Help needed for selecting a good 12 inch subwoofer for Marantz SR6007

[anishasok]

Hi Experts,

I am a newbie in the Hi-Fi world. On an impulsive mood, I ordered one Marantz SR6007 from HifiMart (on 22nd Feb). Waiting for the same to arrive via overnite express (shipped on 24th, arrived @ Mumbai on 25th, Dispatched to Hyderabad on 1st May ???? Not sure when it is gonna reach me). Overnite express really sucks that way and this waiting period is horrible and driving me

Thinking about a 2.1 setup at this point in time and will later upgrade to a full 7.1 or 7.2 setup by end of the year. I am planning to reuse my year old Yamaha-NS8390 floor standers for the time being. Now I am confused about the subs as most of the budget subs which I have read about are capable of dealing from 35Hz only which my Yamaha might be able to handle (at least as per the spec/doc).

So looking for a 12" sub which can play real low frequencies (like 18Hz onwards). Please provide some suggestions on good sub woofers under 50K bracket. I like the deep tight bass which I can feel and thumps my chest and not the boomy ones which just leaves a feeling of bass.

Am planning for some auditions next weekends @ SBT Corporation and Vector Systems and your suggestions will help me during the auditions.

One sub which is in my mind currently is Polk DSW Pro 650.

Room Size : 33 ft x 14 ft (Thinking of moving to a dedicated room 12 x 12 with acoustics adjustments by year end)
Usage : 60% Movies; 30% Music and 10% Games (FPS/Racing)
Blu-ray Players : Sony PS3 and Pioneer BDP-440

Cheers,
Anish

 

[karthi1000]

include svs 2000 series in ur list , which will be available in india in march last week.

 

[anishasok]

Thanks Karthi. Sure I'll be including the mentioned item This looks really promising and how can I get hold of one in Hyderabad.

 

[jagdish_p]

A Rs75000 AVR, plans for a Rs70,000 sub and only Rs18000 on the fronts!! If my prices are correct I think you should be looking at upgrading your fronts first unless you are totally into Bass.

 

[anishasok]

I agree to you Jagdish. These floor standers will take a back seat soon playing rear right and left. Already had a round with Polks and I did not like them for some reason. I am thinking of having a round of audition with KEF (Q Series), Mordaunt Short (Aviano series), Wharfedale (Atlantic or Diamond series), Yamaha (NS777 and NS-C444) and some others. A lot of options and varieties to consider in that class with varying audio imaging. So unlike subs, it'll take a bit of time for me to choose the front speakers and center channel and I don't want to settle with some mediocre ones. And I am thinking of having Front and Center from the same makes/models to have a more compliant audio imaging. And connected to my existing Sony amp, the Yamaha 8390 sounds really better than some of the more costlier Floor standers. May be my love and partiality towards base can be one big reason
Waiting to see how it'll sound once I pair it with Marantz. Moreover the budget will be constrained for some time as I already got a dent via Marantz + Pioneer + some other miscellaneous items (my two kids will be going to a new school this April ). And my original budget for the sub was 25 K but couldn't figure out a good one in that range for my needs which pushed the range further up to 40 K (DSW Pro 650). I dont have any idea about the pricing of SVS in INR as it won't correlate its price in USD (700 to 800) here in India.

And I took my kids while auditioning the AVRs and they liked the projector setups and is pushing me for one @ home So already ordered a 9ft x 5 ft - 16:9 cinema line screen and research for a decent projector is undergoing. I might be able to get one from US since it is not so heavy unlike Subs/AVRs. So I don't have an option but to live with my existing Yamaha for a few months. Hope, you'll understand my plight

Cheers!

 

[jagdish_p]

Welcome to the world of HI Fi - there is no sescape from high budgets

If your preference is for a musical SUB go for a sealed sub for good integration in a 2.1 system else go for ported which gives for max bang for your buck

 

[efernand1]

Hi anishasok

Good decision on picking a Marantz AVR, I am a Marantz user myself! Well as mentioned by the others sooner or later you would need to pick up good front speakers later.

The heart of any Home Theatre setup is the Centre speaker and the subwoofer. These need to be the best in order to enjoy the True Cinema experience.

"Velodyne" is supposedly the best subwoofer in the world and has been in the business for more than 30 years now. You should look at 'IMPACT 12' which is the best among the lot.

If you have good budget on hand, you should look at using the B&W 600 series or the B&W CM series for speakers ...slowly as budget permits you can build the home theatre.

Marantz + B&W speakers blend well as they match and compliment each other. I currently use Boston Acoustics (better than Bose) on the Marantz but would soon be upgrading to B&Ws once I have the budget ready....There are tons of online reviews and videos available to support the same.

Marantz is known for delivering the continuous power output across all frequencies unlike other competitors who deliver power only at a specific frequency. This link will provide all the technicalities and reality in amplifiers today....

AV Receiver and Amplifier Power Ratings Trends: How and Why Wattage Ratings are Manipulated | Audioholics

The main things you need to consider in speakers is firstly the ability to deliver all frequencies between 20hz - 20khz (if not all at least most). Secondly the sensitivity needs to be minimum 88db or more....the higher the better performance and less strain on the amplifier.

End of the day it all depends on what appeals to you and your wallet, the countless home theatre dealers will make anything sound great at their demo areas which are specially made and measured using computers etc....take your time (since you have it now) and do a good level of research on reviews and videos available on the net for compatible speakers etc...a good sound demo would be using the following:

* Hotel California live - Clarity in vocals and instruments
* Aao Huzur music - Vocals test
* Nessun Dorma - Luciano Pavarotti - Vocals pitch testing
* Any regional classics you hear
* An action scene from '2012' where the Limo is rushing to the airport ...lot of frequencies being outputted...this is where you will know if the speakers can handle it.

Hope this helps...

 

[anishasok]

Thanks Jagadish I am more into movies than music especially Action/Thriller/Sci-Fi/Horror genres and some others in the line of Step Up series. In music I prefer soft rock / melodies / ghazals etc and those numbers with very deep bass depending on the moods So I most prolly will be going for a ported sub.

 

[anishasok]

Hi anishasok

The heart of any Home Theatre setup is the Centre speaker and the subwoofer. These need to be the best in order to enjoy the True Cinema experience.

"Velodyne" is supposedly the best subwoofer in the world and has been in the business for more than 30 years now. You should look at 'IMPACT 12' which is the best among the lot.

Hope this helps...

Thanks man Finally I've ordered a Velodyne Impact 12 today. I couldn't wait further for trying out SVS sub... may be a later time

And now the anxious waiting started

Thanks All for your suggestions

 

[efernand1]

Hi anishasok

Congrats.....well once it comes and it is connected please let us all know the experience...ensure that you read the operational manual carefully and do a proper setup.

Later once you have the budgets, perhaps you can go for the other speakers....B&W CM series?

Take Care

 

[anishasok]

Definitely. Even now am enjoying the stereo setup with my Yamaha. Not bad at all... for the price it is being sold...

Once again Thx guys.

Cheers,
Anish

 

[alphacentury100]

I seriously doubt that the velo impact12 can fill a 450sqft(approx) room with 18hz wave at 100+ dbs. I believe, to achieve that, you may have look in to their big brothers like the DD18+ or at least the DD15+ subs. The SVS PB & PC 13Ultras can go ruler flat upto 20hz for around Rs.180k (approx). I wonder for how much the DD18+ and the DD15+ sells, in india.
However, if you are expecting a huge impact in the chest kind of bass, then you don't have to dig so deep (upto 18hz). There are other subs like the PSB S300 & S500, which can play loud and clean above 30hz and can create great chest impact. I don't know their price either.