# Movies that threaten your sub



## BoomieMCT (Dec 11, 2006)

I'm curious as to what movies don't just have a lot of bass, but actually can realistically threaten subs that are running kind of hot or don't have a rumble filter. The only two that come to mind are _War of the Worlds_ (lightning) and _Master and Commander_ (cannonball). As I'm still learning the limits of my new DIY subs this is of interest to me.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

Add The Haunting DTS and Titan A.E. to that list. War of the Worlds is a level above anythng else I have heard though, last time I gave that a good run it broke the filament in my light globe and made 2 vents fall out of the ceiling. I have 2 DIY sonotube subs with shiva 12inch drivers tuned to 17hz (in room response is flat to 10hz), a BFD with a mean house curve, and a Behringer A500 amp (2x250w) to power them. I have never bottomed the subs out, the amp clips on WOTW DTS at 6 or 7db below reference level whereas most other movies I have tried wont clip the sub amp until 2 or 3 below ref level.

Harry.


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## Ayreonaut (Apr 26, 2006)

The Haunting at DTS reference level is downright malicious.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

I really have not seen/heard any movies that I felt threatened my sub,... wonder if maybe I need to turn things up :hush: I usually listen at -12 to -10 from reference.


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## Ayreonaut (Apr 26, 2006)

I think my sub can dish out any reference level bass with ease. 

*I'm* the one who is _threatened_!


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Definitely agree with "The Haunting" DTS..Even better than WOTW in my opinion.I shudder every time those very low bass tones come on..
I can't see the sub. cone, but I would imagine that it's at it's maximum excursion..

Another DVD that will really test your sub is the DTS version of "U-571"..


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## Sir Terrence (Jun 8, 2006)

You might want to check out The Incredibles. Here are several scenes that are extremely challenging to a sub.

Mr. Incredible Stops Train; 108 dB: Listen to the initial train impact. A good subwoofer will make you feel each track lifting and breaking under Mr. Incredible’s feet.

Syndrome Traps Mr. Incredible With Force Field; 104-107 dB: Lots of signal content in the 35 Hz region, with sub-harmonics at 17 Hz. Some subs emphasize the content at 35hz, but a really good subwoofer will allow you to feel the pressure of the 17hz sub harmonic content. 

Transport Car Lands On Guards; 107 dB: This scene contains an enormous amount of energy in the 20-30 Hz region. You should feel the pressure wave as the car lands on the guards. 

Rocket Blast Blows Out of Tunnel; 105-108 dB: Talk about infrasonics - this sequence has strong content right down to 5 Hz!. With this scene my subwoofers blew out two panes of glass from a window in my listening room, and they did so without so much as a grunt of stress.


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## Jerm357 (May 23, 2006)

I hear the movie Pulse is a good sub threatener. Dont know how good the movie is though.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

Yeah the Pulse is a ripper, is there somewhere online that has those plots Jerm?

Hakka.


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## Vader (Jul 8, 2006)

Another movie with very impressive bass that may have you reaching for the volume is Fantastic 4 (DTS).... (space storm, missile chase)

yes, I'm the other person on this planet that loves this film!...


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## ISLAND1000 (May 2, 2007)

Although the following movies don't have long sustained subwoofer material, the placement and extreme volume of the sub 20Hz material may have you checking your subwoofer for damage.

The Mask
The Abyss
The Hunt For Red October
Under Seige
Silence Of The lambs
And the original test surround movie: Top Gun


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## Jerm357 (May 23, 2006)

Hakka said:


> Yeah the Pulse is a ripper, is there somewhere online that has those plots Jerm?
> 
> Hakka.


I found it on this thread. It was on page 20.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=605496


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

Don't forget about Batman Begins...


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## BoomieMCT (Dec 11, 2006)

Darren said:


> Don't forget about Batman Begins...


Which scenes? I haven't watched that with my new, much more capable, subs. I want to make sure I'm staring at the cones for any really good sub scenes!


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## Sir Terrence (Jun 8, 2006)

ISLAND1000 said:


> Although the following movies don't have long sustained subwoofer material, the placement and extreme volume of the sub 20Hz material may have you checking your subwoofer for damage.
> 
> The Mask
> The Abyss
> ...


I can tell you for sure that The Hunt for Red October does not have bass below 20hz at all. However it does contain very powerful sub harmonic transients that extend to 25hz.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

Watched Monster House last night, add that to the list.

Haven't watched Batman for a while but I remember the scene where they are duelling on the ice with glaciers creaking sounded awesome. 

Thanks for that link Jerm.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

The first plot below is War of the Worlds DTS lightening sequence, the strike 6th from the bottom, about 2/3 of the way up the graph is the one that might kill your sub. 

The second graph is the Jumbo Jet crash in chapter 7. Notice the bits of pink below 5hz. :holycow: 


These graph start at the bottom and end at the top.


Hakka.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

The Haunting DTS.

The first graph is the scene in the bedroom with the pounding on the doors, the purple patch near the middle is 'the cold'.

The second graph is the bedroom scene starting when Nell gets thrown off the bed and finishing after she gets chased down the hallway.

Hakka.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

Master and Commander DTS

The first one is chapter 4, when they are attacked by the Archeron in the fog up until whe Jack gets shellshocked.

The second one is the two broadsides from chapter 31, the mast falling sequence has been excluded.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

I bottomed out my Shiva subs for the first time the other night. I was watching Lucky # Slevin, in chapter 2 when Goodcat raises the pistol to Slevin's head. I had red lights blinking on the amp and a horrible clacking sound from the subs. At first I thought it might be the amp clipping but I played it again laying on the floor looking at the drivers and they were moving about 40mm (16mm xmax one way). 

The AVR was set at -12.5db, I have a 13db housecurve so the bottom end was close to ref level.

I have decided to build 2 more subs for another 6db headroom.

Here is a waterfall plot of the scene


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

I don't have a waterfall of the scene, but in the end of Fight Club when 
*Spoiler* 



the buildings come down


 I thought a truck crashed into my house. That was one of the first scenes I tested my sub on a few years ago and it dropped my jaw. 

Otherwise I like a lot of the standards; Titan AE in the ice fields, LOTR:FOTR the cave troll and balrog scenes, the helicopter crashing into the building in The Matrix.


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## BoomieMCT (Dec 11, 2006)

Well, I should be doing okay. My subs handled Master and Commander, Blackhawk Down, Fight Club and the Matrix without incident. I don't have the Haunting or War of the Worlds yet so we'll see . . . . My subs are sealed so I guess I don't need to worry too much.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

Hakka said:


> The AVR was set at -12.5db, I have a 13db housecurve so the bottom end was close to ref level.


I checked my graphs and the curve is closer to 20db. No wonder they bottomed out. :holycow:


Hakka.


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## brandonnash (Sep 11, 2006)

I'd still like to know where every gets their waterfall graphs from? Is there a program that can plot them?


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

http://freenet-homepage.de/dl4yhf/spectra1.html

Here a link to the program. I connect the sub out rca from my avr to the soundcard input and set the AVR to ref level. Make sure all other amps/ speakers are disconnected.

You need to play around with the color scale, can't remember my settings.

Hakka.


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## John Simpson (May 10, 2007)

How come no one's mentioned the Star Wars movies (the last three)? My sub just goes beserk with all the LFE -- maybe even too much. The battle of the clones was knocking ornaments off our cupboard!


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## Vader (Jul 8, 2006)

Add "The Matrix Revolutions" HD-DVD to the list, as the post-title expolsion handily bottomed out dual 20-39 PC+ cylinders (and knocked several pictures from the upstairs walls). Note that I typically listen 10-20dB below reference, and it still bottomed, even after re-calibrating my BFD to eliminate possible clipping. Now I am considering what to do if I don't have the headroom I thought I did. My old "sub-killer defacto" - War of the Worlds - has nothing on this!


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## movielover12345 (Jan 11, 2021)

Here Are Some Films That Just Might Put Your Subwoofer To Rest:

Dick Tracy (Tommygun Shootout Scenes)
The Road To El Dorado (The Climax)
Chicken Run (Pie Machine Oven Escape)
The Simpsons Movie (Helicopters Carrying Dome)

Go Ahead And Laugh. Make My Millennium.


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## Wardog555 (11 mo ago)

Ambulance. My gosh insane quantity of bass. I had a sore chest after watching and that never happened before!


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## Mr645 (Apr 9, 2020)

Sometimes I worry a bit because the amp can deliver twice the rated power for the driver.


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## ritawong (3 mo ago)

I don't remember seeing a movie that threatened my sub.

SHAREit


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