# Upgrading Sub -- Movies Only



## jschweda19 (Dec 27, 2011)

Upgrading Sub -- Movies Only
Hey guys,

I am looking to upgrade my subwoofer and can't sort through all the options out there. I am in Wisconsin and don't have a large variety to "Sample". It seems after reading a lot of the forums from here and other sites my price target should be $200 to $500(budget max for me). I don't care about name brand, just looking for best performance in this range for strictly movies. It seems like most people asking about subs also listen to music so people give advice on subs that are great for both. I am not sure if there is a different group of subs for just movies or not. Just confused on all of the options. If at all possible getting from Amazon would be nice as I have $125 in gift cards, but not mandatory. 

I am seeing a trend that most people also recommend two subs for a smoother sound. Should I get two budget subs or just one for this price range?

I reviewed the budget sub thread and picked a few of them off there and picked some in the under 500. 

Here is my info:

Receiver: Denon avr-1912
Fronts: Polk Monitor 60
Center: Polk CS2
Surround: Polk R150

Room size 14x18x9(height)

Some I have looked at:

HSU STF-2 and VTF-1
BIC	F12 and pl200
Lava	lsp10
Premium Acoustic	pa120
martin logan	dynamo 300 and 500
Emotiva XRef10 (can't seem to find ultra 10 for sale anymore)
Outlaw LFM-1
Rythmik FV12

Will a 10" sub be sufficient? 12" seems overkill for room size.


Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

If you can still find one the SVS PB10NSD would be an even better choice (contact SVS to see if they have any left) than the ones you have listed.
Used is always another option as well and you may be able to find a SVS PB12 NSD for under $500


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Tony,

Thoughts on where the SVS 20-39 PCi cylinder would fit in? I also live in Wisconsin, and when I was looking for used subs, I came across one of these that was well within his budget.


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

Newegg is selling the Polk PSW505 for only $170 shipped, that's a really good deal. With your budget I would get 2 to help even out room modes for a smoother response and more dynamics. For movies there's no such thing as overkill, the more sub the better. 
2 subs of course will get louder but it all depends on were you set the volume. You want your subs to not have to work so hard which reduces distortion and improves sound quality. Most people think that 2 subs would just be too loud but that's not the case. It's better to have more sub than you need than to not have enough and push a smaller sub into distortion and possibly damage.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

I arrived too late to hear it, but the BIC F12 surprised many folks at HuskerOmaha/Mojave's recent subwoofer GTG in Omaha, NE.


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

The Lava LSP12 is a killer little sub as well. I was fortunate enough to win one here on the shack and never thought it would be even close to good enough for me but I was wrong. I actually have it in my media room with a Maelstrom-X 21" sub and it really adds to the bass. 

Being sub crazy means I have a lot of subs including the 21" beast I just mentioned. I also have a Triad Platinum 18" in the living room and 2 18" Mal-X waiting for enclosures along with a bunch of other various 15", 12" and 10" subs for future projects. The Lava sub is staying as it is a good alternate while I build subs as most of the time I sell my finished DIY subs once people hear them.

I still think a pair of Polk subs are your best bet but if you are only going to choose one sub then I like the Lava LSP12 better.


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## jschweda19 (Dec 27, 2011)

Thanks for the input so far guys! I appreciate it. 

I have seen a lot of posts on forums saying to stay away from Polk subs because they don't get low enough for movies. Are these comments from people that may be brand prejudice or have a music preference? 

I am still learning all this, so sorry for the questions.


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

For $500 your not going to get the real bottom dweller subwoofers, not new anyway. I almost always buy used, always a lot more value there. 

Small subs and low bass don't really go hand in hand unless you have a long throw woofer with a lot of watts behind it. That normally doesn't come without a lot of expense. 

I am crazy about subs, hence the name, but I am fine with my subs digging down to only 15hz and even when I just used the Lava for a short time by-itself I was satisfied with it's 20ish bottom end.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

ALMFamily said:


> Tony,
> 
> Thoughts on where the SVS 20-39 PCi cylinder would fit in? I also live in Wisconsin, and when I was looking for used subs, I came across one of these that was well within his budget.


Oh yes, anything made by SVS would do better than any listed here. As was mentioned by Sub_Crazy non of the subs listed will go low enough to really impact movies. SVS used is a great way to get what your looking for as all there subs go well into the 20Hz range.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

tonyvdb said:


> Oh yes, anything made by SVS would do better than any listed here. As was mentioned by Sub_Crazy non of the subs listed will go low enough to really impact movies. SVS used is a great way to get what your looking for as all there subs go well into the 20Hz range.


Thanks Tony! :T

jschweda19 - PM me if you want any more info on that SVS listing.


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## jschweda19 (Dec 27, 2011)

I found ans SVS on craigslist...is that the one you were referencing?
That is a cylinder sub?? strange looking. I will look into to it. thanks!


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Yes, that is the one. Good luck!


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

Epik Legend would be a very competent choice.


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