Affordable subwoofer for music cont'd


So a while back I posted a thread asking for opinions for a sub that would go well with audio as opposed to home theater. I laid out my system, NAD w/ MA Silver 3i speakers, and that I've spend well under $1000 on it all so far. Many people suggested that the only suitable sub for music would be a $1500+ sub; well out of my price range.
So, I did some thinking, and realized that if I either limited the cone mass/size, or had a sealed enclosure, I would have a tighter sounding, more musical subwoofer.

In light of these simple observations, I've been looking at some used subs on here and ebaY. So far I've found the following, all within my price range.

My question is this: assuming the same price on all of these, which one would you choose?
Paradigm PDR-8
Defintive Technology ProSub 80
M&K K9

I am asking for this advice because I have no way of auditioning any of these subs. The Paradigm seems like a decent affordable sub that is a compromise between the DefTech and the M&K. The DefTech has really low bass response (21Hz) and a decent amount of power, but I'm not sure how musical it is. The M&K only is rated down to 35Hz (I think) and has only 75W, but is probably really musical. Any comments are appreciated!
erikkellison
I have found that sealed box subs seem to be tighter and quicker that ported subs. Ported subs give you more "grunt" for HT by moving more air. I think all the subs on your list are ported.

That said I can give a recommendation to the Dayton Titanic 10" sub from Parts Express. I picked one up on eBay new for $240. I run it in a second system with Omega TS-2 single driver speakers.

It is not a thing of beauty with its black pebble finish but the small sealed box makes it quick and tuneful. No slop, no boom, no overhanging resonance to muddy things up. Adjustable phase and a wide range in crossover point make it easy to integrate. I think that 35 hZ is about the bottom for it but unless you are listening to pipe organ or Rick James you don't miss that last octave.

here is a review:
http://www.audioxpress.com/reviews/media/902ketler1924.pdf

I think that trying to get by cheap will end up being a compromise in the quality of the bass. Only your ears can be the final arbiter.
I've owned several moderately priced subs and the two I liked best were:

Pinnacle Baby Boomer-Tiny, sealed box with 2 8" drivers. Nice!

NHT SubOne(i)- This is a great sub for the price. It is not sealed, but I found it to be fast enough to keep up with every monitor I've owned. It also has some nice features via its seperate controller, like the ability to be attached to an HT system via LFE port and attached to a music system via sub-in port, at the same time. "LFE" and "sub" have independant gain settings so you can customize for both with no need to touch the knobs again! Set it and forget it!

My $.02 worth.........

Enjoy,

TIC
But the Infinity Intermezzo 1.2s that's listed on Audiogon. It's superb and reasonably priced.
Jay
The Aperion Audio S-8APR is a very musical sub and amazing at it's price point. It is a sealed passive radiator design. A great option when budget is the primary driver.