Subs to match my B&W setup

What's your music/ht tastes? What's your budget? What size room are we dealing with?

Any quality sub like HSH, SVS ,JL ect.....

Room is 19x12x8ft H

I listen to just about everything. It is for music and HT mixed. I was going to go with the B&W 700 sub but thought I could get away with something less than a thousand dollars with another brand that could work just as well. However, I'm not sure if matching the brands is as important in the case of subs.

Matching brands is COMPLETELY unnecessary for subs. Because the job of a sub is completely different than speakers and there is only usually one of them, and the fact that subs are there to augment the sound, you can choose among any number of brands.


The B&W subs are nothing special, yes, some of them are competent and do sound good, but you can probably as well in going to subs like the SVS, Hsu. I'd stay away from the PV1 unless you really want something that is more about the looks than the performance. In the case of subs, your acoustics and careful setup/placement/calibration has a huge impact on the sound.


Any of the SVS subs or Hsu under $1000 will meet your needs for movies AND music. They are good enough that they would should beat some of the $1500 B&W subs. If you want something small, the SVS SB12 is a great little sub.

I actually hate the look of the PV1 - looks kinda like a toy to me. Any specific recommendations you may have from either svs or hsu? Thanks as I'm new to the whole 'I'm actually getting decent stuff other than Bose' game.

First, M&K is going out of business, so I would tread carefully when considering something from them. But, you may be able to get a great deal. You don't need to timber match the sub to the mains, even if you could. You do need to make sure you get a good overlap of the FR so you can crossover cleanly without any gaps.

Hsu VTF3 Mk3

SVS SB12 if you want a small good sub (will outperform most smaller subs except the very much high end ones from JL Audio)

SVS PB12-Plus ($949 gloss black special)



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


I'd stay away from the PV1 unless you really want something that is more about the looks than the performance.

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Actually, I would give the PV-1 a listen. Yes, it is an unusual looking sub, but it is one of the better subs for music available at that price point. You might be surprised of what it is capable of. Just because it isn't a traditional box, do not assume that it was only built for aesthetics.



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


Actually, I would give the PV-1 a listen. Yes, it is an unusual looking sub, but it is one of the better subs for music available at that price point. You might be surprised of what it is capable of. Just because it isn't a traditional box, do not assume that it was only built for aesthetics.

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Avtalk's measured results of that sub are quite horrible. Low max output, high THD, and a near bandpass-like frequency response. It sure measures like a lifestyle product (that is, performance lacking for its price)


I like B&W products (have a set of CM1's that I think are superb sounding), but this is not one I'd recommend

Audio Concepts (ACI, audioc.com) makes some very nice subs that are easy to blend into most speakers. I have an ACI Maestro XL paired up with my 804s and it is awesome. I have owned the Titan in the past, and it also did a great job until I got upgraditis. SVS and HSU makes nice subwoofers, and depending on your goals, they could work as well.

I have B&W 604S3 as front speakers and B&W ASW600 as the SW. I changed to SVS SB-12 Plus and I found there was a great improvement.