Upgrade/Lateral Move from Tuba HT

Do you have a budget? What's the size of the theater room? Is it a living room that has openings into a kitchen, entryway or dining room? How low are you wanting to go.

How hard do you drive the tuba?

I need a budget or I'm just posting names for subwoofers with no relevancy to your needs and expectations.

Why not keep the Tuba HT? Just tell your new wife that she knew the Tuba came with the deal.

Take a look at something like a Rhythmik FV15. You'd need a bit more to match something as efficient as a Tuba HT, but without knowing your budget, I don't feel comfortable going over $1500 with a suggestion.

FV15HP would be closer and still under budget. An Empire wouldn't have nearly the output a Tuba HT would. Anything else I'd recommend would start to get into the large footprint area, again.

The Rhythmik will play very flat and tight.

Based on your above, a pair of delivered Hsu, ULS-15's would be a bit more then $2k with marks for high WAF. And if that recommendation is a budget problem, I'd step down a bit and recommend a pair of SVS, PB12-NSD's.

The above two recommendations are based on carefully comparing all available data I've been able to find and these two meet my criteria for the best in each of the above price categories.

Hope you find the above useful in your quest.

No direct radiator can approach the ultra low distortion of a horn, it's just not in their nature. This (and parts 2&3) explains why:
http://www.readresearch.co.uk/loudspeaker_papers/klipsch_modulation_distortion_article_1.pdf

And that doesn't even account for the enhanced low-pass function of folded horns, which further filter above bandwidth harmonics.

Then what's a guy to do when confronted by issues surrounding aesthetics as a big box like this is not going qualify as anything more than utilitarian. I'm not knocking the Tuba HT (which comes across as way cool), I'm just saying that being pretty matters as much as sounding good or being functional. Suggestions in that department.

Me, for perspective, as monies become available, I'm looking to a pair of Funk Audio, 18.0C's in which to solve our subwoofer needs. Yes, a whole lot more in the money department but if you want cool looking and quality, you'll have to hit the hip. Life really can be simple. And once again, no, I'm not knocking Tuba HT subwoofers in my above.

The same thing he does when making the choice between a Mazda Miata and an F350 super duty pickup. Pick the one that does what you most need it to do.

Big difference between the two vehicles as you're asking the subwoofers to do the same thing, play down low where as a Miata and F-350 serve two completely different purposes. One does not consider a sports car when looking at a work vehicle and the equal and opposite, one does not look at work trucks when wanting a sports car. If I'm to take your comment in the literal sense, I'm to assume the Tuba HT is the pickup truck?

Out of respect, not knowing the history of the Tuba HT and being under the impression this is one of your touted babies by "Tweedpower," I was hoping you'd have a recommendation based on your vast experience. Based on my limited consumer based research and experience, with aesthetics and sound quality "the" consideration, my price/quality/performance path goes from, in pairs, the SVS, PB12-NSD > Hsu, ULS-15 > Funk Audio, 18.0 C. Yes, I understand neither of these are folded horn designs but all succeed in getting generous amounts of energy into the lower end (16Hz - 20Hz), maintain a relatively flat EQ curve and have a flat response on the right side of the EQ curve. In my opinion, all of which are very important consumer based criteria.

There's are many consumer based reasons I increased our budget from a pair of PB12-NSD's to a pair of Funk, 18.0 C's and yes, it was a tough row to hoe. The point, I can't expect another to come to the same conclusions.

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Edited by BeeMan458 - 11/22/12 at 8:29am

As do direct radiator and folded horn subs. The former are capable of shaking the room, the latter are capable of cracking the drywall. Not that you can't get a very good result from direct radiators, but it typically takes four times the driver count and amp wattage to do it, at which point the system size becomes equivalent, while direct radiators cannot get the low distortion of folded horns. So while you may be able to take multiple trips to the store in a Miata and carry the same amount of goods as an F350 you'll never fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in one.

Must be why, as soon as I put together the green, I'm considering a pair of Funk, 18.0 C's.

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Edited by BeeMan458 - 11/22/12 at 10:56am

That's not a sub. This is a sub:
http://www.danleysoundlabs.com/products/subwoofers/specialty-subs/dts-10/

My wife is afraid I'll put my eye out with that thing.