[ride525]

I have a new Denon 3311 receiver coming, and think a subwoofer upgrade is in order. I have a Sony SW-40 12” sub, with 120watt amp. One poster said he tested his, and it didn’t have much below 35 hz. Speakers are BIC DV62si fronts, and DV62-clr center, with Radio Shack Optimus Pro 4 4” surrounds.


I’m 59, and listen to mostly movies and TV, with a little music, probably 80/20. And my listening levels probably range to medium at the maximum.


Budget about $850 shipped, but could stretch for more wow.


Room is about 2550 cu. ft. open to kitchen on right side, kitchen is about 1450 cu. ft. Left side of room is 15 feet of brick up half way with fire place in center. Rear wall is mostly window, covered by drapes.


Preferred location for sub in far left corner, on fireplace hearth, about a foot above carpeted floor. So, it’s on brick, and brick wall to left, drywall to the rear. There is about 21 inches of width for sub to fit there, to the right is a DVD shelf about 8 inches deep.


Q1. I’m thinking new sub (compared to old Sony sub) will really make me go wow, what I have I been missing. Especially, with new receiver. Thoughts here?

Q2. Is the brick corner ok location for sub?

Q3. Would front firing sub be best, and point it to listening position?

Q4. Since there is wall to the left, and small DVD cabinet to the right, I’m thinking side firing subs might not work as well, in the relatively small space.

My favorite subs:

Rythmik 12”, ($850 shipped), HSU VTF3-MkIII ($745 shipped), Epik Legend ($585 shipped), eD A5s-300 ($550 shipped)


Q5. I like the looks of the Rythmik the best, it fits the space pretty well, and goes down to 14 hz. The VTF-3 has a side firing design perhaps less desirable with the DVD shelf to the right. And it’s bigger than the other three. Legend and eDs-300 are similar size to Rythmik, don’t go as low, but are less expensive. Any thoughts on the four choices, or other ideas?


Q6. I might spring the $100 or so extra for 15” Rythmik if it would give me anything more than 12” Rythmik. But both advertise going to 14 hz (and the larger 15” less high to 90 hz , rather than 100 hz of the 12”). So I’m not sure I would gain much for my medium listening levels with the 15” except a bigger box. Thoughts?


Thanks for reading, and any thoughts you have for me.

Jeff

 

[ransac]

Subwoofer orientation is not critical. It does not need to point toward the listeners like speakers. Subwoofer placement is critical. Where you want to place it isn't always (usually never) the best location acoustically. You can be lazy like me and just put it where you want and hope for the best. As long as you have about 4" between the sub driver and the nearest obstacle (like a wall), you'll be OK. Again, that is probably not the best location.


For HT, I prefer a ported sub that is tuned as low as I can afford. Sealed subs have usable output that can be lower than a ported sub, but they usually start to roll off at higher frequencies, just not as steep a rate as a ported sub at tuning. Typically, you'll get better low end on a ported sub and then it rolls off very quickly. So the HSU is a good choice for you. But all the ones you listed are good. You might also look into the new SVS NSD subs and the Outlaw offerings.

 

[spyboy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ride525 /forum/post/19548864


I have a new Denon 3311 receiver coming, and think a subwoofer upgrade is in order. I have a Sony SW-40 12 sub, with 120watt amp. One poster said he tested his, and it didn't have much below 35 hz. Speakers are BIC DV62si fronts, and DV62-clr center, with Radio Shack Optimus Pro 4 4 surrounds.


I'm 59, and listen to mostly movies and TV, with a little music, probably 80/20. And my listening levels probably range to medium at the maximum.


Budget about $850 shipped, but could stretch for more wow.


Room is about 2550 cu. ft. open to kitchen on right side, kitchen is about 1450 cu. ft. Left side of room is 15 feet of brick up half way with fire place in center. Rear wall is mostly window, covered by drapes.


Preferred location for sub in far left corner, on fireplace hearth, about a foot above carpeted floor. So, it's on brick, and brick wall to left, drywall to the rear. There is about 21 inches of width for sub to fit there, to the right is a DVD shelf about 8 inches deep.


Q1. I'm thinking new sub (compared to old Sony sub) will really make me go wow, what I have I been missing. Especially, with new receiver. Thoughts here?

Q2. Is the brick corner ok location for sub?

Q3. Would front firing sub be best, and point it to listening position?

Q4. Since there is wall to the left, and small DVD cabinet to the right, I'm thinking side firing subs might not work as well, in the relatively small space.

My favorite subs:

Rythmik 12, ($850 shipped), HSU VTF3-MkIII ($745 shipped), Epik Legend ($585 shipped), eD A5s-300 ($550 shipped)


Q5. I like the looks of the Rythmik the best, it fits the space pretty well, and goes down to 14 hz. The VTF-3 has a side firing design perhaps less desirable with the DVD shelf to the right. And it's bigger than the other three. Legend and eDs-300 are similar size to Rythmik, don't go as low, but are less expensive. Any thoughts on the four choices, or other ideas?


Q6. I might spring the $100 or so extra for 15 Rythmik if it would give me anything more than 12 Rythmik. But both advertise going to 14 hz (and the larger 15 less high to 90 hz , rather than 100 hz of the 12). So I'm not sure I would gain much for my medium listening levels with the 15 except a bigger box. Thoughts?


Thanks for reading, and any thoughts you have for me.

Jeff

You have a pretty good size area to fill, and you are 80% HT and only 20% music.


Rythmik is a good choice where sound quality is paramount. But what does a train wreck really sound like? I just don't think that sound effects need a super premium sound quality sub like Rythmik.


I would be looking more for extension and output. I think the HSU VTF-15 H with all its adjustments can be both a super HT sub and an excellent music sub. It is more than you want to spend but should hold you for many years to come.


You will probably be happy with any of the subs you mentioned.

 

[ride525]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyboy You have a pretty good size area to fill, and you are 80% HT and only 20% music. Rythmik is a good choice where sound quality is paramount. But what does a train wreck really sound like? I just don't think that sound effects need a super premium sound quality sub like Rythmik. I would be looking more for extension and output. I think the HSU VTF-15 H with all its adjustments can be both a super HT sub and an excellent music sub. It is more than you want to spend but should hold you for many years to come. You will probably be happy with any of the subs you mentioned.

Will that train wreck (or similar low freq effect) sound even more impressive in a sub that goes down to 14 Hz, like the Rythmik?

Or not much of a noticeable difference, so that extension and output mean more?

I take it the ported subs like the HSU VTF3-Mk III excel in extension and output. In fact, eD suggests a different sub than one of my favorite subs noted above. eD suggests, the A5-350, giving

My favorite subs, edited:
Rythmik 12”, ($850 shipped), HSU VTF3-MkIII ($745 shipped), Epik Legend ($585 shipped), eD A5-350 ($699 shipped on sale)


And how do the Outlaw offerings compare to HSU? They are almost same size and freq response specs. But are there listening differneces?