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Budget subwoofers discussions, opinions and questions thread - Page 24

post #691 of 1334
1/9/13 at 2:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by batpig View Post

I think you always have to take the advice in this forum with the "grain of salt" that you are dealing with hardcore enthusiasts. It's always important to keep perspective on your personal expectations and needs in relation to that context.
Thus you get some hyperbolic claims like the above. If you ask what the best $200 subwoofer is, you will be told to spend $500 or it's not even worth it.
The key is being realistic about your expectations. If your desire is to achieve movie theater quality bass, with a room that size fully pressurized with powerful output down to the low reaches of sub-bass contained in modern action movie soundtracks, then, yes, you do need to spend a lot more money. But if you just want something to go "boom" and fill in the low end at reasonable volumes in your living room, and do a much better job than that little Polk sub, then you will be fine.

This accurately summarizes my hopes/goals/expectations for this purchase.

I'm not an audiophile. Yet. But when I hooked those Monitor 70's up in place of those RM-6751's, the difference was significant and immediately noticeable to both myself AND my wife (who is ALWAYS skeptical of everything I do... and probably rightfully so hah). And I liked what I heard. We both did. A lot. So I upgraded the Center Channel. Now I'm looking to maybe do the Sub.

I'll gladly pay a hundred or so extra $$$ if it'll make a difference. Just looking for some input/advice on the best way to spend my money... and appreciate all of what I've received so far. This website, overall, is a great resource.
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post #692 of 1334
1/9/13 at 2:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bond 007 View Post

Point taken. If you were reasonably satisfied with what you had before but just want to upgrade I would go with a Klipsch RW-12d. It is a better performer than the pl200 or pa120. It often goes onsale at Newegg for $299 so it is cheaper too.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1442829/klipsch-rw-12d-on-sale-for-299-at-newegg-com-again-today/330#post_22806387

I had been eyeballing this one, too, before I found this thread. Thanks for the suggestion!
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post #693 of 1334
1/9/13 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daphnis View Post

Hello Jim,
Thank you for your response. Yes, the PS10 is on sale for $159. I was telling about my budget when I mentioned < $200 smile.gif (Sorry for not being clear). One PS12 for $249 or two Velodyne VX11s, Which one would you prefer?. I understand that velodyne is 33 Hz to -140 Hz whereas PS10/12 is 25 Hz to 180 Hz but not sure to what extent this will affect the HT experience. Just to add, this is my first HT and never used a Sub before.

I have the PS12 and i think im the only one on here that has one,lol. Its a solid "budget" subwoofer but it does have a few limitations. I think Jim has the right idea if u wanted a lil more output and even the room out try the duals but if u like deeper bass id be inclined to get the PS12. Its preference more or less so decide on what suits ur taste.
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post #694 of 1334
1/9/13 at 3:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JB217 View Post

I have the PS12 and i think im the only one on here that has one,lol.

I don't even have my PS10 any longer; I ended up giving that -- along with some speakers and a center -- to someone who got wiped out by Sandy. So you're it for now! tongue.gif
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post #695 of 1334
1/9/13 at 3:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by psuKinger View Post

I had been eyeballing this one, too, before I found this thread. Thanks for the suggestion!
This should be helpful.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1354213/for-349-can-this-sub-be-beat
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post #696 of 1334
1/9/13 at 3:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimWilson View Post

I don't even have my PS10 any longer; I ended up giving that -- along with some speakers and a center -- to someone who got wiped out by Sandy. So you're it for now! tongue.gif
That was very kind of you Jim. Kudos to ya!
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post #697 of 1334
1/9/13 at 3:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimWilson View Post

I don't even have my PS10 any longer; I ended up giving that -- along with some speakers and a center -- to someone who got wiped out by Sandy. So you're it for now! tongue.gif

I think im due for a subwoofer upgrade here in the future...But i guess im it for now,lol. But for what its worth ur review of the ps10 was solid and the ps12 was worth the 250 paid. Ur review led me to take a chance on the ps12 and im glad i did. Keep those reviews coming. What other subs are up for review? Budget or not pm me with details if u feel it doesn't pertain to the post.
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post #698 of 1334
1/9/13 at 3:25pm
BIC PL200
I heard some Subwoofer and for the price, it is pretty hard to beat
http://home-subwoofers-review.toptenreviews.com/bic-acoustech-review.html
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post #699 of 1334
1/9/13 at 3:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bond 007 View Post

That was very kind of you Jim. Kudos to ya!

Thanks man...

I live in NJ, which was right in the crosshairs of that megastorm. However, I wasn't at ground zero; we got the crap kicked out of us up by me, but not nearly as bad as some other parts of the state. I felt for those people, so that seemed like the least I could do.
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post #700 of 1334
1/9/13 at 3:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JB217 View Post

But for what its worth ur review of the ps10 was solid and the ps12 was worth the 250 paid. Ur review led me to take a chance on the ps12 and im glad i did. Keep those reviews coming. What other subs are up for review? Budget or not pm me with details if u feel it doesn't pertain to the post.

That's actually worth a lot to me. I put a tremendous amount of time and effort into those reviews, and it's always nice to hear that someone found value in one of them.

My reviewing future is going to be a bit different though... what I was doing attracted some attention, and Home Theater Shack offered to pay me for exclusives. I thought about it long and hard, several months actually, and after careful deliberation I decided to take them up on their offer. Starting with my next review -- which will be on the Source Technologies HVS 10 -- I'll be posting them exclusively on HTS's review forum. I made it quite clear to them that I was not going to alter my style or wording, regardless of who their sponsors were. To my surprise they agreed; AAMOF, they insisted I continue to do things the way I have been, so it seemed like the best of both worlds to me.
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post #701 of 1334
1/9/13 at 3:51pm
Quote:
[HTS] offered to pay me for exclusives. I thought about it long and hard, several months actually, and after careful deliberation I decided to take them up on their offer. Starting with my next review ... I'll be posting them exclusively on HTS's review forum. I made it quite clear to them that I was not going to alter my style or wording, regardless of who their sponsors were. To my surprise they agreed ...
Congratulations! cool.gif I look forward to reading your reviews over at HTS! smile.gif
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post #702 of 1334
1/9/13 at 3:53pm
Same here. I'll be adding another bookmark to my browser for sure. Looking forward to it. smile.gif
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post #703 of 1334
1/9/13 at 4:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimWilson View Post

That's actually worth a lot to me. I put a tremendous amount of time and effort into those reviews, and it's always nice to hear that someone found value in one of them.
My reviewing future is going to be a bit different though... what I was doing attracted some attention, and Home Theater Shack offered to pay me for exclusives. I thought about it long and hard, several months actually, and after careful deliberation I decided to take them up on their offer. Starting with my next review -- which will be on the Source Technologies HVS 10 -- I'll be posting them exclusively on HTS's review forum. I made it quite clear to them that I was not going to alter my style or wording, regardless of who their sponsors were. To my surprise they agreed; AAMOF, they insisted I continue to do things the way I have been, so it seemed like the best of both worlds to me.

Congrats buddy...Ur a good guy and Home Theater Shack will definitely have an asset on their hands. Ill be sure to follow as well.
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post #704 of 1334
1/9/13 at 6:46pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you. I really do appreciate the sentiments! I was actually going to keep it on the down low, and not even mention anything. There's a couple of really nice subwoofers staring at me right now waiting for some attention, so I'll definitely be busy as I head into my new venture.

I've also started getting requests to do speakers -- I'm listening to a pair I'll be reviewing at this very moment -- so there will be more then subs in my future it seems. At this point I'm not even sure I remember how all this happened. I do know it was a lot of work; the review is just the end result, trying to get units in the first place is a huge undertaking in and of itself. But I've had a lot of fun, in spite of all the time and effort, and learned a bunch along the way. Hopefully it continues that way for me...
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post #705 of 1334
1/10/13 at 3:35am
Congratulations Jim !!!. Whenever you have time, try to review budget subs/speakers also, for the benefit of us:D
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post #706 of 1334
1/10/13 at 5:19am
Congrats!
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post #707 of 1334
1/10/13 at 7:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bond 007 View Post

This should be helpful.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1354213/for-349-can-this-sub-be-beat

It is very helpful. Thanks.

My search is now officially narrowed to the:
Klipsch RW-12d
BIC PL-200
PA-120

I'm gonna buy one, play around with it, and determine if I want to add a second later or not.


If priced identically, are their any other Pros-vs-Cons to these 3 units that anybody wants to speak to? Or is it all-win, all-the-way for this Klipsch, and all that's left to do is wait for that $300 NewEgg sale?
Edited by psuKinger - 1/10/13 at 7:38am
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post #708 of 1334
1/10/13 at 8:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by psuKinger View Post


If priced identically, are their any other Pros-vs-Cons to these 3 units that anybody wants to speak to?
Or is it all-win, all-the-way for this Klipsch, and all that's left to do is wait for that $300 NewEgg sale?

Here's some Cons of the Klipsch RW-12d:

• The RW-12d needed more speed, accuracy, and transparency on music material, occasionally falling behind the material and sounding a bit plodding and boomy.
• The RW-12d lacks a high-pass crossover output, which could limit bass control options for some users.
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post #709 of 1334
1/10/13 at 8:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daphnis View Post

Congratulations Jim !!!. Whenever you have time, try to review budget subs/speakers also, for the benefit of us:D

While the price of what I've been reviewing lately -- and indeed, what I have sitting in my spare room waiting -- has definitely begun to rise, I have no intention of abandoning the budget category. That's how this whole thing started for me, and I still feel very strongly about those products. A lot of the stuff I'm reviewing now will have exposure from other people, whereas most of the budget stuff will not.

An example of the former is the SVS PB1000 I have; there will be no shortage of media exposure for that one. But the NXG NX-BAS-500? I doubt there will be much press on it, which is precisely why I got one for review. Even the speakers I'm testing now cost just a few dollars over $800 for a 5.0 system, which to me is pretty close to budget in that category. The ones I'll probably be reviewing after those only cost about $100 more for the 5.0 setup, so they're in the same range as well.
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post #710 of 1334
1/10/13 at 8:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by coolcat4843 View Post

Here's some Cons of the Klipsch RW-12d:

• The RW-12d needed more speed, accuracy, and transparency on music material, occasionally falling behind the material and sounding a bit plodding and boomy.
Yeah, but which sub in this price range is good with music?
Quote:
• The RW-12d lacks a high-pass crossover output, which could limit bass control options for some users.
I would venture to guess that most subs in this price range don't offer this feature. It's also completely unneeded if one uses an HT receiver that does all necessary bass management anyway.
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post #711 of 1334
1/10/13 at 9:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete7874 View Post

Yeah, but which sub in this price range is good with music?

What sub/price would you consider to be the entry subwoofer / entry cost for music playback?
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post #712 of 1334
1/10/13 at 9:42am
psuKinger, I'm no expert on the subject, but from what I've read, generally the sealed subs do better with music. The cheapest sealed SVS sub goes for $500. The downside to sealed subs is that dollar for dollar they may not be as powerful/loud as ported subs. You're basically trading sheer volume for accuracy/musicality.
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post #713 of 1334
1/10/13 at 10:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by psuKinger View Post

It is very helpful. Thanks.

My search is now officially narrowed to the:
Klipsch RW-12d
BIC PL-200
PA-120

I'm gonna buy one, play around with it, and determine if I want to add a second later or not.


If priced identically, are their any other Pros-vs-Cons to these 3 units that anybody wants to speak to? Or is it all-win, all-the-way for this Klipsch, and all that's left to do is wait for that $300 NewEgg sale?
My opinion has been noted. And coolcats quotes from a professional review could very easily be said about all 3 of them.
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post #714 of 1334
1/10/13 at 12:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bond 007 View Post

My opinion has been noted. And coolcats quotes from a professional review could very easily be said about all 3 of them.

Indeed. Currently, I'm favoring the Klipsch, and am just trying to convince myself to sit tight and wait for a discount.

I googled the review that had those two negative comments. The review, overall, was a positive one.



I have a use for a subwoofer in two particular rooms, actually. So I think I'll go with one of these, try it out, see what I think, and then ponder whether or not I want to become a guy that has "two subs in one room", or if I do find it to be a little slow/inarticulate and wanting something a little more high-end. I've been devouring as much information as I can for a good 72-96 hours now, and in doing so been reading a lot of good things about Martin Logan's. It looks like some of those are "fully enclosed", following Pete's advice from above. But that's a subject for a different thread... for now, I'm convinced (particularly after a quick demo at a big box store for a lower-end Klipsch that I believe is farther down their product line than the RW-12d) that this is going to be a significant improvement to my home theater... now I just hope I have the patience to sit tight and wait for a better price.

Thanks for the knowledge and input.
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post #715 of 1334
1/10/13 at 12:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by psuKinger View Post

What sub/price would you consider to be the entry subwoofer / entry cost for music playback?

How large is the room, and what type of music do you listen to? That could potentially influence your choices.
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post #716 of 1334
1/10/13 at 1:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimWilson View Post

How large is the room, and what type of music do you listen to? That could potentially influence your choices.

20'x24', but it's not enclosed. It opens into another large space.

We have wide and eclectic taste. This would be used to play anything from Hard Rock and Hip Hop to all-male acapella groups, Symphonic Music, and even Show Tunes. No organ music, FWIW (I'd heard that organ music is considered by some to be a quality challenge for a given audio system).


I'm very comfortable at $300, and prepared to drop that without batting an eye. If we're talking about stepping up a couple hundred dollars to $500ish, if it'll make a difference I'm open to the idea. If we're talking about stepping up a thousand or so dollars, that's something I'm not prepared to do at this point.
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post #717 of 1334
1/10/13 at 1:39pm
I do think the consensus is that stepping from the $300-and-under range to the $500 range IS a significant difference. At $500 you can get subs that can produce the same kind of output as the RW-12d while providing clean output down to near 20Hz. If you are willing to spend $500 I'd probably get the SVS PB-1000 and not look back.
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post #718 of 1334
1/10/13 at 3:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by batpig View Post

I do think the consensus is that stepping from the $300-and-under range to the $500 range IS a significant difference. At $500 you can get subs that can produce the same kind of output as the RW-12d while providing clean output down to near 20Hz. If you are willing to spend $500 I'd probably get the SVS PB-1000 and not look back.

I don't want to thread-jack, as this is the BUDGET subwoofer thread, and I understand that, but I have to just follow up on this, because I think this might be the one for me...I found the review on Audioholics (Link: http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/svs-sb1000-pb1000-subs). And I'm loving everything I'm reading.


That said, I gotta ask, any chance the sealed SB-1000 would be better for music than the Ported PB-1000? The audioholics review clearly says that the PB-1000 is the better choice for those that want a little more bass or are using larger rooms (as mine is), but I've come to believe that a sealed woofer, in general, out-performs a ported one, for music.

Since they're the same price, same RMS Power, and the additional size of the PB-1000 doesn't concern me (plenty of space in the room to fit either of them), I'm just wondering if it being "sealed" is worth passing up on the additional extension? Or is the only advantage, in your mind, the "space savings" (which wouldn't be a factor for me)?
Edited by psuKinger - 1/10/13 at 3:29pm
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post #719 of 1334
1/10/13 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by psuKinger View Post

I don't want to thread-jack, as this is the BUDGET subwoofer thread, and I understand that, but I have to just follow up on this, because I think this might be the one for me...I found the review on Audioholics (Link: http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/svs-sb1000-pb1000-subs). And I'm loving everything I'm reading.


That said, I gotta ask, any chance the sealed SB-1000 would be better for music than the Ported PB-1000? The audioholics review clearly says that the PB-1000 is the better choice for those that want a little more bass or are using larger rooms (as mine is), but I've come to believe that a sealed woofer, in general, out-performs a ported one, for music.

Since they're the same price, same RMS Power, and the additional size of the PB-1000 doesn't concern me (plenty of space in the room to fit either of them), I'm just wondering if it being "sealed" is worth passing up on the additional extension? Or is the only advantage, in your mind, the "space savings" (which wouldn't be a factor for me)?

I'm interested in both those subs as well. Check out this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1439755/new-svs-sb1000-pb1000-subwoofers
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post #720 of 1334
1/10/13 at 3:41pm
My gut feel is that, given the size of your room, the ported PB-1000 is going to be the better option.

In theory, the sealed sub will be "tighter" and more "accurate", but I think you will appreciate the extra power that the ported version provides.

If you are feeling frisky you could order BOTH and have a shoot-out at home! eek.gifbiggrin.gif
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