Any audiophiles here?

So after throwing in a concert DVD in my PS3 to turn up while I cleaned the house I noticed a hollow sound from my surround system. I stood near my front speakers and I noticed that I have no working subwoofer, which explains why some pearl jam sounded hollow.

Is anybody here familiar with subwoofers. I am hoping to spend < $500 for a new subwoofer but I have no idea where to start and I don't want to get hosed. I am not an audio expert so I probably won't appreciate the difference between a $2,000+ speaker and a $300-$500 speaker. I am looking for something with a nice rich deep bass at a somewhat reasonable price. If anybody could point me in some directions (good forums, or review sites) I'd appreciate it.

I'm no audiophile but best bang for your buck would be to build your own. If that's out of the question, you should check out some of the entry level models from hsu research. I believe, but I'm not 100% sure, that HSU also built this OEM sub for Parts Express.

These absolutely ROCK!


http://cgi.ebay.com/BIC-ACOUSTECH-H...87?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item19c367dbc3

DirtyPolock said:

So after throwing in a concert DVD in my PS3 to turn up while I cleaned the house I noticed a hollow sound from my surround system. I stood near my front speakers and I noticed that I have no working subwoofer, which explains why some pearl jam sounded hollow.

Is anybody here familiar with subwoofers. I am hoping to spend < $500 for a new subwoofer but I have no idea where to start and I don't want to get hosed. I am not an audio expert so I probably won't appreciate the difference between a $2,000+ speaker and a $300-$500 speaker. I am looking for something with a nice rich deep bass at a somewhat reasonable price. If anybody could point me in some directions (good forums, or review sites) I'd appreciate it.

Click to expand...

I've repaired my twice. There's an electrolytic capacitor on the control board that keeps blowing. It's right next to a linear regulator, and I think it gets too hot or, more likely, the cap was not spec'ed properly. Last time I replaced it, I 1) made sure it was as far as possible away from the regulator, and 2) increased the voltage rating on the cap. No problem now for several years.

If you don't know what an electrolytic cap looks like, google image. Open your sub and look for one of those that has split open and goo'ed. Or, just look for a big black spot

FYI, electrolytic capacitor voltage ratings give you about 2000 hours. If you want a lot more, you need to double the voltage. Not true (I don't think) for ceramic, tantalum, and other materials.

sensibull said:

I'm no audiophile but best bang for your buck would be to build your own. If that's out of the question, you should check out some of the entry level models from hsu research. I believe, but I'm not 100% sure, that HSU also built this OEM sub for Parts Express.

Click to expand...

+1

I consider myself a cheap-ass audiophile. I don't have tube amps and such, but I always do my research and buy the best equipment I can within my budget.

I have built my own speaker boxes and crossovers since high-school. You can't beat the price and satisfaction of getting a great sounding system from your own hands.

I built a subwoofer ~2 years ago with a Titanic 12" sub from Parts Express. The results are outstanding. Great tight bass that can make your chest shake. I've attached a picture below of the sub box during glue-up. I have other pics if there is any interest. This project is definitely in your sub $500 price range and sounds like a subwoofer of twice the price.

Speaker building can become an obsession, just like brewing beer. There are lots of web sites out there on the topic. Search "DIY speaker". Fortunately, others have done most of the work for you and you just need to follow their plans.

I built my own with a 240w Parts Express Amp and a Dayton Titanic MKIII 15" and with about a fifth of the power it can handle, its a monster.




I have a 12" Shiva (original) that would be great for a smaller enclosure (1-2 cuft sealed). Shoot me a message if you want it, its been sitting for awhile so I'd take $65 shipped.

Here are some pretty bass-y speaker I made too last year. All with parts express's Dayton drivers. They still need to be finished and rounded off with the router but I love 'em.

I know a bit about audio. you mentioned you have no working subwoofer. is your existing subwoofer not workiing, or you have no sub? it wasn't really clear in your post. a lot depends on your system , but I'd recommend a sub from polk dsw series. check out polk audio's website (club polk) and inquire there in the sub section, I've been a member there for a few years, lots of good info.

In my theater room I am currently running a Wharfedale 15" 1200w sub with Mirage omni 250's in front, and omnisat fs v2's in back. I'd say buy the best you can afford, the sub will make or break the entire system. I would probably go Mirage on my sub if I had to buy a new one but I got the Wharfedale for a steal so it was a no brainer. Something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mirage-Omni-S10...Subwoofers&hash=item563c0d19ca#ht_2396wt_1141

would sound great for starters.

What kind of speakers make up the rest of the system? That will help in matching up a good sub.

You can build one of these real cheap.

niceyearjiejie said:

So nice,thanks.

Click to expand...

I have been into audio for a long time and I owned the entire 5.1 acoustech line for a while for the money they are really nice I cannot say enough about the sound quality of the sub. The sides, center, and surround are basically knock-offs of the old Klipsche horns and they sound amazing at their price range though a little bright (to be expected).