CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

subdesprsn · Joined: 03 Apr 2015 Posts: 1

A local garage sale in Maryland has these two for sale. No one seems to be buying because even they are both priced at $30, they are vey old and dusty but I believe they could possibly be a good fit for a small studio apartment?

I dislike "boom boom" woofers and my hours of research behind these old models tell me these could be worth to give them a try as they are not overly exaggerating.

I have not bought either yet because I want to hear your opinions:

1. I don't think I will be able to sell these. The Velodyne is well over 20 years old (manufactured in '93!) and the Energy ES-8 is size of a bookshelf
2. Seller does not have an AVR to drive it. Will have to drag mine to even test these.
3. Even as a student, blowing $30 on what could be disappointment would be a tough pill to swallow. I would have this $30 contribute to saving up for my DIY sub a few years down the line.

Right now I have an 8" sub that does not go below 50Hz driven by a Class-T.
The 5 speakers are all mirage omnisats so cuts off around 100Hz I think.
The AVR is a Denon AVR1910

I'm leaning towards the Energy ES-8 Subwoofer just because it's a bit newer (although 10 years old at this point)

I mainly listen to 70s - 90s music, Jazz, some Rock and pre 2010 pop and very few recent pop. Not a big dubstep fan. I enjoy classical when I am feeling happy but not otherwise.

I would love a sub that is great for movies though. I have a different soundsystem to play video games, this one is just for music.

What could go wrong with buying the Energy ES-8 Subwoofer?

Anyone has it still and would recommend they still have some drive left in them?

What parts in it might need to be changed/refurbished soon? Re-foaming required at this point (main reason why I don't want to buy the Velodyne because it most likely needs a refoam given it's older than I am)

Thanks in advance for any input.

ecrabb · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 5:50 pm Post subject:

Welcome to the forum!

If it were me, I'd go look at both subs closely and buy whichever sub was in full operating condition and didn't require re-coning. If either requires re-coning, I probably wouldn't want to pay much of anything for either one. That's just me. I'd run my fingers over the driver surround(s) to make sure it's still good and flexible and not cracked. I'd also take my phone or iPod with a headphone-RCA cable just to test to make sure the amp is good and it works. No need to drag a whole receiver.

Surrounds shouldn't have cracked in just 10 years unless they've been exposed to direct sunlight or high heat. My old man has a Miller & Kreisel sub from 1985 or so, and the surround on that driver still look brand new.

Assuming both are in good condition, I'd rather have the Velodyne than the Energy. The Velodyne is a 10" with a 12" passive radiator. It's no doubt a much better sub than the Energy, but that assumes condition is equal. Age is less important to me than condition. For movies and music, I'd much rather have the Velodyne.

Go get eyes on, take a look, and buy only if it's working perfectly. Otherwise, I'd pass and save your money for something that won't need to be repaired. If it was something really awesome that needed repair, and you could get a steal on it, that's one thing, but one is getting very old, and the other isn't anything to write home about. I know you're a poor starving college student, but unless they're in perfect working order, I'd save your precious cash and wait for another deal.

Cheers,
SC