Subwoofer Upgrade Question with "Walls Shaking" Fix.

ark216

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Hello Everyone,
I have been wanting to upgrade my subwoofer but things are a but complicated as the country I live in has very limited options and that too at extremely high prices due to high import duty and lack of competition. To give you guys a general idea I will list down approximate prices of a few products from different suppliers in dollars.

1- SVS PB 2000 PRO ($ 1900).
2- SVS PB 1000 ($ 850).
3- Klipsch SPL 120 ($ 917).
4- Klipsch SPL 150 ($ 1474).
5- Polk HTS 12 ($ 1179).
6- Polk DSW PRO 660 ($ 1343).
Other options include KEF, REL, Monitor Audio but I am not aware of their prices.

I personally own a Yamaha RX- V685 AVR which is paired with Polk Audio Tsx 330T(Fronts), 150 C (Centre) and 220B Surrounds, 2 Harmon/Kardon HTKS speakers for Back Surrounds and a Polk Audio PSW 125 Subwoofer
(12-inch 150 watts RMS), essentially a 7.1 system. My theater area is setup in the 2/3rd portion of my basement which has the dimensions of 23 ft (L) by 19 ft (W) and 9 ft (H), just like a rectangle but laying on it's side. My couch is placed roughly about 11-12 feet away from my Samsung 65" LEDTV/Projector Screen (135" 1.1 Gain Matt White Motorized Screen). The Polk Sub is placed roughly 3-4 feet away from my main listening position
and that too in the center (i did the subwoofer crawl but was not able to deduce a desirable spot so chose to place in the center).I also did the Yamaha YPAO Room Correction but quite frankly it is horrible and dials everything
extremely low so I keep the speaker volumes at my main desirable levels ( LCR at a full + 10).My room is NOT acoustically treated as of now, but I have gathered the raw materials for it to build the panels sometime in the upcoming months.
The bass is weak, underwhelming, bloated/boomy at times, not deep and clean and certainly does not pressurize my room. My 2nd major concern is to solve "wall shaking", even with this existing Polk sub my family members living above experience the "wall-shaking" in their rooms above and ask me to turn down the volume which pisses me off! Now if I upgrade to a better sub I fear the "wall shaking" will be more pronounced. So I have to kill two birds with one stone i.e. get a good sub in my budget and minimize/reduce wall-shaking/rumbling. The SVS PB 2000 is simply out of my league, Polk DSW Pro 660 and Klipsch SPL 150 also are "difficult" targets to achieve but "might" consider them in the near future if I can gather funds for them. So basically i am left with other options mentioned in the list above that can be considered.
What if I get one the subs (e.g. Klipsch SPL-120 or Polk HTS 12 or SVS PB1000 (if it's still available) and pair it with my existing Polk sub making it a dual-sub configuration?

Any help/guidance/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi

I had an issue with objects rattling in my room with my subwoofer so I bought some of the SVS Soundpath Isolation Feet and they reduced the rattling by 90%+, made a huge difference. They cost around £65 in the UK so I’m not sure how much they would cost for you to import. They have various screw settings to accommodate whatever brand of subwoofer you have.

Re. subs, the PB1000 is extremely capable - have a look at BK also as they produce some great subwoofers for less money than some of the other ones you’ve listed as long as you don’t go too far up the range (the XXLS400 is a really good starting point). The used ones on eBay from their outlet store look basically perfect but again you’d have to factor in shipping costs I guess.

Finally I would recommend staying with the same model if you’re thinking of going with dual subwoofers.

All the best with it.
 
Hi

I had an issue with objects rattling in my room with my subwoofer so I bought some of the SVS Soundpath Isolation Feet and they reduced the rattling by 90%+, made a huge difference. They cost around £65 in the UK so I’m not sure how much they would cost for you to import. They have various screw settings to accommodate whatever brand of subwoofer you have.

Re. subs, the PB1000 is extremely capable - have a look at BK also as they produce some great subwoofers for less money than some of the other ones you’ve listed as long as you don’t go too far up the range (the XXLS400 is a really good starting point). The used ones on eBay from their outlet store look basically perfect but again you’d have to factor in shipping costs I guess.

Finally I would recommend staying with the same model if you’re thinking of going with dual subwoofers.

All the best with it.
The SVS sound isolation path would cost me a lot so that is out of league for now. If there are some other budget friendly options or DIY do let me know.
SVS PB-1000 seems good on paper but don't you think it would be too small for my room?
 
Ah yes sorry that is a big room. How about a BK Monolith or Monolith Plus?
 
Hello Everyone,
I have been wanting to upgrade my subwoofer but things are a but complicated as the country I live in has very limited options and that too at extremely high prices due to high import duty and lack of competition. To give you guys a general idea I will list down approximate prices of a few products from different suppliers in dollars.

1- SVS PB 2000 PRO ($ 1900).
2- SVS PB 1000 ($ 850).
3- Klipsch SPL 120 ($ 917).
4- Klipsch SPL 150 ($ 1474).
5- Polk HTS 12 ($ 1179).
6- Polk DSW PRO 660 ($ 1343).
Other options include KEF, REL, Monitor Audio but I am not aware of their prices.

I personally own a Yamaha RX- V685 AVR which is paired with Polk Audio Tsx 330T(Fronts), 150 C (Centre) and 220B Surrounds, 2 Harmon/Kardon HTKS speakers for Back Surrounds and a Polk Audio PSW 125 Subwoofer
(12-inch 150 watts RMS), essentially a 7.1 system. My theater area is setup in the 2/3rd portion of my basement which has the dimensions of 23 ft (L) by 19 ft (W) and 9 ft (H), just like a rectangle but laying on it's side. My couch is placed roughly about 11-12 feet away from my Samsung 65" LEDTV/Projector Screen (135" 1.1 Gain Matt White Motorized Screen). The Polk Sub is placed roughly 3-4 feet away from my main listening position
and that too in the center (i did the subwoofer crawl but was not able to deduce a desirable spot so chose to place in the center).I also did the Yamaha YPAO Room Correction but quite frankly it is horrible and dials everything
extremely low so I keep the speaker volumes at my main desirable levels ( LCR at a full + 10).My room is NOT acoustically treated as of now, but I have gathered the raw materials for it to build the panels sometime in the upcoming months.
The bass is weak, underwhelming, bloated/boomy at times, not deep and clean and certainly does not pressurize my room. My 2nd major concern is to solve "wall shaking", even with this existing Polk sub my family members living above experience the "wall-shaking" in their rooms above and ask me to turn down the volume which pisses me off! Now if I upgrade to a better sub I fear the "wall shaking" will be more pronounced. So I have to kill two birds with one stone i.e. get a good sub in my budget and minimize/reduce wall-shaking/rumbling. The SVS PB 2000 is simply out of my league, Polk DSW Pro 660 and Klipsch SPL 150 also are "difficult" targets to achieve but "might" consider them in the near future if I can gather funds for them. So basically i am left with other options mentioned in the list above that can be considered.
What if I get one the subs (e.g. Klipsch SPL-120 or Polk HTS 12 or SVS PB1000 (if it's still available) and pair it with my existing Polk sub making it a dual-sub configuration?

Any help/guidance/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Sounds like you need a combination of sound proofing, room treatment and EQ to solve the issue of "wall shaking" outside the theatre room AND addressing the "bloated/boomy" sound.

To address the "weak bass, lack of depth and pressurisation" you need a beefier sub or two. More depth and pressurisation will however increase the wall shaking, with appropriate soundproofing you could lessen the effect.

Alternative to SVS sound path are washing machine feet, not as good but close enough, cheap cost effective way to decoupling the sub.
 
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Sounds like you need a combination of sound proofing, room treatment and EQ to solve the issue of "wall shaking" outside the theatre room AND addressing the "bloated/boomy" sound.

To address the "weak bass, lack of depth and pressurisation" you need a beefier sub or two.
Sound proofing is not an option because that can only happen when your house is in a "construction" phase (room within a room and the gaps stuffed with insulation). Room treatment with acoustic panels will happen sometime soon as I have gathered the materials to make acoustic panels but NOT bass traps.
I am fully aware that my subwoofer is lacking (actually it's a hit and a miss not a miss all the time) and i.e. why i am planning to buy a more powerful second sub because I don't think the Polk Audio PSW 125 I own is good for large rooms anyway as it's output isn't that great plus it doesn't go that deep (please see the specs on the web). Which is probably why a secondary same sub won't make a huge difference (would it)?
I read dual sub configuration is for better "bass response across the room" and it does not "double the bass or output" in your room.
So with the given options above please suggest which sub should I be going for?
 
Sound proofing is not an option because that can only happen when your house is in a "construction" phase (room within a room and the gaps stuffed with insulation). Room treatment with acoustic panels will happen sometime soon as I have gathered the materials to make acoustic panels but NOT bass traps.
I am fully aware that my subwoofer is lacking (actually it's a hit and a miss not a miss all the time) and i.e. why i am planning to buy a more powerful second sub because I don't think the Polk Audio PSW 125 I own is good for large rooms anyway as it's output isn't that great plus it doesn't go that deep (please see the specs on the web). Which is probably why a secondary same sub won't make a huge difference (would it)?
I read dual sub configuration is for better "bass response across the room" and it does not "double the bass or output" in your room.
So with the given options above please suggest which sub should I be going for?

One of the reasons why you're getting wall shaking is due to standing waves which can in some rooms result in peaks/nulls of 20db+ than the base/reference level. If building a room within a room is prohibitive at this stage the only option is to try and lower any peaks/nulls using a combination of EQ and if budget allows, multiple subs. Whilst a second sub won't double the bass output, it can add 3-6db, lower distortion, help flatten response and provide better seat to seat consistency. In other words, a better overall experience.

I cant say which sub to buy as other than the SVS I'm not familiar with the others, the point is however that without addressing what I've mentioned in the previous post, almost all your issues will remain regardless of what sub you buy.
 
@ark216 as for the subwoofer eq device you could consider DSpeaker Antimode 8033 Cinema if they ship one for you from India, Mumbai. That is closest country to Pakistan/Karachi. You would need to ask does it come with right kind of plug for your wall socket. It`s kind of plug&play device so easy to run (when you are alone as it´s very noisy). Then you could consider something like SVS PB1000 Pro which offers great bang for buck and comes close to PB2000 (old) without breaking bank! It can also be ran as sealed if the rumble is too much. You will set it with the phone app (ported/sealed) etc.

Something has gone wrong with the YPAO run if you have done so extreme changes. You need tripod/boom arm mic stand for the YPAO mic to get it at seated ear height in the "money seat" (room 100% silent when you run it) and you can do 3mic positions in fairly tight area (30-60cm) and you also need to change some things manually afterwards (speaker size and speaker crossovers). As for your Polk sub you should have: volume knob at 12clock position, phase switch at 0, low pass knob at LFE, connected to R/LFE In.




India
Lakozy Impex And Services
Showroom No:3, 21 Lakozy Mansion
Chowpaty Seaface, Mumbai 40007 India
Tel: +91 022 23697001 / 02
Fax: +91 022 23698001
 
Ah yes sorry that is a big room. How about a BK Monolith or Monolith Plus?
Don't know if they sell Monolith in my city/country will have to check. But then again isn't Monolith an expensive brand?
@ark216 as for the subwoofer eq device you could consider DSpeaker Antimode 8033 Cinema if they ship one for you from India, Mumbai. That is closest country to Pakistan/Karachi. You would need to ask does it come with right kind of plug for your wall socket. It`s kind of plug&play device so easy to run (when you are alone as it´s very noisy). Then you could consider something like SVS PB1000 Pro which offers great bang for buck and comes close to PB2000 (old) without breaking bank! It can also be ran as sealed if the rumble is too much. You will set it with the phone app (ported/sealed) etc.

Something has gone wrong with the YPAO run if you have done so extreme changes. You need tripod/boom arm mic stand for the YPAO mic to get it at seated ear height in the "money seat" (room 100% silent when you run it) and you can do 3mic positions in fairly tight area (30-60cm) and you also need to change some things manually afterwards (speaker size and speaker crossovers). As for your Polk sub you should have: volume knob at 12clock position, phase switch at 0, low pass knob at LFE, connected to R/LFE In.




India
Lakozy Impex And Services
Showroom No:3, 21 Lakozy Mansion
Chowpaty Seaface, Mumbai 40007 India
Tel: +91 022 23697001 / 02
Fax: +91 022 23698001
I look into the Subwoofer Eq device at a later stage. As for the placement of YPAO mic I placed the mic "squarely" at the "headrest" of my sofa/couch at the main listening position.
 
Don't know if they sell Monolith in my city/country will have to check. But then again isn't Monolith an expensive brand?

I look into the Subwoofer Eq device at a later stage. As for the placement of YPAO mic I placed the mic "squarely" at the "headrest" of my sofa/couch at the main listening position.

Well it should "see" all speakers from there if it´s pointing up and you went away while it run with room also totally silent as it´s very sensitive. If your couch is against rear wall then it`s not ideal. Also you can only do 3 mic positions if you lay it on the headrest as i think it allows for 6-8 for full calibration so the mic stand/tripod would be ideal.

I think Grazza meant BK Electronics Monolith which is available in UK, sadly he thought you live here. Stick with SVS if possible. You get what you pay for, but prepare to tackle the other issues aswell.
 

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