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Budget Subwoofer

That Energy is 50watts RMS, not 100 watts like the posting would have you believe.

Still for the on sale price it's probably a good deal... At least better than the PSW10.

But 50 watts is pretty tame in any sub.

This could be a good deal, never heard it

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA10709B6923

Could be a bit of a phony MSRP but the reviews seem positive 300watts RMS 25hz 10 inch driver -$150
 
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But he is looking for a sub for a bedroom computer desk nearfield setup. 50w RMS is probably fine for that. You aren't looking to fill the room with bass, just to play low tones that fill in the sound that you can hear.
 
I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to all of you who have contributed so far to this thread! I really do appreciate it all. :)

The challenge for me now is to pick just one out of the bunch, but I do like having a bunch of good options.

SirMaster said:
This deal just popped up too. Might be another good option if you are looking for very cheap and still pretty good:

Shell Shocker for $65 today.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16882269041&cm_sp=

Energy is a solid brand and it has the stereo inputs you need.
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I did see this earlier in the morning, and was wondering about it. As far as price is concerned, it is on par with the Monoprice 8" sub after shipping (and a coupon code) is factored in - sadly the long trek from CA to NJ is a costly one, lol. My only concerns are the light weight of the Energy sub (Newegg states it is 15lbs, which is lighter than the 8" MP), and the warranty is good for only 1 year; but at this pricing, I know I shouldn't expect to find a diamond in the rough, so to speak. :eek:
 
SirMaster said:
But he is looking for a sub for a bedroom computer desk nearfield setup. 50w RMS is probably fine for that. You aren't looking to fill the room with bass, just to play low tones that fill in the sound that you can hear.
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Subs have volume controls.

Up to the OP what he wants to do. The Energy only goes down to 45hz. Maybe it is fine for what he wants, it is a good price (today, no way is it for $200). People hearing extends down to about 20hz and there is music between 45 and 20 and certainly a lot of home theater effects.

He has a lot of suggestions so he can pick what he wants to do.
 
Most subs are doing well to hit 35hz in this price range. So 45hz isn't terrible.

I would still get the 12" bic if it was my money.
 
IMO for music (if this is the primary intent) 45Hz is more than low enough. Only large pipe organs can really reach notes below that.

For home theater use on the other hand, low frequencies are used more in sound effects.
 
getfile


neat graph for reference... 0-40hz is an entire octave, some bass goes below 40hz, not just pipe organs. Below 40hz is where you really feel the sound. Obviously the OP has said he's not particularly interested in this octave.
 
Well, bass drum kicks are 60-80Hz and low E on a bass guitar is 41.5Hz. You really don't find much music under 40Hz to be honest.
 
I've got the Energy Power 10... it's a solid unit, I like how they've managed to make the enclosure as small as possible by way of using the slot port design.

I don't like that they didn't include speaker-level outputs (just the inputs) - really that's almost aesthetic since most people are going to use the line-level inputs anyway, but for those of you with an old receiver or a T-Amp it makes wiring.... interesting.

Overall it doesn't seem as well built as the PSW10, but I haven't been inside it to check on component choices and soldering yet. As far as sound goes it comes very near matching the PSW10, but to my ears the PSW10 has a slight edge. Still, for the price I paid (around $80 shipped) it's a winner for sure and definitely rounds out the audio on our second living room system.
 
SirMaster said:
Well, bass drum kicks are 60-80Hz and low E on a bass guitar is 41.5Hz. You really don't find much music under 40Hz to be honest.
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Not correct, unless you only listen to classic rock. Hell, there are deathmetal albums that hit below 10hz.
 
In the 70's they special equipped movie theaters to show Battlestar Galactiga with 10-15hz subsonic effects. Those were used in outside shots when the engines roar etc.

The end result was not what was expected - about 30% of the movie goers had to abort viewing the movie due to nausea and general bad feeling :)

Having said that, many movies and electronic music contain information well below 40hz and even if it wouldn't, since speaker response usually falls off 6-12db/oct and the commonly used 'lower threshold' is -12db on a typical speaker, it's important to have enough reach to be able to play even that 40hz at any kind of authority. It makes a lot of difference whether 40hz plays at 0db or -12db levels.

Most often though the biggest problems with bass in a small room are not so much the reach but other issues such as standing waves and delayed echo. This is why a DIY bipole or cardioid solution with active eq built in is the superior solution. Unfortunately due to size and price bipole/cardioid solutions are virtually nonexistent on commercial side.
 
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B00nie said:
In the 70's they special equipped movie theaters to show Battlestar Galactiga with 10-15hz subsonic effects. Those were used in outside shots when the engines roar etc.

The end result was not what was expected - about 30% of the movie goers had to abort viewing the movie due to nausea and general bad feeling :)

Having said that, many movies and electronic music contain information well below 40hz and even if it wouldn't, since speaker response usually falls off 6-12db/oct and the commonly used 'lower threshold' is -12db on a typical speaker, it's important to have enough reach to be able to play even that 40hz at any kind of authority. It makes a lot of difference whether 40hz plays at 0db or -12db levels.

Most often though the biggest problems with bass in a small room are not so much the reach but other issues such as standing waves and delayed echo. This is why a DIY bipole or cardioid solution with active eq built in is the superior solution. Unfortunately due to size and price bipole/cardioid solutions are virtually nonexistent on commercial side.
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Interesting history there about BSG (the original series) from a time long past. Its funny what people end up being sensitive too.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
I'm not really interested in your tatses. Deathmetal isn't my thing either. The point is that quite a bit of music has sub 40hz content in it these days. So do many many movies.
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True. The audible spectrum for people is 20hz to 20khz. Not 45hz - 20khz

A lot of stuff is in that last octave and it takes a lot of power to make it audible.
 
matteos said:
True. The audible spectrum for people is 20hz to 20khz. Not 45hz - 20khz

A lot of stuff is in that last octave and it takes a lot of power to make it audible.
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I have a 18" bass in a folded horn and I just love it. Punchy, dynamic and low distortion sound. My next project will be a 20hz horn which will require modification to my whole listening room back wall.

I use the horn bass for parties and when I want to listen to music in my garden. I have a couple of rooms (hobby room, listening room) built in my garage building and if I turn up the volume I can make tools fall off the hobby rooms window boards i.e. the bass is so punchy it makes the whole building shake. That's awesomesauce there. I have a 2,5kW PA amp driving the bass.
 
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I have the Monoprice 12" subwoofer. Love it, fills the room quite nicely. I used a 20% coupon - you can often find those type of coupons by searching Google (Monoprice coupons). I can imagine the 8" one is just as nice.
 
Ryom said:
Made any decisions covertash?
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I was leaning towards the Polk PSW505, but (long story short) I had a few setbacks, where I have to wait until the end of this month in order to make any purchase. I will re-evaluate what other deals may be available at that time, but if the Polk goes back to regular price, then I'll most likely just go with the Monoprice sub, unless something else comes along around that timeframe (which, I'm sure there probably will be :p).

Thanks to all again for making great suggestions!
 
B00nie said:
2x8" has almost the same surface area as the 12". If your sub was poor it had nothing to do with the driver size, it was just poor choice of enclosure, speakers and amp.

You can get excellent results by using 8" drivers. The only problem is that a good 8" driver costs just as much as a good 10" driver so small drivers tend to also be cheap / bad.
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Wrong. Combined surface space has nothing to do with sound. 10x 8" subs will still be more punchy than 12" subs, that's just simply how it is. Larger the sub, more "roll" there is to the bass. I said nothing about not getting great results from an 8" sub, of course you can. I said I personally hate the punch they give to bass. Also it was a Klipsch system, it was far from a sub-par quality set.
 
FM_Fixxxer said:
Wrong. Combined surface space has nothing to do with sound. 10x 8" subs will still be more punchy than 12" subs, that's just simply how it is. Larger the sub, more "roll" there is to the bass. I said nothing about not getting great results from an 8" sub, of course you can. I said I personally hate the punch they give to bass. Also it was a Klipsch system, it was far from a sub-par quality set.
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Yeah right :rolleyes:

Sorry dude but you have no concept on the basics of loudspeaker building. I've been doing this stuff for over two decades.

The driver size is not a factor if the combined surface areas are the same. The driver design, enclosure volume, tuning and equalization are. A properly designed 12" sub is going to sound just as dynamic as a 2x8" sub and you can make a 2x8" sub extend just as far low as a single 12" sub. What you experienced was simply a low-cost solution made from cheap components. Usually it's much cheaper to get good results by using a single 12" driver instead of two high quality 8" drivers.

By the way it makes no difference whatsoever if it was Klipsch or Klapsch, all manufacturers are on a budget and offer various ranges of products.
 
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B00nie said:
Yeah right :rolleyes:

Sorry dude but you have no concept on the basics of loudspeaker building. I've been doing this stuff for over two decades.

The driver size is not a factor if the combined surface areas are the same. The driver design, enclosure volume, tuning and equalization are. A properly designed 12" sub is going to sound just as dynamic as a 2x8" sub and you can make a 2x8" sub extend just as far low as a single 12" sub. What you experienced was simply a low-cost solution made from cheap components. Usually it's much cheaper to get good results by using a single 12" driver instead of two high quality 8" drivers.

By the way it makes no difference whatsoever if it was Klipsch or Klapsch, all manufacturers are on a budget and offer various ranges of products.
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Man I really don't care what you have to say, or what you have been doing in your life, in my original post I stated my personal preference. I clearly stated I prefer something bigger than and 8, and I PERSONALLY find them too punchy and prefer the smoother roll of a 12" sub. Just because my opinion is different than yours doesn't mean you should keep saying I have no idea what I'm talking about. Go find something to do.
 
FM_Fixxxer said:
Man I really don't care what you have to say, or what you have been doing in your life, in my original post I stated my personal preference. I clearly stated I prefer something bigger than and 8, and I PERSONALLY find them too punchy and prefer the smoother roll of a 12" sub. Just because my opinion is different than yours doesn't mean you should keep saying I have no idea what I'm talking about. Go find something to do.
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There is nothing smoother about a 12" sub that's properly designed. If you want a round sub bass with no dynamics, it's indeed your personal preference. At least you can find what you want in most of the entry-level cheap subs. :)

If you state that 2x8" sub sounds different because of the individual driver size you clearly do not know what you're talking about. And this is not an opinnion that's a fact. It's a very common misconception with hifi consumers to think driver sizes would correlate somehow to sound. In reality you can't tell two good subs from eachothers even if the other used an 18" speaker and the other multiple high-end 6,5" elements.

The reason why you find 'smoother' sound from a cheap 12" is because it's more cost effective to build a sub using a single 12" instead of smaller elements. My horn loaded bass which has a 18" element sounds super punchy and dynamic - 100% garanteed more punchy than your Klipsch ;)
 
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FM_Fixxxer said:
Wrong. Combined surface space has nothing to do with sound. 10x 8" subs will still be more punchy than 12" subs, that's just simply how it is. Larger the sub, more "roll" there is to the bass. I said nothing about not getting great results from an 8" sub, of course you can. I said I personally hate the punch they give to bass. Also it was a Klipsch system, it was far from a sub-par quality set.
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This pseudo-science nonsense is just going to confuse and misinform people trying to learn. The only difference in sound a properly designed 8" sub and a properly designed 12" sub might have would be output capability. The 8" may have a harder time with the very low end, most likely. Any "roll" (decay?) would be introduced by improper manufacture or improperly designed enclosures. Any additional "punch(?)" would likely be a peak in the 60-90hz area. Peaks are not a good thing.
 
Whether the sub enclosure is sealed or ported is also going to make a difference in how it sounds.
 
B00nie said:
There is nothing smoother about a 12" sub that's properly designed. If you want a round sub bass with no dynamics, it's indeed your personal preference. At least you can find what you want in most of the entry-level cheap subs. :)

If you state that 2x8" sub sounds different because of the individual driver size you clearly do not know what you're talking about. And this is not an opinnion that's a fact. It's a very common misconception with hifi consumers to think driver sizes would correlate somehow to sound. In reality you can't tell two good subs from eachothers even if the other used an 18" speaker and the other multiple high-end 6,5" elements.

The reason why you find 'smoother' sound from a cheap 12" is because it's more cost effective to build a sub using a single 12" instead of smaller elements. My horn loaded bass which has a 18" element sounds super punchy and dynamic - 100% garanteed more punchy than your Klipsch ;)
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Again, I don't care what you have to say dude ;) I said I hated the sound of them, and it was my opinion, if you agree with my opinion or not I don't give a shit. The guy asked for info/opinions, I gave mine. Go harass someone else sir.
 
I'll buy you two some lube and a hotel room for the afternoon so you can just get it over with and fuck already.... lol :p
 
FM_Fixxxer said:
Again, I don't care what you have to say dude ;) I said I hated the sound of them, and it was my opinion, if you agree with my opinion or not I don't give a shit. The guy asked for info/opinions, I gave mine. Go harass someone else sir.
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If you didn't like a certain Klipsch subwoofer it had nothing to do with the size of the drivers it was using. This is not harassment, just correcting your erroneous statement.
 
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