Starting new sound system, need BASS!

Hi all, I just graduated college and got a nice job, so I'm looking to upgrade my sound system. Right now I'm using my dad's old MCS 3-Way Bass Reflex Speaker System from JC Penny; I assume I'll have to replace all the components . Let me get into what I'm looking for in general and follow up with some specific questions:

Note: I intend on using this sound system to occasionally play music at parties/bars.

1) Budget: Since I'm building a whole new system I'll include two numbers. I'd say I could spend up to $1000 on the sub, with a total of $3000. I'm not sure if this is a realistic ratio, but its on the high end either way.

2) Size limit: Must be transportable with relative ease.

3) Room dimensions: My current room is 12'x13'x8', though I may be moving to a larger place in a year or two, and sometimes the shows I play are closer to a 10,000 cuft room.

4) Primary uses: I'd say 30% HT / 30% Gaming / 40% Music. So let me just say that the music is most important to me. As I previously mentioned I'd like to travel with my sound system (or at least have it conceivable) for DJ sets at house parties and bars without their own PA. I would like a sub that can be integrated well to a surround system, but at the same time I need to crank it for shows with stereo.

5) Listening habits: I listen to/play a lot of bass music, and would like to be able to have that particular frequency range at bone shaking volumes.

6) Appearance requirements: Black/modern is nice, but this category is not really a concern to me.

7) Time frame: I'm a patient man. Plus I haven't even gotten paid yet; just thinking ahead.

So I was looking through some of Ricci's testing posts and found the Elemental Designs A7S - 450. It seemed like a decent match, though I admit I didn't understand all the charts, and he specifically noted the difficulty in transporting it...

Any tips or suggestions will be appreciated. I could use some amp/receiver and speaker advice as well, though I plan on posting in those forums after I decide on a sub. I don't know if that's not typically the order you'd build a sound system in but bass is the most important aspect to me

Please feel free to contact me with questions or point out any missing info. Thanks for the help!

So from what I've been reading I think I'm down to two choices. I'm torn between the HSU VTF-15H and the Elemental Designs A7s-450. As I understand it there's a pretty big difference between ported or sealed, could anyone help the pros and cons of each for my situation?

It seems like the VTF-15H may tackle my transportation/room gain problems more readily, but how hard would it really be to effectively make the same changes with the A7s-450? As I said I am patient, so taking an extra 30 minutes of set up for a more reliable sound is fine. Durability is also a big issue for me, so it seems like there's a serious win for the A7s-450 there.

Also, would either be better suited to play in conjunction with stereo loud speakers? Maybe the VTF-15H because it can get lower...?

Yea that's kind of what I was afraid of. So you would suggest something more like the JBL VRX915S? The JBL gear seems a little out of my price range though. I've worked with Yamaha before with no complaints, are there any other quality budget brands out there?

What exactly would the difference be though; is it just trading quality for convenience and durability? Basically is it really that bad of an idea to use an HT sub in a DJing environment? I can definitely give up on the really deep bass in movies, I just want to make sure I wouldn't be losing too much in terms of sound quality at both normal and insane listening levels.

After looking through the forums some more I found an old post by Archaea discussing pretty much the same thing. His conclusion was that for HT some a Yamaha CW218V wasn't particularly worth it. For my needs though it seems still be a plausible option. I also saw the JBL MRX528S mentioned as a large upgrade for only slightly less $, and then of course the SRX and VRX versions for significantly more $. Given by budget though can anyone shed some more insight on the Yamaha CW218V vs. JBL MRX528S?