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Best low budget 8 "subwoofer

OP
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Hello, while waiting for my sub to arrive, I took some measurements of my current speakers. The measurements were taken 1 meter from the speaker and at the listening position.

When seated, the speaker, which has a transmission line type load, gives an F0db at 30hz.

So the subwoofer will be cut around 40-60hz and the goal is to add some volume to the very low frequencies. I am aiming for around 1.5-2db below 150hz.
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Ps: Be lenient on the frequency between woofer and midrange, this is a brand new xover not yet developed. But the sound is excellent, 3 ways with bi-amplification. We cannot see the overlap frequency between the Faital 3FE25 midrange and the ribbon tweeter. 1.4khz and 8khz (12/12/18 / 18db)
 
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david moran

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I second the saving up for a RSL speedwoofer. Your room, assuming 8 foot ceilings is 3,400 cubic feet, pretty good sized (and this assuming no openings to other rooms). An 8" subwoofer is going to have a very difficult time filling this space, you will be lucky to see 85db at 30hz with an inexpensive 8" subwoofer. (See the attached article where even the Velodyne SPL-800 with 1000 watts and a very long throw driver could only make 82db at 25hz and a 96db average from 25-62 hz).

The RSL Speedwoofer puts out 102 db at 32hz. Better yet, two of them to even out the bass response. Keep in mind, that most people end up with their subwoofers about 5 db above their main speakers, so even though you may only be hitting 95db peaks on your mains, you will still need a sub that can do over 100db. I would also highly recommend you high pass your mains at 80hz. A 5.25" woofer is going to have very high distortion in the bass range which will carry over into the rest of its range. Relieving it of these duties will improve their sound.

Remember, Hoffman's Iron Law applied to subwoofers. Output is a tradeoff of efficiency, size, and extension. Small boxes and drivers require more power to get the same output, which in turn requires more money (the drivers have to be more robust, amps bigger). The fastest way to get more output is a larger driver in a larger vented enclosure.
Hofmann, everyone ! (sp) son of the pianist, formulating nothing that was not well-known and indeed written about by Villchur and Allison and others, but that's another story, as they took these physics trades as goes-without-saying
 

xophere

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I can pick up a pair for $350 right now. OR and SVS 12 with 400w. They both have the option to put a high pass filter in front of mine. So given this price range of used...

SVS SB2000 Pro $700 500W
SVS PB2000 $500 500W
SVS SB12 $400 400W high pass cross over
Emotiva SE8 pair $350 200w x 2 high pass cross over $500 with a pair of T0+'s thrown in..... hmm

Or I guess a new speed woofer. The last two are very close. I currently own a SB1000 Pro and I find it good at what it does. Appreciate not having to crawl behind it to turn it up or down but still.
 
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xophere

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Congratulations on the purchase. I encourage you to read about the benefits of using multiple subs, as they are not for higher output (but can be used for that reason). If you measure your response at the listening position, you will see fluctuations in bass levels of as much as 20db. Using multiple subs (biggest gain is going from one to two) placed properly will significantly decrease these fluctuations. The result is a much tighter, cleaner, more "musical" bass.

Here is a good starter article on the subject: https://www.audioholics.com/subwoofer-setup/two-subs
Hmm based on this two 8's might be a good comparison to a single 12. Certainly quality varying etc etc.
 
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