Best compact subwoofer


These all claim 200W RMS.....


I think they are all 200 rms- click the 200 links in the table above and also see

 

http://www.audioadvisor.com/Cambridge-Audio-X200-Subwoofer/productinfo/CAMIX200/#.Uv0eJ9so6Ml

Your links are to Amazon. I went to each company's website and checked the product pages and the owner's manuals.

Can't really expect a tiny little sub to fill a room that large, unless you get one of the higher end models like couple of SB2000.


As for speakers..not going to fill a room of that size



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Originally Posted by Stigwort  /t/1517633/best-compact-subwoofer#post_24352828


These all claim 200W RMS.....

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No matter, what limits the output of a sub isn't watts, it's the displacement of the driver, ie., how much air it can move. A 6.5 can't move enough to make it worthwhile having. In a room your size for HT you need a ten, minimum. Find another place to put it.

Forgot having a cheap sub, and cheap $250 HTIB in a room of that size. Good, tiny subs are ones like Carver subwoofer. Certainly a bit more than a couple of hundred dollars. For a room of that size I'd be looking at a PCi at the minimum


re "you need a ten, minimum"

 

What do you think of the Pinnacle SubSonic claim that its "two 6.5-Inch woofers create the equivalent surface area of 1 super powerful 10-Inch woofer"



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Originally Posted by Stigwort  /t/1517633/best-compact-subwoofer#post_24354741


re "you need a ten, minimum"

What do you think of the Pinnacle SubSonic claim that its "two 6.5-Inch woofers create the equivalent surface area of 1 super powerful 10-Inch woofer"

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Very subjective because not all 10" subs perform equally. So is it equal to a Polk psw10 or svs PB1000?



Svs has a Pb1000 for $450 shipped in their outlet.


Need compact? sb1k or sb12 NSD by SVS



Quote:
What do you think of the Pinnacle SubSonic claim that its "two 6.5-Inch woofers create the equivalent surface area of 1 super powerful 10-Inch woofer"

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The two drivers creating the equivalent surface area of:

- a ten-inch sub sounds reasonable;

- a "super powerful" ten-inch sub does not.


The sb1k or sb12 are all too large. Fatbottoms suggestion of the Carver XTATM265 is interesting though. It claims to have 1400 watts rms. 



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Fatbottoms suggestion of the Carver XTATM265 is interesting though. It claims to have 1400 watts rms.

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You can get a used one on eBay for only $1,000.


Thanks for the ebay tip! So is this the only sub less than 9.5" dimensions (dimensions which basically mean a 6-1/2" driver), that has decent rms? The difference in watts is huge (as is the price!) but it seems to fit the bill. Any other manufacturers anyone knows with such a small unit and decent rms watts for a 16x16 ft room?

 

I really appreciate all the help so far!



Quote:
Originally Posted by Stigwort  /t/1517633/best-compact-subwoofer#post_24354741


What do you think of Pinnacle SubSonic claim that its two 6.5-Inch woofers create the equivalent surface area of 1 super powerful 10-Inch woofer

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Aside from the fact that they won't, totaling 250 sq cm versus 350sq cm for a ten, it doesn't matter. Output capability isn't determined by surface area, it's determined by surface area multiplied by excursion, which equals displacement. Not only do 6.5s have less surface area, they also have less excursion. An average pair of 6.5s would displace 250cc total, an average ten 600cc.

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It claims to have 1400 watts rms.

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Watts don't matter. Displacement does.



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Originally Posted by Stigwort  /t/1517633/best-compact-subwoofer#post_24352781


Does anyone have any thoughts on which one is "best"? I plan on using it with these Monoprice 5.1 Premium speakers:

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=109&cp_id=10906&cs_id=1090601&p_id=10565


and listening to movies primarily, but also music. Any advice would be appreciated!

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Do you have to use those tiny satellites? With your total budget for speakers and sub, honestly, if I had to choose between your options of using that small sub with those speakers, I would simply get much bigger bookshelf speakers and skip the sub.



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 Watts don't matter. Displacement does.

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The company says that on the XTATM265  "the displacement created by the dual drivers is equivalent to one big 12-inch driver."

 

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 Do you have to use those tiny satellites?

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I will upgrade those later, but the fact that I need to put the subwoofer on a 9.5" wall is not going to change due to the function of the room.


I think the problem here is that the people responding have a pretty good idea what they are talking about.  As such, they understand that a 6.5" speaker in a tiny box is not a subwoofer and can not defy the laws of physics to somehow function as one.  Also, I don't think people are going to recommend something that won't work for you.  If you are unwilling to consider an option that can realistically work, you may have to simply choose what you think looks the best, as it isn't going to perform well regardless.

 

The smallest, cheapest option for your needs is the SVS SB1000, $449 shipped from the outlet page.  It is 13" on all sides it will perform better than five of the mini speakers you are looking at.

 

Don't take this the wrong way, you just have to realize that within your space constraints, its not going to work well enough for people to make a recommendation,



Quote:
Originally Posted by Stigwort  /t/1517633/best-compact-subwoofer#post_24355244


The company says that ...displacement created by the dual drivers is equivalent to one big 12-inch driver."

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How many cc? A good twelve is 900cc.

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the fact that I need to put the subwoofer on a 9.5" wall is not going to change due to the function of the room.

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if I had to choose between your options of using that small sub with those speakers, I would simply get much bigger bookshelf speakers and skip the sub

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I agree.