need advice on a 5.1 set up with a 2500 budget - Page 2

$179/ea! Boy does that make me want to spend some money.

Honestly...you can research till your blue in the face. I know I have..and still do. The only thing you can do though is go hear the speakers for yourself.

I honestly thought I would love the Klipsch ...I was so convinced that this was "the speaker to get" for HT. I heard them and didn't like them.

The sales guy nodded...and suggested I come back and give the PSB a go. Again, I went home and did some research. Wow...very musical speakers. Neutral sound. These I am sure will do the trick.

I went back...and I was really not impressed and the PSB were much more expensive too. If I had to pick between Klipsch and the PSB I would go with the Klipsch. Although I felt the Klipsch were "bright" and hurt my ears quickly...I thought they were more dynamic and encompassing than the PSB. The PSB were just sort of blah to me.

As with all Speakers Your Mileage May Very (YMMV) and I am positive the PSB would have been very different in a Music environment compared to a Movie test.

For some of the speakers... If you post in the specific speaker forum thread ...sometimes you can find an owner willing to help you out and audition them. Don't discount the Klipsch yet...just because they sound "bright" to me...some people say the same "bright" sound makes "dynamic" and "exciting" and brings "life to movies." They are one of the most if not the most popular Home Theater speaker around...

Newegg has 'em for $99 ea last fall, although that does not mean they are not a good buy at $179 ea (I don't know).

But that's also why they sell well in the stores. They sound brighter in comparison to other speakers. On the other hand, after a little sustained use at home away from the Klipsch, something like the PSB may sound better.

A good 12 inch sub will handle that room

no such thing as overkill with subs, as it will be calibrated (volume matched) with the rest of your speakers. A more powerful sub will just get there easier. Go for the VTF 15, if for no other reason than to never say 'what if?'. I have 2 VTF 3's in 12x14 room and they never sound strained at all. Very even bass with dual subs.

I would go with two HSU VTF-2 MK4s, Outlaw Audio LFM-1 Pluses, or Rythmik Audio FV12s before the VTF-15H in that room. Two subs help to smooth the frequency response, and two of those other subs will have more than enough max SPL.

The SVS would be plenty of sub for that room. Here's a review of the PB12-NSD where it was rated as adequate for rooms of 3,000 to 5,000 cubic feet. So you won't get extra benefit from buying a bigger more powerful sub. The PB12 would have plenty of extra headroom. Save your money for buying a matching 2nd one

That'll sound awesome. Once you run Audyssey on your subs from your receiver, which will EQ the subs to smooth the frequency response in the room for the listening position, try some of the 4 to 5 star movies from this list: The New Master List of BASS in Movies with Frequency Charts

Two VTF2s, nice. Be sure to try the different phases on the phase switches so you don't get any cancellation, which is where the bass pressure waves negate each other.

I don't think two PB12 NSDs would be much better. Two VTF3s would be better, but mainly for stronger deep bass output. The VTF2s are at a very nice price/performance ratio, and are already pretty powerful for your room size. If you are interested in infrasonic bass, the VTF3s would be good, but we are talking about bass so deep you can not even hear it.

Those won't be bad, but those won't be nearly as powerful as VTF2s, in either output or extension. They are more like VTF1s.

For your room, the dual VTF-2 MK4 setup will definitely have enough max output. If you are uncomfortable spending more, then don't.

But the PB12-NSD and the VTF-3 MK4 are a step up from the VTF-2 MK4, and those two are equivalent in class. If you go and and ask in the AVS subwoofer forum which is better between the PB12 and the VTF3.4, you'll probably start a war between HSU owners and SVS owners over which is the best, and get claims from both sides (like the one above) about one being undeniably better than the other

I'd go for the PB12 over the VTF3.4 in your size room if choosing between those two (BTW: I don't own either brand) because they would best fit my personal preferences. But you have a lot of researching, learning, and thinking to do before you could make an educated decision of your own between those two.

Axiom makes good subs too


http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=311692



Do listen to monitor audio bx or silver
They're wonderful.

On top of the others here you'll see.





theaudioguy.ca

One of the AVS subwoofer members demoed the PB1000 and thought it had way more output than most 10" subs. So it makes sense that two would be plenty for your room size. The important difference is that the VTF-1 should go a little deeper in low frequency extension. But I would imagine you would be very happy with the performance of the PB1000s.

Axiom is a relatively poor value in subwoofer performance, unless their subs have improved substantially since last I heard. They will not allow their subs to be measured in reviews, that should scare you. On the occasions they have been measured, they did poorly with respect to other manufacture direct brands.

fwiw, the dual hsu vtf-2 mk4's will be plenty enough for your size room. imo if your going to spend more money i would put it into room acoustics like some bass traps and acoustic panals

The PB12 NSDs have more amplifier power, but that doesn't translate into a more powerful sub. They have pretty good deep bass output and low distortion measurements, but their mid bass output is pretty bad with respect to other subs in their price class. The VTF3, Power Sound Audio XV15, and Outlaw Audio LFM EX all cost about the same but will stomp on it in output. Check out this comparison http://www.data-bass.com/systems if you want to see how it fares against other subs at various frequencies. If you can spend 1600 on a pair of subs, a couple of XV15s will give you monstrous mid bass as well as decent deep bass.

"Bad?" I've never heard it described as such by anyone else. For his room, this is all a moot point. The PB12 will have MORE than enough output for his space throughout the frequency range he will need. Audioholics certified it as good for rooms from 3,000 to 5,000 cubic feet--and that's a single sub, not two of them. Given the OP's room is 12x14 room, that's like arguing that one car's 170 mph top end is just not good enough compare to another's 180 mph top end, when the driver is NEVER going to take it over 75 mph. LOL

The SVS comes with a five year warranty on the amplifier and the driver. The HSU warranty is seven on the driver, and only two on the amplifier. Subs are more prone to amplifier problems than drivers wearing out. The SVS has the much better warranty, IMHO.

Congrats on choosing the Ascends - sure you'll enjoy them!

Remembering that the goal of two subs is to smooth out the bass and the crossover freq. range (and not to give you lower/deeper bass - a sub can only go as low as it can go), more accurate/detailed subs are better candidates for dual/multi sub sets ups. I haven't heard the HSU subs so someone else would need to comment on the differences between the vtf2 and vtf3. After auditioning several subs myself (Martin Logan, Energy, DefTech, Outlaw) I ended up with the SVS SB12-NSD precisely because it is very accurate and detailed. (No more blurry thumps in the low end!) I also auditioned the PB12-NSD and it had the exact same qualities, the only reason I went with the SB12 was I needed a slightly smaller physical size. When I move later this year I'm getting a second SVS sub ; )

If the PB1000, only $500, had been available when I was looking I would have auditioned that. (If you call and ask, SVS will usually let you audition a sub and give you free return shipping if you decide to upgrade. This would allow you to try out the less expensive PB1000 and then, if you weren't satisfied, move up to the PB12 for no extra shipping costs.)