Hello All-
I am currently looking/researching for a sub or subs which will be the final piece (at least for now
) of my audio/video system in my greatroom. I've been reading and soaking up info here and decided to post to draw from what is obviously a great base of knowledge here.
My room is
28'Lx20'Wx20'H which is
560 sq feet but more importantly
11,200 cu feet. The floors are hardwood with an area rug which covers 2/3 of the floor area, some upholstered furniture as well as some fabric window treatments. There is an opening at the right rear corner of the long wall which opens to kitchen/breakfast nook, another one at the left rear corner of other long wall which is a hallway to front door, then another above that at 2nd floor level which is an open diagonal balcony serving the 2nd floor.
I currently have a
Harmon/Kardon AVR325 receiver, Definitive Tech Mythos One towers, Mythos Three center, Mythos Gem surrounds, and another Gem for the back surround.
We enjoy action/adventure type movies and musical tastes range from contemporary jazz to Natalie Merchant/ Sarah McLachlan to country to Nickelback/Creed/ Metallica depending on the mood and the day. We probably use the system about 75% TV and movie watching and 25% music. But with that being said I really want to start with music and get it right and I sort of feel that the HT will fall into place. I am hoping for tight, accurate, tuneful bass which is not boomy or sloppy. I don't mind being knocked off the couch by special effects, I just hope it doesn't have to be at the expense of the musical reproduction.
The following subwoofers have my interest as possibilities either alone or in some cases in tandem: (not a hard and fast list but rather a work in progress)
ACI- Force XL, Titan XL, or Maestro XL Def Tech- Supercube I or Reference (local dealer where I purchased my speakers has these)
SVS- PB12/+2 (Eric at SVS recommended this)
M&K- VX-1250SFX THX (currently $599 for refurb at the M&K website)
Paradigm- Servo 15 v.2 ( have seen on Audiogon used for $800-$1200)
James- EMB-1000, 1200, or 1500 ( Closest James dealer 2 Hour drive)
Monitor Audio- RS-W12 HSU- VTF-3 MK 2
My budget is about $1300-$1600, but if, due to my large room, it will take more, then I'll just save a little longer. I would like to make the purchase in the next 3 months or so. I realize I do not have an "audiophile" system and due to the size of the room, I probably cannot afford to get reference level type bass. That being said, I just want to do the best I can do within my budget and get decent bass response for music and movies, and to feel some of the movie bass if possible. I am open to any and all comments on my situation and especially hope that owners of some of these models listed will chime in as well as someone with a large room like mine. I have undoubtedly left out some good subs to consider so please expand my list if you've got something for me. Should I be looking at only sealed subs for tightness/accuracy or would some of the better ported subs also have this quality? Thanks ahead of time to all, and if any additional info is needed just ask. I did post all my equipment on my profile but only listed here what I felt was relevant to sub choice.
Mark