Subwoofer blues

Jim, I had a Paradigm PS-1000 dual cavity ported bandpass sub which was room shaking for HT put was sloppy and muddy on tunes. Swapped it for a MB Quart D1200si- 12" forward firing, 150 watt amp. It is quick and tight on music (rock and blues) and most important to me was that it disappeared once it was dialed in! It does an average job on movies[(settings-50 hz xover, 1/4 to 1/3 gain)coupled w/full range fronts]-- It easily bested the Paradigm PDR10 and PDR 12 on tunes. It's a $500- $650 class sub. I highly recommend it for digital front ended audio - you asked :-) have fun

If your budget is limited, I would look into buying a used sub. Many can be bought for less than half of what you want. I know of a Velodyne servo 10 inch that is currently sitting at 222 dollars. It also sounds like you should stick with a sealed sub. because they tend to be tighter. Even though the Hsu is ported that is the best option if you want new.

vmps has *by far* the best performance value per dollar. and, as far as music-listening is concerned, two subs are essential, to preserve proper soundstaging/imaging. bonus is ya get the same spl w/half the distortion.

I have owned a few and tried a lot, from B&W, Infinity, Carver, ect. Settled on the Velodyne CT-120. Very tight, not boomie. Has a 270 watt amp with an adjustable frequency and gain control. I use it mostly for music (smooth jazz) but watch an occasional movie sounds great. Circuit City sell's them around $580.00. Good luck

Read the reviews on the REL Strata II, then find a used one for around $600 - $800