Upon reading the other SVS thread and checking out their website I feel I'm being swayed in my sub decision to the SVS camp (or possible the HSU TN1220HO). Anyway, much is said about their power and presence and depth, but no one mentions anyhting about their musicality. I don't want a sub that is boomy just for the sake of bottom end extension, I guess I'm just looking for the perfect sub.
So does anyone has an opinion on any of this???

Thanks for the input!
Steve

One thing that SVS actually prides themselves on is that their subs are good for music -- they have good extension, but aren't boomy (in fact, every now and then somebody will show up at Home Theater Forum or elsewhere complaining that their SVS is broken because the "boom" that their old sub had is gone). I had originally planned to leave my mains set to large for music, but have actually ended up using the SVS for music as well as HT.

I don't know that it's the perfect sub, but short of DIY it will be very difficult to top without spending more money, and potentially a lot more.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I don't have the SVS. I have a 145 Liter sealed 15" Tempest. In music it sure is nice to have a sub that is not boomy. On the Tempest the hand bass sounds like it should. The general consesus is that a sealed sub will generally give better music performance; while a ported sub will give you the lower slam for home theatre.
But I'm sure there are arguments against this generalization.
But if you like good clean bass in music choose your sub carefully.
cheers

In my opinion and experience a well designed ported system can also sound very musical - but the enclosure must generally be a lot bigger. I suspect this might be why the SVS is so well received - they don't seem shy about using an adequately large enclosure, unlike a lot of subwoofer designs.

Obviously the acoustic suspension design is simpler and instinctively seems like it should have some advantage, but the only things I've actually noticed were the side effects of the shallower rolloff, and (in the old days) less sensitivity to rumble.

Given an unlimited space and $$$ budget I'd build a sealed system, but I've never been in that situation. Actually I'd like to play with rear loaded horns too.

I'm the M&K guy around here.

They basically invented the sub/satelite combo and their subs are known for great slam with good musicality. Check out their website for more info.

www.mksound.com

I've also heard and been impressed by the REL line of subwoofers, but those may be a little on the expensive side.

Just one more thing. There are a lot of users out there who will tell you that two subs may be better than one. Might be something to consider.

Actually the sub-satellite concept is quite old. I have an issue of "High Fidelity" magazine from 1952 (!) that has a lengthy article about how to do a sub - sat conversion.

About more than one sub: I would add that not only are two subs better than one (for control of standing waves and extension/SPL ability) but STEREO subs are very beneficial, especially when listening to music from high quality sources. The "ambience" that exists in the low frequency region is more realistic when reproduced in stereo, than mono. Also, it is preferrable to have low frequencies mixing acoustically rather than electronically.

While I find my SVS sub to provide tight bass with no boom, I don't use it for music anymore, just for movies. With my old mains, Spica TC-50, I couldn't get them to blend well, especially with my poor room acoustics. The Spicas barely went down to 100hz. With my new Proac Response 2.5 hand built clones, I don't feel I need it. The clones go down to ~25-30hz by my measurement. For music the extra few hz just don't matter that much.

Also take into consideration the size of the thing. It is BIG! But the funny thing is, nobody has ever asked about it, what it is or anything. It hides itself in a corner pretty well, behind my main.

As far as subs go though, it is a good one.

[This message has been edited by zacster (edited February 15, 2003).]

I really have to agree with SH about adding a second sub in stereo. Last week I added another sub module to my system primarily to help smooth the room response. Soundhound is correct, it is amazing what it is doing for music. For HT I don't notice much difference since it was plenty loud enough before.

Great that you're finding benefit from the stereo sub setup! It's hard to put your finger on, but I think there is more of a sense of "THERE", there. More feeling like you are in the company of the musicians and their space, verses being in a space removed from the music.

I'm not surprised that it doesn't make much difference in movies - they are mixed with basically mono bass anyway in the LFE. There might be an instance where a sound effect like a scene on a city street is recorded in stereo, and in that case you would get some of the "there" sense from the low frequency ambience of the street, like when a bus pulls away.

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The Soundhound Theater

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited February 16, 2003).]

i love my legends all 7 of them but if you want a boomy piece of crap sub get a KSW15