Subwoofers - old vs new

ElJeffe

So I'm soon going to be picking up a sub for my system, because I - embarrassingly enough for someone with two HDTVs - don't have one. I'm going to be getting one from Paradigm, because A) I love Paradigm, and I already have Paradigm surrounds and plan to eventually have all speakers from the same manufacturer for purposes of matching sound and such.

Anyway.

I can either buy a new sub for around $500, or I can get a used one of comparable quality for around $100. The question is whether it really is of "comparable quality" - more generally, how well do subs age?

I know that speakers age pretty well; an awesome speaker from ten years ago will be an awesome speaker today, as it will probably be made with materials that don't decay much with age, and the principals of moving air to make sound haven't much changed. Modern advancements, as best I can tell, involve creating new materials to perform the same tasks for cheaper or with less room for error, but something that was created to be fuckawesome will be fuckawesome for quite some time.

I am not sure this holds true with subs, because I know less about subs. I know that setup and calibration is a bit more complicated, what with setting crossover frequency and cut-off point and this that and the other thing. Does this stuff really change much? For example, how does this sub compare to this one, which seems to be a rough equivalent (the PDR-12 has since been discontinued)? How well does a given sub age with use, assuming care is taken?

I'm willing to drop $500 on a sub if that's what it takes to get an awesome sub, but if I can get pretty much the same experience for a quarter of that, I'd like to.

Cabezone

In my experience the built in amps in self powered subs tend to go out before they start to sound bad. That's just personal experience, I'm not a stereo expert by any means.

ElJeffe

How long do the amps tend to last? A few years, or a few decades? Would a ten year old sub be an unwise purchase?

Cabezone

Well I can't give any kind of statistics, but my mid range Amps seem to last 5 years or so before needing replacing. I wouldn't buy a sub that was 10 years old.

Djeet

I think it depends on how it's used. I have a 6 year old Paradigm sub (PS-1000 or PS-1200, not sure which), and it's never gone above 2.5-3 on the volume knob because any louder will rattle the windows when any amount of bass is played. I've felt the heat sink after long series of explosions and music and after many hours of continuous use and it never even gets warm. The way I use it I'd expect it to last forever. I like the cabinet, but I probably could've saved a few bucks and bought a Polk sub; it is only putting out 120-150 hz tops. I might get new in your situation only because I'd be concerned a spendy sub was abused by a previous owner.

Ok, once I put it on 7 when I first set it up, but I yanked the input to it because I couldn't approach it to crank down the volume (yeah I spose I could've turned down the main volume but that didn't come to mind; it sounded like there's artillery being set off in your apartment).

ElJeffe

Yeah, I can't crank my volume too loud because I have chilluns sleeping most of the time I'm watching movies, but I would be concerned with the listening habits of previous owners.

I will have to give this some thought.

Scrublet

I'd think of how long this sub is going to last you, and how much piece of mind is worth knowing it hasn't been abused because you've been taking care of it. What sub are you thinking about getting anyways? After the strong recommendations from this forum I've been pricing out Paradigm Studios, and I'm pretty sure a lot of the Paradigm subs are more than $500 based on the numbers I've been getting on those speakers.

ElJeffe

Paradigm has a number of lines of speakers. Their Reference lines are fuckawesome speakers for crazy prices, though they have more budget-friendly speakers (and subs) that are merely fantastic. The now-defunct PDR-12 used to go for around $500, and their mid-sized DSP line is somewhere in that ballpark, as well. The Studios are great speakers, and the largest ones are pretty pricey.

But yes, if I wanted to go with a Servo, I'd be shelling out $Texas.

Basically, I haven't settled on a precise sub model just yet, because I'm still weighing the old-vs-new question (and now leaning towards new). My wife gave me a budget of $1000 or so to pick up a new receiver and sub, and the receiver I want (I settled on the Marantz SR-5003) I can find for under $600. That gives me $400-500 for a sub, for which I know I can find something pleasing. Just need to figure out which one, now.

thisonekidmongo

To the OP--I've never heard a Paradigm sub, but I'd advise checking out some subs from internet-direct audio companies like SVS, Hsu Research, or Elemental Designs as well. While you should definitely match your speakers as well you can, you don't have to match your sub, as you're not going to detect any voicing differences in frequencies that low. So you don't need to limit your options so much for the sake of matching--and from what I understand, subs from well-known brand names offer far less bang for the buck than ID companies.

I really apologize if I sound like a commercial, but just as an example, the lowest-level SVS offering, the PB10, will go sub-20Hz for $400 (plus shipping). It's rare for a big name in the speaker business to make a sub that gives you anything usable under 35Hz; if they do, the price will be at least three times as much. On top of that, ID companies seem to always list HONEST specs for some reason, whereas you really never know what to expect with traditional brands. My relatively crappy JBL sub (original MSRP: $800), for instance, supposedly dips down to 18Hz, but in reality doesn't make a peep under 30Hz.

As for the old/new question--subs age about as well as any speaker, but at the price you can get a good new one, I don't see any reason to shop used, unless you can get a GREAT deal on a relatively new sub.