Hunt for subwoofer ends. Enter XTZ sub 8.17.
Guys, 3 months back started home theater journey with Yamaha HTR3067 and Polk signature series S15, S35 and OWM3. For subwoofer waited for sometime, to increase the budget and was not decided also about which one to go for. Demoed Polk PSW 110 which was not adding anything to my main speakers and DSW 550 which was definitely much better but bit 'boomy'. Reviews of amplifier failing in Polk subwoofers were also confusing.
Last 3 months listened to 5.0 setup. It was a big improvement over my previous computer speakers. For music the subwoofer was not missed but for movies and serials (action scenes) it was missed badly. I have a small room 10X12 ft. So was looking for a sub with small footprint within 30k preferably.
In the hunt for sub listened to Sonodyne Roarr 1108, 1210, Wharfedale D10, Sunfire SDS8, and the famed SVS SB1000 and PB1000s. Interestingly, when I listened to Sunfire SDS8 (8 incher with auxiliary bass radiator) and SB1000 one after another in a stereo setup, the Sunfire performed much better. It was costing 41k while the SVS 48.5k. In another movie setup, the PB1000 outperformed SB1000. Was almost fixing my mind on the Sunfire but budget was the limiting factor.
Next some more research and came to know from AVSforums US that RSL speedwoofer 10 is the hot favourite in USA in $399 range and giving SVS a run for money. Corresponded with RSL and found that the have an ebay international store from which can be ordered at $435 shipping included (duties extra). But couldn't risk ordering from US without warranty. Other new favourites are the Emotiva BasX series which have been recently launched. Asked Acoustic arts, official distributor in India, said that will be available Mid May. They have a dealer in Kolkata but I didn't think they will have them for demo soon. Didn't get good feedback from them while I enquired about SVS and velodyne subs for demo earlier. Otherwise Emotiva BasX 10 at 32k MRP is a good bet in this price.
Now research moved to AVforums UK. Their current favourites are two companies I never heard of before, BK (British company) and XTZ (Swedish). Visited corresponding websites and found out that BK has no distributor in India but XTZ has one - Surround Swar in Chennai. Emailed to them and found about prices and availability. They didn't have dealer in Kolkata but could ship directly. XTZ 8.17 fit my requirements perfectly.
This is the product page
XTZ SUB 8.17 Activ-Subwoofer - XTZ Sound in Balance.
Frequency extension looked good for an 8 inch sub with amplification of 200 watt RMS and small footprint were all good for me. There are quite a few tuning options like two pluggable ports tuned differently, 3 EQ settings, etc. So in one sub you get sealed, one port open (left port open and right open have different characteristics as they are tuned differently), and both port open options. Price quoted was 31k with shipping. So went ahead and booked it. Ultimately after listening to all these subwoofers, purchased something without audition. Was pretty tense regarding the final outcome.
Finally the sub arrived yesterday via Fedex. Fit and finish excellent. Blends in my existing setup well. Hooked it up, EQ reference and left port open configuration, played a few songs and immediately found the difference. Then played John Wick chapter 2 on bluray and gosh! The bass was tremendous. All the car collisions, gunshots, explosions, kicks and punches came alive. Looking forward to some more improvement after burn-in.
I have attached some pictures below.
:clapping:
hyeah:
