confused about subwoofers - one more :)

[iRock]

Friends, I am now ready to be buy new subwoofer with budget of approx 20K, based on online readings I am fully confused as to what to buy and where...
I'll be hooking this to- Pioneer Elite VSX-51 AVR, Polk Blackstone 250 speakers. My usage is more towards music (coming from iPod) and mostly HD movies on Tatasky or HDD.
Room is "L" shaped with possible location being top end of long arm of "L"
Based on my readings so far - BIC, Velodyne, polk seem to be in budget, JBL Seems promising but out of budget But these are yet to be auditioned...
Where can these be auditioned in Pune? what are recommendations? etc etc

Thanks in advance for suggestions...
Cheers

 

[efernand1]

Hi

There are a lot of good subwoofers available and you need to decide the output, size, front or bottom firing...with or without passive radiators etc etc......Velodyne has been in the industry for over 30 years worldwide, BIC America is quite famous. There are ample online comparison review charts available for you to decide...

The main thing is to check whats the operating output frequencies of the speakers you have, accordingly then decide the subwoofer with the required low frequencies and appropriate output so that both subwoofer and your speakers blend well to sound harmonious for movies and music....

all the best.

 

[iRock]

Thanks efernand1... What you said makes sense ..BUT.. that's exactly is problem. Too many choices. I am having big trouble in starting chapter
1. How to audition (content wise)
2. where to audition subwoofers ? In Pune? .
Other questions among many are -
3. where to buy from (online\from US \EU e-retailers) as lots of things come in the budget range if looked at US|EU e-retailers- but is that advisable?
4. What subwoofers are more forgiving in terms of placement - as I have very limited liberty of moving SW around in hall.
5. My current Polk Blackstones are quite good - even though they are small (120Hz-20Khz, 91db sensitivity according to specs :indifferent14:

You see the confusion right - its really thick hence attempt to get some clarity from this great place with great folks

Cheers

 

[Vinod.R]

Better bet would the BIC from the USA. There is a thread here to make it 240V, so no need of converters.

But I would also recommend saving a bit more, upping your budget and look for HSU, SVS etc.

Vinod

 

[efernand1]

Hi iRock

Audition is key and a simple google search revealed the following dealers....please call before going to their outlets...

Home Theatre System Dealers in Pune, Home Theater System Dealers, India | Justdial

I am not sure about online purchase from websites abroad......dunno if you would incur extra shipping charges and taxes where applicable...please check......am sure some of our HFV members would have done purchases in the past and can share their experiences...

The boston acoustic asw 650 I use is 300w RMS (650w peak) and emits frequencies between 28hz - 150hz....costs around 26k on hi fi mart....good VFM.....that's atleast my opinion based on use for the past 5 months now....

 

[nicenicenicee]

Better bet would the BIC from the USA. There is a thread here to make it 240V, so no need of converters.

But I would also recommend saving a bit more, upping your budget and look for HSU, SVS etc.

Vinod

Hsu is really desireable , but getting it frm US is vry expensive, i was thinking to start a group buy thread to assess if it can bring down cost, as i m not having someone in US who can bring it for me

 

[iRock]

Thanks guys for the information.

@Vinod.R - Yes BIC seems promising based on the reviews its getting in this forum as well as other international forum's - I'll see if I can hear it though.

@efernand1 - Thanks, I am planning to call up folks and start scouting shops. Also BA ASW 650 that you have, would you mind letting me know how much it cost? and was it finicky during setup, according to you - is it suitable for movies \music or both? How much area its covering currently? my hall is L shaped with long arm being the viewing area ( 13*16* 8\9Ft ~1800Sqft), would it overpower this area? I realize I am asking too many questions apologies about that and advanced :signthankspin:

@nicenicenicee - We can certainly check for group buy of HSU to see if it can bring the cost down.

I also read that one of FM bought BIC Acustech H100ii for 21k ... want to hear that - its got some great reviews in international forums - but its there for quite sometime. It seems Dr.HSU was consulted for design of this sub

Cheers

 

[nicenicenicee]

Thanks guys for the information.

@Vinod.R - Yes BIC seems promising based on the reviews its getting in this forum as well as other international forum's - I'll see if I can hear it though.

@efernand1 - Thanks, I am planning to call up folks and start scouting shops. Also BA ASW 650 that you have, would you mind letting me know how much it cost? and was it finicky during setup, according to you - is it suitable for movies \music or both? How much area its covering currently? my hall is L shaped with long arm being the viewing area ( 13*16* 8\9Ft ~1800Sqft), would it overpower this area? I realize I am asking too many questions apologies about that and advanced :signthankspin:

@nicenicenicee - We can certainly check for group buy of HSU to see if it can bring the cost down.

I also read that one of FM bought BIC Acustech H100ii for 21k ... want to hear that - its got some great reviews in international forums - but its there for quite sometime. It seems Dr.HSU was consulted for design of this sub

Cheers

iRock, if you happen to bump to someone owning BIC in delhi pls let me know, i would also like hear it. but not able to find any one yet.

I have started a communication with HSU research to find out how much it would cost if we can place order for 1, 2, 5, or more pcs (if more ppl are willing). any kind of discount they can offer etc etc.

Will keep you posted on it. and i am planning to float a group buy thread soon to know if we have enough interest, any pitfalls / risks to get it etc etc.

which model of HSU you would like to go for?

 

[iRock]

Thanks nicenicenicee sir... It will be great, heard too many good things bout Hsu.

Regarding what model i would like to go for depends on primarily budget... Also we should do some research about model which may be within our budget.

Do we have any FMs using Hsu subs currently, who can help us establish baseline model?

 

[efernand1]

Hi irock

The BA ASW 650 mrp is close to 30k...I guess HiFi Mart is selling the same around 27k with warranty, you may want to check with other dealers and see the competitive rates available.

The idea of having a subwoofer is to enhance the punch in sound delivery and not to drown your existing speakers setup. Both need to work in harmony and blend well in sound delivery to your ears....unless you want to make the place bassy like a club.

I feel it should work for the area you mentioned and it performs quite well for movies and music. I hear more music than watch movies..so far the experience is great.

There are a lot of Home Theatre dealers in Mumbai who you could perhaps get in touch with or visit if you are coming to Mumbai and see available sub woofer options.

 

[iRock]

Hello FM's...

This Saturday, I casually walked into the "Soundscapes" in Aundh Pune for checking the availability and gauge the prices of various subs..

There I auditioned (though medium length one with demo material in shop) Polk PSW 110... I am really impressed with its performance in music. Movies it was ok.

Their service was excellent - they were warm \friendly and I am inclined to buy from them. They had in stock psw110,125, DSW550 (i forgot exact DSW Model) and few others that I didn't bother to inquire.

I am planning to visit them again along with my own source material for detailed audition and atleast couple of more shops in Pune.
If any one from Pune is interested, we can do that as a group activity.

Let me know.
Cheers.

 

[nicenicenicee]

Hello FM's...

This Saturday, I casually walked into the "Soundscapes" in Aundh Pune for checking the availability and gauge the prices of various subs..

There I auditioned (though medium length one with demo material in shop) Polk PSW 110... I am really impressed with its performance in music. Movies it was ok.

Their service was excellent - they were warm \friendly and I am inclined to buy from them. They had in stock psw110,125, DSW550 (i forgot exact DSW Model) and few others that I didn't bother to inquire.

I am planning to visit them again along with my own source material for detailed audition and atleast couple of more shops in Pune.
If any one from Pune is interested, we can do that as a group activity.

Let me know.
Cheers.

Ask them if they have BIC / SVS too? and if yes try to auditioned them too.
I doubt HSU is going to be there. but try as many models as you can.

All the Best.

 

[iRock]

Sure Sir. I will ask. I saw focal, KEF and Boston available there.

I read about HSU - I am wondering if any of those models will fall in our budget considering shipping\customs etc ... :sad:

Was there any response from HSU on your communications?

 

[nicenicenicee]

Sure Sir. I will ask. I saw focal, KEF and Boston available there.

I read about HSU - I am wondering if any of those models will fall in our budget considering shipping\customs etc ... :sad:

Was there any response from HSU on your communications?

Today only i have a reply in which they are asking if i would like to take care of shipping or i want them to.

i wll reply them , will keep you posted.

for HSU sub how much you are ready to spend?

 

[iRock]

My budget is around approx 20k +/- few g's.

I did audition the Focal cub 3 sub @ The sound factor - little out of budget though. Sounded good to me. This was great for small room + movies. Music it was Ok...

 

[arnprasad]

Hi..got a question on my subwoofer..thought it was too stupid to warrant its own thread.

3 years back..I bought the best selling sub on Amazon US...

Amazon.com: Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black): Electronics

I connected it to my Pioneer AVR using a yellow wire (one of the three in a typical RCA connection). When I test my AVR for 5.1 set up....my sub woofer does make a sound ..implying it is connected properly

but I dont get the effects a best selling woofer should...if it is 80% good..guess things like closeness to the wall..etc might matter..but I think I dont get even 10% of what rest of the world is getting from the sub woofer.

what wrong am I doing? I have all small speakers and my AVR knows that..so there is no question of AVR treating my speakers as tall and not passing signals to the SW.

Any ideas please?

 

[iRock]

Hi.... Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer ...
what wrong am I doing? I have all small speakers and my AVR knows that..so there is no question of AVR treating my speakers as tall and not passing signals to the SW.

Any ideas please?

Humm, this is funny problem... Did you check the subwoofer level on the box? also did you check the crossover settings in your AVR ( i am assuming that since avr is detecting presence of SW - then crossover settings on actual box will be overridden!) Try playing with those crossover settings and subwoffer level.

I am not expert - but these would initial diagnostic steps you should try... hope this helps.

Cheers

 

[ssf]

I have read on the net that one of the ways to test the sub is to connect a cd player or a vcd player to the line in of the sub, slowly increase the volume of the sub and check if the sub is giving the required output.
I have not tested this, so you might have to do this at your own risk

 

[nicenicenicee]

Hi..got a question on my subwoofer..thought it was too stupid to warrant its own thread.

3 years back..I bought the best selling sub on Amazon US...

Amazon.com: Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black): Electronics

I connected it to my Pioneer AVR using a yellow wire (one of the three in a typical RCA connection). When I test my AVR for 5.1 set up....my sub woofer does make a sound ..implying it is connected properly

but I dont get the effects a best selling woofer should...if it is 80% good..guess things like closeness to the wall..etc might matter..but I think I dont get even 10% of what rest of the world is getting from the sub woofer.

what wrong am I doing? I have all small speakers and my AVR knows that..so there is no question of AVR treating my speakers as tall and not passing signals to the SW.

Any ideas please?

In your AVR trying changing your BASS settings to ==> LFE+Main.

 

[arnprasad]

thanks everyone..this weekend let me try again. I know I followed exactly what the AVR manual said and I did google to find out a solution. This was some 2-3 years ago.

Now I have ordered the Pioneer FS52 and hence interest in my HT setup has been rekindled....hence trying to get this right at least this time around