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Subwoofer(s) for Energy RC-Micro's

post #1 of 7
1/16/13 at 6:29am
Thread Starter 
I am building a home theater set-up in my basement for both movies and music. I am hoping to get some recommendations on subwoofers. My budget is $500.

I will be using Energy RC-Micro Satelite 5.0 speakers for the satellites. I am looking for a good subwoofer set-up to compliment these speakers with both good mid and low ranges.

I am thinking front firing and ported in front as I am trying to hide the subwoofer(s) in the bottom of the open area in my media console. The media console opeing is 25" H x 24" W x 14 3/4" deep. I have added a pic as I am looking to place the subwoofer(2) in the bottom left corner and a second if necessary in the lower right corner. The media console is 10 ft wide and the 55" TV and satellite speaker will be hung on the wall above.

The viewing arer is appox. 10' wide and 15' deep with an open floor plan to a bar and dinette totalling 25' wide by 25' deep plus a hallway to the stairway.

Due to size restrictions of the media cabinet and $500 budget I am thinking of the following:
- (2) Lava Subwoofers LSP08 (Front firing and front ported)
- (2) Outlaw Audio M8 (Will downfiring and down ported cause any issues inside media console?)
- (1) SVS SB-1000 (12" Sealed front firing)
- Any other subwoofer suggestions

Will two 8" budget subwoofers or one good 12" subwoofer be better?

Will two 8" subwoofers give me better imaging over one 12" as the subwoofer will also contribute midrange frequencies?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

IMG_7551.jpg 633k .jpg file
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post #2 of 7
1/16/13 at 6:58am
That's a huge space (assuming a 7-1/2 ceiling, it's almost 4,700 cu.ft.), and it's in a basement (concrete floor). IMO, dual 12" subs - or potent dual 10" subs, like the PB-1000 - are a minimum requirement. If $500 is all you've got, get the PB-1000.
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post #3 of 7
1/16/13 at 7:05am
Thread Starter 
The PB-1000 is too deep to fit in my media console. Can I get away with a SB-1000?
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post #4 of 7
1/16/13 at 10:39pm
A 25 x 25 room? You really need all the sub output you can get. Even the PB-1000 is really not enough, and I understand that the SB-1000 has less output (someone else can verify).

Is there some reason that you MUST put the subwoofer in the media cabinet? If this is a dedicated HT setup, why are you limiting yourself and not designing the room around the audio equipment instead of the cabinet?

Given the size of that room, you aren't going to really feel much <30hz effect out of a PB-1000 sub. Consequently, if you are budget limited, I'd go with the Premier Acoustics PA-150. It doesn't have real output below 30hz, but it has massive output above, enough that you would appreciate it over the PB-1000. It's also cheaper, but it is a big 15" sub.

Or, if you can come up with an extra $100, wait for the Klipsch RW-12d to drop down to $299 on Newegg and get two of them. Those do have good output below 30hz.
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post #5 of 7
1/17/13 at 6:24am
Thread Starter 
The media center is already in place and my wife does not want a large subwoofer siting out in the open.

Someone has also suggested a pair of OSD PS-10's. They are on sale for $159 each shipped. I wonder if I can get away with these. I understand these subs dont aesthetically look the best, but they will be hidden in the media console. All you will mainly see is the grill cover. I have read pretty good reviews on these for a budget sub. These are front firing, ported, and compact enough where the will fit in the 15" depth that I have available.

Can I really get away with these on the cheap? I am not looking to shake the house, just something to compliment the Energy Micro's 5.0 and offer some good midrange and some bass.

Thanks all for the opinions.
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post #6 of 7
1/17/13 at 8:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaysht View Post

The media center is already in place and my wife does not want a large subwoofer siting out in the open.

If you had to put a new engine in a Ford F150, would you put a motorcycle engine in it? That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but your room needs a big engine. Since this is a dedicated HT setup in the basement (not a living room), it seems worth arguing for what suits the audio setup versus buying something that is way under powered. And I speak from experience. I had a 10" ported sub in a room on a little bit bigger than yours. Switching to a good 12" made a big difference.

As for the OSDs, I don't know much about them other than their low end frequency response rating on 5hz is not possible by a long shot. You might want to ask in the AVS budget subwoofer thread since your requirements are fairly restrictive.
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post #7 of 7
1/17/13 at 9:00am
Quote:
Someone has also suggested a pair of OSD PS-10's. They are on sale for $159 each shipped.
According to the OSD website:
10" driver
- 120W RMS
- 25Hz @ -3dB

Might be worth $159, shipped.
Quote:
Can I really get away with these on the cheap?
The OSD's will let you "get away" with having bass. Whether or not you're satisfied with the bass they provide is another matter.
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I am not looking to shake the house, just something to compliment the Energy Micro's 5.0 and offer some good midrange and some bass.
If these - and a depth of less than 15" - are your requirements, IMO you should stick to the SVS SB-1000. Spend more, but get a better sub. Maybe add a second one later on.
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