A sub for $500 or less

Mike D · « **on:** 3 Apr 2006, 04:21 pm »

My dad has asked me to find him a great sounding, deep sub. He is a retired band director/percussionist. This means the sub will have to be very clean and deep like a high quality bass drum. He owns Polk Audio RT-16 speakers made in 1994. Any recommendations?

He was considering Polk Audio's PSW303 or the PSW404. The 303 is only 100 watts with an 8 inch driver for $350. The 404 is 200 watts with a 10 inch driver for $450.

oris98 · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Apr 2006, 05:54 pm »

You may want to consider to bring up the budget to $600 for a used ACI Force Sub.

oris98 · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Apr 2006, 05:55 pm »

You may want to consider to bring up the budget to $600 for a used ACI Force Sub.

kfr01 · « **Reply #3 on:** 3 Apr 2006, 06:43 pm »

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-10isd.cfm

Best sub under $500, imo.

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #4 on:** 12 Apr 2006, 07:37 am »

or the Hsu STF 2 with more options regarding crossover frequencies, etc.

http://www.hsustore.com/stf2.html

I don't know of any reviews comparing the Hsus to the SVS equivalents. My guess is they're comparable value.

jonwb · « **Reply #5 on:** 12 Apr 2006, 11:30 am »

For that price range, I think your best value is this. 500Watt amp and a 12" high excursion driver in a sealed box for $536.70 (free shipping too).

cryotweaks · « **Reply #6 on:** 12 Apr 2006, 01:06 pm »

AV123 has some decent deals too. The UFW10 is a personal favorite of mine. They also have the ULW10. Fit and finish is exceptional.

Take a look

ajzepp · « **Reply #7 on:** 12 Apr 2006, 07:26 pm »

I have the SVS PB-10, as mentioned above, and I love it.

Tinkerer · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 May 2006, 10:58 am »

Quote from: jonwb

For that price range, I think your best value is this. 500Watt amp and a 12" high excursion driver in a sealed box for $536.70 (free shipping too).

Has anyone listened to this (or the bigger 15" version) ?

I'm mulling SVS products...but wonder if the sealed box design (the Partsexpress "Titanic" linked here) might sound tighter than the ported designs such as SVS.

This "Titanic" does not have specs on freq response curve or the parametric EQ mentioned by the Partsexpress page. Anybody know where they can be found?

Even a 15" such as the "Titanic" version might pale in comparison to a 12" SVS, from what I'm reading.

TIA

LadyDog · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 May 2006, 11:53 am »

I'll echo the others. SVS, HSU or Onix/Rocket(AV123). All are very good subs and exceptional values.

Have owned HSU and currently am using the Onix UFW10. As with Mike, a personal favorite.

With trying to stereotype, the HSU and SVS are probably better suited to home theater. The Onix, toward music. Don't get me wrong, all of these subs handle both extremely well, it is just the SVS and HSU seem to dig a bit deeper, where the Onix seems to be a bit more musical. All this is to "my" ears.

As far as looks, I think the Onix is the winner here. A bit smaller and comes in some beautiful veneer finishes.

I'm sure your father will be more than pleased with any of the 3.

Regards,
Jeff