List of budget subwoofers ($300 and less) - Page 16

Just a "for what it's worth" post that I laso put in the Klipsch sale thread.
Newegg has the Klipsch RW-12d on sale again for $299.99 and free shipping with the promo code.

Al

Thanks for the answer. I'll probably be alright with the H-100 or F-12, since the only thing I can compare them to is a old 8 inch Onkyo sub that was in a home theater bundle.
As long as it better than that, I'm happy.

This should win analogy of the day

Wow, well done, really well done! Recommend sticky admins!! maybe include the frequency response / sensitivity ?!

Two more subs to consider...

Premier Acoustic PA-120
http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Acoustic-PA-120-Titanium-Subwoofer/dp/B0021I0DD8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2KYFBBEXMP3VY&coliid=I269BNRMJWVLK4

Jamo SUB 650
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/549645163/jamo-sub-650

Can any owners recommend either sub?

I would have bought one of the Jamo Sub 650's if they had anymore in stock!

Dang!

Al

This is a great list. Big thing that would help is some kind of 'ranking' of them as well - what's crap, what's decent, etc. I'm in the market for a new sub now, and this list helps, but some kind of comparison would make things much clearer.

If that were possible, there wouldn't be nearly as much discussion here as there is

Also, making a good sub choice is dependent somewhat on listening preferences (e.g., mainly HT vs. mainly music) and also the size of your room and how loud you expect to run it. What's your listening preferences? What's the size of your room?

Hrm...good point. Things that would be useful, from my perspective, is their size (of the woofer) and if there are reviews for the item.

I guess I'm figuring some of these are just crap and some are at least decent. Identifying the crap ones (for basically everything due to construction, etc.) would help to narrow things done.

Totally get the subjective/difficulty in that though...

Thoughts on the Polk PSW10? It's available for $80 today. I'm looking to replace my Onkyo 8" form a few years back...it works fairly decently (not sure if their speaker quality has gone down/up since mid 2000's or whats, was from an HTIB setup) but I just replaced the rest of my speakers with the Pioneer SP's (LCR are 22's, surround L/R are 21s, rear is still an older onkyo but....that's fine for now. Sub is the Onkyo one from the 760 HTIB...from 2003-2004 I believe.

(Room is a basement, finished, ~14x20 - which I know is meaningless in some regards but I'm debating on a 10" or 12" at this point so just providing for minimal context. Also, mostly used for TV/movies.)

Besides the fact that the PSW10 does not have a great reputation for SQ, it's not a great sub value at $100 even though it is popular around that price. Better to wait, spend a little more and get something better.

The PSW10 isn't bad for $80. It should have usable output down to around 35Hz, so it should sound decent for movies and music with slow bass.

I've compared the PSW10 to a Bic F12, and the only real advantages the F12 had over it was output and low end. Sound quality was pretty evenly matched. The F12 simply dug deeper, to around 27Hz and was possibly 40% louder.

IMO, the PSW10 is good for smaller rooms and/or at moderate volumes. Don't expect too much from it and you won't be disappointed.

Given the size of your room and the $80 price-tag of the sub, you might consider getting two. You'll get a bit more output without having to push either sub too hard.

Just my 2¢...
Edited by eljaycanuck - 2/1/13 at 6:46am

True. But if you're willing to buy two for $80, you might as well just pick up the Bic F12 or PSW505(if it's still ~$200).

True Louquid...that's a good point. Given my room size, not sure two subs are needed and would prefer higher SQ overall...definitely like a little 'kick' though in the bass for certain movies. And thanks for the input Eljay as well. I'm not seeing the PSW505 @ $200 anywhere, but I'll keep my eyes open. Such a difficult decision since reviews on many of these subs are 'they are great for the money' but not really 'it's better/worse than X in these areas".

There will always be something better out there. Few people have what they consider the ideal subwoofer. It's hard to obtain both mentally and budget wise. No matter what you have or get, you'll always wonder if you can make an improvement. People say "good for the price" too often. All it really does it make everyone wonder if they should up their budget and see how much better performance they can get at a different price range.

The Bic F12 isn't perfect, but it's a good subwoofer. Period. Regardless of price. It is best used for movies or music with slow bass, as faster bass will result in a bit of lag. At high volumes the port can become a bit noisy, but only if it's too close to a wall. It has good low end extension as it was able to hit 27Hz in my room. The sound quality while doing this was quite good too. It was able to provide a some nice punch as well, causing plates to rattle at times. And I could feel the bass in my feet and in my couch during movies.

The PSW505 and Bic F12 are practically the same performance wise. The Polk may play 1hz deeper and have a slight edge with spl, but wouldn't warrant the extra $50 in my opinion.

Newegg has the Klipsch RW-12d on sale again for $299.99 with free shipping.

Al

I am seeing it as $349.99??? Is this a better deal than the BIC F12? I am deciding between the 2

It went back up. Subscribe to their mailing list to get their specials.

The RW-12d is better class of sub, and it is easily an equal or better price/performance value at $300 (and probably at $350) as the BIC F12 is at $200.

Hello! I am looking into purchasing a budget Subwoofer. Considing the following five:

Klipsch Reference RW-12d currently $349 + 50 off with promo code at Newegg
BIC America V-1220 12-Inch 430-Watt Down-Firing $185 @ amazon
BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer $187 @ amazon
Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer  $189 @ amazon
Klipsch Sub-12HG Synergy Series 12-Inch 300-Watt Subwoofer with High Gloss Trim (down-firing) $300 @ amazon

The sub will be in a small to medium sized basement room with home theater setup. I currently have a Denon AVR-1613 in the room.

I have a few questions: Will these sub's work properly with the AVR-1613? Is there any problems with the build quality on the RW-12d? (It sounds like several people are getting faulty ones delivered by newegg.) I have a small child so I thought "Down-Firing" might be a better choice, but does "Down-Firing" into a carpet kill the sound? How do these subwoofers compare from a value perspective?

Also I have Polk surround speakers is there any benefit to having all Polk stuff together (the subwoofer with Polk speaker)?

Thanks!
Edited by ProfD - 2/7/13 at 10:38am

Plz disregard my previous question. I just went ahead and ordered the RW-12d for $299. Can't wait for it.

Blending...

If you play music, this is crucial. So here is my dilemma.

My name is Nick and I have upgradeitis. I've been sober for... Actually I'm in the middle of a relapse and I need your collective advice.

I've owned many many subs over the years - SVS, Velodyne, and smaller names as well. For example, I currently use a pair of Velodyne HGS 18s in my basement. For context.

Now I'm upgrading my previously neglected family room and I want to start playing music in addition to HT. I'm going up the chain of Mirage omnipolar speakers (love them), and due to the WAF I'll probably stop at the OMD-5 bookshelves. Now: these don't really have any usable range below 80Hz, so what I'm really looking for is a pair of woofers to complete the lower end. Clean down to 35 Hz is fine. Do not need loud, but want fast & clean so as not to notice the transition from the bookshelves.

What I'm using currently is a pair of old Mirage nanosat subs. They fit the bill, but as I said upgradeitis has taken hold. What do y'all think about the Martin Logan Dynamo 300 for musicality and speed? Ignore the specs please.

Thanks in advance.

I think you can get a Dynamo 300 at Audio Advisor for $130 (demo).