subwoofer shopping ideas

jami w.

just being me thats all
im searching the bay and local craigs for a decent powered sub, an need your guys input for a non ported 10 or 12" any certain ones i should be looking for?

i got rid of all the cambridge soundworks, subs were ok for being 8" but they were ported, im not a fan.

sadly im kinda stuck buying used, which is fine for my pockets. 2 subs in the near future, i kinda have an idea on rear an side speakers. all klipsch minus the mains i have now.
 
I use 2 energy ES10, they're sealed 10". One I had since new, well over 10 years now, I've refoamed it. The second one I found at goodwill for $15. I love them for music, but I have bottomed them out in certain action movies, so I usually them then the gain down a little for movies.

I've since modified them a little. Added a little more stuffing, stiffened cabinet with two 1" dowels, and stuck flex seal on the stamped woofer baskets.

I also have a monitor audio asw100. It's ported. But it doesn't have that ported sound to it.
 
Thank you. I was considering Bowers and Wilkins subs. Any experience on this anybody?
 
Ohhhhhhh!!!! Your is several steps up. I would absolutely love to hear one of yours
 
I am being offered a svs sb2000. I’m going to give it a listen. Lol. No clue on subs.
please tell us your impressions

The pb16 ultra is a beast to say the least.
I use it mostly for movies, it will shake the whole house and cause lights to flicker when it hits hard.
 
I picked up a couple of used Velodyne subs, DLS4000 and F1800XR. Also picked up a used SVS 16-46 sub. Before you get the idea that I spent a lot of coin, these three used subs all were priced well below market value.

One must be careful though, as not all subs sound good with every speaker. The DLS4000 paired with my Minimus 7 speakers really shined, but they did not impress when I paired it with my McIntosh HT-1 speakers. On the other hand, the SVS 16-46 did not impress with the Minimus 7s but paired very nicely with the HT-1's.

I paired the beast of the bunch (F1800XR) with the Klipsch Heresy II, and the combination sounds awesome with music or movies. In terms of low frequency production, there is nothing better than having a huge driver in a huge box with enough amplifier to push it!
 
We sold Klipsch subs, M&K, Boston, Intersonics, Gauss, and professionally Altec, Ev, and JBL subs. For small size I preferred M&K subs with dual 12's in each enclosure. M&K are the subs used by Industrial Light and Magic of Star Wars fame. George Lucas. Professionally I preferred JBL and Intersonic subs. As far as subs for the home, I don't use them. My front three speakers with a total of 10 12 inch woofers all reach down to 25 Hz full range and that's all I need. I have a dual 8." M&K power ed sub in the RV that will shake the walls. If I had the money I would have a pair of S model subs by Magico. They get the job done and they are not sloppy and slow with a lot of over hang like most subs. JL makes great subs, too. Just remember the sub should be able to move 4 times the volume of air of your front speakers. The second sub should be able to match up against 4 surround speakers as a minimum if needed.
 
How does it do with music?
With the right setup it would be killer.
This sub is very adjustable.
I have one port plugged for the greatest bass extension and therefore for movies. With all ports plugged the bass tightens. It has a three band eq with adjustable Q, phase correction, and 3 savable presets.
But I don't use it for music (khorns don't need help imo)
 
If your HT processor will allow you to combine the LFE channel with XXL speakers then in my case I don't need subs. My front speakers are basically flat to just below 25 HZ and that is where my filters are set with the LFE being combined with the front 3 speakers. Now the rears are rolled off at 35 so they are not considered XXL and the sides roll off at or just below 50 HZ so the are considered medium . I guess if I pushed my system hard for movies like War Horse and the Techno movies I would need subs, but I don't . 100 watts per channel is about it for peaks, thats 115 db at 4 ft. Normally I'm around 2 watts or less. or .5 watts or less for the spoken word.
 
I guess if I pushed my system hard for movies like War Horse and the Techno movies I would need subs, but I don't
I push my system hard...I need subs :p. Anyone who had the opportunity to witness a live Saturn rocket launch would agree that watching "Apollo 13" with the Saturn V launch playing through a proper sub is the closest thing to "being there".
 
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Be careful with your hearing. You damage it and it will never come back. And what ever you do, do not drink adult beverages while listening to system at loud levels. The booze relaxes the protective mechanisms in your middle ear allowing the sound to damage the inner ear. That goes for other substances, too.
 
Be careful with your hearing. You damage it and it will never come back.
Great advice twiiii! I probably should have used a tongue-in-cheek emoji (added) to clarify what I meant by pushing my system hard. It isn't even 1/4 volume on my subs and speakers, which probably would be a joke to most folks.
My youth was spent in nightclubs and concerts. That, along with over 40 years in the aviation industry and I'm glad to still have my hearing intact, albeit with some tinnitus. Still, I enjoy a good movie which has infrasound delivered by a proper sub. It adds to the experience...
 
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