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Subwoofer for under $1000-new, used, or DIY

I listen to mostly rock and classical. The sub would be for music only- no HT. I have GMA Europas, a Redgum 120 wpc int. amp and Audio Note tube CD player. I like my system very much, but it could use a little more oomph. My room is small (15x12x10). I've never had a sub before.

I have read about Hsu, ACI, SVS, Sunfire, Rel, Def. Tech., Totem, Titanic, Vandersteen, Rava, lots of DIY models, and a lot of others I can't think of at the moment. Frankly, it's all become a blur.

I am not a "bass freak", but do appreciate the low end of the musical spectrum. I won't say size is no object (smaller would be better), but of course sound quality is more important.

If you've owned or even heard any of the above subs (or any other in the price range) I would really appreciate hearing from you. Any comments or advice from my fellow 'goners (hmm..that didn't sound quite right) would be great. Thanks to all in advance.
xrayz
rackon
295 posts
 
I highly recommend the Alon (now Nola) Thunderbolt. Very fast, very musical, even nimble enough to pair with planars. They are certainly powerful enough for HT, but where they truly excell is with music.

I always thought I'd go the REL route - and I heard way more subs I *didn't* like than ones I did, including most of the suspects you listed. The TBs iintegrate very smoothly with speakers - they are almost undetectable, making the music sound like it's coming full range from your speakers - I used to switch them in and out just to be sure they were on. The TBs totally disappear, but the monitors had all the bass and punch they needed.

Carl Marchisotto has revised the TBs now, so there are a couple of the original TBs for sale here at $700-800 (they're $1695 new.)
warnerwh
537 posts
 
Of course for the money it will be hard to beat DIY. Maybe you should go to the madisound and partsexpress sites and ask them. Lots of great knowledge there. For a grand you can build a killer sub. There's some other good ones: M&K used, VMPS kits or assembled, HSU and others. These are all capable of very good articulation and power for music. I've not heard the Rel but have only read good. If you think you wouldn't mind DIY though I'd go that route. There's a diy called the sonotube: http://www.hometheatertalk.com/DIY_Projects/SonoSUb/sonosub.html
I thought this would make a killer sub only I'd use a better and more powerful amp. Also it doesn't take as much floor space as a box. Good luck on your search. Subs are wonderful if you like the power in the bottom octaves. I run a sub on top of full range speakers from 45hz as I love the power of the first octave.
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
Here's one to add to your list. It uses 10" high excursion XBL^2 driver (XBL^2 patented by Adire Audio). Here' a link Acoustic Visions MRS-10 . This little guy should fit in your room nicely and it's small enough to add a second unit without space considerations. Just something to confuse you a bit more..LOL!
bigtee
803 posts
 
The Vandersteen 2Wq. It is considered one of the best for music and usually sells for around $750 used. It is not a ported design.
It's one of the best designed subs out there. It certainly isn't a rumble box, uses a a first order passive crossover between your preamp and amp. It is connected by speaker level from the amp.
I'm pretty sure the GMA are first order designs so this sub would fit right in.
nutella
192 posts
 
These are supposed to better all but the most expensive subs.
Good Bass
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