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Recommendations for a sub with small footprint for use on second floor of condo

893 Views 9 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  mk2rimar
Would like to add small sub to work with my 25 year old Polk SDA CRS + speakers in a small room(8 by 10) using Yamaha 673 speaker in a 7.0 speaker setup.I mostly listen to films and dvd concerts.Would run the polks as large and the sub together since polks have passive subwoofer behind each speaker.Tricky part is i live on second floor of condo and dont want to shake the floor and start an issue that i havent for 6 years without sub use.Any recommendations greatly appreciated.
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I wouldn't run those Polks as large, can't find spec on them but I'd estimate set them to 40hz from the looks of it.


As for sub I'd recommend something like a SVS SB1000, $500
Budget? Your definition of small? Db and frequency expectations?
Budget around 300.My definition of small is smallest footprint available for a sub since room is small and I dont want to cause issues with neighbors downstairs.All i want is a little more bass since my 673 receiver is a little bass shy.
Any bass will travel through your apartment floor. It all really depends on your neighbor's tolerance for bass. If your neighbor is fairly intolerant of sound, then I would just skip the sub. Almost any subwoofer, including those made for computer speakers will be audible through the floor of most apartments. Sunfire subwoofers are very well known for being small and fairly powerful.


I would suggest buying off the used market so that you get a better deal and can sell easily at a good price if you ever leave the apartment. I lost very little money on audio gear living in an apartment since I mostly bought used stuff and then sold it again at almost the same prices I bought the stuff for a few years later. A reputable brand at used prices is almost as good as gold.
I use a small JBL subwoofer in the bedroom, it has an 8 inch downfiring driver, it occupies a space around 10 x 12 inches. Their also easy to sell on the used market
other than small subwoofers, I would try bass shakers
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2nd floor sub? Not a good idea if you want to keep on good terms with your downstairs neighbor. That said, if you decide to do it anyway, at least get the sub off the floor.


Get a small HSU or go used market.

If size is of utmost importance, and 300 is max budget, the Martin Logan Dynamo 300 and Paradigm PDR 80 come to mind.  They both go down to 32, which is about as low as music tends to go.  If you want even a little 20hz or lfe you're just gonna have to go bigger or spend waaay more money.  Also, if you can cope with a few extra inches there's alot of small 10" subs out there that will outperform either of these in the same price range.
 Mordaunt Short Aviano 7 fits your budget. It's a 10" ported sub. Comes in three finish choices.
I know a lot of poeple dont like polk subs....but i tried psw111 8" 300 watts and was prety impress plus its a front firing so no big worries for naybers downstairs.


Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
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