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Help finding musical subwoofer for small room.

S

Shrimpanzee

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 30, 2008
Messages
244
This will go with my Audioengine A5's.

Room: 15x12 ft

Budget: $400 (less would be great)

I'm not a bass freak, I'm just looking for something to go along nicely with my bookshelves, which don't go low enough for my tastes.

Thanks in advance for anyone with advice.
 
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The room is about 15x12 ft.

I'm looking to spend no more than $400. Again, this will only be for music.

EDIT: i'll just put this in the 1st post
 
Well, I had similar requirements to you Shrimpanzee. Room is smaller but the budget was similar. I chose a Hsu STF-1. Its a very musical sub.

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html

You can email their sales department and discuss your setup. Pete in sales is very helpful. There are other good subs but I think a Hsu is worth considering, especially at that budget.
 
Zenshi said:
Well, I had similar requirements to you Shrimpanzee. Room is smaller but the budget was similar. I chose a Hsu STF-1. Its a very musical sub.

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html

You can email their sales department and discuss your setup. Pete in sales is very helpful. There are other good subs but I think a Hsu is worth considering, especially at that budget.
Click to expand...
I have only heard great things about HSU Research, so I'll definitely consider this.

EDIT: I just looked at your thread from a couple weeks ago. Thanks for the pictures!
 
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This sub was also suggested on another thread by Alai for a similar budget.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=2ENS10.3

It looks like a very nice sub that is a bit more powerful than the Hsu STF-1 (bigger driver, bigger amp) if you like powerful bass. I have heard a lot of good things about Energy speakers and there are a lot of satisfied owners on this forum.
 
The HSU sub suggested is a very nice unit.

Since you're looking for a musical sub, you can also take a look at the av123 x-sub. I got mine when it first came out a few years back and have been very very happy (paired with Energy C5s in about the same size room). There's some b-stock black satin and moho finish x-subs on sale right now too in their "Specials" for far less than what I paid for mine.
 
That Energy 10.3 certainly looks promising, it just seems like it would be overkill, as I don't care for room shaking bass.
 
Wow, great find customj. Yeah, the b stock X subs look really enticing. I want to see if I can eventually get one for my wife's setup (especially in one of the wood finishes) in the future since its such a pretty looking sub. Didn't see any even a few days back so this must be a recent addition. By the way, I saw they have the Reference 1 monitors on b stock list too. I can't afford them right now (if ever... :p ) but they sure look like nice speakers for the price. :)
 
I think this is more a subjective decision. They are similar in driver size, amp power and size of system. From what I read, I hear the Hsu is more musical (not sure since I never listened to the X sub and much of this probably depends on placement and what other equipment you have) and they have a longer warranty, while the X sub is less expensive and visually more attractive while giving similar performance.

I chose the Hsu just because I wanted a musical sub and it sounded like the reviews tended to lean towards the Hsu for music. In the end, I am very happy with the decision of going Hsu. On the other had, I think I probably would have been happy with an X sub too since I am not a music expert. I still want to see if I can get one for my wife in the future. They sure are cute looking subs.

I am not sure about AV123 (though I hear their service is very good), but I do know the people at Hsu Research provide wonderful support.

SVS subs I hear are excellent, though I have often read that if you want HT go SVS and music go HSU (for whatever that statement is worth) but I think that price is a bit above $300. Maybe look for a used SVS?

Edit: Oh yeah, there was one more reason I went Hsu. From reading a bunch of other subs (like the Daytons, the BIC H100, the Outlaw subs), I realized many of these subs were designed with the assistance from Dr. Hsu. So I figured, if professional speaker companies were asking for his assitance, I would just go to his company to buy a sub and forget all the ambiguities.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=941688
http://www.acoustechspeakers.com/showpage.php?brand=1&type=8&spkrID=26
http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/outlaw_lfm1.htm
 
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I wouldn't buy from AV123. They are probably going to go under within a year or so. If something happens to your speakers from them, don't expect repairs or warranty.
 
Huh...thanks for the info Alai. Maybe wait a year and see if there is a clearance sale on X subs. :p
 
Zenshi said:
Well, I had similar requirements to you Shrimpanzee. Room is smaller but the budget was similar. I chose a Hsu STF-1. Its a very musical sub.

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html

You can email their sales department and discuss your setup. Pete in sales is very helpful. There are other good subs but I think a Hsu is worth considering, especially at that budget.
Click to expand...

+1 on Hsu, I've got the VTF2 MK3 and love it! They ship fast too!
 
LOL Alai. Yeah, If Hsu subs were RAM, I guess the STF 1 would be the Corsair Value Select equivalent while the VTF2 Mk3 would be the Dominator line. On the other hand, I often buy Value RAMs, so the STF 1 is fine by me and my tiny room.

The VTF2 Mk3 sounds wonderful. Is that the one with the Turbo option?
 
quick question, and not to hijack, but how would one hook up a set of audioengine a5's running off of an Asus Xonar STX card to a HSu STF-1 sub?
 
ssbaudi said:
quick question, and not to hijack, but how would one hook up a set of audioengine a5's running off of an Asus Xonar STX card to a HSu STF-1 sub?
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I'm pretty sure all you need to do is get a RCA y-splitter cable (of some sort) and connect the "LINE OUT" on the back of the A5s to the "SUB IN" on the STF-1.
 
Alai said:
I wouldn't buy from AV123. They are probably going to go under within a year or so. If something happens to your speakers from them, don't expect repairs or warranty.
Click to expand...

Link?
 
I also know someone within the industry who knows people working at AV123. And he's been following the AV123 fiasco for a while. They had a big cash flow problem which caused some purchases from actually going out during the releases of some of their recent lines (I forget which). AKA people have had their moneys taken without getting shipped any speakers. That's why AV123 had to shut down their own forums. The customer complaint was going to be overwhelming.

I believe it is mentioned in quite a few HT and A/V forums like AVS, Home Theater, and Audioholics.
 
Shrimpanzee said:
I'm pretty sure all you need to do is get a RCA y-splitter cable (of some sort) and connect the "LINE OUT" on the back of the A5s to the "SUB IN" on the STF-1.
Click to expand...

are you talking about putting the left/right RCA into a single jack to mimic LFE? is that possible?
 
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