

The SVS money back policy would be great, if there were Dealers in the UK, but having to ship a subwoofer back to Norway would be very expensive. It's just not worth it for me.