Tekton 18″ Cinema Subwoofer
I recently had the opportunity to work on a home theater system with a pair of Tekton 18″ Cinema subwoofers. The room was 4500 ft3 and easily achieved reference sound pressure levels without significant distortion. These are the highest output subwoofers I have encountered at the $1,000 price point. They are large with the cabinet measuring 33″ tall x 20″ wide x 26″ deep. The controls on the back were very basic including volume and crossover knobs along with a 0-180 phase switch. There is also a main power switch near the power cord connection, LED power light and it can be set to turn on automatically with a signal or stay on continuously.
This is a simple subwoofer with a very high sound output capability. With the rated 100db efficiency at 1 meter and the 300 watt amplifier it should be capable of 129 db at 1 meter when placed in a corner. This can definitely get you near the 115db required for reference LFE sound levels. If you want a great subwoofer and can accommodate the space for these it would be hard to find anything better at $1,000 each.
I love Tekton speakers, but have recently been looking into the Cinema Sub vs Rythmik FVX15. For two of the FVX15, its $2150, so just a slight difference… High efficiency/low mass vs Servo??
Which would you recommend? Thank you!
These are two different types of products. 18″ subs are higher output and go lower. 15″ subs tend to be more refined for music and offer better higher frequency response for bass management with surrounds and other speakers that crossover above 80 Hz. I prefer sealed over ported for more refined sound, but ported will output more sound at similar power levels and driver sizes. You might want to look at Power Sound Audio as well. They make some very good subs at great prices. I also like their amps better than either Rythmik or Tekton.