# Equalization, multiple subs and a smallish room



## jnelson.young (Feb 25, 2009)

My home theater is 12ft w x 22 l x ~9 h. Seating is a one three-person sofa (my wife and I are the audience 95% of the time) and it is located roughly 14 ft from the Carada screen. Use is pretty much equally divided between movies/tv and music. No major sound problems with the room.

I have Paradigm Sig 6's and a C3 in front and Studio 590's as surrounds. At present, have a pair of Velodyne SPL 1200R's on the front wall next to the main speakers.

The sound is decent, but the subs run out of steam pretty quickly and one has a major buzz/rattle when hitting 35hz and below. So I'm in the market again.

My dilemma: I would like to go with a Paradigm sub(s) for aesthetic and performance reasons. My budget is $5k or less. Would I be better off going with a pair of sub 15's, or a single sub 25 (would also consider a Sub 1 but they are still largely unheard). I am aware of the literature on the virtues of multiple subs, but my space is small and even the 15's would take up a lot of real estate. Would equalization via the Paradigm kit--PBK?-- help me get by with a single powerhouse sub like the 25?


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## drdoan (Aug 30, 2006)

Have you considered the SVSound PB-13 Ultra? http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-pb13ultra.cfm. I believe it will outperform anything in it's class. Have fun. Dennis


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

If you can find the right place for the Paradigm Signature Sub 25 I would think it should work well in that room. The PBK should help you find that spot.


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## jnelson.young (Feb 25, 2009)

Nothing against the SVS (used to have a couple) or the ED, but I do have a strict pref for the Paradigms. 

So you suggest two even though I have only one row of seating? Are you concerned about the width modes, rather than then the length?


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

I edited my response once I realized I wasn't specifically answering your question. With ideal placement and EQ one sub can work well in most situations. There are problem rooms though that suggest use of two subwoofers to more easily deal with null and resonance issues. I don't consider your room necessarily very large or potentially difficult. You are likely to be able to satisfactorily implement the Sub 25 with placement, equalization and possibly room treatments.


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## jnelson.young (Feb 25, 2009)

I appreciate the thoughts Jackfish. The single sub 25 is direction I'm leaning in now.


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## bigdady1955 (Feb 27, 2009)

James... I'm currently running 2 Velodyne DD15's which sound fantastic and come with the highest ratings, but if I were going to do it again, I would opt for a pair of the SVS PC13-Ultra which are $1600 each including shipping or 2 of their PC12-Plus subs which will set you back $2400 including shipping. Either way you go, with a 5K budget, you'll have enough left over to add the SVS AS-EQ1 subwoofer EQ $749. This EQ system is one of the best investments I've made for my home theater. It's made by Audyssey but takes the bass EQ to a different level than what is available from the standard Audyssey which comes in a AVR . It EQ's the bass in a way that the standard Audyssey EQ, Velodyne EQ and Paradigm PBK-1 cannot. While the latter 2 measure 5 different points in the room, the AS-EQ1 measures 32 and performs it's filtering in a different way than the other 3. The difference in my bass performance is nothing short of astonishing! What I would suggest is this... Don't listen to me or anyone else giving you advice (everyone is partial to the equip. they've had experience with). The people I trust are the pro's that review and test all of these pieces of equipment. Google all of the sub's you are interested in, ie. "Paradigm Signature Sub 25 review". Read all the reviews you can on each. This should give you a good idea what the pro's think and help you make an informed decision you'll be happy with. Good luck!

One final note... the best prices I've seen for SVS products are from their site http://www.svsound.com/


My Garage Conversion
http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...nstruction/17202-my-home-theater-project.html


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## russ.will (May 10, 2006)

jnelson.young said:


> I appreciate the thoughts Jackfish. The single sub 25 is direction I'm leaning in now.


Have a harder look at the Sub 1.

I've spent six weeks with one and it does, oh so very nearly equal the depth of a PB13, but aces it in virtually every other area - It kicks like a mule, is extremely nimble with music and as a result of being considerably smaller, is a lot easier to place.

I'd also add that that as it radiates all frequencies over a wider and taller area, it's also a naturally smoother in-room performer. Add in the fact that it's Bass Perfect room EQ is, in the the experience I've had, one of the simplest plug and play bass EQ I've experienced to date - I've had the SMS-1, BFD, Antimode, AS-EQ1 in the same room. All needed a bit of 'experience' to get the best of them, but the Paradigm Bass Perfect delivered results that I didn't feel compelled to mess with, nor change significantly when I tried to extract better.

Russell


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