Home Theater Subwoofer Puts Boom in This Room

Chad Hunter is probably what most people would call “an audiophile.” Basically, that just means that he loves all things audio—well, the good things. The speakers, the home theater subwoofer; he’s insanely passionate, which is evident just by looking at his media room setup.

The 19-by-13-by-8-foot living room is part of a rental house, which means that he didn’t have the space for a full-blown home theater. However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t take just as much time to plan and test out the equipment; it had actually been in the works for quite some time.

“I started getting into music seriously at a young age. My mother and stepfather had a decent system when I was younger (in the early 80s), with a Kenwood receiver, Advent tower speakers, a Realistic turntable, etc.,” Chad says. “That inspired me as I grew older. I always admired how well music sounded on my parents’ system, so having a nice setup someday was a must for me.”

Before he decided on the 5.1 sound system you see before you today, Chad had a few two-channel setups and went through a variety of brands before happening upon Klipsch.

“I loved the sounds of horns,” he says. “My first Klipsch 5.1 system was back in 1998, with the Synergy Series. After owning those for over 10 years, I did some research on the Klipsch Reference Series.”

Chad had never heard the Klipsch Reference Series in person, but was willing to give them a go, based on a variety of great reviews. Even though the sound was “leaps and bounds” over his previous Synergy setup, he still wanted more. “I ended up selling these to a coworker for almost what I paid initially, so that was a good thing,” he says. “I went to the 62IIs next: the RF62IIs, RC62II and RS62IIs.”

That purchase was perfect for the size of his room. Now, he just needed to round out the system with a home theater subwoofer. More research led him to the SVS SB13-Ultra sealed home theater subwoofer. “I fell in love with them—literally,” he says. “Cosmetically, they are gorgeous, and the stats and reviews seemed a no-brainer for me.”

This wasn’t just love at first sight. The purchase ended up being a major turning point in his project. “It energized my system to another level completely,” Chad says. “The SB13-Ultra was by far the most important piece of my system.”

With that piece in place, he began rebuilding the rest of his speaker setup, adding in the Klipsch RC64II and the RF7IIs.

Although swapping out speakers was no easy task, Chad actually found the most challenging part of his install to be fitting everything into a limited space. That said, his room proves that even in a rental, it can be done. “I think one thing that stands out is it’s a fairly small room, with highly efficient speakers that can really rock,” he says. “The flagship RF7IIs are truly amazing speakers for their price. Throw the SB13-Ultra into the mix and it equals stunning sound for music and movies.”

Chad spent around $10,000 creating this multipurpose room, which he uses for music, movies, and the occasional PS4 grudge match. However, it’s easy enough to pick up and move to a dedicated theater room—which he is still planning to have one day, once he moves into a permanent home.

Since the room was completed last summer, Chad has upgraded his receiver to the Denon AVR-4520CI and swapped out his PlayStation 3 for a PS4. He also has a 60-inch Samsung 3D HDTV and new drapes to cover the window that spreads along the back of the couch. In the near future, he hopes to add the Parasound Halo A51 external amp and, of course, another SVS sub.

“I do love subwoofers and feel that SVS makes some of the best subwoofers on the planet,” Chad says. “The SB13-Ultra is an absolutely amazing sub that still puts a smile on me every time I crank it up.”

Want a closer peek at Chad’s room? Check out our slideshow below.

Equipment List:

• Denon AVR-4520CI 9.2-Channel A/V Receiver
• Klipsch RC-64 II Center Speaker
• Klipsch RF-7 II Floorstanding Speakers (2)
• Klipsch RS-62 II Reference Surround Speakers (2)
• Panamax M5300-PM Power Conditioner
• Samsung 60-inch UN60F7100 LED 3D Smart TV
• Sony BDP-S790 3D Blu-ray Player
• Sony PlayStation 4
• SVS SB13-Ultra Subwoofer