Need Help Choosing A Subwoofer

Not to sound snipity but bass is not fast.If the "Q" is low enough and the F3 is typical of an eight inch driver what is deemed fast is rolled off bass, in other words it's a woofer not a subwoofer.

DIY is not for everyone, that is a fact.Yes, there are enough mass market subs out there.Vandersteen got around this with (3) 8" drivers with separate amps for each driver.The "Q" is adjustable also.A couple of these used would do you well.

The (4) 15's is an example of what I needed to acheive a response in my room.All the subs I listened to failed to dig as deep as my DIY system.Laughing out loud fails to help and only creates problems.Lets learn from one another and help this member find a sub that creates sound he can enjoy for years to come.

Good luck with your search. KG

Kgveteran,
I see that you brought up the (3) 8" Vandersteen. I have been looking at that sub also. How do you think that it would stack up to the Def. Tech. Supercube II? To give you a little more info about my system; I have Boston Acoustic VR950 front speakers, VR940 rear speakers, and the VRC center speaker. I watch mostly action/sci-fi movies and the music I listen to swings more toward rock. And additional subs worth looking at? Thank you for everyone that has provided me with some help!

The Vandersteen really does music well.It has that fast feel with the help of a steep high pass at the tuning frequency.Add to that variable "Q" which can roll off more of that low 20hz signal and you will have what people call a fast sounding sub.The 2W has never gotten good reviews for hometheater.I have heard of multiple stacked versions but that doesn't make much sense.
Can you drop by a Def Tech dealed to give a listen.Since I began building my own I seem to know less and less of the commercial brands these days.SVS is a huge favorite on the AV science forum.There is a true cult following.I have heard the Ultra12 and it really packs a punch.

Try your hardest to get into a dealership and do some real listening.You will answer your own questions about subs after a short time in a good videoroom.

I've found that there is a difference between a sub excelling for music but less so for HT are vice versa. Some subs do both fairly well, but usually one pover the other. Vandersteen certainly has a strong following in general. The whole feel is too recessed for me for HT personally. Vandersteen is for music lovers who like that sound.Richard is not really an HT designer at heart( thats a complement) Also, having had the Boston Acoustic VR940s myself, I cant imagine a Vandy would be a good match, but I never tried that combination. A 15 inch sub is too large in a 10x10 room, IMO. Heck I am not sure the full wavelength of an 18hz signal can even be fully realized in a 10x 10 space. AS far as bass being fast or not, I think what that poster was getting at is musical responsivity vs hitting U-571 DVD soundtrack impressively and I do agree. The woofer/subwoofer size is only one factor of many obviously. SVS makes a line of great subs for HT that do music well also. The UFW-10 excels at music and does HT well. After that, there is a list of superstars like the Velodyne DD-18 for instance but that class of sub is way overkill for the 10x10 room. Just chiming in here...

The Revel Sub 30 is expensive but worth the money. The setup software is exceptional. The B-15 is also an incredible sub. They both feature three paramatric equalizers. Kevin Voecks has really done his homework at Revel. There are review at Audio Revolution and on Stereophile.