Tough choice between 2 very dif subwoofers...

[TailsNZ]

On the one hand, there's a B&W ASW 300... an 8 inch sub, 100W, NZ$1000. On the other, a second hand Wharfedale Topaz SW-10... a 10 inch sub, 150W, for NZ$400.

Since 95% of it's use is for movies, I really don't know if the B&W will be worth more than twice the price.

When I listened to the Wharfedale, we also tried a $3500 sub just for fun, and honestly I was pushed to notice a difference. For music it probably stands out like night and day, but that really did make me think...

Any thoughts of this at all would be fantastic. Thanks!!

Finally just some links incase anyone would like to see the specs:

Wharfedale - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004SY50/ref=e_de_a_td/103-8444128-5615843?v=glance&s=electronics&vi=tech-data

B&W - http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.models/label/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.techspecs/ObjectID/8F2CA8F7-FB0A-4E8D-80DE18D6BFE80953

 

[Daneel]

What was the $3500 sub?

 

[TailsNZ]

lol, not sure... but it was the one the store normally leaves in their sound demo room, so it must have been good.

 

[Daneel]

I'm afraid I haven't heard either of the subs you mention so I can't give you any advice on them. The fact that you couldn't tel lthe difference between the Wharfedale and a far more expensive one is somewhat strange though.

If you were happy with the sound of the Wharfedale then go for it. If you want to get more serious about your subs, check out Paradigm, SVS and Hsu, although getting hold of any of them may be difficult in your part of the world.

 

[TailsNZ]

Just did a check on Paradigm and got these prices:

Paradigm PDR 10 Subwoofer - 10" driver, 80W amp - $999
Paradigm PDR 12 Subwoofer - 12" driver, 110W amp - $1299

Apparently it'll be cheaper with a cash price, but adding in postage across New Zealand would probably equal out.

Also the store I found the Wharfedale in is listed as a dealer, so they might have one there.

With my Yamaha reciver though, it has a Subwoofer Output Jack, and the Paradigm seems to use wire clip connections (commented on as pretty cheap connections in some reviews). I assume I'd need a cord that could go from my sub out to bare wires I can clip.

Cerwin Vega LW 12

Have you heard of this? I also found a store here selling the Cerwin Vega LW 12 - 12" 150W including free shipping for $999 instead of $1399. This sub has got excellent reviews from users on audioreview.com Since it's a 12inch too, I gotta admit it's looking very appealing.

 

[Daneel]

Hrm those prices seem quite expensive. When I said Paradigm I was mainly thinking of a Servo 15

Cerwin Vega I've certainly heard of but I have no knowledge of their subs. From what you have said, especially as it is just for movies, I'd be tempted to go for the Wharfedale. What are your front speakers?

 

[TailsNZ]

Ah my fronts are Wharfedale Atlantic 400's (150W), rears are Atlantic 100's (100W) and the center is the atlantic series too.

I haven't heard the best things about their Topaz sub, but in terms of bass for money I dobut I'll beat that yeah.

It's just when I think of it like I hope to have this setup for 10 years maybe (I've got around 7 years of being a poor student coming up so that's where I came up with that figure)... in which case it seems I should for something a bit better.

haha, ah yes the Servo 15... that'd be the $3299 one down the bottom of their page Down to 14Hz, now that's a sub!

 

[Daneel]

Damn, that's £1200. A few guys on this forum picked the servo 15 up for £400. They were a steal at that price for sure but still.

Wharfedale must use different names for their products in New Zeland as I can find no mention of the Atlantic 400 on their website. Hrm I believe you have the Valdus range.

I know what you mean about buying decent, but if I'm perfectly honest, I don't think any of the subs you are looking at are actually good. If any of them put out sound under 30Hz I'll be surprised. Then again since getting into this hi-fi hobby a little over a year ago my expectations for good sound have grown massively as has my knowledge. If I were you I'd buy something cheap for now and wait until you graduate to get something a bit more expensive.

Also if your funds are limited, 2nd hand can be good, though it's safer for electronics than speakers.

 

[TailsNZ]

I think the Atlantic is an old series, but it's possible it was re-named yeah. They were fairly cheap, for example NZ$630 for the fronts, $235 for the center, and $235 for the rears. This was with a discount of $460 in total though.

Yeah I think the Topaz is on the top of my list now too.

How do you decide on a sub, for example reading reviews online? Listening to it in store? I find it really hard to listen for the sub though, becasue when it's on... well things sound like they should, but when they turn it off it's like whoa, somethings really missing.

But all subs have that effect, and even when really listening out for the bass (the exploding barrels in U-571 or the Asteroids hitting New York at the start of Armageddon) I find it hard to compare. Reviewers seem to make it sound so easy