Seriously......try out the Sunfire True Subs....I have tried M & K's,Velodynes, Mirages' and Celestions and by far the Suns reproduction are cleaner with less roll-over.

Do yourself and your wallet a favor and check out Cambridge Soundworks at www.hifi.com you will save a bundle and their 10" powered subwoofer shakes my windows and scares the S**T out of my cat. Henry Kloss is behind the design, so you know its high quality.
Scot

I have to agree with Matt there, you need to check out the REL. I have a REL Storm, and that sub is absolutely perfect, no muddy bass, each note is separate and it plays well down below 20hz.

best of luck

David,

I have to disagree with your assertions about subwoofers. Subwoofers "do" move a lot of air and you can "feel" them. A good sub (15" or 18") will outperform almost any affordable full range speaker in the bass department. Secondly, a good passive sub with an outboard amplifier is a viable option and can perform very well. Finally, "real music with real instruments do(es) not go below 20hz". Have you ever heard a pipe organ? Music is the ONE instance where bass does go below 20hz. Soundtracks RARELY have bass below 25hz - 30hz. It's music that has the real low bass information, not movies (with some exceptions). I'm not flaming you, just trying to enlighten.

I heard no mention of the Paradigm Subs. You may want to give these a try also.

Good Luck

Look at all the recording studios that use M&K subs there are cheaper subs but the are no better ones. I love my M&K THX sub.

20th Century Fox
Columbia Pictures
Dolby Lbs Los Angeles and New York
DTS (Digital Theater Systems)
Skywalker Sound
Sony Music
Warner Bros. Studios
Motorala DSP Digital Audio Labs
Pioneer Video Manufacturing
THX Division, Lucasfilm, Ltd.

Just to name a few.

I`ve got to agree with Sean and Bevan about the quality coming from my MK MK125MHII sub. It goes really low but at the same time it`s clear,tight and controlled. You didn`t say what your buget is so I can only say to give the MK`s a listen. I don`t think you`ll be disappointed! Chris

I just got the M&K S150THX sub. WOW!!! I've had a bunch of subs, including the Sunfire MKII. IMHO, this sounds better than any other sub I've heard. The Sunfire just didn't blend well with my main speakers (which by the way are M&K). With the M&K sub set on THX the sound is fantastic! The sub is quick, sounds great on music, and sounds FANTASTIC on home theater. It is big so be careful - the wife was FURIOUS it was so big! Also, check out the HSU subs. They are one of the few (if not ONLY) subs on Audio Review.com that have a perfect 5.0 ranking. I was considering going with HSU but I wanted something that sounded great from low (25Hz) up to 80Hz(the THX crossover point). The M&K fit the bill!
Good luck!

I would second getting a HSU. I have the VTF-2 and it is simply great.

I have had an M&K MX125mkII. I tested Velodynes at a dealer and at Circuit City, tested Infinity, tested B&W, listened to a Sunfire, checked out a bud's Definitive and as stated earlier, bought the M&K. I will ALWAYS own an M&K and plan to continue to mate them with B&W mains and center. BUT and this is a big but, I love the sub so much I am considering going to M&K speaks too.

If you are looking for clean, deep bass, solid amp, flexibility in setup that will punch you in the chest like a heavyweight contender, look at M&K seriously. You get more than what you pay for with M&K.

If I haven't been very clear, M&K is the best gig going for my money (though I confess I couldn't demo a Hsu, which was a hope of mine).

Going back to the original question, which is better, front firing or floor firing? I need to know because I'm just about ready to get a really good sub and I would like to hear some opinions on which is the better style and why.

Thanx

Floor firing are usually a tick tighter and are not as placement sensitive as forward firing. Also, there is a bigger chance you will feel (again I said FEEL not hear) the bass if you were to compare the same subwoofer but one is in a down-firing configuration and the other is in a front-firing configuration. As for which sub is good. I agree with the people that have mentioned the Velodyne CT line but also look at the Klipsch KSW-12. You can easily find one for less than $500 and it's not everyday that a sub gets out of 80+ reviews, a 4.85/5 rating. Check out audioreview.com and see for yourself.

Granted, I don't know a lot about subs in general so feel free to completely disregard what I'm saying here, but here goes anyway.

Like mlbrandon did, audition subs, figure out what you're looking for and your price range, then get a sub that fits those categories.

I have a cheap Sony. It was more expensive than some, less expensive than most. It didn't deliver a ton of bass with that "hit you in the chest" feeling spoken of earlier. But, it shakes the walls in my house and really adds to my music.

I'm moving into an apartment soon, so that whole-house-shaking bass is something I don't even want. I'll probably have to turn down my sub, even though it lacks power. I'm glad I didn't pay $700 for it if I can't even use it to it's full potential.

You see my point, I'm sure. Sure, I could have the M&K spoken of earlier, but I don't need it. I don't think there will be a clear cut "this sub is the best". It's all preference.

When I auditioned speakers, I found I liked how a pair of $500 Polks sounded much better than a $2500 pair of Klipsch or however you spell it. A lot of people would say "Klipsch are better than Polks" or "Infinities are better than Polks", but to me, they're not.

tim

Ed:

"Also, there is a bigger chance you will feel (again I said FEEL not hear) the bass if you were to compare the same subwoofer but one is in a down-firing configuration and the other is in a front-firing configuration."

Forgive me for not understanding that statement. Which of the configurations did you intend to specify will produce more bass 'feel'? :^)

I have a Monitor Audio ASW210. It is an awsome sub for both movies and music. The response is quick and accurate without sounding to "boomy". The 210 is both floor and front firing. They come in two different sizes depending on the size of the room.

Steve