Budget subwoofers discussions, opinions and questions thread - Page 8

Multiple subs is often considered to be a better choice then a single unit, depending upon your particular circumstances of course. However, integrating disparate subs can be a challenge because of there different capabilities. If you want to use the Onkyo sub as a mid-bass module only, then you may be able to pull it off. But honestly, I'd ditch the HTiB sub and go with something that has more abilities on it's own.

For the most part, probably not. The Klipsch RW-12d might hold it's own in a space that size, and can be had for $300 when on sale, so that's a possibility.


Personally, I would probably go with something like dual Energy S10.3's then a single $500 sub. That would enable you to balance out the sound more.

If those numbers were accurate, then yes the Energy would go deeper. But they've been supplied by the manufacturers themselves, so caution is advised.

As far as which is better... my own proclivity is towards quality over quantity so I would probably side with the Energy, by the slimmest of margins. I don't think either is a bad choice though, so you should be fine regardless of which you opt for.

Mine won't arrive until Tuesday, so I can't tell you anything about it just yet.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy is reorganization, so they should continue to operate as though nothing has happened. Some creditors could run into an issue, but customers should be fine.

How big is a "small" subwoofer in this case? That word will mean vastly different things to different people. Also, what size is your room?

Like Cel said; for a subwoofer size matters. 12x12 is definitely on the small side, so expect commensurate performance. For HT it's struggles will be especially acute.

Along with the ones already suggested a few others perhaps worth considering are the Audioengine S8, Acoustic Audio HD-SUB10, Cambridge Audio S90 and the OSD PS-10. Not all of them meet your budget target, but most are close. Size-wise they're in the ballpark too.

According to UPS's website I do, but I haven't been home from work yet to check. If I get the chance tonight I'll unbox it and see what it sounds like.

Unfortunately, me and the Jamo have had a very inauspicious beginning...

It took 10 days to get here, which doesn't thrill me right off the bat. UPS -- Universal Package Smashers -- lived up to (down to?) their reputation and beat the crap out of the box. It was only single boxed too, so shame on Vann's for being so careless.

Someone needs to teach Jamo how to design packaging it seems. Not only was the crappy hard styrofoam the only protection, but there were hand holds cut out of the box sides. Why are hand holds bad? They aren't, per se, but it all depends on where you put them; one was on the side of the box where the amp is and the other other was by the driver! That means every time someone stuck their fingers in that hole to use the grab handle they stood a good chance poking the driver. Shrewd design Jamo.

Because the sub had such a rough ride I pulled the driver and amp out to see if anything was wrong on the inside. Thankfully there was nothing broken, but something was immediately out of place. There was a sheet of foam damping placed on the left and top panels, but nowhere else. After closer inspection it seems that the right and bottoms panels might have had foam sheets at one point, because the little nails used to secure it were still there, but there was no foam. The shipping box appeared to be factory sealed, so I'm at a total loss as to what happened. Thankfully I had some sheets of acoustic foam left over from a DIY project that were a little denser, but pretty close, to what Jamo used, so I lined the panels using that.

How does it sound you ask? It only has about 2-3 hours on it, so I'm going to withhold judgment for now, but at this point it doesn't impress me with depth or output. The subs gain is a dial on the front panel, and the range goes from 9 o'clock (off) to 3 o'clock (full). Right now it's at 2 o'clock, so darn near cranked. I also had to increase the sub-out on my AVR by +2dB which, when combined with the close to max'ed out gain, finally gives sufficient output. But the extension is just not there right now. I'm used to subs being a bit gutless when new, which is why I let them break in for at least 12-15 hours before doing a review, but the Sub 650 seems a little anemic even considering that. However, at this point I'm not ready to make any pronouncements, but if it doesn't get a lot better I'll probably send it back.

One definitive statement I can make is that the manual sucks. It's in like 90 different languages, but when it comes to how the features, dials and switches work it's only pictographs with various smiley and frowning caricature's. I kid you not -- there are no words -- so trying to figure out how something like the Boundary Gain Compensation feature works is darn near impossible. Right now, twisting the dial doesn't make any audible difference, so when it's broken in I'll have to get out my measurement gear and see if that shows me anything.

The driver only has a stamped steel basket, but it seems pretty stout nonetheless. The sub looks unique too, which is something I prefer over a generic looking black box. Another thing I like is the amp generates virtually no heat whatsoever. After a few hours it's as though the sub isn't even on. The grill is perhaps the flimsiest POS I've ever encountered though; Jamo should have never let this sub out the door with such a rickety grill. The fact that it's difficult to remove means it's probably not long for this world.

Holy crap, you're not kidding! A lot of our impressions are virtually identical, including thoughts on the cartoonish "manual". We have got to hang out some time and share a cold one...

Did you ever take your D7's apart and see what's inside? When I cracked the Sub 650 open I noticed something about the VC that I've never seen before in any other driver. What's wrong with this picture?



Excuse the terrible image quality - my camera's macro mode isn't worth a d@mn.

Detailed? Nah, for me that's just a pamphlet. I tend to be a bit loquacious, so anything under 10,000 characters is one breath for me...