What sub for a room roughly 3m x 4m

DavidT

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I have the urge, if not the need, to upgrade my subwoofer. At the moment I have a BK XLS200 mk2 which actually works pretty well in my room but whenever has that made any difference when upgraditis takes hold! At the moment I am looking at the BK P12-300SB-PR or the BK XXLS400 but I can't decide on which or is there anything better? My budget is upto £500.

The sub will be complimented by Monitor Audio Silver 50's and Silver C350 (LCR) and a pair of old Q Acoustics 1010i surrounds. The AVR is a Denon X2100W which will also be upgraded in the near future to either a Denon X3x00H or X4x00H, I just need to find one that is a reasonable price.

The sub is mainly for movies but I also listen to music so roughly a 70% movies / 30% music split.

Thanks for any advice or insights.
 
You missed a bargain, Monolith were selling their Monolith 10" THX over the holidays for about £420 delivered they are back up to £499 now.


They are big though but much better for movies than the BK's.

I just recently sold my XLS200 and XXLS400 and bought a dual 12" monolith THX and they really do blow the BK's into the weeds.

To be fair them being ported makes a huge difference over sealed in my 8m x 5m room where the BK's were OK these deliver awesome bass for both movies and music my room really is rocking with these babbies..

I know American audio have one last 12" Mono THX in at £799 and although large and above budget represents one helluva bargain for a sub of this class should you be able to fit one in.

 
The Monolith 10 is one to look at further. Thanks
 
The Monolith 10 is one to look at further. Thanks

If the cabinet depth isn`t going to be issue then you not going to find better performing sub for 499£. If we compare the FR and max output it is very similar to BK Monolith which is very old design from early 2000 and moving from XLS200 to BK Monolith would be quite dramatic. However the Monolith 10 THX has more modern design; HDF cab over MDF, class-d amp with DSP and almost twice the power of XLS200. The driver looks very beefy! Partly to large ported cab it`s going to be so much more fun vs. XLS200 with action/scifi stuff.

Many folks having humming BKs, that is worrying why they can´t get them silent. P12-PR otherwise great option, there is one white for 430£ on colosussxb ebay.
 
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I could be tempted to release the 12 for a little less too - depending on how temptable you are.

Chris.
Thanks but the 12 is way to big and heavy for me. I dont have the room for it.
 
If the cabinet depth isn`t going to be issue then you not going to find better performing sub for 499£. If we compare the FR and max output it is very similar to BK Monolith which is very old design from early 2000 and moving from XLS200 to BK Monolith would be quite dramatic. However the Monolith 10 THX has more modern design; HDF cab over MDF, class-d amp with DSP and almost twice the power of XLS200. The driver looks very beefy! Partly to large ported cab it`s going to be so much more fun vs. XLS200 with action/scifi stuff.

Many folks having humming BKs, that is worrying why they can´t get them silent. P12-PR otherwise great option, there is one white for 430£ on colosussxb ebay.
Thanks, I saw the satin white P12 on ebay but I am looking for satin black or possibly walnut. I will keep looking as I'm sure a satin black one will appear soon. What do you think about the P12 as opposed to the XXLS400?
 
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Thanks, I saw the satin white P12 on ebay but I am looking for satin black or possibly walnut. I will keep looking as I'm sure a satin black one will appear soon. What do you think about the P12 as opposed to the XXLS400?

I would want the PR model, not the cheaper P12-300SB or XXLS400 at least with movies in mind. The difference is only about 30£ and there is some extra performance where you want (below 30hz). However from 430£ to 499£ with Monoprice i would pick this if it fits your room. Make some cardboard mock up so you see how much it really takes space there. I remember you had smaller room. Monoprice comes with 5year warranty too, BK 2years and the humming/buzzing amp issues are frustrating.
 
So after reading up on the Monolith 10 THX I am impressed. Audioholics give the sub a great review. My only reservations are the finish of the cabinet and the size?
 
Well my 12" THX are a very nice finish as long as you don't mind the wood grain look rather than smooth painted. I actually like the chamfered edge myself. They are built like tanks so yes they are big and heavy but the 10" is a few inches each way smaller and much easier to move around the room.

A trick with these heavy subs is open the box at the top then roll them over so the top is at the bottom then slide the carton off. This is much easier than trying to pull the sub out the box.

Also slide a piece of carpet or thick cardboard underneath the sub, it can then be easily dragged around over a smooth or carpet surface without having to lift the heavy weight manually.

Just been watching the Protégé film on Prime at -15db and blimey it is a bass fest extraordinaire the plot was crap but the sound was sublime.😍😍😍
 
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So after reading up on the Monolith 10 THX I am impressed. Audioholics give the sub a great review. My only reservations are the finish of the cabinet and the size?

Here it is next to REL HT/1205 which the guy owns too. The REL is closer to size of BK P12/XXLS400. This guy liked the Monolith more for movies, no suprises there. :)

Press play it starts in the part to compare sizes:

 
Yesterday we watched A Quiet Place II and The Tomorrow War and the bass was excellent coming from my little XLS200. This has now got me thinking that the £500 might be better spent going towards upgrading my AVR.
 
Left field suggestion if just may. Do you have the space to add a 2nd xls200.... Going to a dual sub setup made for a massive upgrade for me personally. Of course, ymmv and appreciate you may not be able to logistically place a 2nd sub optimumly.
 
Yesterday we watched A Quiet Place II and The Tomorrow War and the bass was excellent coming from my little XLS200. This has now got me thinking that the £500 might be better spent going towards upgrading my AVR.

It`s one of those things that you don`t know what you missing before you hear one.. For sure it´s going to be quite different experience cause the Mono 10 is equivalent to BK Monolith (12") if judging measured performance. I had the BK Gem II which is identical sized with also 10" driver to your XLS200 for 4years in different flats, later i heard Monolith and man it´s completely different beast with certain type movies/series. So i would be very suprised if you wouldn´t find the Monoprice 10 THX blowing you away.

Receiver changes are less noticeable cause you aren`t making 1-2k£ jump either. If you go with X3700H of course you get better Audussey version which can make some difference. However you would be buying it wrong time as closer to summer the price drops due to new models (X3800H). I would personally always aim to do the change when old models go on sale if possible.
 
I agree with Gasp however I recently sold my XLS200 for £90 on here and adding a used one or a gem 2 at £100 or so would be a cheap way to find out if duals work for you.

I will say though that my ported 12" Mono's are a totally different animal to the previous 200/400 BK sealed option with way more thunderous bass.
 
I agree with Gasp however I recently sold my XLS200 for £90 on here and adding a used one or a gem 2 at £100 or so would be a cheap way to find out if duals work for you.

I will say though that my ported 12" Mono's are a totally different animal to the previous 200/400 BK sealed option with way more thunderous bass.


100% get Monoprice Monoliths if your budget stretches to them.

I have both BK and Monoprice in my house and Monoprice are multiple tiers above them in output, sound quality, dynamics, tightness of the bass, accuracy and control.

Audioholics rate them amongst the best subwoofers they've ever reviewed, both musically AND movie wise and I have no doubt they'd go toe to toe with subwoofers DOUBLE their price in sound quality alongside matching output (e.g. SVS, Arendal). Where they lack is fit, finish, aesthetics and app support - all of which I think are very low on the priority list.
 
Yesterday we watched A Quiet Place II and The Tomorrow War and the bass was excellent coming from my little XLS200. This has now got me thinking that the £500 might be better spent going towards upgrading my AVR.


I thought this when I was my Monolith Plus David. I was entirely wrong. The Monolith 15s from monoprice are multiple levels about with my calibrated via mini-DSP monolith plus could provide.

The Monolith Plus was like a subwoofer. Its boom boom, impact impact, boom, nice deep note. The Monoprice is like a luxurious, perfectly integrated sound with a thin dynamic impulse of bass, a viscerality due to the sheer output it can provide... very difficult to explain but I venture anyone who has bought them and set them up properly will 100% agree with me on.
 
The Denon X3700 is on my list of potential AVR upgrades along with the X4700, X4500 and Marantz SR7015.

My problem is that I like a bargain and the Monolith 10 THX looks like a bargain but having said that money isnt an issue I'm just a bit tight when it comes to spending on myself.
 
The dual XLS200 was something that I thought about but my room doesn't really have the right locations for two subs hence why I am looking at a single sub upgrade.
 
The Denon X3700 is on my list of potential AVR upgrades along with the X4700, X4500 and Marantz SR7015.
I have this model as does @kbfern If you don't need HDMI 2.1 or 8K, it's a brilliant AVR, even has EARC (via firmware update). Trouble is because it's a rock stable AVR, very few come up on the 2nd hand market.

Edit: That said.... Just spotted this:


Cheeky bid perhaps @DavidT 🤣😉
 
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my room doesn't really have the right locations for two subs

Mono 10 sounds then the way to go unless you find something like SVS SB2000 with warranty, i mention this cause you hesitated the Mono partly due to size and upgrading the receiver closer to summer unless you buy used one which has own risks without warranty.. SR7015 you would need to have fairly similar price vs. X4700H as they are very similar due to sharing many parts.
 
I have this model as does @kbfern If you don't need HDMI 2.1 or 8K, it's a brilliant AVR, even has EARC (via firmware update). Trouble is because it's a rock stable AVR, very few come up on the 2nd hand market.

Edit: That said.... Just spotted this:


Cheeky bid perhaps @DavidT 🤣😉
I'm watching that one already :thumbsup:
 
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Mono 10 sounds then the way to go unless you find something like SVS SB2000 with warranty, i mention this cause you hesitated the Mono partly due to size and upgrading the receiver closer to summer unless you buy used one which has own risks without warranty.. SR7015 you would need to have fairly similar price vs. X4700H as they are very similar due to sharing many parts.
I think the size is something I could live with, I thought my 65" TV was huge and my MA C350 was massive but I am used to both now.
 
Not a massive room dual sb2000 pro or ideally dual sb3000 should be enough
 
Not a massive room dual sb2000 pro or ideally dual sb3000 should be enough
Its a small room at only approx. 1050 cubic ft so wouldnt dual SB2000 be overkill?
 

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