Which subwoofer to go with Wharfedale MS-100?

[jain1980]

I am getting a full satellite set of the Wharfedale MS-100 this week minus the subwoofer. The subwoofer that comes with the Wharfedale MS-100 has been used up in some other setup.

Now I need to buy the Subwoofer to complete my set. My budget is around 15-20K. I will be using a Yamaha RX-V475 as the receiver. It will be for 50% Movies and 50% Music.

Also I don't have an option but to put the subwoofer inside a wooden rack cabinet which will be closed from 3 sides and open only from the front. So what kind of subwoofers would work in this scenario?

Which one should I go for?

 

[jain1980]

How is Pioneer SW-8MK2 to start with? Its within my budget.

 

[efernand1]

Hi Jain1980

There is polk psw110 or psw125 or you should look at Jamo..if you are willing to stretch your budget.....better is the Velodyne Impact 10 or Impact 12 ...supposedly the best subwoofer in the world...

hope this helps

 

[kneo]

If you want to stick to your budget, best option would be to get a used sub. If you want to opt for new and cannot wait for good deals on used subs on our forum, do take a look at Astonia Audio DF-10. This is an Indian company and are based out of Mumbai. I am using their sub and their performance for movies is quite good. For music I would not recommend them. The sub had a quality issue of cottonwool being pushed out of the port, but they've sorted that out and at this budget it would be a good contender.

EDIT - I don't think Velodyne Impact 12 is the 'best' sub in the world. No way. It's a good sub at it's price range but there are definitely better. People wanting to move up from Velodyne typically look at SVS for starters.

EDIT - Check out this listing. It has a KEF sub which the user wants to let go of.

 

[jain1980]

Hi Jain1980

There is polk psw110 or psw125 or you should look at Jamo..if you are willing to stretch your budget.....better is the Velodyne Impact 10 or Impact 12 ...supposedly the best subwoofer in the world...

hope this helps

Thanks for the suggestions. I have heard 1 or 2 bad reviews of Velodynes on this forum although overall I have heard good reviews on the net but nothing like they are supposedly the best in the world..

How much of a difference in performance will be between a Pioneer SW-8MK2 (andrew jones designed) and a velodyne 8" subwoofer? Bcos the price difference is huge.

 

[kneo]

Pioneer's SW-8MK2 is not a very good subwoofer. It was made specifically to work with the Pioneer 5.0 set FS52/BS22/C22. Actually it was made to 'compliment' the 5.0 set. I've not heard this one personally but have heard the previous version - SW-8. It was along with the 5.0 set FS51/BS21/C21. It worked very well in a small completely carpeted demo room. I am not sure whether it would fill a larger room.

During my research about the FS/BS of this series, I've read quite a few opinions of users of AVS/Audioholics, who recommend skipping this sub and go for some other budget sub as this sub is the only speaker in the 5.1 set which is not top class. Avenue Sound from Mumbai has tied up with BIC America (or about to have a tie up) who makes budget subs.

When getting a sub, do consider your room size and placement too. Also, I am not sure whether you'd be getting a new Velodyne in your budget. Do talk to a few Velodyne users on our forums to get an idea. It boils down to your budget. Subs typically suffer from the law of diminishing returns pretty early in the price range, so don't bank on a world of difference unless you really double/triple your budget.

Demo the Polks as they seem to be in your budget. Also check out the used subs (talk to their owners) to understand how it performed in their system.

 

[jain1980]

Great suggestions. If Avenuesound is on this forum, can they confirm about the availability of BIC subwoofers so that everybody can benefit. I have heard good reviews of the BIC12 which are on a budget. Not sure what their Indian price would be even if available.

Pioneer's SW-8MK2 is not a very good subwoofer. It was made specifically to work with the Pioneer 5.0 set FS52/BS22/C22. Actually it was made to 'compliment' the 5.0 set. I've not heard this one personally but have heard the previous version - SW-8. It was along with the 5.0 set FS51/BS21/C21. It worked very well in a small completely carpeted demo room. I am not sure whether it would fill a larger room.

During my research about the FS/BS of this series, I've read quite a few opinions of users of AVS/Audioholics, who recommend skipping this sub and go for some other budget sub as this sub is the only speaker in the 5.1 set which is not top class. Avenue Sound from Mumbai has tied up with BIC America (or about to have a tie up) who makes budget subs.

When getting a sub, do consider your room size and placement too. Also, I am not sure whether you'd be getting a new Velodyne in your budget. Do talk to a few Velodyne users on our forums to get an idea. It boils down to your budget. Subs typically suffer from the law of diminishing returns pretty early in the price range, so don't bank on a world of difference unless you really double/triple your budget.

Demo the Polks as they seem to be in your budget. Also check out the used subs (talk to their owners) to understand how it performed in their system.

 

[kneo]

They are not on the forum but call up the numbers on their website. BIC would be a good choice too

 

[jain1980]

Anything bought from Avenuesound would require a step down transformer..right? I guess they source all their components from their USA office.

 

[jain1980]

I will be using the sub in my setup for both Movies and Music.

Also I don't have an option but to put the subwoofer inside a wooden rack cabinet which will be closed from 3 sides and open only from the front. So what kind of subwoofers would work in this scenario?

Which one should I go for?

 

[elangoas]

I will be using the sub in my setup for both Movies and Music.

Also I don't have an option but to put the subwoofer inside a wooden rack cabinet which will be closed from 3 sides and open only from the front. So what kind of subwoofers would work in this scenario?

Which one should I go for?

Front firing would be the best one in your case....

 

[theraindew]

But SW inside a wooden rack cabinet? Won't you be able to put it beside the cabinet?

 

[jain1980]

But SW inside a wooden rack cabinet? Won't you be able to put it beside the cabinet?

:sad: Nope..Its in my living room and its a whole rack which houses my TV as well as Tata Sky, DVD Player etc. If it had been a separate room, I would have changed everything but can't do in this case. Very sad..I have the budget but not the space.

In fact even the rack enclosure has a depth of only 15" and a width of 20". So can't fit any large subs. The sub has to have a depth of 14" or less. :sad: Don't know which good sub would have such a small size factor.

 

[theraindew]

PSW110 is 16" deep. You can rule it out then.

 

[elangoas]

:sad: Nope..Its in my living room and its a whole rack which houses my TV as well as Tata Sky, DVD Player etc. If it had been a separate room, I would have changed everything but can't do in this case. Very sad..I have the budget but not the space.

In fact even the rack enclosure has a depth of only 15" and a width of 20". So can't fit any large subs. The sub has to have a depth of 14" or less. :sad: Don't know which good sub would have such a small size factor.

If you can't accommodate Subwoofer in that cabinet, you may consider adding a BS/FS & Set them as LARGE in AVR... So whatever should go the sub, will be redirected to your fronts...

 

[az2325]

Anything bought from Avenuesound would require a step down transformer..right? I guess they source all their components from their USA office.

Neednt.. There are BIC models which work with both voltages - 110/220V. I think a our FM- darshan had shared once in hfv on how BIC can be made compliant with Indian voltage. You should be able to get the info on searching the forum.

Regards,
Antony

 

[kneo]

Anything bought from Avenuesound would require a step down transformer..right? I guess they source all their components from their USA office.

Only for devices having power requirements and not having the option of switchable power inputs. Passive speakers will not need any step down, but a powered sub would require a step down. They do provide a very good step down along with their devices and you can bargain it's cost along with the device. At times their cost is inclusive of the step down (at least for AVRs that was the case in the past)

Also, if you have restriction on your cabinet, it'd be very difficult to find a sub matching those dimensions. Apart from the subwoofer depth, you'd also have to accommodate for a 3-4 inches extra at the back for the cables/power plug which typically extends out. Some subs also have small stands, so leave some margin for the height too. Also, since it's a powered sub, it'd be good to have a bit of ventilation too at the back. I'd strongly suggest trying to find a different place (maybe on the floor) for the sub in your living room. That would give you a lot more option in choosing subs. Also, sub placement is quite critical to its performance. There is a chance that the cabinet position may not be ideal for the sub and it'd end up giving a better performance if placed at some other location along the wall or maybe in a corner.

 

[jain1980]

Only for devices having power requirements and not having the option of switchable power inputs. Passive speakers will not need any step down, but a powered sub would require a step down. They do provide a very good step down along with their devices and you can bargain it's cost along with the device. At times their cost is inclusive of the step down (at least for AVRs that was the case in the past)

Also, if you have restriction on your cabinet, it'd be very difficult to find a sub matching those dimensions. Apart from the subwoofer depth, you'd also have to accommodate for a 3-4 inches extra at the back for the cables/power plug which typically extends out. Some subs also have small stands, so leave some margin for the height too. Also, since it's a powered sub, it'd be good to have a bit of ventilation too at the back. I'd strongly suggest trying to find a different place (maybe on the floor) for the sub in your living room. That would give you a lot more option in choosing subs. Also, sub placement is quite critical to its performance. There is a chance that the cabinet position may not be ideal for the sub and it'd end up giving a better performance if placed at some other location along the wall or maybe in a corner.

I am looking at powered subwoofers..So even if I manage to keep it somewhere else than the cabinet, I will have to make provisions for a power outlet which will be impossible due to lot of additional wiring.

Also if I choose a downfiring sub, I can still lay them the other way so that the firing vents are facing forward..right?

 

[kneo]

I do not know how laying a sub in a non-regular manner would impact it's performance. Maybe some audio gurus on the forum could answer that question.

My personal opinion would be to not do that. Two reasons actually. The speaker manufacturer has designed its sub after doing quite a bit of research. Why challenge that? In speakers the firing ports proximity to a flat surface definitely affects how the speaker sounds. The second reason is more practical. You are investing a substantial amount of money in setting up your HT. It appears that this is going to be your first HT. Why make compromises on non-fiscal matters like these? Speakers generally stay with us longer than other electronic peripherals. You don't want to have that 'what if' at the back of your mind every time you switch your system on.

I would strongly recommend you to not make compromises on the subwoofer and its placement. When I got my first system (coincidentally only a few months back), I lived without a sub for almost 3-4 months because of budget and placement issues.

 

[jain1980]

Finished auditioning the Polk 550, 110 and Kef C4 subwoofers. Polk 550 sounded the best. The polk 110 was the worst. Sounded whimpy. Polk 550 is out of the equation due to its size and down firing ports. Kef C4 is within my size. Is this subwoofer recommended?

What else can I look for? Any Jamo, Yamaha subwoofers?