Subwoofer for Beginner

Okay, so now I understand better why sometimes you need a sub. If you' e landed a pair of speakers that have incredible mids and highs which you are not willing to give up, but no deep bass, well....here we are.

Keep us posted about which sub you go with!

I have a Martin Logan Dynamo 700 that packs a pretty solid punch for its size and it wasn't too hard on the pocketbook. REL has some small footprint subwoofers that are generally well received.

I'm with Wolf and love REL subs. Find. b2 for under $1200 and experience what a sub can do for you. You'll be able to sell it for what you paid for it.

Just a word of caution ... subs are speakers too! Don't cheap out too much. Matching a $200 fart thumper with your $5,000 main speakers might just work out fine, but if not, I'd blame the pedigree or implementation more than the concept. (For all of those who spent $200 or less on their subs which work wonderfully for them, please do not take offense. Not all $200 subs are made the same. I am not inferring about any specific sub mentioned in this thread.)
If not confident in your purchase, buy used so you can re-sell at little/no loss if you do not like.

FWIW...I bought an older Paradigm PW 2200 sub for a song...these were close to 800-1k awhile back...incredibly clean and punchy...much better than their lower end PDR series...

I bought a REL Q150e on Ebay for 200 bucks about 3 years ago. It's an older model, but perfect except for missing the easily repaired/replaced grill (still had the frame). I consider it the among most fortuitous gear scores I've ever made since it KILLS, so to speak. Seriously...in my little system it is just an amazing sounding thing and all I do is turn it up or down a little here and there. All for the price of a very expensive sandwich or 100 rolls of nickels.

A good sub is a universally usable component. Buying a cheap farter will only turn you off. A sub/s with good EQ will blend seamlessly and resale easier if need be.

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/subwoofers-velodyne-dd-12-digital-drive-subwoofer-practically-perfect-condition-2013-12-09-home-theater-90266-manhattan-beach-ca

http://home-subwoofers-review.toptenreviews.com/bic-america-formula-series-review.html

I had an svs sb12-plus, which got replaced with the sb12nsd. I really liked my svs sub. The build quality was fantastic and I liked the fact that the older svs12-plus had balanced inputs and outputs.

Ok, ymmv of course but what I learned from my whole subwoofer experience is that they were an absolute pain to integrate a single sub. I could always tell where the bass was coming from. Yeah yeah, lower the crossover, center it in the wall, blah blah, total pain. I believe I would have had better results with 2 subs. What I learned is that for the price of 2 nice subs ($1,000-$1300..?), you could spend the extra $ on a full range speaker and be done with it.

Also, when adding a sub, you'll still have to deal with suckout, humps etc. i really think that you'd be happier addressing your room acoustics; it's amazing how much more bass you can get from some bass traps and absorption panels.

If you do still go with a sub, I'd do a sealed design for tighter, more musical bass. I recommend svs. I'd also suggest buying something decent up front, and buy something that you can get another one of later if you decide to go with 2 subs.

Goodluck, and happy listening!

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-77339-rel-t-zero-subwoofer.aspx
It's REL, small footprint, free shipping.
Will give you more than a taste of a musical sub I guess.

HSU Research specializes in subs and has good return policies/user support. The VTF-1 Mk2 is very musical, well reviewed and on special direct from site for $419.

There was an Audio Asylum member and speaker builder who built a subwoofer using a Home Depot plastic bucket (NO kidding!) and a Parts Express driver. According to all who heard it, it was pretty darn good. The build was easy to do and the cost was very nominal, less than $100. I think this is a the way I'd go if I were you.

Here is the link:
http://thehornshoppeforum.com/index.php?topic=406.0

-RW-

Dhcod, you have a very nice system. Buy a sub which is built for music, not home theater. I went with a cheap model a few years ago just to see what a sub could do for my system and the end result was that all the detail in the bass was lost, the sound was no longer musical.
I think you need to be in the $600+ range like the SB-12NSD or a used REL or Velodyne.

I bought a Sony SA-W3000 at Fry's for about $100 (open box).
It's not Audiophile quality but has a powered 12-inch
woofer and will give you more than a taste of what
Bass reinforcement will do for your sound.
I use it for Home Theater.
I use a B&W ASW650 in my "Big Rig" and it works fine.
The trick with subwoofers is to use volume sparingly.

Finally, I've asked Santa to bring me a pair of
Velodyne DD-12 + in black piano finish.
Yep, that'll do it...

Agree with Yogiboy. But if you can spend an extra $150 the SB-12NSD might be a worthwhile upgrade looking longer term. The bigger question is how you plan to integrate the sub with your monitors since that will be key. I think the Velodyne (former SVS) integration unit might be very well worth a look for more seamless integration. If need be I'd buy the cheaper sub with the integration unit, but that's just me. Best of luck.

Rythmik subs available through Ascend Acoustics provide phenomenal bang for the buck.

Also Dayton at Parts Express.

How much do you want to spend? Check out the SVS-SB-1000 at $499 free shipping and 45 day return policy. My friend has one and it is excellent and it has a real small footprint. Go for it !