Can anyone advise on a home cinema speaker system that will shake the ground it is so good?

Question

I would like one so powerful that you become part of the film.
That the earth shakes under your feet.

Thanks!
Yes, I am being serious

Ahh! So many good answers. Being put to vote by me - I didn't forget.

Answer 1

JBL HTPS400 1000 Watt, 12" (300mm), THX®-Powered Subwoofer $1,339
http://www.hdtvhouse.com/prods/p_jblhtthxcer1.html
Amplifier Power (RMS) 1 kilowatt
Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1m) 91dB
Frequency Response 25Hz – 250Hz (±3dB)

But you can build better subwoofers than any premanufactured subwoofer you can buy & at a fraction of the cost.
http://www.billfitzmaurice.com

I built a pair of these speakers for my home stereo.
"David" floor standing speaker
http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/David.html

I also built a pair of these subwoofers for my PA system.
"Tuba 36" subwoofer
http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/T36.html

Answer 2

Heres a break down for you. The center speaker is mainly a dialogue speaker that handles some minor sound effects, it needs to be directly underneath or or top of your tv. Or centered to the listening area. The two larger speakers are the front left and right, they handle about 80% of the main sound effects and 20% of offshooting dialogue. You do want them in front, place them at least 3to5 feet from the center speaker to get good sound separation. The small speakers are your surrounds and are placed anywhere behind the listening field that you can get them. Speaker placement is very important to getting the maximum effect from your system. Now sub placemant is tricky. If you place it in an obscure angle to make it fit you will have dead spaces where you will have zero bass. Ive found that the best place for a sub is behind the tv aimed at the wall. It makes a resonance chamber and spreads the bass evenly through the room. Or if thats not possible, aim it directly at the listening area. Hope that hepled.

Answer 3

If you really wanna shake the house, how about a reciever that uses 2 subwoofers. A good example is the Harman Kardon AVR 745 7.2 reciever. Two decent powered subs would probably put some cracks in your walls if your not careful. Two subwoofers I'd recommend would be Klipsch's RT-12d 12 inch reference subwoofers, any other seven speaker setup with those subs will do. I'd recommend not using the full Klipsch RF-83 system honestly because you might acutally do some damage to the room your setup will be in.

Answer 4

The three answers prior to mine are on definitely on the right track. Your budget will dictate how low, how accurate and how loud you will get. Your receiver (if you not using separate components) will have little to do with the performance of your sub woofer. It's job is to route a suitable line level signal to your sub system and power your smaller speakers. If you really want to move some air you need wattage and/or airspace. I use a pair of Bag End Infra Subs; a nice combination of both and linear down to 8 Hz. You really want to "shake the earth under your feet"? Why not do just that? Companies like Aurasound and Buttkicker make products that you attach to either a riser that your seating is placed on or directly to the seating itself that "shake" the furniture so you really feel it. Of course none of this comes with out a decent price tag.

Answer 5

There are many many great home cinema speakers on the market. I recently bought an awesome Logitech THX system that I HIGHLY recommend. But in terms of ground shaking, that is usually done by a sub-woofer, so the more watts your sub(s) can handle, you'll be experiencing ground shaking sound just like in the movies. But most importantly, the quality and volume of sound that your speakers put out depends on the quality of the amplifier that they are hooked up too. In my home we have had many different types of amps, and in my experience Sony amplifiers are the top of the line. So in my opinion, go with a Sony amplifier and Logitech Speakers, and for that ground shaking sound make sure you have a nice, big sub-woofer.

Answer 6

Go big or go home. Any high end system like BOSE, KENWOOD, YAMAHA, ATHENA TECHNOLOGIES will do it, but if you don't have a powerful enough receiver you won't get the desired effect. I have a KENWOOD system with a powered 8 inch sub. My receiver pumps out 110 watts per channel in 5.1 surround mode. Needless to say my neighbours know exactly what movie i am playing every time i crank it up. And yes i live in a house...BOOM!!!!!!!!!!! i'm looking at a 10 inch powered sub now, If you are looking for thump stay under 10 inch, if you want thud go with a 12 inch sub.
Goor luck and enjoy....

Answer 7

Think along the lines of -

Miller and Kreisel (M&K)
Bowers and Wilkins (B&W)
Rel
Tannoy
Jamo THX Series
Wilson Audio
Krell
Velodyne
Definitive Technology
Meridian
McIntosh
Sunfire (who offer a 2.7kw subwoofer. Yup, 2,700 watts and it goes down to 18hz and 110decibels, too!)

...and budget on spending at least £10,000...


(Stay well away from Bose, though - it is overpriced, badly made, lousy sounding rubbish!)

Answer 8

how much do you want to spend?

try this:
* Meridian
o Surround Controllers
+ G68D £3895
+ G68ADV £4995
+ G68AXV £4995
+ G68XXV£4995

than add speakers:

* DSP5200 £6150 new
* DSP5500 MkII £7695
* DSP5500C MkII £3995
* DSP7000 £16175
* DSP7000C £8210
* DSP8000 £28750
* DSP8000C £14375

*

Digital active 96kHz/ 24-bit active loudspeakers
o DSP3100 £2595

or cheaper : * Infinity
o TSS-750 4 x satellites + 1 centre channel (100W) + 1 x 150W active subwoofer £499

then a builders quote to reinforce your walls , this will really rock !!



http://www.gloucesterhifi.co.uk/site/scripts/module.php?webSubSectionID=23

Answer 9

The answers you have gotten are AWFUL mass marketed crap. Don't waste your time at best buy/ circuit city, go to a real stereo store- check out brands like Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, B&K, McIntosh, Adcom, Martin Logan, B&W.

Answer 10

seriously they are all the same, its just the name label you are playing for, obviously you want to check the power outage given, the higher the louder, You might want to get an additional amplifier and subs just like a car to give good base to shake the whole neighbourhood. Importantlt for efficiency the resistance of the speakers should match the resistance of the sound sourse for loudest sound.