I need a new home subwoofer - recommend me one

[MissKat]

My old one has passed away (lasted me 7 yrs so i got my moneys worth).
This is going in my bedroom - roughly 11ft x 15ft, so not a huge room!

Im not looking for anything high end, Im not picky, just something thats really good quality but my budget is $400 tops. Will be used for music and bluray movies and gaming.

- would like 10'' 200watts RMS min. (thats what my old one was and suited my needs well).
- $400 is my budget, nothing more.
- would like to buy from either visions or soundsaround cause the fact you can bargain with them or perhaps Future shop.
- looking to buy this weekend would be nice, since I have time

Best buy - no, their selection is crap.

London drugs - overpriced, theyre clearing out klipsch subs right now for $240 but Ive had bad experiences with Klipsch subs in the past and dont trust them anymore.

Future shop - their selection on their site is not bad, definitely better than Best buy and London drugs.

Here is visions selection.
http://visions.ca/catalogue/category...categoryId=162

Future shop selection
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/sub...EN&catid=10554

Not sure on soundsaround selection.

[OBCT]

I'm assuming you want an active sub (with an internal amp, and a power cord that provides it's own power)? Or do you have a good reciever (or separate amplifier) to provide power for a passive sub? I'll only be linking to active subs, just in case.


No incredible deals on the sites you linked.

Soundsaround's website is here. It isn't all that well designed, nor is it very functional, unfortunately. But here's the good news: they have sales. There was a one day sale yesterday (Friday) with some pretty decent deals. I'm sure the next one isn't far off. Also, they appear to be the kind of place you could break out haggling at, or maybe pick up a demo, open box, b stock, or refurbished item at a heavy discount (if you like that idea). I might drop in my nearest location tomorrow if I were you, see if you can't snag a great deal, and regroup if you aren't totally impressed. You can always wait for the next sale and be the first to jump on it.

As for Visions and Future Shop... they both carry some passable subs. Certainly the brand names to look out for at these stores are Velodyne and KEF. Not sure they'll fit your budget, even after a good haggle, but IMO it's worth a try.

After that, there's one that stood out from each store at a list price within your budget. These two subs are somewhat similar...

Energy ESW-C10 10" Down-firing Subwoofer ::: $350 @ Future Shop
JBL ES150P 10" Front-firing Subwoofer ::: $400 @ Visions

Neither of these brands are exactly renowned for their subs, but these units are capable of delivering the kind of bass output you're looking for.

Energy was a 100% Canadian owned and operated brand until 2006, when Klipsch bought them out (see article). I wouldn't be worried about buying a Klipsch-influenced product in the Energy ESW-C10, though. Klipsch wants to retain it's loyal Energy fan base, and so Klipsch's engineers likely had very little (if any) direct influence on the design of the 2006-'08 Energy products. They're still separate entities in a sense.

JBL is well known for their professional series loudspeakers and monitors, but much less so for their consumer-grade product. Like Energy, they have a good reputation on the whole.

This would pretty much comes down to aesthetics/price since the specs are so similar. That is, unless you come across a smokin' deal you just can't pass up.

[bluejays]

I was going to recommend SVS (thanks to CP I bought their PB12-NSD), but it's about twice as much as your budget (I'd still recommend it though). It's massive, but really good. As for other brands, Velodyne as a whole are one of the best out there. Are you going to purchase any other speakers? Given the markup on speakers are ridiculously high (I bargained it down by 50% of the stated price at futureshop), I'd recommend going to futureshop, negotiating with several locations over a few days, and finding who'll bite. For $400 you can find a very good sub. If you take a package of other speakers along with it, even better. What I found out from futureshop though, is on speakers they like to keep a 30% mark up at the very least. If you're good enough, you can get it down to 20% I'm sure.

As for Klipsch subs, I agree 100% with you. I actually bought a full 7 surround system with them, but left out the sub specifically because it's weak. Again, I'd go the SVS route IF you want to pour some extra cash into it, but if not, I don't think Velodyne is a bad choice at all.

[sparky69]

Was wondering what are you doing with the old one? IS it the sub that went or the board? I'm in need of a replacement board for my subwoofer

[photon]

http://www.londondrugs.com/Cultures/...9&ProductTab=3

This looks like a good deal to me.

[OBCT]

photon, your suggestion is great for a bargain basement kind of option, but seeing as the OP said she doesn't trust Klipsch, and is looking for something "good quality" (:P), I expect her to look elsewhere. It isn't out of the question as a sub for a room of that size, though.

I'm glad to hear fleury took mine and CP's advice to go with SVS; even happier to hear him pleased with his purchase. The PB12-NSD (see official Canadian distribution wesbite for SVS here) is certainly an option for the OP as well, but I didn't think given her budget and room size that it was necessary. I'm sure she'd enjoy it, though!!

Let us know how things go in your search.

[MissKat]

Originally Posted by OBCT

IEnergy ESW-C10 10" Down-firing Subwoofer ::: $350 @ Future Shop
JBL ES150P 10" Front-firing Subwoofer ::: $400 @ Visions

Ya I want a self amplified sub (sorry forgot to mention that). I have been considering that energy 10'' sub from future shop for $350. But the thing is future shop dont bargain on subs/speakers.

Visions had a KEF 10'' for $400 last week but its back up to $700 now. I heard this KEF model lacks a bit in bass and bit light in weight.

Soundsaround has a 10'' Velodyne Impact-10 sub for $400, but I cant seem to find any reviews on it. I do know that Velodyne are awesome subs though.

Originally Posted by fleury

I was going to recommend SVS (thanks to CP I bought their PB12-NSD), but it's about twice as much as your budget (I'd still recommend it though). It's massive, but really good. As for other brands, Velodyne as a whole are one of the best out there. Are you going to purchase any other speakers? Given the markup on speakers are ridiculously high (I bargained it down by 50% of the stated price at futureshop), I'd recommend going to futureshop, negotiating with several locations over a few days, and finding who'll bite. For $400 you can find a very good sub. If you take a package of other speakers along with it, even better. What I found out from futureshop though, is on speakers they like to keep a 30% mark up at the very least. If you're good enough, you can get it down to 20% I'm sure.

As for Klipsch subs, I agree 100% with you. I actually bought a full 7 surround system with them, but left out the sub specifically because it's weak. Again, I'd go the SVS route IF you want to pour some extra cash into it, but if not, I don't think Velodyne is a bad choice at all.

Just want the sub - already have a sweet set of 5.1 speakers.

Originally Posted by OBCT

photon, your suggestion is great for a bargain basement kind of option, but seeing as the OP said she doesn't trust Klipsch, and is looking for something "good quality" (:P), I expect her to look elsewhere. It isn't out of the question as a sub for a room of that size, though.

I'm glad to hear fleury took mine and CP's advice to go with SVS; even happier to hear him pleased with his purchase. The PB12-NSD (see official Canadian distribution wesbite for SVS here) is certainly an option for the OP as well, but I didn't think given her budget and room size that it was necessary. I'm sure she'd enjoy it, though!!

Let us know how things go in your search.

Nice site and their subs look sweet, but too much for me. $670.95 SHIPPED TO ME FOR THE PB10

Im also considering Paradigm, they have a DSP3200 10'' at sounds of music for $570 but can bargain it down im sure.

[MissKat]

Ok can someone tell me how the SVS stacks up against the Paradigm DSP3200 ($570) and Velodyne Impact 12 ($500)?

[Mightyfire89]

Originally Posted by MissKat

Ok can someone tell me how the SVS stacks up against the Paradigm DSP3200 ($570) and Velodyne Impact 12 ($500)?

The lowest priced (PB10-NSD) SVS sub would blow those away, not even close. There are a LOT of subs for twice or even three times the price of any given SVS sub that can't even compete.

Spend a little more and get fantastic quality is my recommendation.

[OBCT]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Krack Korn

The lowest priced (PB10-NSD) SVS sub would blow those away, not even close. There are a LOT of subs for twice or even three times the price of any given SVS sub that can't even compete.

Spend a little more and get fantastic quality is my recommendation.

I agree.

The main thing, though, is that MissKat has to be comfortable with the purchase. The price shouldn't be way out of her comfort zone, even if the PB10-NSD is a fantastic sub for the money.

SVS offers an unconditional 45 day in-home trial period, and a 3 year warranty, other factors to consider. (No trial period, 1 year warranty offered by both Energy and JBL, as a comparison).

The good thing about SVS subs is that they retain their value fairly well on the used market (without knowing actual #s, I'd say probably comparatively better than all the other brands mentioned so far on average), plus, the PB10-NSD could integrate into a larger home entertainment center down the road more seemlessly than those ones. But that might not be relevant for you. Just something to keep in mind.

[MissKat]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Krack Korn

The lowest priced (PB10-NSD) SVS sub would blow those away, not even close. There are a LOT of subs for twice or even three times the price of any given SVS sub that can't even compete.

Spend a little more and get fantastic quality is my recommendation.

WOW SVS is that highly regarded eh? Ive always been reading some threads on AVS about them and hearing nothing but positive things about them! I just might have to bite the bullet and pay more for one but I just cant see myself paying this much for a sub period (reasons below).

Paradigm and Velodynes are HIGLY HIGLY regarded for subwoofers, if the SVS PB10-NSD blows that away, then thats impressive!

This is the thing that makes me nervous about buying a sub over the internet... if you get a defective sub you still end up paying the shipping both ways, to me that sucks. This guy says he got a defective unit from SVS and they gave him a refund but the experience cost him a chunk in shipping...
http://forums.dvdfile.com/standard-d...subwoofer.html. I think id prefer to buy locally, just for the sake of being able to exchange the unit for another a lot quicker and easier if I do get a defective one or has problems. I guess I just want to play it safe.

Im sure the SVS PB10 is amazing, read some reviews on it tonight but $670 with it shipped is just too rich for me. Paradigm 3200 I can knock down to under $500 (would have to buy from either General Audio or Sounds of Music) and the Velodyne $400ish (Soundsaround) im guessing. And my room isnt big, so wouldnt it be a waste to buy such a high end sub like the SVS when I probably wouldnt even get the max. results from my average size room?

Either way, Im very rarely going to be able to crank it anyways, so as much as I want an earth shattering sub that knocks pictures of the walls, I cant, my parents would kill me. And maybe its just me, but since ill rarely be cranking it, it would just be a waste to spend almost 7 bills on a SVS. Plus Ill be using it in this very same room for many years, it wont be moving into a larger room anytime soon. If I threw house parties, sure! But I dont...

So im most likely going to get either the Paradigm DSP-3200 or the Velodyne Impact 12. The biggest thing that concerns me on the velodyne is that its half the weight (31lbs) of the Paradigm (60lbs).

[photon]

Originally Posted by OBCT

photon, your suggestion is great for a bargain basement kind of option, but seeing as the OP said she doesn't trust Klipsch, and is looking for something "good quality" (:P), I expect her to look elsewhere. It isn't out of the question as a sub for a room of that size, though.

Lol oops didn't fully read the OP, just had seen that deal. For the $200 I figured it was a pretty good price for what it was, and I've had decent experiences with Klipsch.

I was going to recommend SVS as well but everything they had was well out of the price range specified, but I'll put my hat in that ring too, if a bit extra can be spent, SVS is pretty impressive. I've got one that almost is as big as a hot water heater!

[photon]

Oh and I've got an older Paradigm sub I want to get rid of

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...light=paradigm