List your subwoofer and its limitations /strengths

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Likes:
It's small and fits behind a seat nicely right in the part of the room where it works best.
It's settings are all really low but it adds a nice punch to the bass on music without overwhelming the other sounds and really rumbles the couch during appropriate movie/music moments.

Dislikes:
No remote control. If it had one, I'd monkey with the settings more. As it is, I rarely adjust them, so not a biggie.
 
4 Danley DTS-10’s (4 corners) w/2 extreme newrfield DIYsoundgroup MBM12-‘s

The Danleys are tapped horns and super clean, easy to power (100dB efficient), and cover 10-80HZ quite well. The MBM’s are there to add the punch to kick drums and similar frequencies near field.

The Danleys are big luckily I have great in room response where they are placed as my options for placement otherwise wouldn’t be ideal. I also find the Danleys almost too clean for movies if that makes sense. A ported sub at 20hz or below seems to have more TR then the clean output the Danley provides. Ported May be just more “involving” for movie soundtracks. Not that I’m displeased with the Danleys at all.
 
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My 7.2 system uses Klipsch speakers, and the .2's are 12-inchers. Wonderfully balanced bottom! However, I'm sure my ears are suffering, even though the subs are set in the teen range (tweaked with Audyssey). When my friends question why I would even bother with two, I turn one off for a while, then turn it on again.

They don't question again 8').
 
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My 7.2 system uses Klipsch speakers, and the .2's are 12-inchers. Wonderfully balanced bottom! However, I'm sure my ears are suffering, even though the subs are set in the teen range (tweaked with Audyssey). When my friends question why I would even bother with two, I turn one off for a while, then turn on the other one.

They don't question again 8').
Going from a single sub to matched made a HUGE difference in my listening room. Mostly even bass throughout the room now.
 
I use a Sunfire True Subwoofer mkII. It dates back to when Bob Carver was still running Sunfire.

pros: relatively small but extremely powerful. It can shake the walls. It goes down very low into the sub 20hz region.

cons: when placed properly to provide a good response in the listening room, it really booms through and shakes the rest of the house. Its not the easiest to place either.

For the 2nd time since I've owned it, it has developed an occasional hum. This is due to an internal ground connection that loosens up near the level control as the sub vibrates. Tightening it back down solves the problem. But since it is getting long in the tooth, I'm thinking I want to send it in for refurbishment. The authority for this is Flannery's Vintage Audio in Washington state. Bill Flannery is an experienced Sunfire tech who services these units and restores them. $275 gets all the caps and pots plus a load of other components replaced.
 
I use a Sunfire True Subwoofer mkII. It dates back to when Bob Carver was still running Sunfire.

pros: relatively small but extremely powerful. It can shake the walls. It goes down very low into the sub 20hz region.

cons: when placed properly to provide a good response in the listening room, it really booms through and shakes the rest of the house. Its not the easiest to place either.

For the 2nd time since I've owned it, it has developed an occasional hum. This is due to an internal ground connection that loosens up near the level control as the sub vibrates. Tightening it back down solves the problem. But since it is getting long in the tooth, I'm thinking I want to send it in for refurbishment. The authority for this is Flannery's Vintage Audio in Washington state. Bill Flannery is an experienced Sunfire tech who services these units and restores them. $275 gets all the caps and pots plus a load of other components replaced.
human hearing is 20,000 highs to 20 hz lows. Lows notes for speakers are the same freq. but, most speakers don't go all the way down. Just look at spec for them. Dogs hear much more higher freq. than us. My set up goes all the way, in fact, my sub goes lower all the way to 22 hz. But, some of these newer subs take it down even with a small speaker. i don't get how but they seem to do the job. In my head, a big woofer is needed to move that air. But, since I know more about nothing than anyone -it matters not!:unsure:
 
I run a Polk 12" PSW 350. 150 watt amp. perfect for my small room. matched Polk 4 and center
It shakes the house and windows rattle.
I amend my post I forgot the limits, that are I must limit the volume to avoid complaints by the folks next door. Mt tenants say it's a low rumble they feel. I say tough shit, my house.:smokin
 
I have Hsu ULS -15 Subwoofer, sealed system with a 15" driver. In room it is flat to about 13 -14 Hz. It does quite a fine job. I sure would like to get maybe another 10 -12 dB of output from these at 20 Hz and below. It sure would be nice to get a couple more of these. May be one of these days I will make my own.
 
EMPtek ES1010i

Pros: Very musical. Two 10" are much quicker than one 15". Reaches higher than many subs, making it easier to integrate with small mains (Rock Solid Monitors in my case). Reasonably attractive, high WAF for a subwoofer.

Cons: Doesn't dig as deep as most. The company lists it down to 35Hz. It doesn't do explosions etc. with as much authority as many.

Bottom line: It seems that every sub makes a trade off between authority and musicality. I am far more concerned with my surround music sounding great than with being punched in the gut by special effects. This is the right sub for me. No itch at all to upgrade.

https://rbhsound.com/es1010i.php
 
Dual Rythmik F8's. Each has two 8-inch drivers. Sealed. Servo control. QUICK, Solid, extremely tight bass in the musical range, down to around 20 Hz.

Two subs are important because they even out the bass response in the room. I also have two bass traps (wish I had three more) to help ameliorate reflections and nodal responses.

Originally I had these in a small 12 x 17 x 7 foot room. Plenty of volume. Now I have a 17 x 30 x 9 foot room, and they struggle a bit on max volume settings.
 
Brand: DIY
2, 12" in Helmholtz ported design

39399


Yes it's a design most known for use in automotive sound systems. I purchased many years ago when I was presenting a movie The Wizard of Speed and Time. Delightfully fun but the audio did not match the cool visuals. I needed BASS, something to make things go BOOM. This did it.

Eventually I readjusted it for music. That will always be my priority. It integrates very well and someone new listening to it would probably not even know I had as sub going. Partly because most peoples experience with any kind of sub woofer comes from Best Buy where it's always thump-a-phonic. I have 3 Adcom 555 power amps & the 3rd one goes directly to my sub woof & center front. The subs are 4 ohms wired in series. It is fairly large but it is about 2/3 forward in the room facing my screen and the sweet spot is in a chair directly in front of it. Yes you can feel the bass through your back. A 1/2" thick clear glass table top sits on it & with regular room lighting (not camera flash) it doesn't call any attention to itself visually.

In addition to this my front ch speakers are Infinity Kappa 8 and rear Infinity Kappa 7. All have 12" woofs in it. The Kappa 8 crosses over at a low 90 Hz so you could call this a 4 way full range or a 3 way with built in sub woof. With 6, 12" woofs in the room it still sounds appropriate with music but with movies at high level it can actually vibrate the concrete floor. That"s why I refer to this as my Bassment.

There are some amazing subs listed in earlier notes. I have googled several of them because it is so intriguing. The only ones listed I am familiar with are the 12" Polk's. My son in law has two of them positioned more commonly facing the viewing area backed up against a concrete wall by the screen. It has true impact of a movie theater, very impressive. But it sounds a little over powering on music. So much is in adjusting for what you're priorities are.
 
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