Any help? When I have visitors over, they often marvel at the size of the screen (though, at 88 inches diagonal, it’s still pretty modest by serious home theater standards). I have attempted to add the same HSU Research and SVS model subs you owned, but no dice. Specs-wise, both subs check all the right boxes. Monoprice Monolith 12" and 15" Thx Ultra Subwoofers Review Test Bench The woofer, embossed with a Monolith logo, can be covered using the removable grille, which is floated slightly away from the baffle. The baskets use a sturdy-looking cast aluminum design. That is a tremendous amount of throw, and the drivers will have a lot of room to safely play in before they could reach their mechanical limits. Commercial theaters that have achieved THX certification promise to have excellent sound and picture quality. Furthermore, the quality of your gear matters. I have a Deftech STS Home Theater speaker system with an additional 10"Deftech supercube sub. Sure, a 32-inch budget TV and soundbar from the local big-box retailer may be fine for watching the news, but do you get the visceral impact that’s required when Luke blows up the Death Star? “Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment – not marketing slogans”. These new subs come in three different sizes: the 10” THX Select and the 12” and 15” THX Ultra. This is electronic music that is brutal and challenging, and as such, low-frequency sounds are used abundantly. While you'll give a little up in deep bass extension, that's something you feel rather than hear anyway. Both the 10” THX Select and 12” THX Ultra use the same 500-watt RMS Class D amplifier. So, after reading this review, I think it's time I pull the trigger on a couple of these. The cotton sack looks like it would do well in protecting the subwoofers from scuffs and moisture. Upgrading from a single Rythmik LV12R. Receiver used was a Pioneer Elite SC-55 with a variety of different speakers, and the crossover was used mostly at 80 Hz and also 100 Hz at times. Monoprice claims 18mm of Xmax for both drivers (Xmax is essentially how far the cone can move in one direction from its rest position in a controlled manner). There are other parameters that must be considered for a subwoofer to be up to THX’s standard of fidelity, such as distortion quantities, compression behavior, linearity in frequency response, conformity to THX’s bass management requirements, and time-related behaviors such as group delay. James Larson is Audioholics' primary loudspeaker and subwoofer reviewer on account of his deep knowledge of loudspeaker functioning and performance and also his overall enthusiasm toward moving the state of audio science forward. The drawstring bag and gloves do impart the aura that this product is a high-end purchase, and I think their inclusion is as much about presentation as they are about safely protecting the products during shipment. My room is about 2700 cubic feet (11.5'x31'x7.5'). This is a relatively popular pipe organ album that shows off Preston’s lively playing style on the massive Marcussen pipe organ in the 800-year-old Lubeck Cathedral. Monoprice also has a larger 15” subwoofer in their line-up, the 15” Ultra, and we may be looking at that unit in a future review. One movie that I watched with the 10” THX Select was the 2013 actioner “White House Down.” For those who missed it, “White House Down” is essentially “Die-Hard” set in the White House and is directed by the disaster film maestro Roland Emmerich, so it has plenty of epic setpieces and therefore opportunities for low-frequency mayhem. SVS PB-2000 and SB-2000 Subwoofers Review, Outlaw Audio Ultra-X13 Ported Subwoofer Review, https://www.monoprice.com/pages/sitewide1_promo, Monoprice Monolith 10” THX Select and 12” THX Ultra Subwoofers Review, Cone Material: 2-layer long fiber pulp/glass fiber cone, Voice Coil: 60mm with high temperature aluminum wire and black anodized aluminum bobbin, Surround: FEA optimized NBR (nitrile budadiene rubber), Motor: FEA optimized, undercut T-pole focused field, Enclosure: Sealed or vented HDF cabinet with horizontal and vertical bracing, Frequency Response (-6dB) Extended EQ Sealed: 28-200Hz, Frequency Response (-6dB) Extended EQ Vented: 18-200Hz, Frequency Response (-6dB) THX EQ Sealed: 31-200Hz, Frequency Response (-6dB) THX EQ Vented: 20-200Hz, Harmonic Distortion: <1% 20-100Hz (90dB @ 1m), Crossover: Inline/Bypass variable 40-160Hz, Signal Turn On: Selectable always on/auto, Dimensions (H x W x D): 18.9" x 15" x 19.7" (480 x 380 x 500mm), Motor: FEA optimized, 2 aluminium shorting rings, undercut T-pole focused field, Frequency Response (-6dB) Extended EQ Sealed: 26-200Hz, Frequency Response (-6dB) Extended EQ Vented (1 port): 19-200Hz, Frequency Response (-6dB) Extended EQ Vented (2 ports): 18-200Hz, Frequency Response (-6dB) THX EQ Sealed: 29-200Hz, Frequency Response (-6dB) THX EQ Vented (1 port): 23-200Hz, Frequency Response (-6dB) THX EQ Vented (2 ports): 20-200Hz, Dimensions (H x W x D): 22.8" x 16.7" x 23.6" (580 x 425 x 600mm), Relatively inexpensive considering parts quality and performance, 12” THX Ultra subwoofer is arduously heavy, 10" THX Select subwoofer isn't quite able to produce chest-punching mid-bass alone. Not sure where these Monoprice fit into that segment. The first phrase that comes to mind when trying to explain the design of the Monolith THX subs is “sheer mass.” As mentioned before, these are heavy subwoofers relative to their size. A film that I watched using the 12” THX Ultra was the 2006 disaster epic “Poseidon.” This movie is about a freak tsunami that capsizes a massive ocean liner and the struggle for survival of a group of passengers in the aftermath. Beneath the woofer is a large port (or dual ports on the 12” THX Ultra) that looks like it means business. For the specs and build of these units, they are very aggressively priced. Also, why use 4 different Subwoofers? I listened to both subs partnered with two sets of stereo MonoPrice speakers, the 8250 speakers ($28 per pair) and the 8251 speakers ($54 per pair). This means that devices or media content that hold THX certification meet a certain degree of performance as measured by THX that assures a good listening and viewing experience. The 12” has two ports and sports a 500-watt Class D amplifier built around a Texas Instruments 48-bit data path (with 28-bit filter coefficients) and DSP engine. The unpacking process revealed a pair of very robust looking subwoofers. The 10” THX Select subwoofer is named after the ‘THX Select’ certification, which means it should hit 115 dB peak pressure levels in a 2,000 cubic foot room with a 10’ to 12’ viewing distance from the screen. In the audio world, Monoprice has long been known for being an electronics accessories supplier. Thomas Wander and Harald Closer’s orchestral score also pays regular visits to the subwoofer frequency domain with its pounding accompaniment to the on-screen action. I don’t really know how to classify “A Shocking Hobby”; it is electronic music that is a bit too heavy and abstract for the dancefloor but is too rhythmic and concussive to merely be an intellectual exercise. The Monolith subwoofers are a very nice value. These fit into that segment, although if size isn't an issue, the HSU VTF-MK2 at $859 is a much better value. Each driver has been customized for Monoprice and appears to be well constructed to provide extreme cone movement. Without grille, the beefy-looking woofer is exposed. Or look for a subwoofer of 12” or larger when you have floorstanding speakers in your system. The subwoofer itself is wrapped in a nice drawstrin… So, THX certification basically means this product or service has attained a certain level of high performance. Granted its no Rythmik FV18 that I … There are two pieces of 1” thick HDF bracing inside both subwoofers: a vertical window brace and a horizontal piece that holds the ports in place.