In reply to:
I keep hearing all this advice to buy SVS subwoofers.
Does no one else think they are butt ugly?
They're not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, but I wouldn't necessarily call them ugly. Yes, they're tall, but I actually prefer the cylinder look to a big cube. Consider that the HSU VTF-3 is 20"h 15"w 22"d, and even the Axiom EP350 is almost as large (same hight and width, but not as deep). To me, these would stick out even more in my living room because of how much floor space they would take up and how far they would stick out from the wall.
What it really boils down to is that if you don't want to spend a fortune on a smaller multi-megawatt sealed sub such as the Sunfire, the only way to get authoritative home theater bass is by purchasing a large ported sub such as the SVS, HSU, etc. None of these subs are pretty, but then again we buy these subs for performance.
In reply to:
There ARE other companies out there that make subs in a range of prices and quality for the discerning consumer. Has anyone considered Velodyne lately?
Their high end HGS series have been known to be a part of some very pricey, audiophile systems.
Pricey being the keword. The HGS Series II subs start at $1899 US SRP, that's not exactly a value-priced subwoofer. I would guess most people here are looking to get the most bang for the buck, and SVS fits that bill pretty well.
