shumba411

Hey guys, need some help picking a subwoofer. I have a Sony STR-DE995 Reciever , and JBL NSPII (5 speaker set). I live in an apt and on the 2nd floor and fortunatly i don't have anyone living under me. So now I am looking for a subwoofer to compliment my system. Here are my questions:

1. I am looking at these ryte now, DAYTON 10" 100 WATT , Klipsch Synergy Series 10" , and JBL Northridge E Series 10" . Comments, alternatives, and most importantly, advice is most welcome. I am leaning towards the JBL's.

2. Should I just go 12" instead? How much of a differance is there in "boom" and sound quality?

Shroud

Actually do yourself a favor and get a HSU or if you can afford it an SVS. CompUSA actually carries the HSU here

HSU STF-2

Or spend a little bit more and get an SVS subwoofer here.


SVS 25-31 PCI


If you have to have a box sub the SVS model is here

SVS PB1-ISD

You really can't go wrong with either HSU or SVS, however I am a proud owner of two SVS subs the PC+ 16-46 and PC Ultra running together in a 5.2 setup. These subs will outperform any of the ones you listed above in both power and bass quality.

Shroud

As far as the size of the driver, you shouldn't worry about that as much as what is the sub tuned at? What is the THD? What do the actual owners of these subs think.
A great review site is www.audioreview.com

Here are some reviews on the SVS subs

SVS Reviews

Here are the HSU subs

HSU Reviews

Be sure to compare these actual owner reviews to the other subs that you mentioned.

Brian Shannon

I own a 20-39 SVS sub and have been very pleased.

I definitely think you should add them to your list.

shumba411

Those subs look great an all, but they are a BIT outta my range. I know there are much better subs out there from the ones i listed, but i listed those coz they were reasonalby priced (for me anyway). With that said, any comments on the ones i mentioned above (or something in that price range).

gotapex

That HSU STF-2 seems like it's in the price range (or a bit cheaper) than the Klipsch and JBL you're looking at. Do you have a max $ amount you want to spend?

shumba411

Yeah... at most $250. I know most the guys in here have serious set ups in thier places, but i am in an apt and don't see a point in spending $800 on a sub that i will not be able to put to it's FULL potential. Besides, this is my first TH setup. So i just want to go with some reliable brands and stuff that is affordable and apartment friendly. Know what i mean? I appreciate all the above suggestions and will keep them in mind. I had never heard of those 2 brands till mentioned. I take it all as a learning experiance.

Shroud

If you want to go super cheap and get the best bang for the buck, get a used Sony SA-WM40 subwoofer. There is one on Ebay now for $29 buy it now.
Look at this tutorial on how to use polyfill to enhance the sub.

Sony PolyFill Mod

I have never heard this sub but many people in the hometheater forums swear by it as the best solution for the cost.

AOD

Yeah, but you left out the part in the aution that says it won't power up. If you were to get one that works, it is a very good sub. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

shumba411

I htink i'll pass on that Sony sub thank you. I don't wanna go TOO cheap now.

gotapex

Perhaps pick up the HSU next time CompUSA has a 10% off sale. That'd put it at $349.99 - 10% = $315 or so.

AOD

Trust me (and alot of other owners of this sub), do not be fooled by the price. It is an excellent sub for the money (and then some). The example on ebay just wasn't working. I would keep it on my list if I were you.

Shroud

I remember a while back you can get a free account on www.mysony.com, do a few surveys, click on a few emails that they send you and get enough points to get this sub for cheap with free shipping. Since I ended up buying an SVS not sure if that is still going, but worth a shot.

cpgator

Anytime you ask about subs here - regardless of the price range, type, model, etc - your 1st or 2nd reply will usually be "get an SVS".

You might want to check out Ebay or Audiogon for used subs - you can usually get a good deal.

DavidY

The Sony SAWM40 sub has been a very well regarded sub in it's price range....tons of HT enthusiasts swear by it. Just do the easy to do polyfill mod and you are laughing.

Dave

Oraphus

i have the dayton.... it's a very well made sub and sounds way better then an ONKYO(which was suppose to be good too) i had. Your neigbors will still hate you. It shakes my whole house. For a 100 you cant go wroing with this one.

shumba411

I think i will pass on the SVS's, the seem WAY too much for what i need now. I am in an apt. I am surprised that no one has commented on the JBL yet.10' or 12'

Pointyskull

I have the PSB Subsonic 5i and have been extremely pleased with it.

Picked it up a year ago for under $300.........

gotapex

The E250P should be pretty good. The S120PII was actually a great performer, and other than the power difference, the two look similar. Hard for sure though.

The issue is JBL's amps. They've been known to blow soon after the warranty expires. Very common, it seems.

Dah-Dee

Yep, I have one and it's a solid little sub, really made a noticeable positive difference when added to my setup. Didn't even do the polyfill mod, as I was happy with the stock performance. Great bang for the buck.

Sdallnct

Bestbuy.com is still showing the Celestion S20 in stock @ $99.00 with free shipping. This is still only marked down to $199.00 in their B&M's.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....6&type=product

They also have the S80DA in stock @ $149. with free shipping.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....9&type=product

If the links don't work, go to bestbuy.com and do a search for Celestion.

BTW, Celestion is a high respected, high quality speaker made in England. These are normally carried only in specialty audio store. I have no idea why BB decided to try to carry them, but looks like they are closing most of their Celestion stuff out.

There is also a thread over at fatwallet about the surround speakers which pointed me to the sub. BTW, I did get the AVP305 and S20. Just got everything the other day and have nto set up yet.

If you have any doubt about the pricing and quality of these, just do a google. Many places are still selling this entire set for $700 to $900.00. And most reviews compare this set to $1000.00 systems. These type speakers are all about quality over volume. Highly recommended!

the_dude8

could u use the celestion sub with different speaker, like the nht superone?
i know on bb website it said the s20 is design for the Avp305.

Sdallnct

I have not unboxed mine, but flipped thru the manual. I saw no reason why it would not work with other speakers.

BTW, I was impressed that for the money (even the "regular" $199 price) there are quite a few controls on the sub including: input level, crossover frequency, phase adjust, cinema or music settings, and slope setting (12db or 24db). You can also have the unit power up manually or automatically.

Shroud

A subwoofer will match your main speakers because you set the crossover on your receiver to where the low frequency is cut off from your mains and is passed directly to your subwoofer.
THX recommends the crossover to be set at 80hz, I don't believe this to be the best 100% for all systems out there, but is a good place to start.

hoyalawya

Crossover point is particularly important with subwoofer in a 5.1 (or any X.1 setup). Many people put their single sub in a corner to improve volume gain. The higher the frequency the easier it is to "localize" the sub. I.e., discern where the sound is coming from. If you have a good sub, set the crossover to the lowest possible on the receiver, provided that the other speakers can actually handle the frequency range above the crossover point.