[saywhut]

I recently bought a pair of new speakers which sound GREAT, but only go down to around 60-65Hz, and so I'm looking for a sub to go with them. However, I'm a student on a budget and don't have endless amounts of cash. $250 is my max.


Music preferences:

Good amount of electronic music (bassnectar, deadmau5, benny benassi)

A bit of hiphop/rap

Lots of Rock



I've been doing a bit of shopping around (read:amazon) but all I have to go on is mislead manufacturer specs and less than reliable and often conflicting reviews. (For example, reviews on the BIC VK-12 say the Polk PSW505 can destroy it, which has reviews saying the BIC F-12 is comparable, possibly better at a lower price. Yet the VK-12 and the F-12 are both made by BIC, the latter of which is the lower end model. Yet somehow people are saying it out performs another sub that outperforms the higher end model. Very confusing.)


Can someone help me out here?

 

[bladerunner6]



Quote:
Originally Posted by saywhut /forum/post/20896357


I recently bought a pair of new speakers which sound GREAT, but only go down to around 60-65Hz, and so I'm looking for a sub to go with them. However, I'm a student on a budget and don't have endless amounts of cash. $250 is my max.


Music preferences:

Good amount of electronic music (bassnectar, deadmau5, benny benassi)

A bit of hiphop/rap

Lots of Rock



I've been doing a bit of shopping around (read:amazon) but all I have to go on is mislead manufacturer specs and less than reliable and often conflicting reviews. (For example, reviews on the BIC VK-12 say the Polk PSW505 can destroy it, which has reviews saying the BIC F-12 is comparable, possibly better at a lower price. Yet the VK-12 and the F-12 are both made by BIC, the latter of which is the lower end model. Yet somehow people are saying it out performs another sub that outperforms the higher end model. Very confusing.)


Can someone help me out here?

This is a slight budget buster, but it is close enough I thought it should be mentioned.

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html

 

[cel4145]

If you'd be happy with a 10" subwoofer, the deal of the weekend might be the Energy S10.3 on sale at Newegg for $249 shipped as part of their Labor Day weekend sale. I posted more info in this thread .

 

[saywhut]

Unfortunately, I probably won't have money to buy it until next weekend, so the S10.3 isn't really an option =/


But at $50 more, how does the STF-1 compare to the F-12 or the PSW505? Simply looking at max output, it seems the PSW is more powerful and puts out more decibels (114 vs 95, I don't recall where I saw these specs though), which makes sense given it's amp is 2x more powerful. The STF, being an 8" woofer, doesn't seem to go as low either. The STF-1 is rated 32Hz ±3dB whereas I believe the PSW505 is rated at 28Hz. Not sure about the F-12. Claims 25-200Hz freq response. Not sure how relevant that is here.


Is the STF-1 worth $30 more than the PSW and $70 more than the BIC? Especially for someone on a tight budget?


Though I don't want speakers that sound bad or sloppy, at my budget I realize I'm not going to get the best sounding and loudest speakers in the world. I'm not trying to be overly critical here, but it seems like the STF's sacrifice a good amount of power and volume in order to be more accurate, which isn't what I want. I do appreciate good music, but I'm not an audiophile. It seems that most people who buy either of these two cheaper subwoofers are very impressed and with their volume, low frequency extension, and clarity. While I'm sure the STF-1 improves on the latter of the three, I'm afraid it sacrifices some in the former two as a result.


I would appreciate if anybody has any first hand experience comparing these subs, or knows of anybody who does.



Also, my amp is fairly basic as far as input/outputs. It has no HPF feature for my main speakers and I would simply be plugging my sub into the aux-level outputs on the back of my amp. Is there a feature I should look for on a sub that would filter out the lower frequencies going to my main speakers?

 

[flyingturtle]

I don't own a BIC, but do own a HSU (STF-2) and when researching my subwoofer purchase, I read numerous threads and posts here from BIC owners, who while they like the BIC as entry subwoofer, the ones that upgrade to a HSU subwoofer later on seem to all say that the jump to HSU was significant improvement in overall sound quality.


You can read the replies to this thread from BIC/HSU owners who have both.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1346781


I own a STF-2 and I love it. I wanted something good with music (as well as HT) and aside from getting a Rythmik which is much much more expensive, I went with HSU.


Not familiar with that Polk so I can't comment.


In your shoes, I'd probably get the STF-1, especially since it's on sale now, but I know you said you can't get it this weekend. Email or talk to HSU and maybe they'd give you a deal if you plan on buying it in a week.

 

[saywhut]

Thanks for the reply. I'm just hesitant about buying a 150watt 8 inch sub for 70 bucks more than a 150watt 12 inch or 30 bucks more than a 300watt 12 inch sub both from two other reputable brands.


I'm sure the STF-2 blows both the Polk and the BIC out of the water in terms of sound quality, and I'm sure is better in volume and frequency response. But I don't think you can say "Oh, the STF-2 is better than the BIC, so the STF-1 must be as well". They're two different subs. For a hundred bucks more, the STF-2 has 63% more surface area with which to move air.


If somebody has heard the STF-1, or even better, compared it to some other similar subs such as the F12, then that would be hugely helpful. I'll do some more searching and see if I can find anything.

 

[Fishpoke]

From what I've read... psw505 has a pretty good output to 30hz, has some musical quality to it, good output for medium-ish rooms


STF-1 Very musical, gets surprisingly low, solid output in small-med rooms


STF-2 Same as above, goes a lot lower, a bit more overall SPL vs STF-1


STF-1 and psw505 have roughly same price point and similar specs. Polk is a large scale manufacturer of more than just subwoofers, doesn't mean they are bad, but I think HSU is going to give more value for your dollar considering they specialize in subs and cut out the middlemen.


Between the two I'd go with the STF-1, between the three I'd go for the STF-2 obviously

 

[frostylou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saywhut Thanks for the reply. I'm just hesitant about buying a 150watt 8 inch sub for 70 bucks more than a 150watt 12 inch or 30 bucks more than a 300watt 12 inch sub both from two other reputable brands. I'm sure the STF-2 blows both the Polk and the BIC out of the water in terms of sound quality, and I'm sure is better in volume and frequency response. But I don't think you can say "Oh, the STF-2 is better than the BIC, so the STF-1 must be as well". They're two different subs. For a hundred bucks more, the STF-2 has 63% more surface area with which to move air. If somebody has heard the STF-1, or even better, compared it to some other similar subs such as the F12, then that would be hugely helpful. I'll do some more searching and see if I can find anything.

I think I can be of some assistance. I had the bic 100 in my family room and a HSU-stf 1 in my bedroom. While I always thought the Bic was a REALLY good entry level sub, the STF 1 in my bedroom just sounded so much better to me. So clean, accurate musical. I kept fidling the Bic, trying to get it to sound more like the HSU.. to no avail.


Long story short. I just purchased the STF-2 for my family room, and sold the Bic.

Again, I think the Bic was a great entry level sub.. and served me well for a couple of years, but both HSUs( the stf 1 and stf 2),.. just sound like a whole nother class to me