Subwoofer Help

[Armbender]

I am looking to upgrade my currrent subwoofer to go with my B&W 604/Bryston system.
I have tested the earthquake MK IV 12 which sounded good but winded when it worked. (Mixed reviews for 5-Ch use)
I havent heard the B&W 675 but had good reviews. If i chose this setup I would get two.
Or the Veledyne DD18 which was awesome at the store in 5-Ch but unsure about its 2 channel capability

I want something tight for 2-Ch but nice and deep for 5-Ch.
I will be upgrading my 604's for 802's in the next couple of years so I want my choice to be compatible with both systems.

Any reviews on theses 3 set-ups would be great

[Shane Martin]

I've heard the B&W and the Velo DD series. The DD series is the best of the 3 but it is also the most expensive by a large margin. They utitilize Servo controlled technology which has some issues. It's not perfect by any stretch. My friend had one(HGS series) before he replaced it with his SVS setup. The biggest thing that is going for the Velo would be the EQ.

The B&W is "musical" if you wish to use that word but deep bass is not its forte'.

Alternatives to these would be:
DIY(DO it yourself): Not all of us can do this
Paradigm Servo 15v2: 1/2 price of the DD18.
HSU VTF3MK2: A pair of these would give all 3 of these a run for their money.
SVS Pb12/2 Ultra: still cheaper than the DD and would outperform it in the deep bass.

AVTalk is doing some comparison tests(measurements) on their board. I'd like to see the #'s on the new Servo 15. Supposedly they are vastly better but they should be for the huge increase in price.

[David Meek]

They utitilize Servo controlled technology which has some issues.

And what might those be?

[Andrew Pratt]

Given your location the Paradigm Servo 15 is going to be difficult to beat for the dollar unless you are willing to consider the custom route.

[Shane Martin]

David,
The main issue is basically a limiter built in it. As distortion goes up, the servo kicks in to limit it. The more this happens, the quicker compression sinks in which basically limits the output. For some this can happen past the point where it matters, for some it happens to soon. I treat it just like this: Your wife has the volume knob and decides when to turn it down.

[David Meek]

Granted, the servo mechanism does minimize distortion by comparing the incoming and outgoing signals several thousand times a second and then modifies the output to correct it. And within that function is does limit the output to a degree, but the limitation varies from brand to brand and model to model. In Tom Nousiane's uber-comparison of subs, the Velodyne FSR-15 (which I run) was measured at 109.1 Db of output in his 2400 cubic-foot room. And just to re-iterate, because of the servo-mechanism, it's the true bass signal being produced, no bloating, etc.

[Snap]

David,
For some this can happen past the point where it matters, for some it happens to soon. I treat it just like this: Your wife has the volume knob and decides when to turn it down.

Wow what a great analogy Shane. Well said :amen:

[Shane Martin]

of output in his 2400 cubic-foot room.

His room is 3x that size. That # is also at 25hz. Sadly the Energy 12.3 outperformed it(by a little) recently for 1/2 the money.

[David Meek]

Please describe the performance parameters you consider important in a sub.

[Shane Martin]

Thanks Snap. Edward JM aka Ed Mullen depending on which forum you go to(avs or HTF) has a better description of what is exactly going on technically with a servo. He's more technically inclined than I am. Obviously other manufacturers have figured out how to make the same bass louder for less not using the Servo mechanism.
If servo was all that, everyone would be using one

[Kingdaddy]

If you want a truly musical sub for 2-channel then go dipole, if you want real infrasonic high output and very musical then go IB. Either way it will be custom or DIY to get what you are asking for. IMO after hearing box-less subs you cant go back to a box ever again, too many nasty sounding side effects unless the box is huge.