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Dual A2-300's VS A5-350...Let's roll!!!!

2518 Views 31 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Brunt, Aug 25, 2011

Brunt

Discussion Starter · Aug 22, 2011

I know this has been beaten to death in one way or another, but while I research, can you guys kindly weigh in? I have limited time to make decision, so here it is:

I have a dedicated HT room 21x12x8 closed off except for a doorway that is without door. The way my setup is now, I can fit one A5-350 up front but it has to lie on its side to fit among my front stage so running 2 would be difficult or at the very least look very odd in my room. My other option is running dual A2-300's, which Alex from ED claims is their best bang for the buck sub.

Here is why I'm hesitant on dual A2-300's...I want to make sure any sub i get can play whatever I throw at it, doesn't have to be ear splitting, but I don't want chuffing or rattling. I have heard the A5-350 and it sounds good, but haven't heard the A2-300. I listen to almost nothing but movies. most people love their eD subs, but i have heard of a couple people having issues with an A2-300 having trouble with certain scenes like the Hulk sonic gun scene, for example. Thoughts?

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Test123455

· #2 · Aug 22, 2011

I'm almost positive I saw this exact same question somewhere (maybe the bluray.com forum ed thread?) and Matt from ed suggested the a5-350.

Brunt

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Test123455 /forum/post/20851855

I'm almost positive I saw this exact same question somewhere (maybe the bluray.com forum ed thread?) and Matt from ed suggested the a5-350.

Hmm...interesting and good to know. I wonder if it was for the always popular reason of "if you ever go dual, spend more on one now" idea.

jaball77

· #4 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brunt /forum/post/20851730

most people love their eD subs, but i have heard of a couple people having issues with an A2-300 having trouble with certain scenes like the Hulk sonic gun scene, for example. Thoughts?

Personally I wouldn't hang my decision on a handful of ultra LFE scenes...

For me it would come down to whether your room is "easy" or "difficult" for bass. i.e., do you have nulls, peaks, dead spots, etc? If you have an "easy" room, I'd get one big sub. If it's a "difficult" room, dual subs would help you even out the response.

Liquid$team

· #5 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaball77 /forum/post/20852311

Personally I wouldn't hang my decision on a handful of ultra LFE scenes...

For me it would come down to whether your room is "easy" or "difficult" for bass. i.e., do you have nulls, peaks, dead spots, etc? If you have an "easy" room, I'd get one big sub. If it's a "difficult" room, dual subs would help you even out the response.

What about any other subs in the $600-$800 range? Svs? Dual emotiva's? Klipsch rw 12d's?

Test123455

· #6 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Liquid$team /forum/post/20852734

What about any other subs in the $600-$800 range? Svs? Dual emotiva's? Klipsch rw 12d's?

Definitely not Emotivas. They dont even go as low as those scenes. They drop off after 25 hz iirc. Some guy measured and found a drop off after 32 hz for his...

Liquid$team

· #7 · Aug 22, 2011

Great info guys. My father had a bad experience with a custom 15 inch sealed sub from eD and is now trying to make a decision on what direction to go in. I remember readin a review on the Klipsch forum from a respected member that had purchased 2 emotiva ultra 12's. The review was positive but at one point he did talk about upgrading in the futre. To me it seemed telling that he would talk about an upgrade during a review on brand new sub (even though the review overall was very positive).

So anyway.... I'll have to look into those other 3 subs someone mentioned. Check prices and such.

Brunt

Discussion Starter · #8 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaball77 /forum/post/0

Personally I wouldn't hang my decision on a handful of ultra LFE scenes...

For me it would come down to whether your room is "easy" or "difficult" for bass. i.e., do you have nulls, peaks, dead spots, etc? If you have an "easy" room, I'd get one big sub. If it's a "difficult" room, dual subs would help you even out the response.

Well, it's important. Spending hundreds and maybe even over a grand to have a sub make weird noises during certain movies sucks imo. Again, I know every sub can't slam at every level, but letting me hear it strain really ticks me off.

Test123455

· #9 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brunt /forum/post/20853222

Well, it's important. Spending hundreds and maybe even over a grand to have a sub make weird noises during certain movies sucks imo. Again, I know every sub can't slam at every level, but letting me hear it strain really ticks me off.

This is usually due to people overstressing their subs, i.e., expecting it to go super low at a super loud volume. You have to know what your subwoofer is capable of and not have unrealistic expectations. In your price range I doubt you will have a problem though.

Liquid$team

· #10 · Aug 22, 2011

Looked into the epik empire. seems impressive. $799 In terms of size it compares to the eD A5-350. The specs say it has more power 600/500 goes lower 15/18hz and out weighs the A5 by 32lbs! Price is the same. I wonder if anyone has a head to head comparison between these two subs.

Brunt, since the empire cannot be turned on it's side would it fit under your screen? it's 22 inches high.

The SVS pc12 nsd is intresting. $749 Goes lower than the eD and has a small footprint (although is is very tall due to its shape). 12 inch driver vs 15 for the other in this price range. Can't seem to find a spec for how much power the amp puts out. Maybe 400?

HSU seems to have alot of options at different price ranges. Too many to go through here but you should take a look at their website.

Brunt

Discussion Starter · #11 · Aug 22, 2011

I like the above mentioned subs, but in the case of the 12" units, for those prices, wouldn't dual a2-300's be better than say one hsu or lower end svs?

Brunt

Discussion Starter · #12 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve1981 /forum/post/0

Possibly, but not necessarily. The SVS PC12-NSD and Hsu VTF 3.4 utilize a larger enclosure and are backed by more amplifier power. However, I have no measurements of the eD sub, so I cannot say for certain.

Okay, so you're saying because you can't find tech data you're not sure? According to Alex from Ed 2 a2-300's have more output than one a5-350...so I'm assuming its safe to say 2 of them would out perform one of the svs or hsu subs you mentioned. I guess it seems im stuck on eD products but I posed the original question because 2 a2-300's can be had for roughly the price of one a5-350 or 1 of another companies sub.

Test123455

· #13 · Aug 22, 2011

Brunt, make sure you factor in shipping as well for the other subs if they have them. That's usually another $100+.

jaball77

· #14 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brunt /forum/post/20853222

Well, it's important. Spending hundreds and maybe even over a grand to have a sub make weird noises during certain movies sucks imo. Again, I know every sub can't slam at every level, but letting me hear it strain really ticks me off.

If it's important to have a sub that can handle every single subwoofer torture test out there then you probably need to at least double your budget.

It's a problem that you're going to run into at this price point. You're asking a sub to do something that it can't do, so you're bound to run into problems.

Quick Googling looks like it was one test (posted on a bunch of forums) that the person had problems with their A2-300 on that one scene... Personally I wouldn't let that sway my decision. Although with my sub (Outlaw LFM-1+, close relative of the Hsu VTF 2 and 3 family) generally when it comes to something it can't handle, I just don't get any sound at all...no bottoming out or port noise.

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Brunt

Discussion Starter · #15 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaball77 /forum/post/0

If it's important to have a sub that can handle every single subwoofer torture test out there then you probably need to at least double your budget.

It's a problem that you're going to run into at this price point. You're asking a sub to do something that it can't do, so you're bound to run into problems.

Quick Googling looks like it was one test (posted on a bunch of forums) that the person had problems with their A2-300 on that one scene... Personally I wouldn't let that sway my decision. Although with my sub (Outlaw LFM-1+, close relative of the Hsu VTF 2 and 3 family) generally when it comes to something it can't handle, I just don't get any sound at all...no bottoming out or port noise.

So, I can't get a sub that wont make terrible sounds or noises at all movie frequencies for under $1600? For $800 I'm not looking to blow my socks off @10hz, but if Lava subs just quietly bow out if they can't play certain frequencies can't a better sub do the same?

I was really just wondering about people's take on 2 decent quality 12's vs 1 bigger 15" sub. If you guys recall, 1 a5-350 fits okay in my room, but its already on its side so 2 I fear would look goofy...so I'm exploring the idea of 2 12's because they would physically blend in to my setup better. But is going that route sacrificing too much in output, extension, etc?

Liquid$team

· #16 · Aug 22, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaball77 /forum/post/20853616

If it's important to have a sub that can handle every single subwoofer torture test out there then you probably need to at least double your budget.

It's a problem that you're going to run into at this price point. You're asking a sub to do something that it can't do, so you're bound to run into problems.

.

Couldn't disagree more. If I spend $700 on a sub I expect it to handle any

Movie I throw at it. My A5-350 has never distorted during any scene. $700 shipped. If a sub can't handle some material I would expect it would just not play it and not make weird noises.

Test123455

· #17 · Aug 22, 2011

I think bottoming out and making weird noises because the sub can't play certain frequencies are two totally different things guys.

jaball77

· #18 · Aug 23, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brunt /forum/post/20853798

So, I can't get a sub that wont make terrible sounds or noises at all movie frequencies for under $1600?

No, for 600-800 bucks I would expect a sub to be well composed at all times...

For 400 bucks (even 400 bucks * 2, assuming they're not co-located), I wouldn't...

Mpray1983

· #19 · Aug 23, 2011

Don't all ported subs have a High pass filter to keep them from clipping

Test123455

· #20 · Aug 23, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpray1983 /forum/post/20855554

Don't all ported subs have a High pass filter to keep them from clipping

I think so, but he appears to be talking about bottoming out. The guy who had the A2-300 (who hes talking about) in another forum was playing it at reference or near (even over, i dont precisely remember) reference levels and it couldnt handle the guys high demands. A more expensive subwoofer with higher output would be fine, obviously, but depending on his tastes certain ones may not be able to go so loud for such low frequencies.

1 - 20 of 32 Posts

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