Which subwoofer should I get?

Hello and Happy New Year, 

I’m very pleased with HSU (pronounced “shoe”)subwoofers, of which I have two.  My older HSU sub is their VTF-MKII. I recently added Dr. Hsu’s (MIT PHd -engineering) newest and most powerful model, the VTF-TN1.  Both are accurate or I like to say “tight and right”.   Dr.Hsu has been designing subwoofers for over 40 years at his small facility in Anaheim.Ca  

Rather than go into descriptive detail in this post I suggest that you visit.

https://HSURESEARCH.com

ps  I think you will also be very pleased with the prices.  Also if you call Dr  Hsu he frequently answers the phone himself.   He’s a brilliant engineer, easy to took with and is a subwoofer “whisperer”.   :)

Enjoy the music  

Just purchased a pair of SVS-SB-4000 subs to supplement the bass in my Matin Logan 11A impressions hybrid speaker. The subs are excellent and they add deep controlled bass to the sound. I crossover at 60 and volume is at 5. These settings work well for me. The built in amps are 1200 watts each. The Rel I was looking at had 300 watts. I have found that having extra power in reserves helps loudspeakers as well as subs really open up. Also, before I purchased the SVS I called SVS and we spent a considerable amount of time reviewing my system and how I could maximize my sound. SVS was very knowledgeable an helpful. They were easy to reach via phone. Hope this is helpful.

While the discussion here seems to have morphed into a back-and-forth about REL vs SVS, in my many years attempting to tame modes in my room(s) with two very capable "air moving machines" (no brand names mentioned to avoid the resulting arguments), sometimes augmented with PEQ via a miniDSP, my suggestion is to GET A PRODUCT WITH ROOM CORRECTION, THE MORE ADVANCED THE BETTER.

Many subs can move lots of air. But integration tools (DSP PEQ) to tame room modes can make a less expensive air-mover sound magnitudes better than many very expensive air-mover that operates, more or less, open loop at the mercy of standing waves.

Many subs can move lots of air. But integration tools (DSP PEQ) to tame room modes can make a less expensive air-mover sound magnitudes better than many very expensive air-mover that operates, more or less, open loop at the mercy of standing waves.

@misterbobman While DSP can certainly help a lot and is very convenient, proper room placement and carefully dialing in the sub’s controls can achieve the same thing or better in taming modes/nodes (DSP can’t do anything about nodes BTW) and achieving excellent results — just takes a little research and effort, and it’s not all that hard.

"...to tame room modes", not "nodes".  Please refer, with accuracy next time, to my entry.

FYI:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_modes

"...equalization is part of the necessary treatment of room modes in bass. There is no escape from that, but even there, something that should be simple is sometimes compromised."  Chapter 8 in the 3rd edition Toole, F. E. (2015). “The Measurement and Calibration of Sound Reproducing Systems”, J. Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 63, pp.512-541.