Best Subwoofer under $300 ??

Bic h100

Bic H100.. just do it...

The 3 faves in the budget subwoofer set at present are:

The HSU STF-1 at $249 +20:
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html

and

The X-sub at $199 + 40:
http://www.**********/products_categ...oofers&brand=57

and

BIC H-100 at $240-260 on Fleabay

All good choices, but that is a BIG room, and even at low volumes I think you will find that the BIC is not going to be enough sub for you. Perhaps you could take advantage of the SVS sale going on right now, and if you could live with a silver or cream sub at a little over your budget, the PB10-NSD may be a better choice for the space:

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-10nsd.cfm

You may also give SVS, HSU, and AV123 a call, and ask their advice on room size. Their sales people are all very knowlegeable. Good luck!

Can you (or someone here) explain the pros and cons of these 4 subs? Is it purely cosmetic at this price point?

Thanks!

No flame but they have been discussed numerous times on here already. Please STFF.

BTW

Welcome to the forum.

Not very friendly like, and what does STFF mean, is that like STFU?


These are all very well regarded, have great reviews, and are all popular here on the forum. It comes down to price, appearance, and personal preference. If you have the opportunity to listen to them that would also help.

SVS - 10" - very popular, great reviews

STF-1 - 8" - supposedly more musical

X-SUB - 8" - good for mix of music and HT, and more attractive

BIC - 12" - supposedly best for HT

Any one of these would be a good choice for a small or medium room.

Not sure, but I think it means.....

Search The F______ Forum

I bought the BIC H-100 about 2 months ago and love it. I have a room that is about 25x15 with an 8 foot ceiling and I cannot go about 1030 -1100 on the sub and it *fills* the room. I am very pleased with it for the price. It was either the HSU or this. I figure I'll get a couple of HSUs in a few years when the kids get out of the house. My listening is about 80/20 HT/music.

T

JFGI

The SVS is certainly better than the Bic is for HT. The BIC has a larger driver, but in real world measurements, its extension is roughly equal to the X-Sub (27-28hz). The PB10 will hit down to 20hz or a little below.

EDIT: I should mention that I'm seriously considering the PB10 for myself, as the onsale models come to about $415 with shipping for me. The one consideration is that I'm waiting til next Wed. to see what HSU releases in terms of B-stock subs.

May I humbly suggest the JBLs120pII for the sub-$300 range? Similar extension as the Bic and X-Sub (27-28hz), but with more output. Though personally, if you're willing to up the budget a bit and could live with the white or silver, you should probably go with the SVS.

I knew you would put in a plug for the BIC........

Not alot out there that really stands out for under $300 but the I hear the BIC-H100 is pretty nice for the money!!!!!!!!
The other one that get a lot of play around here is the X-sub!

lol

i can verify that the H100 is good to about ~28Hz despite it's huge 12" driver

The guy said under $300.
That is NOT the SVS, unless it's used which changes the whole discussion.

It really all depends on how much bass output you're looking for. If it was me and I was wanting a sub in that size of a room, I would have to bump my DIY budget up to 1000.00 in order to get the output I was wanting.


I owned one for a short period of time till the back panel of the enclosure detatched. IMO, it had usable extention at normal listening levels to 31-33hz. Below that, the output was far too quiet. Luckily warranty covered it, I took it back and replaced it with the Infinity SW-12. Again, still not the output I am looking for and thus the reason why it's used on my computer for my music and games.

you know it, I am loving mine!
-Rich

I guess it depends on your room, but from everything I've read about it, and my own experience, it's very solid down to 27-ish. I will tell you that it drops like a friggin' stone after that, but really, for $300 you can't expect much better extension. Anyway, if you do some googling you'll see it got some great reviews in Sound & Vision, and at a beefy 56 pounds it weighs almost twice the Bic, so it's worth looking into in my opinion.

For another choice, what about those $300-ish elemental designs subs a lot of people were talking about a few months ago? I can't remember for sure, but the listed specs seemed pretty great for the price. Did any reliable reviews ever come in on those?

That's a concise summary of the forum consensus.

The last three are easily the most popular in this forum in the ~ $250 range. The SVS is distinctly better, but is also in a different price range.

I'd only add that the STF-1 will not be embarrassed by the other two for HT use in smaller rooms. I tested mine in a 2400 cu. ft. room and found it surprisingly impressive, although clearly no match for the SVS's I use there permanently. Its response measures into the 20's, too. If the others go a couple of dB deeper, I doubt most people could detect the difference. Nothing at this price offers clean response below the upper 20's.

As noted above, in this price range you wouldn't go wrong with any of these.

I only mentioned the SVS because of the OP's room size.

under $300 i would have to say the tightest is the x-sub (probably the stf-1 too although i haven't heard it). but, any of the subs you have listed are best for smaller rooms. due to the size of your room i would have to suggest holding off for a few more weeks or so and bumping your budget.

if you get one of these NOW i feel you'll be upgrading soon because in that room you'll be missing out. it happened to me with the x-sub, which is a FINE little sub don't get me wrong, BUT, now resides in my small 10x10 PC room hooked up to my soundcard and an old technics receiver. where it does terrificly because that is the sized area it is built for.

whether you listen "loud" or not, IMO, you will be missing a good chunk of the lower spectrum. you don't have to be a "basshead" to reap the benefits of a powerful subwoofer. i'm not and i have an svs 25-31pci tuned to 22hz. i actually run this sub flat -1 or 2db with my mains and the difference in range between it and the x-sub is amazing. and even on some tracks like WOTW (not my favorite at all but, a good reference nonetheless) it is incredible.

i think also that the BIC will leave you wanting more in the end too.

so i guess what I'M saying is take my advice as someone who's already invested in the "best under $300 subwoofer". if money is at a premium then hold on until you can get a nice QUALITY 12" sub of your choice (svs, hsu, etc. etc.) you'll have less buyers remorse and save $$ in the end. you don't have to break the bank but, if you can stash away $100-$300 more you can get something that will keep you happier for a lot longer in the $400-$600 range.

good luck.

Whether a sub is down-firing or front-firing, it shouldn't really affect sound quality. So don't let that stop you from considering the HSU.

That said, I'd like to second the "save up till you can do it right" motion. You might tell yourself you'll be real happy with a Bic or an X-sub for a long time, but let's face it, if you're on this board then the upgrade bug is going to strike you sooner or later. I'm overall happy with my JBL but I do find myself occasionally wondering what I could be hearing had I spent just $100-200 more. You can get some decent performers in the $300 range, but the realm of "real" bass seems to start at $400. As someone who was in your position just a few months ago, I'd say it's worth it in the long run to spend a bit more now.

I also believe, if it is possible, save up a little more and do it right the first time. I really got into HT after my old 32" Sony died and I got my first HDTV, Then I new I needed a new reciever, new speakers, and a new sub. Now it is time for round two. Better receiver, better speakers, but I'm all set with my SVS 20-39pci. My room is 16' x 14' with an opening into another 16' x 14 dining room. The sub took me the longest to get, but it was the one thing i did right the first time. I couldn't be happier. If $300 is your absolute budget, i hope I didn't waste your time. I just wanted to give you some food for thought. Good luck.

I have a second theatre area and was in the same situation that you are in and chose the X-Sub and I have to say, it is one sweet sub, VERY fast so it is musically accurate and works well in a home theatre. My other theatre has a HSU VT3mk2 and I am use to great sub-bass but do not miss it with the X-sub for the other room, I think that you will be happy.

I keep hearing about these lower priced subs not getting under 25 hz or lower (like the bic h-100 or the Cerwin vega cls series) how much do movies get into that range anyway? If you dont have a sub that gets that low or lower are you going to be missing alot?

Oh and speaking of the CV CLS series how do they stack up in the 300 dollar range? The cls15 on ebay is running around 269.00.

you cant really hear 20Hz so don't worry about it.

I asked basically the same question myself last week in this thread, but somehow got immediately sidetracked into discussing crappy movies people watch just for the low bass. Long story short, whether you'll really miss bass below 25hz depends on what kind of movies you watch. If you're into a lot of action or horror movies, it might just be worth it. But yeah, there isn't all too many movies that go that low, relatively speaking.

Thats funny. Why does everyone make such a big deal over the fact that such and such a sub wont hit 16hz if you cant really hear it anyway?

Below 20Hz, it becomes more of a tactile sensation (or feel) rather than an auditory sensation.