Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Subwoofer shopping again!

I know spiff has been able to mesh his VTF-2 and Axioms well....and he also lives in an apartment.

At low listening levels, I do not think you will hear much difference in any of those subs, but it would make for an interesting test. Because I have heard the VTF-2 and what it can do, that is what I would recommend.

The new STF series also looks very promising. In talking with Hsu Research the other day, Dr. Hsu says the driver in the STF-10 is just as good as the driver in the VTF-2. I heard the STF-8, that thing did well with LOTR, I would not hesitate using that in a small room.

Marcus, on your "low listening level" question that you're especially interested in, there's no sub that somehow has a special advantage over other similar subs when the level is low. Due to the Fletcher-Munson effect both low and high frequencies sound less prominent in relation to the mid-range as the level gets lower. Changing subs can't change this; to make the sub louder at low levels you increase the sub level setting.. All of the subs you're considering are excellent(if you go with the 25-31, ask Tom to custom-tune it to 22hz at no extra charge, which results in a little more extension and a little less "punch", which is all to the good), but unless you clear up whatever problem you had with setting up the Athena you may still be disappointed.

Did you say "record player"? I haven't heard that phrase in years.

Made my choice and ordered the 25-31 PCi. Thanks for the advice....although I think I had my decision made already. Just wanted to make sure there wasnt a compelling reason not to get the 25-31 PCi or something that made another sub stand out above the rest.

Shall we start taking bets on how long before I am asking to turn it down by my fellow apt dwellers?

'true bass' is not nearly as annoying as over-emphasized 'mid-bass' -- you know the kind you hear coming out of that annoying car next to you at the stop light or gas station? That kind of bass warrants a immediate phone call.

Boomy mid-bass -- the next-door neighbor will call you, complaining.
True bass -- the neighbor will call 911, scared.

Well, If my very recent expirence (about an hour ago, after having the sub hooked up for 10 min) is to be used as an example, I give you about 3 seconds - it took my neighbor, who is 20' away, with trees and a 5 foot fence in between, about 5-10 seconds to cruise over and see what the hell I was killing...

A link to the post at avs if you are interested: Chat session with curtis

Happy subbing! FYI - I have the SVS PC+ 20-39

What would be the recommendation between the SVS 25-31 PCi (with the custom tuning suggested by JohnK to 22Hz) and the SVS 20-39 PCi. If the performance is almost similar, then the (22)-31 seems better since it is shorter height while also getting some real lows ??

The main advantage of the 25-31 over the 20-39 is that it is capable of higher SPLs.

If you are an organ music lover (like me) who likes the 16Hz low-C pedal tone, go with the 20-39 or whatever maximum-extension model. Or even better, go with the SVS PB2-Plus or Hsu VTF-3, which both feature a variable port tuning.