There is no such thing as overkill. You can turn any amount of subs down to the levels you desire.

EDIT: For $1,500 starting with dual Monolith 10", dual monolith 12", Dual SVS PB-1000 pro or dual HSU VTF2 would be good starting points. Starting with SVS (free returns) might be the best options so you can get an idea of how much bass you want.

 

There is no such thing as overkill. You can turn any amount of subs down to the levels you desire.

This.

At $1500, you're sort of in the middle. For ~$1800 you can get 2 of HSU top subs. For a little more than $950, you can get one. If I were you, I would add $300 to your budget or spend less than $1000. Either way for your budget, I get one or more HSU subs.

 

I agree that dual 12" isn't overkill in 1,050 sq.ft., but how good the soundproofing between units is may determine whether it's too much for your next-door neighbour.

 

Yes totally, that's what I am afraid lol. But at least I will no longer have upstair or downstair neighbor, which would make this impossible

 

Having more than one sub will improve the overall frequency response in the room. So, if you have disparate seating, or want to listen to music from the kitchen and dining rooms, then two subs makes sense. If the usage is only for a small seating area, then one sub will do.

That said, integrating two subs into a room is often a bit time-consuming and can be frustrating, especially if you do not have a mechanism to test the frequency response. In addition, your receiver needs to process the subs separately (some just run a "Y" connector internally, despite having two sub out jacks on the back). Physical positioning is the key to good bass in the room, Once you get one "right" then getting the second one to integrate can be difficult. Having a lot of placement options will improve the chances of getting a good result.

 

Ah yes, I have seen some long instructions regarding the placement of subwoofer, I will reserve this topic for after I make the decision on what sub to buy

But I am curious, since I will have 2 subwoofer, does the placement matter as much? Can I just be lazy and put it in the front on 2 sides next to the TV stand? Also, if this is an ok solution, should I put the subs inside or outside of the front speakers? (I am using Denon X3600H by the way)

 

If you have the space for a pair of ported subs that would be the way to go. A pair of SVS PB1000Pros for $1100 would be great in that space.

 

Hi

For the budget I'd go with the following:
2 x Sub-Whatever from the usual suspect (SVS, HSU, Ryhtmik, Monoprice .. etc) 12" or 15" ... Try to stay under $1200 for the pair (there are deals and open box is a goldmine)
1 x UMik-1 or Equivalent for $100
1 x miniDSP 2 x 4 HD for $200 alternatively Behringer Unit DEQ 2496 or DCX used for less than $200.

You need to learn to use REW and how to measure. One of the best for Bass is the Moving Microphone Method (MMM)... This will take some time. Well, let's be frank.. A lot of time. to learn how o have a smooth Bass response in the listening area. Yes Area not position. Using more than one subs affords you that smooth bass in a substantial area \ volume ... You will have to learn how and research/toil/study to learn how but people here will help you...
That would be the best $ 1500 to 1800, you would have invested in Hifi, once your subs are properly integrated and the low frequency response smooth and proper in level (Repeating: It will take time. )

 

Very good points. OP - you will probably need to do some learning to get the positioning right if you go with 2 subs. REW is free (but donation should be made), Umik-1 is $75, miniDSP 2x4HD is 220. You can buy miniDSP 2x4 (non-HD) for $95. These are the right tools for helping to position the subs.

 

Another thing I would think about if you think 15" subs are too big is to buy the Infinity Reference 12 Sub. It is on special right now at $200 each and would allow you to see what you think of a 12" sub. It won't go below 30Hz, but that will still give you the chest pounding you would love. It won't be as good as the SVS or the HSU, but is a lot less expensive and is smaller than 15". At that price, I expect you could sell 1 or both of these on craigslist and not lose too much money if and when you ever want to upgrade.

 

Cool, the value on this one seems great!! Definitely worth a look. But like you said, it is still hard to re-sell subs, so I think I will choose something that is better and will work well for a foreseeable future

 

Dual HSU ULF15s + MiniDSP

Those sealed subs are “small” but potent. They are quick & accurate which also sounds great at lower volumes. Very musical but with some guts.

Get those placed well & get them dialed in the the DSP.

I also HIGHLY recommend buying the SVS Soundpath feet for them or place them on SubDudes to help reduce vibration transfer into the structure to help you be a “nice neighbor”.

 

Thank you all for your advices and Pro Tips!!

I would love to get the pair of HSU, but the only available ones at the moment are the 15’ and for dual setup its a bit too big for my space

And dang! My seating area is horizontal and parallel to the rectangular open floor-plan living room, so all those suggested default positions wouldn’t probably work. It looks like I need to do quite a lot more research on how to position these correctly then. Do I need to get MiniDsp HD version? Or does the non HD suffice?

 

Do I need to get MiniDsp HD version? Or does the non HD suffice?

Very hard to answer the question. A lot of folks are going HD because it offers 10 EQ vs 5 and the delay can be greater than 7ms. Other than that they are the same.

 

LOL....overkill.

 

I was speaking as someone who has never owned a subwoofer in his life and doesn’t have a home theater in a mansion. Take it easy sir/ma’am

 

OP, could you post a layout of your space along with a few measurements? Pics could help as well if you have them.

One thing to remember about subwoofers is that buying larger drivers & multiples doesn’t mean you have to have a ton a bass.

In fact, a benefit of larger drivers (like 15”+) is that they don’t have to work as hard. You therefore experience less distortion, aka more accurate/clean bass.
(generally speaking of course)

Multiple subs, if placed correctly, will yield you more even bass across their frequency range & also across more seating areas.

I wouldn’t be afraid of dual 15” subs. Specially sealed ones that are roughly 18” cubed boxes. Most 12” ported subs are in larger enclosures than that.

I would call HSU & see when their next shipment is expected. Earlier in the year they were sold out for a short while but restocked fairly quickly. Those ULFs are tough to beat in accuracy for their price, having duals would just be icing on the cake.

But yes absolutely do your research & keep your questions comin so the many good people here can be of assistance. We can get a little sassy here though, don’t take it personally haha

 

Sir, it's like you read my mind and knew exactly what was going on haha!

I actually just got off the phone with an HSU agent and he was super nice. He gave me the expected availability of the VTF-2 MK5 and it is not bad at all. But after I explained to him my room situation, he was suggesting that 1 good sub would probably do the job for my specific room layout. I don't have the specific measurements of my living room yet, since I am not moving in until July 3rd. But attached are the pictures for your reference. Basically, my room has an open floor plan in rectangular shape. So, the room is not big (small even), and viewing position is skewed to the left near the yard door, leaving an uneven open space to the right of the seating area. The distance between the viewing seat and the TV isn't long either (less than 14 ft?), so there are basically walls in the front, to the left, and also behind the couch (I will try to push the couch forward a bit for better surround sounds). In general, the layout is a bit weird, because there is an open space to the right of the viewing area that connects to the kitchen.

Long story short, the HSU guy was recommending that maybe 1 good sub in the left corner would do the trick, and maybe try to lay it on top of the foam pad or something to try and reduce the bass transmission over the wall into the neighbors - if I get any complaints. Though, he said, it still will be tough to say whether that would help, and I may need to do more customized EQ to strategically roll off the low end.

And like you said, he did tell me that the USL-15 actually has a smaller footprint (18' square) than the VTF-2. So I am now thinking that it might be a good idea to just get one ULS-15 and position it in a way that works with my "weird" space haha! Maybe in the future, when I can afford a bigger and disconnected home, I will add on another ULS-15 sub.

What do you think? Does this sound like a good idea? If I decide to go with 1 good and clean 15'' sub, is the ULS-15 one of the best value option here? Or should I look into something else?

Lastly, thanks so much for bearing with me! I am a music enthusiast who enjoys making music, however, when it comes to home theater audio system, I feel like a noob with lack of knowledge, and naturally anything Hifi audio can be extremely overwhelming for beginners to learn. So I really appreciate everyone's patience and support here

 

there's no kill like over kill. And also no such thing in the subwoofer world. Whatever you think you need, double that, then triple that number and you have what we'd recommend

 

Lol, this!! Before I visited this sub, I had a $500 budget in mind, and then somehow I’m at that $1500-2000 range. Thanks guys!

 

The Denon AVR-X3600H has bass management which you can use to dial down the low bass so you don't disturb your neighbors to much. I know since that's the same AVR I have in my apartment and I run two 15" ported subwoofers. The SVS subwoofer feet will work a lot better than the Sub Dude platform isolating the subwoofer cabinet from the floor(I've had both). After you move to your condo get to know your neighbors, and when they're normally not home so you'll know when you can crank it up louder. If they like to turn up their movie's, an music to you can probably come to mutual understanding that you both can benefit from.

 

The Denon AVR-X3600H has bass management which you can use to dial down the low bass so you don't disturb your neighbors to much. I know since that's the same AVR I have in my apartment and I run two 15" ported subwoofers. The SVS subwoofer feet will work a lot better than the Sub Dude platform isolating the subwoofer cabinet from the floor(I've had both).

Thank you! That’s great to know. What ported 15’’ subs do you have in your apartment?

 

ALWAYS GO WITH AT LEAST TWO SUBS. IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD 15" OR ABOVE, DON'T GO BELOW 12".

Now, off you go.

 

Ported being tighter in sound vs sealed is myth. So long as it is well designed with quality components they should be indistinguishable. Where Rythmik is concerned their reputation is built upon being clean and tight. When people decide they want to upgrade from SVS or Hsu, Rythmik and PSA are the next level up.

Deciding between sealed 15" and ported 12" from Hsu would be a tough call. I'd probably lean toward the ULS but I priorities music and dont get much TR from ULF in my concrete bunker no matter what.

You never specified your intended usage or priorities, or if you did I missed it. Again if music is priority and an even response is desired for more than one listening position, then I would go dual of what your budget allows. If just for movies, then one of the largest you can fit and afford. Sorry, I'm sure this will not help you at all.

 

Ported being tighter in sound vs sealed is myth. So long as it is well designed with quality components they should be indistinguishable. Where Rythmik is concerned their reputation is built upon being clean and tight. When people decide they want to upgrade from SVS or Hsu, Rythmik and PSA are the next level up.

Deciding between sealed 15" and ported 12" from Hsu would be a tough call. I'd probably lean toward the ULS but I priorities music and dont get much TR from ULF in my concrete bunker no matter what.

You never specified your intended usage or priorities, or if you did I missed it. Again if music is priority and an even response is desired for more than one listening position, then I would go dual of what your budget allows. If just for movies, then one of the largest you can fit and afford. Sorry, I'm sure this will not help you at all.

Sorry, it was my bad, I dont think I specified my usage. I will potentially watch movies 60-70% music 30-40%. I don’t play games but if I do, maybe it will be only 5%.
I thought sealed subs are perceived as tighter than ported especially for music?
With my usage mentioned above and the smaller size room I have, I am leaning towards compact sealed subwoofers for aesthetics and musical performance. Do you think I should stick with this approach?

Now I’ve come down to a few options here. Anyone has any suggestions?

Dual Sub:

HSU ULS 15
Rythmik F12-G
SVS 2000 Pro or SVS 3000

Single Sub with possibility of adding another one in the future:

Rythmik F15HP
Rythmik E15 or E15HP2
Rythim FVX15
PSA S1512
PSA TV1512

 

Do you want to go RIGHT towards the best quality bass possible? (IMHO)

Harbottle Audio M118 driver + M18 enclosure add an iNuke6000dsp amp or similar & you will have a subwoofer system that you can crossover as high as 200hz with world class low distortion & low compression. I’m not joking about world class basswith this reference.

You keep mentioning you want accurate bass for music. This is the most musical sub manufacturer I know of. This is a semi DIY. All you have to do is finish the box, aka paint or stain. Then plug in the amp. THATS IT!

Don’t be afraid of it being an 18”. You dial these in to be flat & you control how loud you want it. You want clean bass!?? Here is your answer.

 

Here is a link:

All Product | Harbottle Audio

High-end home theater speakers, home cinema speakers, studio speakers, hifi subwoofers and high fidelity raw drivers.

www.harbottleaudio.com

 

If you’d like to see my build on their M118T (TLD) driver you can take a peak here. Keep in mind I wanted to build my own enclosure. If you purchase their sub & box it arrives built & installed.

Harbottle Audio - TLD 18” Subwoofer Build

Hey guys & gals! I thought I’d share with you all my recent subwoofer build. After owning many subwoofers over the last 20yrs, running through all the normal sizes...8” 10” 12” 15”....a few of the basic designs....sealed, ported, passive radiator, bandpass, I decided I wanted to jump into the...

www.avsforum.com