Sub woofer replacement options?

[SSSnail]

I've been out of the audio world for quite some time now, and when I thought "Hey, I want/need another sub woofer to complement my Klipsch RSW-10", it was going to be easy, right?

Yes, as you can tell, the RSW-10 has not been on sale for more than a decade now I believe, and finding another to pair with it is quite challenging. This is where you come in.

I'm thinking I might as well purchase a new pair of powered subs and use the RSW-10 I have right now exclusively just for music. These new subs will be mainly for movies and you know, home theater applications.

My budget is flexible, but I'm aiming not to spend more than $1500 for the pair (bang for the bucks is the theme here). Suggestions? Although DIY has crossed my mind, I simply don't have time for it right now. Thanks in advance.

 

[JackBurton]

$1500 for a pair of quality subs is really tight. I'd recommend Rythmik F12s. They are a little over your budget but will provide you with the biggest "bang for your buck."

 

[Anubis]

PSA XS/XV 15

http://www.powersoundaudio.com/

 

[SSSnail]

Jack and Anubis, I take it you guys own the subs you've recommended? Are they accurate and tight? In what kind of settings are these being used, big room, little room, etc?... How are they musically vs. movies?

 

[queequeg99]

I have a single Hsu VTF-15H in a room that is 25x18x8 and completely sealed off. I cannot imagine ever needing anything more in that room. The only reason you would ever want two in a room that size is if you had some nasty node issues you were trying to eliminate (in which case placement and room treatments might be a better place to start). It is simply amazing, both with movies and music. I tend to listen to alternative rock so really deep bass isn't all that key. But occasionally I will listen to some things that dig a little deeper (e.g. Skrillex) and it really shines. For movies, it is truly amazing. The opening battle of Master & Commander at reference volumes is amazing.

I use it with a Denon 2112ci, so it's used in conjunction with Audyssey MultiEQ XT room correction.

I also built two folded horn subs (T18s designed by Bill Fitzmaurice). The Hsu integrates better with the system I have in that one room a bit better, especially with a wider array of uses. I use the folded horns in a great room that has a massive amount of cubic space and they are surprisingly capable of filling the room with sound. However, the primary motive for going with the folded horns in that room was to economize. I needed two larger boxes that I could finish myself for WAF purposes and thought it was be really cool to build my own.

 

[SSSnail]

I don't think I need two subs, rather want, for stereo effects.

When I originally purchased my sub, I opted for the RSW-10 instead of the RSW-12 because of musical accuracy. These new subs don't have to be as accurate, hence the ballpark $1500 for the pair figure, give or take a few.

I'm looking around the Rythmik's site and taking a shine on the F12SE, shiny!

 

[biostud]

So basically you're looking for movie subs over music?

 

[Exterous]

Jack and Anubis, I take it you guys own the subs you've recommended? Are they accurate and tight? In what kind of settings are these being used, big room, little room, etc?... How are they musically vs. movies?

I have had excellent luck with Rythmik subs. Even their ported ones sound very good for music - very accurate and avoid the 'boominess' associated with cheaper\more HT oriented subs. I use one in my HT right now which is about 60\40 music\movies

I don't know if they still do this but when i got mine (3 years ago?) they had a Thanksgiving weekend sale. Might be worth keeping an eye on them

One thing to keep in mind when getting two subs is that placement can be very very tricky. Incorrect placement can result in amplification at some frequencies while deadening others. I was unable to get two subs to work well due to forced room constraints (Its hard to move a foundation wall, an I-beam and sump pump) so I went with one larger sub

 

[brainhulk]

I just bought a PSA xs30se. Man this thing hits very deep. I like it!

 

[Anubis]

Jack and Anubis, I take it you guys own the subs you've recommended? Are they accurate and tight? In what kind of settings are these being used, big room, little room, etc?... How are they musically vs. movies?

I don't own one but I heard the V1s of most of their line in the past, very impressive little subs for what they cost, their specs are not really inflated. PSA is run by some of the orig SVS guys who left SVS years ago

good clean bass that would fill a good sized room, 2 makes integration easier if you have a weird room and there is no such thing as too much bass