Subwoofers.... one 10" or two 8"?

x2 on the above comments.rels are good subs.Although i am often perplexed why I don't see more people running the better sunfires they a great subs.The 8" sunfire back in the 90s was a beast for its size i had 2 with mg3a and cj it was great (treated room).I have a hsu 12 and it will peel your face off if you want it too.It smokes the velo 15" i have in the ht room ..Again and again i say it invest in treatment it will change the game in your room...gaarrunnttteeeed . lol any good sub will sound way better with treament I personnally have seen it again and again. again my humble opinion..

Well, I've been strongly considering trying to stretch my budget and get an SVS SB-1000 (piano finish) but I came across an excellent deal on a "like new" Sunfire HRS8 and, based somewhat on the praise for it on this forum,  I bought it.   I will play around with the set up and try to dial it in.  Meanwhile, I'll keep my eyes open for another good deal on a second one. If the right deal comes along, I'll have two HRS8s for a few bucks more than one SB-1000.  Time (listening) will tell if I went in the right direction.

larstutor wrote:

My OMD-15s are sitting a a very solid hardwood floor over a plywood sub-flloor built on a concrete slab. Contact between the speakers and floor is rock steady. I wonder if I'd get more bass by putting the speakers on feet to isolate from the floor. It's hard to imagine an 8" subwoofer going down into the 20s. How does the HRS8 sound at moderate listening levels?

Are you using the Mirage cones for seating the speakers on the floor? Otherwise if they're just sitting flat on it that could reduce the bass. My mid-'90s M5si's have bass wherever you put them. The OMD-15s are capable of low 30s bass, but can drive you crazy trying to find it.

When it comes to sub power and depth, diameter isn't the only factor in making a strong wave; excursion matters, too. Total volume displacement is the diameter times the maximum excursion. Bob Carver and Sunfire practically invented the high excursion subwoofer driver, with that big reverse roll surround that would allow a 1" excursion when 1/4" was still considered extreme. Of course going up in diameter *plus* the high excursion makes it deeper and stronger yet, but Sunfire claims to extend into the 20s and the reviews I've read of their subs indicate that they tend to go as deep as they claim.

I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression; I haven't heard the HRS8 so I can't comment on room-filling capability. But I have some reason to trust them as I've heard other very compact Sunfire subs. 

As for the NHT Classic Ten and Energy ESW-8, I think you're shooting too low. The Classic Ten was designed to mate with a dual-woofer tower and the ESW-8 with the Energy Take 5 miniature system. If you want to add a real bottom end to the OMD-15s (which I think is worth doing), you'll have to up the ante unless you luck into a deal. 

Consider the SVS SB-1000, a 12" sealed enclosure (best for music) powered sub that's $499 in black ash or $599 in piano black gloss. This one should be plenty fast and elevate your OMD-15s to a higher (and lower :-) ) level. Lots of positive professional reviews.

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• AudioFi.net
  
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The take away is that SPL is key. And fortunately most music doesn't contain much bass.

Exactly, especially given that 2-channel music is the OP's primary use of the system. I have used a Mirage LF-150 (10" x 150w) and an LF-100 (8" x 100w). Believe it or not, using the Stereophile test & demo CD, both subs produced clean, clear sub-30 Hz warble tones easily audible from the listening position about 8-10 feet from the subs. They might not be the best thing for crashes and explosions for HT in a large room, but for 2-ch. stereo they did surprisingly well. The more upscale sealed w/ passiave radiators Mirage MM8s do better (on transient response, clarity, etc.) but don't go as deep as even the modest LF-100.

I've also heard the SVS SB12 with full-range speakers in a fairly large media room and it acquitted itself well on 2-channel music. I think it's a good candidate for the OP.