[rajacat]

The servos will go lower than most sealed subs... sandbox or not. They also should have better control of the cone therefore be better at conveying nuance. My main problem with the OB subs is that they need to placed out in the room a ways therefore hard to hide and take up living space. The placement of sealed subs is less critical.

[Rclark]

Oh I care not a whit. SAF can go take a hike, the idea that some woman is going to throw a fit because of my speakers makes me cringe. Been there, done that. From now on I wear the pants, and if I end up getting married it will be with a girl who likes audio or hit the road. Plenty of fish in the sea.

[Rclark]

Rajacat, I do believe you are local. Can I come listen to your OB subs?

[Audiophile58]

The SVS Ultra is a great sub sold direct for$1,600 or two for less with a 45 day money back
And they pay freight both ways if not satisfied.  The guarantee a 5 year transferable warranty

I know of no other company offering this much to back up their products. If you can afford it it is a great sub
Two would punch you in the chest ,and ruffle your pant leg. And several Excellent awards.

[Audiophile58]

If you want accuracy a Sealed sub , ported if you want max SPL  but will never be as good as the same model
In a sealed subwoofer.  I know HSU subs well . The SVS Ultra will destroy it . Not even a debate
And it can Thunder gor home theatre the 1,000 watt Bash amp is powerfull buy two
You will Never feel the need to change them.  Buy a good powercord
Signal cable has a excellent AWG cable for under $100 .

For music a more expensive powercord  but gor bass plenty good.i have spent almost 40 years listening
To most everything and owned a Hifi store . It is your money. Rhythmic subs their top of the line a Servo
Is very good  Veodyne DD  Top of the line are $3k each  the SVS is the best buy in the industry for the money
Sold factory direct,it would be over $3k if sold by a dealer. 
JL Audio is probably the most well known in car audio as well as home audio their dual 13  Is  A monster
And very  $$ around $8k  and over 210 lbs.   And  Revel now makes a reference 18 inch sealed 160 lbs

[Audiophile58]

I was speaking of higher priced units Yhat being said they offer you a 6 month trade Up policy
And their SVS 2,000 sealed or ported for precision is the go to. Drivers are better and amps
  SVS is the only one with a 45 days audition ,and 5 year transferable warranty  thst is good
Even if you sell it . I did plenty of research No other company will give you this kind of warranty
Even on their lowest price model,and excellent customer service.

[Rclark]

I appreciate the advice there, but Im far and away a sound quality guy, and wouldnt have much use for a $3000 standalone monster sub. I just want to blend into my stereo and get flat low bass with some punch, not overwhelm my mains.

[Tyson]

Avoid SVS, HSU, and all the other "HT Subs" out there.  I've owned them all and they are not good subs for music systems.  Rythmik servo is the way to go.

[jparkhur]

Avoid SVS, HSU, and all the other "HT Subs" out there.  I've owned them all and they are not good subs for music systems.  Rythmik servo is the way to go.

As much as I hate all the fan boy stuff, Tyson is correct in his statement.   Built a ton of them and they don't go in the market. Great control from the amp and lots of options in xo.  You can't go wrong. 

[Rclark]

Yeah, and 3 sealed 12's with 300 watts per is still going to deliver quite a wallop if you want to push spl's. Over 115 easily.

I'm gonna do the Rythmiks, but I have some time to decide the configuration. 

[rajacat]

Yeah, and 3 sealed 12's with 300 watts per is still going to deliver quite a wallop if you want to push spl's. Over 115 easily.

I'm gonna do the Rythmiks, but I have some time to decide the configuration.

IMO good decision. 
I can't speak from experience since I don't have the Rythmiks but from what I've read they seem to be the best for a system that values musicality over  home theater oriented max SPL. I also like that OB bass supposively  doesn't load the room and penetrate the walls like regular subs. Presently, my rig is gravitating towards a swarm like setup because I already have 3 subs. One more and I'll be set. Perhaps in the future I'll switch to Rythmiks when the cash is available.

[Rclark]

That's the plan. Next month buy a Crown XLS to tide me over for a few while until new Ncores (won't be long, and I needed a spare, powerful amp like an XLS for my second system), and... probably get three sandboxes built. I don't think I'll do OB just yet. I prefer a bit of versatility and I doubt a servo sub in a sealed box will sound bad.


I also have plans for my Mercedes. Putting my 2 Adire Brahma 15's in my trunk in an Infinite Baffle configuration,  which should be awesome, and upgrading the 3 way Harmon Kardon system up front with top of the line JL class D amps.

[mcgsxr]

I should think that a pair of 15's in the trunk will indeed do just fine.  One of my earliest exposures to car bass involved an early 80's VW Golf, and a pair of Orion 15's...

Most people just talking about the boom factor, but the fullness, depth and hair raising was a life changer.  Good fun if you have the room for it.

[Rclark]

Oooh, the Orions. Those were legendary. Yeah Im just gonna have a sealed wall put in, subs facing forward, venting into the rear deck. Cross the midbass driver in the door a bit higher so it isn't trying for subbass anymore, and put some sweet new amps in. Should be quite a system with just those. E Class doesn't require much system building, already pretty good.

[JLM]

Take care with infinite baffle installations that back pressure from slamming doors or trunk lids don't blow out the drivers.

[Rclark]

Take care with infinite baffle installations that back pressure from slamming doors or trunk lids don't blow out the drivers.

Holy crap! Thanks for that tip, these drivers are kind of rare now too so I want to take good care of them. They're reconed 12's *12 and 15 used the same motor, converted into 15's by Adire, that have never been powered up.



I alsor found sweet drop in replacement for my '08 Command unit that brings 2015 Bluetooth spec, touchscreen, and more features. Drops right in.

[ctviggen]

Avoid SVS, HSU, and all the other "HT Subs" out there.  I've owned them all and they are not good subs for music systems.  Rythmik servo is the way to go.

Those look interesting.  I like the feedback design.  Did you build your box or did someone else build it?

[gregfisk]

Better than a trio of sealed sandboxes? This is a stupid question Im sure but what are OB subs like if you get up and walk around your home?

The Maggies still sound very good off axis (I know that sounds weird) when I go off into other rooms. Reflections I'm sure. And SPL doesnt drop off much. My diffusers probably help even that out.
Subs will be different though, no?

I've never had bass that came anywhere close to my Super V's ever. I have a huge room with a flat roof 17' high. Everything else I tried couldn't fill the room. Two duel or triple stack open baffle GR Research subs and you will never look back.

[Tyson]

Those look interesting.  I like the feedback design.  Did you build your box or did someone else build it?

I'm running a pair of Serenity Acoustic Super 7's, which use the dual Servo 12's as their bass section.  I've heard a lot of great setups, but nothing really matches the servo OB bass of the dual 12's.  Next best I've heard is a set of 5 sealed servo subs in a swarm configuration.  That was really good bass too, but takes up a lot of real estate.  I still give the nod to OB servo's for a more natural and detailed sound, though.

[Rclark]

Damn. Ok what do I want for OB, the 12's? 8's are just a quirky choice right?