Hi all,

I'm looking at buying a subwoofer sometime to compliment my M40's. I do 100% music, but may one day hook 'em up to the TV, but I kind of doubt it.

I generally like the idea of a sealed enclosure subwoofer... the cabinet is usually smaller and most people describe the sound as being "tighter," but I'm open to any suggestions.

I'm also on a budget... which is one big reason I chose the M40's - they work just fine for now as a full range speaker. Every now and then, I can tell some music would benefit from a little more weight, though.

Initially, I am considering the Dickason Titanic 10" subwoofer kit from partsexpress.com... another one I just noticed is the HK 12" Sub. Both of these are sealed enclosures - the look of the HK is really nice, but I can't find any reviews on it anywhere. The Titanic kit runs $350 including shipping and I can find the HK for $240 total... (again, I like staying on a budget)

As for the rest of the system, it's a matched set of 1975 vintage HK gear, used primarily for vinyl. Since it's vintage, I will probably end up using the line level inputs on the sub. Another option is to use a Y-adapter from the preamp and feed one section to the amp and one to the Sub - is this a better idea?

I've never been a huge fan of subwoofers, but reading more about proper set-up leads me think I hated them just because everyone cranks them up too much and makes the music always sound muffled or bloated.

Any and all suggestions welcome... thanks in advance.

As usual, I'm going to suggest at Hsu VTF-2. Very tight, clean bass, and unless they've sold out of them already, Hsu has some "b-stock" VTF-2's for $399 delivered.

Cheaper than that, I've heard good things about Athena's subs. I believe you can even find those at Best Buy now.

I too have never been a fan of much bass, for exactly the same reason you stated. Most people have it cranked up too high, and are using a bad subwoofer. Clean, tight bass is a wonderful sounding thing.

Definitely give a listen to the Athena subs. I have the AS-P400, which I'm using with M22's in a music-only set up. If I remember correctly this sub listed around $400 but I found a couple of brick-and-mortar stores that sold it for $320 - neither was a Best Buy. I remain very enthusiastic about this sub. Very fast, very musical. Not sure of your taste in music but we listen to two types of music - classical and (very loud) alternative rock. It's very good with either - no staining or churffing with the rock and articulate enough to reproduce the bowing of a big orchestral bass and not just a rumble at the right frequency. The following is a link to a professional review:
http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/athena_audition_asp400.htm

Another sub you might listen to is the Def Tech ProSub100. Excellent sound and a bit more money; I think I had quotes in the $360-390 range for this one.

Happy listening and let us know of any other gems you come across in your search.

picked out a b&w sw600 sub for my neighbor for 400 dollars(us) sounds absolutely beautiful for music,it is the best 400 dollar sub i have heard,ive heard louder for that price,but not better..good luck......ron