New Monoprice floor-standing subwoofers - Page 3

I have two subs, one is puny JBL HTIB sub SCS 138, 35 hz, 100 watts with an 8 inch driver another is sealed Rythmik 15 inch. The JBL is in the small sealed bedroom and given that the bedroom is small and sealed it shakes the room. not saying that JBL is close in quality to the Rythmik, its really really really and one more really :-) far in terms of quality and achievable SPL. All I am saying is that in the RIGHT SMALL room, the inexpensive 12 inch sub could provide bass nirvana for those on a budget.

The big difference is you could use 50 of them at once whereas the examples you gave couldn't be used at the same time.

Back when eD had their lower end 12" drivers on sale a member made a near wall of subs surrounding his screen. You have a bunch of low end drivers and they will perform like crazy. One on one they can't hang. 50 of these cheap subs would be insane, but wouldn't have a ton of low end. I would imagine it would be enough air moving from cone movement to REALLY be able to kick you in the chest when the kick drum hits during music.

This is all theoretical and hype. I'd not have 50 cheap subs in my room. Well....maybe just for a bit

brandonnash,

you can't eat 50 twinkies at once? Turn in your man card at once.


I counter your counter (though I do chuckle at your last line that you'd not have 50 cheap subs in your room, ---- well maybe just for a bit)

I sorta tried this route a couple times...The more is better idea.
I bought four medium quality 600 watt 15" ma audio car subwoofers and built an ottoman out of them. It got real loud but didn't feel tactile with the deep notes in comparison to the SVS or JTR subs I've owned since.
1) (4) 15" subs compared to (2) 13" subs == 13" subs win hands down

Likewise I bought a subwoofer setup for a car that had (8) eight inch decent quality subwoofer drivers just for kicks because it looked really cool and was relatively inexpensive on ebay used. I hooked it up in the same car, same head unit, same amp I had used previously and it absolutely sucked compared to my single 10" Infininty Kappa Perfect in a custom bandpass box.
(8) 8" subs compared to (1) 10" sub = 10" sub wins hands down

Stated another way. I have two 18's in a Yamaha CW218V box right now just sitting in my room. The Yamaha was loud and capable, with two 18" drivers --- a couple of 18's has a lot of cone area --- but I'd take a single HSU VTF-15H (with a single 15" driver) or a single SVS PB 12+ (12" driver) over the Yamaha CW218V because the Yamaha doesn't hit the lowest notes with authority.
(2) 18" subs compared to (1) 12" sub = 12" sub wins

Summarily -
More cone area does not necessarily = better. Extension to 15 or 20hz = better. (some would argue that you need subs that extend below 15hz --- but so far in my experience I don't care much about less than 20hz) just my opinion... and in all my examples above the boxes played a large role I'm sure.

I think I started rambling...I can't resist this thread...though I should just keep silent until a lot of reviews start coming in to confirm or deny this sub's garnered enthusiasm.

um I know you must be the most serious person in the universe, but it was a joke man

50 girl next door or 1 hot chick ?

IMAGINE the possibilities

Is it possible to integrate this sub to my Samsung HTIB I have in my bedroom? I would def venture for one of this at that price assuming that it will be an upgrade from the one that came with my HTIB.

Sorry if it's a ignorant question but I'm learning as I go

Depends on what htib you have. If its something from a company like samsung or sony i'd say yes. Onkyo maybe not, depending on which sub you have.

This is what I have in my bedroom http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001XC...dir_mdp_mobile

I think this coulb be an upgrade. And just for the record What I would like to do if possible is to replace the samsung sub. My intentions are not to make a 5.2 system.

I was actually going to make this point. The spec says 30Hz extension. Even if that is the -3 dB point (good luck with that one), I'd be amazed if lots of them together played much at 20Hz (much less 15Hz) unless you implemented LOTS of LF boost (and a BFD might not even go low enough for the job). Although I suppose that might be easier than modding their electronics since significant equalization would probably be needed anyway.

As soon as I saw this thing I pondered the modding possibilities. The question is, how many would you have to get (and mod/equalize) to hit reference at say 15-20 Hz? I'm stuck at something like the 30Hz wall myself right at the moment and I don't like it! And unfortunately my subs cost more than $84.10 each.

I am eager to hear about this thing from someone experienced and see some REW action.

I would not remove the Samsung "subwoofer" Think of the Samsung sub as a woofer in separate box. Now would you want to take the woofer out of a system ?. I guess not, the Samsung Sub complements the satellites, The new sub will help your current subwoofer.

Personally, I could see using the 12" sub in a Geddes type multisub configuration as the second, third, or possibly both the second and third distributed subwoofers in the system (...provided that in implementation it's FR, phase, and rolloff integrate well enough with the "main" subwoofer in the system...). To be honest though, given my first impression upon viewing the monoprice ad, I'd likely keep it relegated to the lowest ouput subwoofer position. Regardless, I'd love to see some measurement data for the 12" sub.

So you're suggesting to add it as a second sub? I did not think it was possible to do in a HTIB. My goal is to get more powerful bass in the bedroom. I guess I'm bass-thirsty specially since I have been staring at my PB13-ultra for almost a year now counting the days when I can finish or rather start installing my system in the living room. That been said, I can only ease my bass craves in the bedroom for the time being.

Hopefully I can get a solid answer from the folks at monoprice. I'm ready to bite the bullet!!

There are serveral ways to add it. I would do it in this order, depending on the availabilty of cables and features of the HTIB


1. If the subwoofer is PASSIVE (no AMP on the box) you can use a speaker cable and connect the new subwoofer via speaker level. You would need to connect a second speaker cable from the HTIB AMP subwoofer speaker connector to the new subwoofer SPEAKER IN

2. if the HTIB has a headphone out and it allows you to use the headphone while still allowing your 5.1 speakers to play, you can connect a headphone to RCA cable from HTIB to Subwoofer.


3. If it is HTIB subwoofer is amplifiied. I would open up the HTIB Subwoofer, d connect speaker wires directly from the subwoofers terminals, run the wire outside of the box via the ports and connect to the speaker in of the sub

I have RCA "audio in" ports on the back of the player Im guessing i can do it that way as Well?

Well, if you aren't using the PB13-ultra, have you looked for a speaker level to line out converter like this? Would be worth doing some research. Search around and see what you can find. Gotta sound better to hook up that Ultra and replace the Samsung sub, even if you have to turn the gain down almost all the way

That sounds like tons of fun but my Bedroom is relatively small and it would probably just crack my drywall haha.

Any reviews out on these subs yet?

I just got my 12" Monoprice sub today. Without running Audyssey again and just replacing my existing little 8" sub, it's ok. Not punchy really, but rattles the room when the bass is going in the couple clips I tried. Better than what I had, but what it's replacing is ancient. I guess for the money it's not a bad pick up, hopefully with calibration and placement it will sound better.

EDIT:
Ran some test tones on it. down to 35hz sounds ok, 30 hz is barely audible, and anything below that is inaudible to my ear.

I might take a stab at it myself, because I have 2 or 3 people asking me to do that very thing. I just finished a review on the Theater Solutions subwoofer, and now I'm working on one for the new (to America) XTZ sub, so perhaps I'll consider this one next.

Fair and unbiased review? Had to laugh after reading this. You do realize that your first instinct was to bash the company for even thinking about launching the product in the first place even though you have never even heard one in person yet? Unbiased me thinks not, and monoprice would be crazy to ship a sample for review.

I would not care to comment at all about this products merits or lack of without getting my hands on one first and I would actually be willing to fork over the cash to do so if I was so inclined. That would be an unbiased review.

JD

CNET actually put up some info on these recently. They said a good bang for the buck, albeit a small buck. My take was YMMV depending on whether you are a casual listener. Definitely not aimed at enthusiasts.

The 8" was clear, bit underpowered, and unfortunate it only goes down to 50hz

The larger sizes are muddled but with more BOOM (HT use only is my guess)

Might have missed it as I skimmed through these posts. But is anyone else thinking the 8" might make a good low cost mid-bass solution for HT?

Funny same bull **** happened to me with their banana plugs the premium ones. The problem I found with monoprice stuff is it is all so cheap it is not even worth returning when the shipping will cost you more than the product. The vast majority of their products are good or should I say good enough. Who needs a $100 HDMI cable. And I have found that it is worth risking because you save so much money going with monoprice you can afford to throw the few bad items in the trash and try again.

I also think that monoprice has really seen an explosion of interest in the service fields from people like electricians and construction workers or audio installers. So they are wanting to add lots of Audio like these subs that are what we refer to as contractor quality. They are a little better than the garbage you get at walmart so that contractors can do installs and have nieve customers singing praises of the cheap price and great product or service. This is the kind of stuff you see when you go into a high end apartment complex that comes outfitted.

Anyhow my point is still a great company but like all great companies I am sure they have some very dishonest things going on in there. You have to figure that out so you can avoid the problems. Personally I would rather monoprice not have reviews at all. I feel like now I need to lie and put 4 stars on a review and then complain so people will actually see it. I also think by default they shove low reviews to the end or something.

JD you must have missed the idea here with what a subwoofer shootout is? 8 to 12 guys will be attending the meet. Along with more measuring equipment to provide accurate feedback and objective measurements than 99% of the people on this forum posess. It would be fair and unbiased in final tally, measurements and score. If the sub sounds and measures admirably we'd have no problem saying so.

My intent was not to diminish the value of a shootout. It was commentary on how your first instinct was to post highly negative comments about the company and it's new products before you had a chance to test them in an unbiased manner. That in itself reveals bias and would tend to bring in question any possibility of neutrality towards a product.

In order to present an image of fair and unbiased treatment of all products being tested you should procure them at your own expense.

JD

Man! why are you going after a $80 sub. People who buy an $80 sub dont know much about subs or measurements. They wont even know what the specs like +- 3db mean. They just plug it in. They wont know if the bass is tight or boomy. If they are coming from a HTIB, this would be a big improvement. Also no one cares about an $80 sub in a sub shootout. The shootout is for audiophiles not an average Joe. Partexpress also sells cheap subs but they arent bad.

If you really want to prove your point, just buy one and test it out yourself. I dont think $80 would break your bank balance as you seem to be doing well off in order to afford a JTR sub. But dont compate it to a JTR sub. I bought the HSU STF2, SVS PB12, Emotiva Ultra12/Ultra10. I wasnt impressed at all compared to my 8 yr old Sunfire True Sub Junior which cost me $750 some 8 yrs ago in a Thaksgiving sale. So it is not like the subs in the $500-600 are giving superior performance.

If I were to buy an $80 sub I would not bother to read the reviews. Like someone else said, if turns out to be bad I would just trash it as it would cost be some 40 bucks to send it back, unless they pay for the return.

It is a bad venture if they invest all the money in USA to make an $80 sub. If they are doing this in China or Cambodia and spending some 20 bucks to make it and if it sounds better than a HTIB sub, then they are going to make some profit.

Lets wait for that guy who bought the sub to post some reviews.

You had an issue with their banana plugs? I'm curious as to what the problem was.

I also find it a bit interesting how you'd call monoprice shady when they charge the end customers close to the actual price of the product and don't have 500+% markups like absolutely everyone else. Copper + plugs costs absolutely nothing to make yet we're both very aware about how much people charge for them. Speakers too have insane markups.

If monoprice is making a product, you can almost be certain that they've done the research and see an area that's extremely overpriced that they can take advantage of. Entry-level speakers is one of those, and I'm sure they're fantastic values. Obviously these aren't going to be the best speakers in the world but they're going to be well worth the price.

I agree. I use their HDMI cables, which are very good quality. Much better then what I've found in the retail chains.


Ian

Ya I did,
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archi...t-1311843.html
That was the thread where I detailed the problem.

Notice I mentioned monoprice pushed the bad reviews to the end so people just browsing will miss them. Also I wrote my own bad review and never saw it show up. I dunno if they have a long delay or something but I never saw it.

To me that stuff is shady. Reviews should be sorted by date or usefulness and there is no way someone who mentioned what I witnessed with these would not get a high usefulness rating.

As I also said in that post I love monoprice, they have saved me a ton of money but it does not mean they are not shady.

I knew about the review thing so I always start at the end then work my way up.

I had an issue with those banana plugs from mono as well. The part that inserts into the speaker or receiver became weak and somewhat collapsed over time, giving a poor connection. I only noticed this because on my 2 channel system I started getting a vibration noise from the left speaker. Upon testing and inspection, I found that the plug would pull out of the terminal very easy and this was the part that would rattle with certain higher volume bass notes.

I have made several purchases from Monoprice in the last 3 years or so, and have occasionally been disappointed. The projector mount was shakey, same with the speaker extended mounts, and I had one bad HDMI cable out of 3. Never returned any of it, just made do for the price.

I wonder if that is part of Monoprice's business model?