Single subwoofer for 6300 cubic feet??

The sub can sound bad if you try to push it too hard in order to pressurize that entire space, it will run into distortion. That is a big space, and I really don't think one $500 sub is going to cut it. I would be looking at $1k subs at the very least, like the Hsu VTF15h, Power Sound XS30, Rythmik FV15, etc.

IMO, you're crazy for trying to do it with a single sub and for under $1,000.

A frequent recommendation in cases such as yours is to consider near-field placement, in which case an RW-12d might suffice. If your considering placement in corners or along walls, you'll most likely want to budget for dual ~$1K subs. To shadyJ's list, I'll add:
- dual PSA XV-15
- Rythmik FV15HP
- SVS PB12-Plus
- PSA XV-30
Edited by eljaycanuck - 1/23/13 at 5:38am

If you put a single sub in a corner near where you sit, you may be pleased with a single. This assumes you're sitting in a good spot and there will likely be some sitting spots worse than others.

A lot depends on what you want. If you want to listen at lower volumes and just want to hear the notes played correctly, one may do. You will likely never have chest thumping bass with a single.

A paid of the Klipsch subs (with one being nearfield as KidHorn mention) should be enough based on what you are looking for. If you are just looking to buy a single, I would try and increase the budget to around $700-750. You won't get huge bass in that room on that budget but it will be a big improvement over no sub at all and you don't seem to have unrealistic expectations.

I would also consider a PA-150 if you are stuck on the $500 budget and a single sub. They typically run about $350 shipped. They will have more output in the 40-80hz range than the Klipsch and the Klipsch will have more output sub 30hz. Most bass in movies and music does not reside below 30hz so you should buy based on your goals and expectations.

Try the in home audition offered by some of the better brands. If you end up not liking the results, just send it back.
I agree with the other posters, look at some of the better subs for that size room. I'm more familiar with
SVS, Power Sound Audio or HSU but the others mentioned all have excellent reputations.

That is a large room. For a single sub you could try a PSA XV30. Go for one of their b-stock items to save some money. I don't see how you will get away with good base for under $1k unless you buy used.

My room is a bit bigger and I have 3 PSA XV15's, two SVS PB12+/2 and an SVS PB12+. Overkill? Maybe, but I have tons of headroom. I am sure I could get away 2 of any of my subs if needed.

My space is about 6500 cubic feet and I'm running dual rw-12d 's and I'm quite happy. Bass you can feel and most definitely hear..... my main seating spot is about 12 feet from each subs. For a room that size I would go dual the bass will sound alot more even.

Raynist I think you have a sub buying problem!......lol wow that's a lot of subs.

Lol.... yes I do!!! I bought 1 and ran it for a couple of weeks. It didnt sound BAD but you could hear were the bass was coming from also you could only really feel the bass in the main seating position but now you can feel it in the whole room. Hell I can feel it on the other side of my 1400sq condo.

Honestly, based on your goals and your room I would look into dual RW-12D's. Multiple subwoofers will smooth out bass response and will tame room modes. If you were a bass head, I would be recommending something totally different and much more expensive. The RW-12 on sale is a bargain and hard to beat for the money. Especially with duals.

Yes, near-field involves placing the sub close to the primary listening position.
Yes, you could get by with good 12" subs. You may not get the output and extension that you'd get with 15" subs, but depending on your needs / expectations, that may not matter.

If I were looking for a relatively small and attractive-looking sub with good output and extension, and I was expecting only to " fill out the bottom end of my music and movies" with tight, clean bass, I'd probably go with the SVS SB12-NSD. And get two of them.

SVS is a well-regarded company with a reputation for solid products and excellent customer service.

Would you recommend 2 RW-12Ds over 1 HSU VTF-2? I am trying to compliment Polk LSi15s as my fronts and wondering which setup would be best? Also, is there a disadvantage to running 2 subs if you have a AVR without Audyssey XT32? I know that is the one that can do dual sub equalization. Also, what if your receiver is a 7.1 vs. 7.2? I want to make sure if i do a dual purchase i dont make the wrong choice. Thanks everyone!

This article is the main reason I decided to go with the dual rw-12d vs one Outlaw LM. One $600 sub will not sound better than dual rw-12d

http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/get-good-bass/two-subs
Edited by jthirdeye - 1/23/13 at 1:15pm

Two RW-12ds will have more output than a single VTF2. The VTF2 will have better sound quality and deeper extension, however if you are in a large room, in my opinion it is better to have usable output to a point before you start in with finer quality bass sound. After all, who cares if you have the best sound quality in the world if you don't have the output to hear it. I would only go with a VTF2 in a large room if you intend to get another one in the future. What would be best for the most output is a single beefy sub, like one of the 15"s, the VTF15h, PSA XS30, Rythmik FV15, these will have a lot more output than even two RW-12ds, and are probably more appropriate for a large room. The ideal is to go with the monster 18" subs, but those are all above $2k.

Near-field placement is a good idea for for those in a large room and a modest subwoofer budget. The idea is by being in close proximity to the sub, you can still experience a lot of its energy even though it doesn't have enough power to pressurize the room. You can place the sub next to the seat like an endtable or right behind the seat. Another advantage of near-field placement is you don't have to run the sub as hard as you normally would, and this has the effect of have a much lower distortion sound and also prolongs the life of the sub. A great sub for this role which I use myself is the Hsu VTF3, it has a side firing driver which can blast right into the listening position, and is nicely shaped and configured for an endtable type role. Some other subs which look good to me for end table substitutes are the VTF2, the Power Sound Audio XS and XV15, and the Outlaw Audio LFM-1 Plus and EX. They all have a good shape for it and are not front-firing which makes them good candidates for that position.

It isn't necessarily Audyssey XT32, its the Audyssey SubEQ which usually, but not always, come with XT32. One of the nice things about SubEQ is that if you have two subs, it adjusts them to be in phase with each other. If you don't have that, you will want to make sure the phases do not conflict at your listening position manually, with an SPL meter. Otherwise you can actually have lower output than if you only had one sub! It is very easy to adjust the phase so they don't conflict, I don't even think you necessarily need an SPL meter to do it, all you need is someone to switch the phases on the subs while you remain in the listening position, and just use whichever settings sound the loudest. Using and SPL meter and writing down the results of test tones really helps though.

Output is only half the equation, the other half being even response throughout the listening area. Unless that area consists of one or two seats you can't get that with one sub, you need at least two. And, to vastly oversimplify, two 200 watt subs will match the output of one 800 watt sub.

Really? I thought the best you could get from two co-located subs was a 6dB increase. How does a combined 400W (2 x 200W) match 800W? Is driver size involved? I'm sincerely interested to know this. Thanks.

6 dB is 4X the output. 200 x 4 = 800. You won't get 800 watts, you'll get the equivalent output of 800 watts.

Thanks for that. I always assumed that two co-located subs = double the output = 6dB. I didn't realize that co-location = 6dB = a "quadruple output effect". Much appreciated.

 

 

 

Eljay,

 

Another way to look at it: For every doubling of power, you get a 3db increase. I believe the assumption is the driver size stays the same (so you don't get any displacement gains); therefore 200 x 2 = 400w (3db), 400w x 2 = 800w (6db).

 

It would take the same sub powered by 800w (6db gain) to equal the output of 2 of those sames subs collocated at 200w each (6db gain). This is of course assuming the driver can handle the extra power.

 

So, you are correct. Two co-located subs is double the output (not quadruple). To equal the output of the two colocated subs for the same single sub, you'll need quadruple the power. This is the way I understand it, anyhow...