Arendal 2V vs PSA TV1812 vs PSA TV18ipal vs PSAS3612

kenshingintoki

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Hey guys. So I have a fairly small room 3.5x3.5m.. maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less.

Its currently got my beloved Arendal 1723S which I can't really ask more from. I house a BK monolith plus in the corner of the room right next to the sofa (downfiring). It does a good job of rumbling the sofa when needed on edge of tomorrow but I'd like to take the next step in bass.

My shortlist is basically:
1. Arendal subs
2. PSA subs


My main priorities are.. well basically everything.
1. Impactful hard hitting bass for films
2. Infra-sonics where possible at this price range
3. Tight and punchy for music

And I'll need it to fit into the space which my BK Monolith plus does.

I've seen the Sparechange review for the 2V and it seems glowing apart from the <10hz performance. Not sure just how important this is. I've seen many reviews of the JTR subwoofers (RS2), sadly can't get them in the UK but I've seen PSA is a comparable brand, slightly more money.

From the subwoofers available, which should I be looking at and which will outperform or outclass the Arendal 2V?

Thank you!
 
Do you have any REW graphs of your Monilith's response in that position?

If that's the only position you can have your sub and mlp, changing your sub might not change a great deal.
 
Saul makes a very good point, but moreover, almost nobody reading this thread will have heard a 2V, and absolutely nobody will have heard one in your room. Given that both Arendal and Kalibrate will let you trial a sub, why not do that and find out for yourself? I’d certainly rather do that than drop £2k+ on the advice of ‘some guy on the internet’ :)
 
If you haven't yet purchased a UMIK1 and learnt basic REW, that is first on the list before spending big on a new sub, along with a minidsp 2x4hd. The biggest difference you can make to your bass experience is proper EQ. I've got some huge ported 21s in a small room, they sound pretty bad without EQ but after sound amazing!
 
Tiny room so you don't need to go stupid on subs..in fact for that room size just get another monolith plus.

No need to get 18" let alone duals...
 
Tiny room so you don't need to go stupid on subs..in fact for that room size just get another monolith plus.

No need to get 18" let alone duals...

Haha thank you.
I have a monolith plus and not satisfied so looking to upgrade. I feel like the subwoofer is sloppy compared to the Arendals.. something just doesn't fit right. I'm also fairly interested in going lower bass wise.
 
Do you have any REW graphs of your Monilith's response in that position?

If that's the only position you can have your sub and mlp, changing your sub might not change a great deal.
If you haven't yet purchased a UMIK1 and learnt basic REW, that is first on the list before spending big on a new sub, along with a minidsp 2x4hd. The biggest difference you can make to your bass experience is proper EQ. I've got some huge ported 21s in a small room, they sound pretty bad without EQ but after sound amazing!


Thank you guys. No, I haven't. What do I need to buy? Shall I get a minidsp 2x4HD + a UMIK1 first and try to get some REW graphics of my monlith plus in action?

I'm very inexperienced with subs as you can tell. I've been a buy it and plonk it there type of person
 
Tiny room so you don't need to go stupid on subs..in fact for that room size just get another monolith plus.

No need to get 18" let alone duals...
Bigger subs are more fun, can play with lower distortion than smaller subs for the same spl, and also look mean. Again and again you say the same things about 'enough' but one mans enough is another mans quiet.
 
Thank you guys. No, I haven't. What do I need to buy? Shall I get a minidsp 2x4HD + a UMIK1 first and try to get some REW graphics of my monlith plus in action?

I'm very inexperienced with subs as you can tell. I've been a buy it and plonk it there type of person
That seems like the way foward to me. No point plopping another sub in the place of your monolith if the response is no good. Best case scenario, you can get flat response with your monolith in the position its in, then its just a question of what sub to fill its place!
 
That seems like the way foward to me. No point plopping another sub in the place of your monolith if the response is no good. Best case scenario, you can get flat response with your monolith in the position its in, then its just a question of what sub to fill its place!


Thanks. Ricky has sold out of them so I guess I'll have to buy from EU.

This is what I need right? + the microphone for £300 or so?

Would it in anyway help improve the monolith plus?
I never quite understand how these DSPs work.
 
Thanks. Ricky has sold out of them so I guess I'll have to buy from EU.

This is what I need right? + the microphone for £300 or so?

Would it in anyway help improve the monolith plus?
I never quite understand how these DSPs work.
The best sounding subwoofer systems have some sort of EQ in place. Basically DSP's allow you to shape the potentially peaky response of the subwoofer at the listening postion and also integrate the sub/s with the mains. What receiver are you currently running?

DSP will very likely improve the sound of the monolith at the MLP, but not increase its capabilities.
 
The best sounding subwoofer systems have some sort of EQ in place. Basically DSP's allow you to shape the potentially peaky response of the subwoofer at the listening postion and also integrate the sub/s with the mains. What receiver are you currently running?

DSP will very likely improve the sound of the monolith at the MLP, but not increase its capabilities.
I just have a standard denonx3300 or 3400 at present.

great, and it seems like a decent purchase to make if I want to upgrade subwoofer, play with Bass EQ and if i ever wanted to do a hover boss.. so basically its a good all round purchase for a HT.
 
I just have a standard denonx3300 or 3400 at present.

great, and it seems like a decent purchase to make if I want to upgrade subwoofer, play with Bass EQ and if i ever wanted to do a hover boss.. so basically its a good all round purchase for a HT.
An essential purchase to take your system to the next level!
 
Bigger subs are more fun, can play with lower distortion than smaller subs for the same spl, and also look mean. Again and again you say the same things about 'enough' but one mans enough is another mans quiet.

Trust me I've gone your route, big ported sub in a small room....didn't work well, sealed worked better...

You honestly think need anything more than a good high end £2000 15" or 18" sealed box in a cupboard sized room?
 
Trust me I've gone your route, big ported sub in a small room....didn't work well, sealed worked better...

You honestly think need anything more than a good high end £2000 15" or 18" sealed box in a cupboard sized room?
Trust me, I've got 2 huge ported subs in a small room and they work tremendously well. Again 'need' is entirely dependant on the user and not a helpful term. If you can back this up with some response graphs, THD and max spl capabilites then its a different conversation. I 'want' to be able to hit 125db at the MLP, a single 15" or 18" sealed sub wouldn't get me there, so no that wouldnt be enough for me.
 
You run yours subs 300db hot...so not really the norm..
 
You run yours subs 300db hot...so not really the norm..

Also I need the upgradability aspect, as I'll be moving in the next 6 months, where the room size will likely be bigger.

So I'd rather buy a subwoofer with some headroom to that when there is an upgrade in room size, I don't need to re-invest in a new subwoofer.

Whether I go sealed or not, I'm not sure though. Honestly the subwoofer choice in my mind has got way too complicated lol.. as many helpful users have given me advice on which way would be best to go.

I think the advice to get some mini DSP and understand the subwoofer's performance is probably best as I'll have to do this at some point.
 
An essential purchase to take your system to the next level!


Thank you.

Also might be a stupid question but as far as I know my monolith plus only goes down to 20hz. So would BEQ files actually be detrimental to the subwoofer's performance as I see a lot of content as filtered content which digs really deep (10hz range).
 
Saul makes a very good point, but moreover, almost nobody reading this thread will have heard a 2V, and absolutely nobody will have heard one in your room. Given that both Arendal and Kalibrate will let you trial a sub, why not do that and find out for yourself? I’d certainly rather do that than drop £2k+ on the advice of ‘some guy on the internet’ :)


This is an amazing point which I think I should follow too.

Arendal have a 60 day trial period for £150. I'll Ricky what his is and aim to see which I prefer. I'll wait until both are readily available. Probably edge towards the Arendal as the return period is a bit longer with them.

So the plan is.. buy a mini dsp + mic, understand the subwoofer and how to calibrated and play with BEQ
Then when Arendal drop their new subwoofers, buy it and see how it is. If my REW graph sucks, then buy one of the PSA subs.
 
Again define normal. Everyone has different desires when it comes to bass.

Yours isn't normal, two 21" subs in a 3m X 3m room.and you said running 12db hot...

It's like buying a 10,000hp drag car and just using it for the shop run at 20mph...
 
Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better.


Thanks Dodge. Talking to arendal, they did allude to this; stating that a customer of theirs came from a PSA sub but said that Arendal had better dynamics etc.
 
Yours isn't normal, two 21" subs in a 3m X 3m room.and you said running 12db hot...

It's like buying a 10,000hp drag car and just using it for the shop run at 20mph...
Don’t get your point? My subs often get pushed hard almost to the limits? Not sure why you seem intent on pushing this idea that one 13” sub is enough for your room on others. A smart car is suitable for my commute to work, a rolls Royce is better.
 
Thank you.

Also might be a stupid question but as far as I know my monolith plus only goes down to 20hz. So would BEQ files actually be detrimental to the subwoofer's performance as I see a lot of content as filtered content which digs really deep (10hz range).

dont forget you have room gain...i can understand wanting headroom, and also considrring may be in a larget room later
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