Why is the ULS rated as only a "3" for large rooms..?

[RipcordAFF]

Looking over the stats for the ULS, I noticed it was a "3" on the Hsu loudness scale. Are you insinuating that the ULS ( I guess bc its sealed?) does not have the headroom that the 3.3 does?

Maybe I am missing something then..

I guess what I see is more than double price increase for

a smaller box (ALWAYS a WAF plus:D )
Wireless
and just a few dbs of extension (over the 3.3 turbo)
LESS headroom


I HAVE to be missing something..:confused:

[Pete_Hsu]

First of all, the ULS-15 is certainly not "double the price". The VTF-3 MK3 in Satin Black will be $749, and shipping will be about $100. Shipping on the ULS-15 is only $55 in the continential USA. So the shipped price difference is about $500. The per unit difference is even less when looking at DualDrive and QuadDrive systems.

Here is what the extra $ buys you:

--Much Lower Distortion (sounds significantly cleaner even with 16Hz content)
--Much Deeper Extension (down to 10Hz in many rooms)
--Higher mid/upper bass headroom
--Zero port noise at any playback level
--Much More Compact Size (requires about 8-9" less depth than a -3 MK3)
--ULF Trim (which allows one to take better advantage of room gain)
--Wireless transmitter (which gives one much more flexibility in placement, and ease in hookup for single or multiple subs)
--Assembled in the USA

Of course deep bass efficiency will not be as high in a small sealed box compared to a much larger ported box. But the ULS can take much better advantage of room gain than the larger ported box in order to boost deep bass output and extension, while offering superior feature set and much much smaller size too. Note that a single ULS-15 can still work fine in a room size "4" (up to 6000 ft^3). Heck, I've spoken to the owner of an original VTF-2 that was using it in a 7000 ft^3 room with good results for him. We were just trying to be conservative with the rating here. For huge (size 4 or greater) rooms, it really pays off to get multiple true subs, no matter what the subwoofer is.

[RipcordAFF]

Hey thanks for the quick response Pete, but can I ask you one more quick question.


How and under what circumstances would you recommend the uls over the 3.3. For example, I have the 3.3 now and I understand that by upgrading I would be gaining linearity and sheer extension, but would I miss the power of the 3.3? I guess Im a little confused by your comment that the uls is not as efficient as the 3.3 turbo in the deep bass (isn't the ULS rated for more extension?). Are you saying that in the ULS will have less raw SPLs at the lower frequencies (but maintain its linearity further down)?

I do NOT have a MBM-12 and, but be honest, I find the 3.3 turbo a bit lacking. so I was trying to decide whether to go for the mbm12, or sell it all and go ULS (which, another tangent, is not too far from PB13 territory..anyone know how it might compare?)

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

[RipcordAFF]

(which, another tangent, is not too far from PB13 territory..anyone know how it might compare?)



Actually, just checked their prices, they seem to have gone up!:eek: Not so close then!

[Pete_Hsu]

I would recommend a ULS over a VTF-3 for those people who are looking for the cleanest sound with the most extended deep bass, all from a much more compact enclosure with better feature set and better build quality.

What are your room dimensions (HxWxD)? Does your room open to any other areas of the house? What about the VTF-3 MK3 do you currently find a little lacking? Have you tried running the subwoofer in maximum output mode (both ports open, and no turbo)?

[cacihome]

Hey thanks for the quick response Pete, but can I ask you one more quick question.


How and under what circumstances would you recommend the uls over the 3.3. For example, I have the 3.3 now and I understand that by upgrading I would be gaining linearity and sheer extension, but would I miss the power of the 3.3? I guess Im a little confused by your comment that the uls is not as efficient as the 3.3 turbo in the deep bass (isn't the ULS rated for more extension?). Are you saying that in the ULS will have less raw SPLs at the lower frequencies (but maintain its linearity further down)?

I do NOT have a MBM-12 and, but be honest, I find the 3.3 turbo a bit lacking. so I was trying to decide whether to go for the mbm12, or sell it all and go ULS (which, another tangent, is not too far from PB13 territory..anyone know how it might compare?)

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

I assure you there has to be something happening with your room and the 3.3
That sub is very powerful. It really is.

[thsmith]

How big is your room OP ? Mine is 4200cf and I do not find the 3 3 T lacking at all other than a rug to slide it around the room:) . I have a low db problem in my room at 50hz I am working to resolve but up front or behind the couch it sounds good and has a lot of punch. This is before I added an MBM.

I should be getting my 2nd MBM-12 this week. Going to try both up front with the mains and 3 3 T upfront and behind the couch.

Pete recommends 3 3 T behind couch when running dual MBMs upfront. So the 3 3 T is behind couch waiting for 2nd MBM.

Hopefully you have checked the obvious stuff like mains set to small, crossover in AVR set to 80hz and sub sitting in front corner. That should be a good baseline and then tweak from there.

What AVR do you have ?

I assure you there has to be something happening with your room and the 3.3
That sub is very powerful. It really is.

[lanion]

Part of the reason they are discounting the multiple sub packages I think is because sealed subs are less efficient and just have less output per watt, but have their own benefits. The forum is full of measurements for quaddrive,.... hopefully we will see some nice tests of just one sub soon for max output.

[Pete_Hsu]

Keep in mind that the ULS-15 can take better advantage of the boost in deep bass extension/output from room gain than most other subwoofers.

Having a relatively compact enclosure and wireless technology makes it much easier to incorporate multiple subwoofers in the room. Using multiple subwoofers can really provide dramatic performance improvements vs using a single unit. For instance, adding a second identical subwoofer offers a true doubling of efficiency, so each sub only needs 1/4 the amount of amp power to reproduce the same SPL level as a single unit.