o.k. after looking through "lalakersfan34" thread, i figured i'd ask for help in his format! here goes:

1. Your budget.

up to $600, not including S/H (but would prefer something closer to $500)

2. Size requirements/limits.

not looking for a monstrosity...just something that would look good/appropriate w/ my cherry Polk RTi8's

3. Room dimensions.

i'll be moving shortly into a new apartment...looking at 2 different floorplans, the largest of which has a living room that is 22"x13"x9"

4. Primary uses.

mostly home theater...some music (i'm not an audiophile at all, most of the music will be through an iPod:rolleyes:...no gaming

5. Listening habits.

living in an apartment...carpeted w/ chipped concrete, don't want to tick off the neighbors...looking to fill the room w/ bass though

6. Appearance requirements.

per the significant other, it's gotta be cherry to match the speakers

7. Timeframe.

not that important a factor to me...i.e. i can wait for mail order but don't want to wait longer than a month or so

8. Search the forum.

i don't think the search function would help me much as i'm an absolute illiterate when it comes to s/w's

thanks for any & all advice!;)

i forgot to add that i have Polk RTi8's as my fronts, RTi4's as my surrounds/rears & a CSi3 for the center

There arent a lot of good subwoofers that come in cherry. Only mfw-15 (http://**********/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,265/category_id,9/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,37/) from av123 comes to my mind, but $100 over your budget. Look for a b-stock one may be.

If you want a small sub that meets your critera with really nice sound quality check out the REL T3:

http://www.hometheatermag.com/subwoofers/108rel/index1.html

Since you live in an apartment you don't need the loudest or deepest sub, thats why the T3 should be on your short list. Sure there are subs that outperform the T3 but I doubt there are many that sound as good and have the same level of fit and finish as the REL for $600.

This Aperion (http://www.aperionaudio.com/product/Bravus8D-Dual822PoweredSubwoofer,104,66,242.aspx) might just fit the bill. Dual active 8", 150 Watt, Sealed, Cherry, Free shipping, $499. Doesn't go to the lower frequencies, but it will be great for an apartment. If you don't like it, they pay the return shipping if returned within 30 days. If within a year, you want a larger Aperion sub, they give you full credit on your trade in. Pretty much a no risk trial.

I'm not making a recommendation as I have never heard one. I am just pointing you to an option that meets all your requirements.

thanks for the replies, what do you all think about the polk psw1000? i've found it for <$700 at an authorized dealer (& i could pick it up)