Replacement Subwoofer
Discussion
Having finally finished my home AV install, my Sub seems to have died.
It's a Kef Kube 2 which are notorious for not switching off and melting bits. This isn't the case with mine, the power side of things looks fine as it powers up ok etc, it just doesn't do anything. I'll run a few tests to confirm the Sub is dead, but if it is, can anybody recommend a replacement?
I haven't set a budget. My only criteria is that it's not a complete beast size-wise. The Kef is about 13" tall, wide and deep, so something of a similar size would be best for the room. It's a 200w unit, built in amp etc.
Thanks
It's a Kef Kube 2 which are notorious for not switching off and melting bits. This isn't the case with mine, the power side of things looks fine as it powers up ok etc, it just doesn't do anything. I'll run a few tests to confirm the Sub is dead, but if it is, can anybody recommend a replacement?
I haven't set a budget. My only criteria is that it's not a complete beast size-wise. The Kef is about 13" tall, wide and deep, so something of a similar size would be best for the room. It's a 200w unit, built in amp etc.
Thanks
Autopilot said:
Having finally finished my home AV install, my Sub seems to have died.
It's a Kef Kube 2 which are notorious for not switching off and melting bits. This isn't the case with mine, the power side of things looks fine as it powers up ok etc, it just doesn't do anything. I'll run a few tests to confirm the Sub is dead, but if it is, can anybody recommend a replacement?
I haven't set a budget. My only criteria is that it's not a complete beast size-wise. The Kef is about 13" tall, wide and deep, so something of a similar size would be best for the room. It's a 200w unit, built in amp etc.
Thanks
I run a B&W ASW 610XP, its almost the same size as yours, works great for music and movies. Packs a decent punch for a compact unit. Retails about £700, so not sure what your budget is, but its not ridiculously expensive.It's a Kef Kube 2 which are notorious for not switching off and melting bits. This isn't the case with mine, the power side of things looks fine as it powers up ok etc, it just doesn't do anything. I'll run a few tests to confirm the Sub is dead, but if it is, can anybody recommend a replacement?
I haven't set a budget. My only criteria is that it's not a complete beast size-wise. The Kef is about 13" tall, wide and deep, so something of a similar size would be best for the room. It's a 200w unit, built in amp etc.
Thanks
You won't get a lot of low end extension if you stick with a sub that small.
That B&W sub has a fairly decent amplifier, but as mentioned above, 10" won't give you much. plus the audioholics review sums that up neatly. For £700 I'd say avoid.
Now if you want something much better value and in as similar form factor then take a close look at the BK XXLS400 at around £430. Not too big, forward or downward firing, lots of finishing options but most importantly a nice 12" driver and 400W amplifier.
Now if you want even better value for money and a sub that will keep you happy for much longer then you really need to look at the XTZ 1x12. 12" driver with a 500W amplifier that can peak pretty damn high. It's also a hybrid design so you can run it sealed or ported. Speak to Jag @ Epic Home Cinema as he's the distributer for XTZ in the UK and a thoroughly nice guy to boot. The sub is larger than the BK but will also eclipse it when it comes to bass in your home cinema. Price is about £675 (I think).
I currently have the big brother of the BK (monolith) and will be upgrading to x2 of the XTZ 1x12, I'm that impressed by their £ to value ratio. I was looking at going for larger 18" DIY options or larger 15/18" manufactuer subs (Power Sound Audio), but x2 of either of them would be a good chuck of work or £2k+, that I just don't think it would be worth it. x2 of the 1x12 will reach plenty low enough and would cost around £1300.
Bargain of the moment IMO and either of the options above are much better value as they are both direct selling manufacturers, so you don't have the added £££ a dealer puts onto subs like the B&W, which are probably only worth £300 odd if they were sold directly.
Pop on over to AVFORUMS and have a browse around the Subwoofer section, loads of info in there.
That B&W sub has a fairly decent amplifier, but as mentioned above, 10" won't give you much. plus the audioholics review sums that up neatly. For £700 I'd say avoid.
Now if you want something much better value and in as similar form factor then take a close look at the BK XXLS400 at around £430. Not too big, forward or downward firing, lots of finishing options but most importantly a nice 12" driver and 400W amplifier.
Now if you want even better value for money and a sub that will keep you happy for much longer then you really need to look at the XTZ 1x12. 12" driver with a 500W amplifier that can peak pretty damn high. It's also a hybrid design so you can run it sealed or ported. Speak to Jag @ Epic Home Cinema as he's the distributer for XTZ in the UK and a thoroughly nice guy to boot. The sub is larger than the BK but will also eclipse it when it comes to bass in your home cinema. Price is about £675 (I think).
I currently have the big brother of the BK (monolith) and will be upgrading to x2 of the XTZ 1x12, I'm that impressed by their £ to value ratio. I was looking at going for larger 18" DIY options or larger 15/18" manufactuer subs (Power Sound Audio), but x2 of either of them would be a good chuck of work or £2k+, that I just don't think it would be worth it. x2 of the 1x12 will reach plenty low enough and would cost around £1300.
Bargain of the moment IMO and either of the options above are much better value as they are both direct selling manufacturers, so you don't have the added £££ a dealer puts onto subs like the B&W, which are probably only worth £300 odd if they were sold directly.
Pop on over to AVFORUMS and have a browse around the Subwoofer section, loads of info in there.
Autopilot said:
Having finally finished my home AV install, my Sub seems to have died.
It's a Kef Kube 2 which are notorious for not switching off and melting bits. This isn't the case with mine, the power side of things looks fine as it powers up ok etc, it just doesn't do anything. I'll run a few tests to confirm the Sub is dead, but if it is, can anybody recommend a replacement?
I haven't set a budget. My only criteria is that it's not a complete beast size-wise. The Kef is about 13" tall, wide and deep, so something of a similar size would be best for the room. It's a 200w unit, built in amp etc.
Thanks
What's the rest of the system ( amp and speakers )It's a Kef Kube 2 which are notorious for not switching off and melting bits. This isn't the case with mine, the power side of things looks fine as it powers up ok etc, it just doesn't do anything. I'll run a few tests to confirm the Sub is dead, but if it is, can anybody recommend a replacement?
I haven't set a budget. My only criteria is that it's not a complete beast size-wise. The Kef is about 13" tall, wide and deep, so something of a similar size would be best for the room. It's a 200w unit, built in amp etc.
Thanks
How loud do like to listen ?
Is second hand an option or does it have to be new.
Don't get too hung up on driver size or amplifier power; they only matter when bragging down the pub. Unless you are aiming for THX levels a well engineered 10" driver in the right enclosure is more than capable in most domestic systems.
The XTZ 1x12 looks decent but this BK http://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers/Images/Plat... is closer to the size of your KEF, has better extension below 20Hz than the XTZ and costs far less ( £380 instead of £675 ). Certainly worth putting both on the shortlist.
If second hand is an option, check out subs from companies with history in both studio and domestic markets i.e M&K, Genelec, Focal, Dynaudio, Adam Audio.
No budget you say? Could you stretch to a Paradigm Seismic 110?
Lovely bit of kit and exceedingly compact!
Lovely bit of kit and exceedingly compact!
Digger said:
No budget you say? Could you stretch to a Paradigm Seismic 110?
Lovely bit of kit and exceedingly compact!
This looks fantastic! As nice as it is, it has helped define a budget so would safely assume it's not in my budget Lovely bit of kit and exceedingly compact!
Crackie said:
What's the rest of the system ( amp and speakers )
How loud do like to listen ?
Is second hand an option or does it have to be new.
Don't get too hung up on driver size or amplifier power; they only matter when bragging down the pub. Unless you are aiming for THX levels a well engineered 10" driver in the right enclosure is more than capable in most domestic systems.
The XTZ 1x12 looks decent but this BK http://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers/Images/Plat... is closer to the size of your KEF, has better extension below 20Hz than the XTZ and costs far less ( £380 instead of £675 ). Certainly worth putting both on the shortlist.
If second hand is an option, check out subs from companies with history in both studio and domestic markets i.e M&K, Genelec, Focal, Dynaudio, Adam Audio.
The rest of the system comprises of a Yamaha AV3030 amp, a pair of Kef IQ90 floor standers at the front, some Kef IQ70's for the rears and temporarily have a Kef T301c as a centre. I'm using the flat centre speaker for the meantime as my room doesn't lend itself to having a hoofing great big centre speaker. Incidentally, while the centre speaker is rather weak compared to the rest of the system, I'm actually quite impressed by it!How loud do like to listen ?
Is second hand an option or does it have to be new.
Don't get too hung up on driver size or amplifier power; they only matter when bragging down the pub. Unless you are aiming for THX levels a well engineered 10" driver in the right enclosure is more than capable in most domestic systems.
The XTZ 1x12 looks decent but this BK http://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers/Images/Plat... is closer to the size of your KEF, has better extension below 20Hz than the XTZ and costs far less ( £380 instead of £675 ). Certainly worth putting both on the shortlist.
If second hand is an option, check out subs from companies with history in both studio and domestic markets i.e M&K, Genelec, Focal, Dynaudio, Adam Audio.
Volume is normally dictated by whether my neighbours are home or not. They go out a lot so do get to crank it up to antisocial levels quite often.
Second hand is an option.
The BK Looks like quite a nice bit of kit and like the fact that they do a down firing version. One of my dogs likes to punch things so anything to avoid fatal damage seems like a good idea to me!
Thanks.
http://www.lsound.eu/subwoofers/svs-sb13-ultra-pia...
Around £1100 with the exchange rate, delivered. You won't get better for the money. I have a set of SVS speakers and that sub - the bass literally makes the sofa move!
The SB-2000 is around £550 if the 13 Ultra is too much.
Around £1100 with the exchange rate, delivered. You won't get better for the money. I have a set of SVS speakers and that sub - the bass literally makes the sofa move!
The SB-2000 is around £550 if the 13 Ultra is too much.
Autopilot said:
Crackie said:
What's the rest of the system ( amp and speakers )
How loud do like to listen ?
Is second hand an option or does it have to be new.
Don't get too hung up on driver size or amplifier power; they only matter when bragging down the pub. Unless you are aiming for THX levels a well engineered 10" driver in the right enclosure is more than capable in most domestic systems.
The XTZ 1x12 looks decent but this BK http://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers/Images/Plat... is closer to the size of your KEF, has better extension below 20Hz than the XTZ and costs far less ( £380 instead of £675 ). Certainly worth putting both on the shortlist.
If second hand is an option, check out subs from companies with history in both studio and domestic markets i.e M&K, Genelec, Focal, Dynaudio, Adam Audio.
The rest of the system comprises of a Yamaha AV3030 amp, a pair of Kef IQ90 floor standers at the front, some Kef IQ70's for the rears and temporarily have a Kef T301c as a centre. I'm using the flat centre speaker for the meantime as my room doesn't lend itself to having a hoofing great big centre speaker. Incidentally, while the centre speaker is rather weak compared to the rest of the system, I'm actually quite impressed by it!How loud do like to listen ?
Is second hand an option or does it have to be new.
Don't get too hung up on driver size or amplifier power; they only matter when bragging down the pub. Unless you are aiming for THX levels a well engineered 10" driver in the right enclosure is more than capable in most domestic systems.
The XTZ 1x12 looks decent but this BK http://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers/Images/Plat... is closer to the size of your KEF, has better extension below 20Hz than the XTZ and costs far less ( £380 instead of £675 ). Certainly worth putting both on the shortlist.
If second hand is an option, check out subs from companies with history in both studio and domestic markets i.e M&K, Genelec, Focal, Dynaudio, Adam Audio.
Volume is normally dictated by whether my neighbours are home or not. They go out a lot so do get to crank it up to antisocial levels quite often.
Second hand is an option.
The BK Looks like quite a nice bit of kit and like the fact that they do a down firing version. One of my dogs likes to punch things so anything to avoid fatal damage seems like a good idea to me!
Thanks.
http://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers/XXLS400DF.h...
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