# Need a little sub advice



## TheLaw612 (Jan 17, 2012)

My room is about ~2300ft^3 and my budget is ~$1000 but I'd obviously like to stay under that to help upgrade in other areas. Currently I have a PSA XV15 and I love it. It kills my room even though I can't crank it up to its full potential - I don't want my neighbors to hate me. Also, the customer service from Tom V and the folks at PSA has been awesome.

I bought the XV15 last fall with the intention of selling it to my brother when he was ready to purchase a sub. His budget was $650 so I said I'd buy the XV15 and then sell it to him later so he could experience a great sub for his huge room.

With that said - my wife isn't too thrilled with its size even though right now its "tucked" in a corner in the room at the side of a love seat. So I'd love to hear some thoughts on slightly more compact subs that would still be great. My usage is probably 80/20 HT/Music. I've thought about the following subs:

Rythmik LV12
Rythmik F12
Rythmik E15
Rythmik F15/F15HP
HSU ULS15
PSA XS15

Right now I'm really interested in the Rythmik LV12 due to its price but I'm also tossing around the idea of getting the XS15, removing the base and putting it on its side to make the footprint a little smaller.

So I'd love to hear some ideas/thoughts. Thanks in advance.

- Brad


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Brad,

I would recommend taking a look at some of Jim's (theJman) recent subwoofer reviews. IIRC, there were a few of them that had a smaller footprint that reviewed well. 

You can then check The Sub Zone - some of them were put to the test by Dale.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

TheLaw612 said:


> Right now I'm really interested in the Rythmik LV12 due to its price but I'm also tossing around the idea of getting the XS15, removing the base and putting it on its side to make the footprint a little smaller.


Why not simply do the same thing with the XV15, or would your wife still consider that too large?



TheLaw612 said:


> With that said - my wife isn't too thrilled with its size even though right now its "tucked" in a corner in the room at the side of a love seat. So I'd love to hear some thoughts on slightly more compact subs that would still be great. My usage is probably 80/20 HT/Music. I've thought about the following subs:
> 
> Rythmik LV12
> Rythmik F12
> ...


If turning the XV15 on it's side is not an option, then here's my 2 cents on your other choices...

You can probably scratch the two 12" subs off your list. It's hard to imagine they would be able to satisfy you're needs in a room that size, especially after hearing what the XV15 sounded like. The E15 and F15HP are essentially the same thing, except the former is just a bit smaller, so their performance will probably be akin to the size difference; negligible. If you can afford either of those then you might want to eliminate the F15, because it won't be able to perform at the same level as either the E15 and F15HP. The ULS15 is going to be quite similar to the E15/F15HP, so between those the deciding factor could be finish options and price. The XS15 is obviously the value leader of the bunch, but as much as I would love to say just get the PSA I have a feeling your wife may not be too thrilled with what may be perceived as just a slightly smaller version of what you already have. I'm just speculating of course, but seeing as how she's not happy with the XV15 it doesn't sound likely she'll be thrilled when you show her the XS15.


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## TheLaw612 (Jan 17, 2012)

Jim - This weekend I was actually going to remove the base on the XV15 and turn it on its side. Hopefully the wife is happy. She doesn't go out of her way to comment on the XV15 so I'm hoping it will work. The only time she says anything is when a friend is over and they wonder what the it is haha. She doesn't mind the finish so the looks aren't the issue.

As far as a 12" not being able to compete - that is my main worry. My only thought is that since I'm not blasting the XV15 to its full potential now maybe a ported 12" will be able to keep up. A buddy of mine is probably ordering the LV12 soon so I'll see how it performs in his room as its very similar to mine, just a little larger.

I love the idea of the Rythmik E15 I was just hoping to keep the cost a little lower than that, but if thats what it takes to keep the wife happy and still enjoy our movies then I'll spend the extra cash.

Another thought I had was dual SVS SB12's but I don't know if they'd dig deep enough or give enough punch in my room.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

Duals are great at providing additional output -- and with properly placement will even out the sound distribution -- but they won't increase depth at all, so your concerns are well founded in that regard.

The ULS15 is about the same size as the E15, and it's less expensive to boot, so perhaps that one is still worth considering.


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## needspeed52 (Aug 2, 2008)

I really think if you let the XV15 loose one day , open the barn door and let the hog come out, the wife will have to pry your fingernails off the XV15 to let it go. This sub can rock, digs deep with plenty of output, begging to be free from restraints you have been putting on it.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

I have a question for you:

when you are using your sub, do you want to both hear AND feel it? Or are you mainly just concerned with hearing it?


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## Tom V. (Jul 12, 2012)

TheLaw612 said:


> Jim - This weekend I was actually going to remove the base on the XV15 and turn it on its side. Hopefully the wife is happy. She doesn't go out of her way to comment on the XV15 so I'm hoping it will work. The only time she says anything is when a friend is over and they wonder what the it is haha. She doesn't mind the finish so the looks aren't the issue.
> 
> As far as a 12" not being able to compete - that is my main worry. My only thought is that since I'm not blasting the XV15 to its full potential now maybe a ported 12" will be able to keep up. A buddy of mine is probably ordering the LV12 soon so I'll see how it performs in his room as its very similar to mine, just a little larger.
> 
> ...


 If removing a base on the Power X series there's a couple things to keep in mind.

1)the 4(or 6) bolts that connect the base to the main enclosure go through the bottom baffle into the enclosure. So you need to put 4 bolts back into these holes or you'll have major air leaks. 

2)do *not* reuse the same bolts you removed. They will be much too long and if you run them all the way in you'll very likely dig into something in the enclosure. (bracing, wall dampening, etc). Instead, take one of the bolts you removed to the local hard ware store and find the same thread pattern in something 1.5 -2.0 inch in length. 

Tom V.
Power Sound Audio


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## TheLaw612 (Jan 17, 2012)

Tom V. said:


> If removing a base on the Power X series there's a couple things to keep in mind.
> 
> 1)the 4(or 6) bolts that connect the base to the main enclosure go through the bottom baffle into the enclosure. So you need to put 4 bolts back into these holes or you'll have major air leaks.
> 
> ...


I think I remember you saying this to someone else on another forum. Sounds like I'd probably be better off not removing the base. My ultimate hope is that I just keep the XV15 around long enough that my wife becomes used to it and she doesn't care if I get another XV15 because I love it.


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## TheLaw612 (Jan 17, 2012)

27dnast said:


> I have a question for you:
> 
> when you are using your sub, do you want to both hear AND feel it? Or are you mainly just concerned with hearing it?


Both. Which is why I love the XV15 because it gives me that in the room right now.


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## TheLaw612 (Jan 17, 2012)

needspeed52 said:


> I really think if you let the XV15 loose one day , open the barn door and let the hog come out, the wife will have to pry your fingernails off the XV15 to let it go. This sub can rock, digs deep with plenty of output, begging to be free from restraints you have been putting on it.


I have done that before when we had our house warming party a few weeks ago and it was awesome. My wife came downstairs with a smile on her face and said "Are you having fun? People upstairs got worried for a minute and thought we were having another earthquake because the floor is shaking."

I'm not putting restraints on it because of her - it's more because I don't want our neighbors to hate us. We live in a townhouse so there are houses on either side of us, one of which has a baby.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

TheLaw612 said:


> I think I remember you saying this to someone else on another forum. Sounds like I'd probably be better off not removing the base.


It's actually not a problem. I took off the base of the XS15 I was reviewing so the driver could be removed, and for a while left it off and used it as a front-firing sub. The wires sticking out of the side took some getting used to, but beyond that there were no issues.




TheLaw612 said:


> My ultimate hope is that I just keep the XV15 around long enough that my wife becomes used to it and she doesn't care if I get another XV15 because I love it.


You're in a situation where the wife believes one of them is too much, yet you hold out hope that she can be worn down sufficiently at some point to where you can get another? Hope springs eternal...


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## TheLaw612 (Jan 17, 2012)

theJman said:


> You're in a situation where the wife believes one of them is too much, yet you hold out hope that she can be worn down sufficiently at some point to where you can get another? Hope springs eternal...


Haha I didn't mean a second one, I meant when I sell this XV15 to my brother I hope she'd be broken down enough to be cool with me getting an XV15 again haha.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

TheLaw612 said:


> Both. Which is why I love the XV15 because it gives me that in the room right now.


In that case, you could always look for a less powerful/more discrete model... and then wiring bass shakers into your seating. You'll still hear the bass... and you'll definitely feel it!!!


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## TheLaw612 (Jan 17, 2012)

It looks like I've got a little more time to figure this out, my brother won't be ready to buy the XV15 for a couple more months. More time for the wife to get used to a big beast


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