SUB 12 good for Home Theater

[sully78]

So I have been going back and forth on subs for two months. We just moved into a new place and I have started putting together a little system. Even though our house is twice the size of our old one the living room is smaller and I lost a dedicated HT room. This means a downsize of speaker.

I just bought the new Onkyo 608, Klipsch WB-14 bookshelf and WC-24 center for front and think I am getting the new 6.2 in-ceilings from EMO for the rear, possibly even 2 more for the surround.

Now the sub. I have been looking at the HSU VTF2-MK3 which most here should know the price and size. Great for HT which is what I want a sub for.

So my question is a general one. I have read over and over that a ported sub is for HT and sealed for music. Considering the price and size of the SUB 12 I think I could swing two. We are mostly using the area for movies not so much music.

Would they work in the following layout? They will probably go against the left wall.

In all I have about 8740 cubic feet open with 2887.5 in the listening area.

[vitocorleone]

I'm no expert, but I'd wager you would ideally get a lot more sub for that large space than the Hsu or the Emotiva. You would ideally be getting a $1,000 - $1,500 sub. Or two.

That being said, the Hsu probably has more output. But you really might consider 2x Ultra 12s if you can afford it (they are on sale!) or even 2x Ultra 10s. This would probably not fill the space, so to speak, but would provide a more even experience in terms of sound quality near the home theater.

[sully78]

I cant go any bigger than the VTF2 MK3. two Ultra 12's would equal the size of the VTF in my opinion.

I'm just wondering if one ported VTF would be better than 2 Ultra 12's.

I can't get two VTF's or two of anything that size because my wife would flip and this is a very tight area with the furniture. The layout doesn't quite show how tight things are.

Pete at HSU recommended one VTF2 over the ULF-15.

With such small main speakers I also don't want to overpower them.

It's kind of weird I think that I am asking which would be better in the Emotiva lounge because I would think the consensus should be Emotiva. I was just looking for an honest opinion.

Will 2 Ultra 12's fill the area with good bass for movies over one ported 12?

[monkumonku]

Jun 27, 2010 12:57:14 GMT -5 sully78 said:

I cant go any bigger than the VTF2 MK3. two Ultra 12's would equal the size of the VTF in my opinion.

I'm just wondering if one ported VTF would be better than 2 Ultra 12's.

I can't get two VTF's or two of anything that size because my wife would flip and this is a very tight area with the furniture. The layout doesn't quite show how tight things are.

Pete at HSU recommended one VTF2 over the ULF-15.

With such small main speakers I also don't want to overpower them.

It's kind of weird I think that I am asking which would be better in the Emotiva lounge because I would think the consensus should be Emotiva. I was just looking for an honest opinion.

Will 2 Ultra 12's fill the area with good bass for movies over one ported 12?

I have the VTF2 Mk 3 and it is an excellent sub. That said, I think if you can fit two of the Ultra 12's in your room, that would be preferable because a lot of a sub's response has to do with your room, and having two subs will smooth out the response. Also, the sale price on them right now is crazy cheap, especially considering the many good comments that have been posted in the lounge. You can't go wrong either way, though. My Hsu gets plenty loud and plays plenty deep - the main "problem" with it was not the sub itself but my room characteristics. I added a Velodyne SMS-1 sub equalizer and that made a big difference (but also cost nearly $400).

[roadrunner]

sully,

I honestly believe you will get better performance from 2 Ultra 12s than from the HSU sub. The flexibility in placement with the 2 Ultra subs is a powerful advantage over a single ported sub from any vendor. You can more effectively eliminate nulls and humps in the room using two strategicly placed subs.

Emotiva uses the Ultra subs in their dedicate Home Theater room at their headquarters and their performance is totally awesome. While listening to IRONMAN the impact of the sound effects hit you in the chest HARD and FAST. They will make a believer out of you in no time. Keep in mind that all Emotiva gear has a 30-day trial period... if you don't like it, return it no questions asked.

[sully78]

Decided on two Ultra 12's and the 6.2 in-ceilings. Man is my wife gonna be thrilled ;D

Hope they make it by the weekend.

[krellion]

I don't know who came up with that ported=HT/sealed=music idea but I disagree with it and don't see what could possibly be the basis. I had a Velodyne SPL12 sealed sub and I hated it for music but it had a deep rumble that was nice for HT. I replaced it with a SVS PC13 Ultra, ported< and it was awesome for music. It also is good for HT but it's different than the 1200, the SVS had no rumble, it played deep and accurate with no distortion. The low end on Transformers was incredible.

I think you made the right decision on the Ultra 12's. I bought a pair for another application. You shouldn't worry about over powering your bookshelf speakers, first off the subs have a gain/volume control to tune it to the same volume as the bookshelf and the Klipsch are very efficient, they play loud with little power. Coincidently, I paired my U12's with Klipsch Heresy's. Hope you come back and let us know how your set up went.