[chgolatin2]

Overall my bass is real good in my VSA VR2 speakers I am looking to add a tad bit more to fill up my room and blend in the overall tonality.  Was looking into the HSU line of subs, also, SVS Sound and a few other inexpensive alternatives.  My budget is at around $500 to 1k.  Also, I want ot inquire about adding 2 subs instead of 1 I've heard some reviews state that 2 subs are better than 1 but to be honest I never heard to 2 subs playing next to each speaker.  Not looking to shake my house down with bass but to add a tad bit of a solid, tight bass note.

Was considering upgrading my speakers to the VR4 Jr's but my budget at this time does not allow me the opportunity.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

[Bob Reynolds]

Besides deciding on the number of subs there is also the decision on how to connect the sub into your system -- run the main speakers full range or not.

This article may be of interest: http://www.mkprofessional.com/bass_mgmt.htm

I think the Hsu Research subs are quite good. Hsu also provide the electronics to properly integrate the sub into your system if you decide not to run the main speakers full range.

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/high-end-crossover.html

[IronLion]

I honestly have no experience using subs but from what I've read, the one sub I would really want in the future is a Zu Mini Method.  I hope to get a pair of Tone monitors soon and the Mini Method would be an eventual addition to that setup.  Currently Zu has a special selling them for $1000 right now, at the top of your price range but they could be what you're looking for. 

[zapper7]

At this year's CES, the HSU subs were great . They had a theater and musical presentation, and all the info on set-up and intergration. The best for a lower budget application.
If you have room and a bit of building knowledge, there is always the infinite baffle option, will go much deeper with much ease than any box.
Good Luck!

[TomS]

I have two ACI Titan II's, which are sealed subs.  For music they integrate well and are fast enough to keep up with most main speakers.  Reasonably priced and great support as well from ACI.  I prefer them to the SVS CS Ultra I also have, at least for dual use with home theater and hifi.  The SVS probably has more whallop for just HT.  Tom

[rollo]

The HSU is for you. Great product and within budget. You will not be disappointed.

rollo

[gooberdude]

Adding a pair of stereo subs would certainly help to kill the upgrde bug in you for new speakers...maybe all your current speaks need need is to cover the last few octaves?

i've been toying with subs lately and for me, stereo is the way to go if space and budget allow.

The Hsu subs are good for the $.  i tried out the VTF-2 and the smallest stf-1...wish i had the VTF-2 back!!


How come OB subs are not as popular as boxed designs?   i'm familiar with the offerings of Hawthorne Audio, but have never heard OB subs.  Interesting to hear that they go deeper....

[opnly bafld]

How come OB subs are not as popular as boxed designs?   i'm familiar with the offerings of Hawthorne Audio, but have never heard OB subs.  Interesting to hear that they go deeper....

IB subs can go deeper, but you have to cut some holes in your house.
Driver fires into listening room and uses another room, attic, basement, etc as the enclosure.

OB subs fire both the front and back waves into the same room and therefore are much more challenging to get the desired results due to cancellation.

Lin

[gooberdude]

ahhhhh, thank you for that.    IB vs OB

[Tweaker]

Get a HSU! I did an insane amount of research before buying a sub and ended up with a VTF-2 MK 3. It normally augments the bass of a pair of VMPS RM2's but right now I'm using it with a pair of Von Schweikert VR 1 monitors. It has no trouble keeping up with either. Hard to believe how good it is for the money. I also have a Behringer DEQ2496 which makes integrating the beast with my speakers a piece of cake.

[warnerwh]

For that much money you can build an outstanding sub yourself. If you can build a box I can design it for you or you can design it yourself. If you want help the DIY forum at HTguide has the most diyers and outstanding help. I built a pair of sealed subs after doing a ton of research that keep up with my VMPS RM 40's very well.

I had been using a single Vmps sub which worked well with my RM 40's but wanted a pair of subs and had been wanting to try a diy project for a few years. Subs are easy to do, at least sealed subs are for music. Sealed btw will more than likely have the best transient response too. I've not heard your speakers but having excellent transients are a necessity with fast planars or stats.

If you don't want to build a sub I like the M&K subs. The ones I've heard sound excellent. I know Marty De Wulf of Bound for Sound uses or did use one for a long time with his VMPS RM 40's. Prices for the quality on Audiogon are excellent.

If you want to do a diy sub and spend less than 700 as well as end up with a sub that plays music about as good as it's going to get PM me and I'll help you if you like. I've only built 3 subs, two sealed and a monster HT sub for a friend but for what you want I know it well enough to be confident in any recommendation I make as I spent alot of time on different diy forums before coming to a solid conclusion. Btw my solid conclusion was what I had been told by every site I visited and numerous extremely knowledgeable people.

[mcgsxr]

DIY is not for everyone - the time might be hard to come by, your tools might be lacking, your skills might not be up for the task etc - BUT, I have found the ROI on DIY subs to be untouchable.  I have built 7-8 systems - some sealed, some ported, some OB.

I know that 300w amps can be found for roughly $150, and 12-15 inch drivers for around $65-100 more, so a good sub can easily be built for $300...

I have heard good things about AV123.com's XLS subs, that are very affordable, if you are looking for a commercially available product.

[drphoto]

Hey DIY guys do either if you know if the Dayton Titanic kits from PartsExpress are worth buying?

[Daygloworange]

I built myself a PR sub from GR Research. It performs very well. The box is quite simple for the DIY'er. All you do is hook up the amp. You don't even need to do any soldering. Piece of cake.

http://www.gr-research.com/drivers/sub_pr.shtm

Cheers

[rajacat]

How about the ACI Force? It is a quality 10" sealed sub @  $750.  I have the 12" Titan that I like a lot which is a little over a thousand.

Raj

[konut]

If you can wait awhile AV123 is set to introduce a few new sub products. The bang to buck ratio, as well as the veneer quality, is off the charts. You could visit the forum over there to see whats what. Also, when the new designs are released there will probably be more than a few of their older designs sold used by people upgrading. I own the UFW-12 with RDES and couldn't be happier with it. New, its just above your target price. Used ones, and B stock, show up there occasionally. I've found that with the RDES equalizer it makes integration with the mains virtually seemless.

[rajacat]

If you can get a couple of the AV123 10" subs from B stock you would have twin quality new subs for well under a grand.

Raj

[drphoto]

Anyone here have experience w/ the Marchand XM9 active crossover? Sure seems like a good idea to high pass the main speakers if the
crossover doesn't introduce any unwanted artifacts.

[Bob Reynolds]

Anyone here have experience w/ the Marchand XM9 active crossover? Sure seems like a good idea to high pass the main speakers if the
crossover doesn't introduce any unwanted artifacts.

I agree with the notion of high passing the main speakers. Both of my systems utilize M&K bass management controllers.

Besides the Marchand, you might consider this model from Hsu Research:

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/high-end-crossover.html

Since the distortion of the woofer increases rapidly (5% - 15%) as either the volume increases or the frequency decreases, the benefit of using an active xover far outweighs the < 1% distortion it may introduce.