Need a subwoofer - narrowed it down to four so far...

[phrwn]

I thought I could get away with a 3.0 system consisting of three Kef R3's with a Denon X3700H. This was all going well until I watched Fury Road on Blu-Ray the other day and well here I am.

I was going to get a single Monolith 15" V2, but it's just too physically big to get a pass from the other member of the household who evaluates sound quality with her eyeballs, so I've got these four on the shortlist:

• Rythmik Audio F12SE
• HSU ULS-15 MK2
• PSA S2410
• SVS SB-3000

All things considered, on paper at least, the SVS is looking like the best choice here with down-the-middle specs and the smallest footprint and volume. My specific room size and shape and surface materials aren't as important as I know they should be because I move often enough that I just need something, rather than the best possible for the current situation.

Is the SVS the way to go? Any others I should complicate my thinking with?

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

Why do you have three R3s as a 3.0 solution?

I have a SB1000 (non pro) and it's fantastic.

Maybe use the difference between what you pay for a PB1000/SB1000 pro vs what you were going to spend and buy some rears also - these complete the home theatre experience IMO.

 

[Puddingbuks]

I have a SVS PC2000 pro and I love it. The app control alone is enough reason for you to pick the svs.

 

[phrwn]

Why do you have three R3s as a 3.0 solution?

Not sure if you're asking about the speaker choice or the layout choice so here's the answer to both: I was redoing a 5.1 setup having decided that I no longer wanted surrounds because of the hassle of running cables. I move too much so until I have a dedicated room I'm not bothering with rears.

As for the speakers, it seemed when I researched that using a single R3 as a center channel was better quality than using the R2c for less money. It just performs better overall, so I split the purchase of a pair with another forum member and that's what we did.

Anyway, looks some variety of SVS recommendation so far.

 

[levimax]

I just got a pair of the SVS SB-3000 subs and am quite happy with them. As mentioned the DSP can be very helpful but beware the DSP adds ~6ms delay whether you use it or not. If you are going to use full DSP to integrate with your system (something like a Mini-DSP or AVR that can adjust the delay between subs and main) then that is not an issue but if not it could be a problem.

 

[phrwn]

I just got a pair of the SVS SB-3000 subs and am quite happy with them. As mentioned the DSP can be very helpful but beware the DSP adds ~6ms delay whether you use it or not. If you are going to use full DSP to integrate with your system (something like a Mini-DSP or AVR that can adjust the delay between subs and main) then that is not an issue but if not it could be a problem.

That's good to know. Reflexively I'm not keen on having any of this extra stuff in the subwoofer; I'd rather just let Audessy and the receiver do everything, so I may still go with a 'dumb sub' to match my 'dumb speakers', but that's another vote for SVS.

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

Not sure if you're asking about the speaker choice or the layout choice so here's the answer to both: I was redoing a 5.1 setup having decided that I no longer wanted surrounds because of the hassle of running cables. I move too much so until I have a dedicated room I'm not bothering with rears.

As for the speakers, it seemed when I researched that using a single R3 as a center channel was better quality than using the R2c for less money. It just performs better overall, so I split the purchase of a pair with another forum member and that's what we did.

Anyway, looks some variety of SVS recommendation so far.

Yeah you're right - the R3's response is actually really good. Smart thinking.

I went with an SVS because everybody kept recommending it to me, so when i had an opportunity to purchase a brand new SB1000 for the price of a used one (if that), then i jumped on it.

I have nothing to compare it to, but boy does it sound good... not sure if it's just a meme, but it does sound good IMO.

Fair enough on getting rid of the rears... I always thought that they complete the HT experience, but that's just my opinion

 

[phrwn]

Fair enough on getting rid of the rears... I always thought that they complete the HT experience, but that's just my opinion

Oh they do for sure, but you need a space where they can be seamlessly integrated and set up properly. I just can't be bothered with the cable management and speaker mounting and all that at the moment. I just want good quality, clear dialog and now, it seems, proper sub bass reproduction. That's the minimum though, of course.

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

Oh they do for sure, but you need a space where they can be seamlessly integrated and set up properly. I just can't be bothered with the cable management and speaker mounting and all that at the moment. I just want good quality, clear dialog and now, it seems, proper sub bass reproduction. That's the minimum though, of course.

Yeah that's totally fine - I've had times where i've set my AVR on '2 channel mode' by accident and didn't even notice it, so i'd think that 3.1 would sound even better..

 

[fuzzychaos]

I’m a big fan of the SVS subs. I had a SB-2000 for a while. Thinking of getting an SVS Micro 3000 to add to my Buchardt A500’s though
I’m not sure if I really need it.

 

[Sal1950]

That's good to know. Reflexively I'm not keen on having any of this extra stuff in the subwoofer; I'd rather just let Audessy and the receiver do everything, so I may still go with a 'dumb sub' to match my 'dumb speakers', but that's another vote for SVS.

I understand, but I'm sure you don't have to use the SVS software and can disable it. That would just complicate the use of AVR's Audyssey, Dirac or whatever.
I run a pair of older SB2000s without that software and am very happy with them.

OTOH, I've also used Dr Hsu's products going back to the 1990s. His stuff is always first class and excellent company to deal with. I've had a number of personal phone calls with him over the years, always been friendly and helpful. I can't recommend them more highly.

IME you won't got wrong with either.
Sal

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

I understand, but I'm sure you don't have to use the SVS software and can disable it. That would just complicate the use of AVR's Audyssey, Dirac or whatever.
I run a pair of older SB2000s without that software and am very happy with them.

OTOH, I've also used Dr Hsu's products going back to the 1990s. His stuff is always first class and excellent company to deal with. I've had a number of personal phone calls with him over the years, always been friendly and helpful. I can't recommend them more highly.

IME you won't got wrong with either.
Sal

Do you know if my non-pro SB1000 has 'that' delay?

 

[Sal1950]

Do you know if my non-pro SB1000 has 'that' delay?

Not to my knowledge. I've never seen Audyssey trying to correct for it, or any evidence of it in REW, with my non-pro SB2000s
Really I just wouldn't worry over it, I don't see it as a issue in any case.
It's all news to me.

 

[oliver_reid]

Look at th Dynaudio 18s. Very clean sound - dual opposed 9 in drivers, sealed (no port) box. Zero floor vibration so all the sound come through the air - accurate and transparent.

 

[ICanHazMoreLouderPlz]

I have an F12SE. It's a great unit. Took awhile to get it due to component shortages. I also think I need another or should have gone for an F15 given the size of my room. But it does exactly what they advertise.

 

[Sal1950]

I also think I need another or should have gone for an F15 given the size of my room.

The dual sub option is the best in any case.

 

[phrwn]

I understand, but I'm sure you don't have to use the SVS software and can disable it. That would just complicate the use of AVR's Audyssey, Dirac or whatever.
I run a pair of older SB2000s without that software and am very happy with them.

It seems pretty pointless to pay for the smart software and disable it. I might as well just spend the equivalent on a potentially as good or better dumb sub, like the Hsu as you suggest. Doubly so if the software adds a delay whether it's on or off.

 

[Everett T]

I thought I could get away with a 3.0 system consisting of three Kef R3's with a Denon X3700H. This was all going well until I watched Fury Road on Blu-Ray the other day and well here I am.

I was going to get a single Monolith 15" V2, but it's just too physically big to get a pass from the other member of the household who evaluates sound quality with her eyeballs, so I've got these four on the shortlist:

• Rythmik Audio F12SE
• HSU ULS-15 MK2
• PSA S2410
• SVS SB-3000

All things considered, on paper at least, the SVS is looking like the best choice here with down-the-middle specs and the smallest footprint and volume. My specific room size and shape and surface materials aren't as important as I know they should be because I move often enough that I just need something, rather than the best possible for the current situation.

Is the SVS the way to go? Any others I should complicate my thinking with?

What's your room size and does it open up into another part of the home?

 

[phrwn]

What's your room size and does it open up into another part of the home?

It's fairly large with opening to the kitchen and entrance hallway. It has polished concrete floors and the TV is in front of a big window. Ceiling height is above average too. So, far from ideal. But I'm not too concerned as I move often enough to not need to tailor a purchase to this specific room. I'm just looking at options to add in some missing sub bass that aren't the size of an under counter refrigerator.

 

[Martin Takamine]

It seems pretty pointless to pay for the smart software and disable it. I might as well just spend the equivalent on a potentially as good or better dumb sub, like the Hsu as you suggest. Doubly so if the software adds a delay whether it's on or off.

I use a pair of SB-3000s in a 2-channel system. You don't disable the app when setup for HT just switch low pass filter to LFE (looking at my app) with RCA connected to RCA labeled LFE. (page 8 of manual)