Subs: sealed vs. ported

Everyone has their preferences. Some "Audiophiles" would even gasp at the thought of using sub woofers in a 2-channel rig.

Your initial findings are generally correct. I would first look at your intended uses. Mostly home theater and lots of Deceptacons roaming through your living room? Large ported subs might be to your liking. Want to break out your Massive Attack and Victor Wooten collection? A stereo pair of sealed (REL, SVS SB13s) would probably work better.

Also consider integration with your mains. What are you using, and how low can they go? How about your room size? Do you need stealth for WAF, or can you plop a large ported box anywhere you damn well choose?

I haven't heard any of the ported/sealed hybrid designs, but to me they seem a bit gimmicky. I'm all for tuning (a parametric EQ is a nice feature), but it seems the hybrids are trying too hard to be all things to all people.

The main benefit of dual subs in my opinion is having the ability to balance the low frequencies throughout the room, especially for music. The downside is you might find yourself looking for another black box to EQ the subs (more boxes and $$$)

I'm personally a fan of sealed subs. I've run a pair of SVS SB12s in the past that offered a great sound (smooth, muscial, well integrated bass)and impressive build quality. In addtion to the REL line, I would suggest taking a close look at the SVS SB13 Ultra.

I'm currently running a pair of HSU ULS-15s. If I can help with any questions about these, feel free to ask.

I have not used the wireless function on the ULS-15s. My subs are set up stereo fashion next to my mains. Wireless...it's nice to have the option, I just haven't needed it. And yes, it would make finding the right location easier. The only possible downside is interference with cordless phones or anything else that might use the same frequency as the wireless antennae. There are several channel options to combat this however.

You will not give up anything using the ULS-15 vs. a ported sub for movies. These things offer bombastic amounts of bass. My pair are somewhat overkill, but at the time I wanted more headroom than a pair of 12s would give in my room. Large volume, large vaulted ceiling, open floor plan...all that bad stuff.

That said, if sound quality is your main objective, I would still lean towards the SB13+ if your room is on the medium to small size. The ULS could be considered overkill, and while it goes a lot deeper and louder than my SB12 pair did, they required the employment of a sub EQ to tame them. My room had some awful room gain. The SVS subs weren't as chest thumping deep, but in my opinion offered up better sound quality for music. I'd expect the SB13 Ultra to provide better SPL output than the SB12+...maybe as much as the ULS-15. But I don't know for sure.

As a home theater sub, the ULS is flawless, and a great value in my opinion. For 2-channel audio, I'd likely seek out another SVS sealed unit...or two. :-)

English, I do not have any experience with the Stadium III. I'd read some of the professional reviews to see if its the one for you. One thing to look into: Can the Stadium be hooked up via speaker terminals and a processor's SUB OUT simultaneously? Since you want use for both HT and music, you want to make sure you'll get the LFE signal for Dolby
material on movies and HD concerts (if that's your thing).

http://www.stereophile.com/subwoofers/1004rel

Another model to consider if you're still shopping... the Vandersteen V2W. A used one would easily fall into your budget and they get great reviews. This model falls into the HT category, but uses a similar design to their 2WQ which gets rave reviews as a low end support "woofer" for 2 channel audio. Both models use 3 8" drivers for faster response. The V2W also has a 12" passive radiator to help with movie material. I'd personally love a pair of 2WQ's with a V2w wired via SUB OUT for movies. But 3 big boxes aren't going to happen in my house. ;-)

Good to hear English,
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts once you'e spent some time with the ULS. I think you'll find it provides ample amounts of bass. Best of luck.

I don't know much (anything) about your Yamaha, so wouldn't be able to offer any advice on settings. I suspect you've fiddled with bass settings "per mode". I know some AVRs offer the option either a basic crossover to the sub, or summing the low frequencies of both the mains and sub. This latter setting can cause bass bloat, especially if your mains aren't up to the task.

Best of luck with your setup!