Best Subwoofer under $300 ?? - Page 2

Exactly!

Here is another way to think. Just buy one of those subs now, keep it for a while, and if it is not enough sell it for half price, maybe even a friend give them a good deal (the only potential problem here is not being able to sell it). I have a Mirage S8 in a fairly large room and it is enough FOR ME. By expert advice my room should have at least a 12". My experience is that some of us can get along just fine with lesser equipment.

the problem isn't really with what low frequency the sub will hit. the issue is that a small, cheaper sub will not power a big room like the OP has. AND when it is fed an audible lower frequency below it's rating many times it will distort, chuff and sound bad. a loud fart if you will.

you buy a better sub with more headroom and lower extension you are going to get CLEAN, solid, tight output through it's range.

it isn't about knocking picture off the walls for all of us with larger and lower subs, it is about the cleanliness of power and the headroom to handle it when it is called upon. again i prefer my sub blended well with my mains - a couple of DB- for me that is plenty bass. but it's clean power not farty fuzz.

obviously the OP wants the best sub he can afford right now and has a budget concern. buying something lesser now will only cost him more if he can't sell it. the average joe has NEVER heard of an x-sub, hsu or bic and they can be really tough to unload. trust me i tested the waters in L.A. with the x-sub (before i put it in my PC setup), just to see if i could recoup some of the loss. L.A. is a big city, and you would think it was full of "audiophiles" or whatever. but, not one bite on it.

then again, the OP may have already made his decision by now.

adamanteus...Points well taken. I guess that old rule, "buy the best you can afford" is still good advice. That way, you are more likely to be satisfied well into the future. Good quality does not disappoint, just makes our wallets lighter. I have never regretted a quality purchase, as long as my finances have caught up. With budget constaints, the question always seems to be, "can I do it just as well or pretty close for less money?" I suppose that is one of the great quests of these forums.

I don't have a sub at all now (just 5 Polk speakers, RT12s in the front).

Our basement is 14 feet wide, 20 ft deep.
Since it's a townhouse, I haven't got a sub for worry it'll annoy the neighbors - walls are very thick though (can't hear a baby screaming on the other side).

Is the H-100 a bit small for that size room as well? The size, weight and price are right on the H-100.

60 lb subs like the SVS PB10 might catch me hell, if my girlfriend can't move it.

1) Buy the PB10 before she moves in.
2) If she is already makin' these kind of decision prior to ...... RUN AWAY FAST ........... because you're thinkin' with the wrong head. No flame intended.

we bought the condo together, your advise is like 3 years late.

That's the irony, now with 2 incomes to split the bills, I have lots of money, just not much control over it.

Let me get this straight.

You bought it together. But your post above implies she is just now, or in the near future, moving in. While at the same token, by implication and admission, your money is no longer yours to control. That sounds like; what is hers is hers but what is yours belong to both under her control.

My advice in my post is still valid.

RUN AWAY FAST

No, we've both lived here for over 3 years. She won't care if I buy a sub, but if it's some big ugly 60 lb thing . . . .

Anyway, I ruled out the x-sub and Elemental since they seem to be slow shipping, and looking at the H-100 or PSB10.

I guess I confused by this posting of yours.



Remember, BEAUTY is in the eye of the beholder.

OK...to answer your question is the H-100 too small that room??? I would have to emphatically say NO. I have this sub running in my combo liv/din/kitchen about 16x25 and it totally rocks. You will not be disappointed for the price.

T

How do these two subs stack up against each other. I never hear anyone say anything about the infinity, but it is in the same price range as the H-100 shipped, so I just thought I would at least ask.

My room is also pretty large approx. 20 x 18 but it is open pretty much all the way around.

Thoughts?

I don't have experience with the Bic, but I do have experience with the PS212. My impression is that the PS212 isn't worth anywhere near its ~$500 MSRP, but at half that price, it's not a bad deal. It got plenty loud (though I used mine in a very small room, so I can't guarantee it will be loud enough for you) and actually had pretty decent sound quality, IMO. The biggest issue I had with it is its lack of deep extension. The PS212 had good power and impact above 30hz, but it pretty much ceased to have good output below about 28hz, in my experience.

For this reason, I've since upgraded to two SVS PB10-NSD's and the difference in deep bass in dramatic. The PB10's have taken things to a whole new level. They were well worth it to me, but I could see the Infinity doing a very respectable job for people who don't spend all day on these forums reading about the best ultra-low bass scenes in the newest movies . It won't win any "product of the year" awards, but it's certainly not junk. Again, I haven't heard the Bic so I can't give a head to head comparison. Judging from the Bic's reputation around here, I'd think it might be a bit better than the Infinity. I know it can probably dig 3-4hz deeper. Not sure about sound quality.

Anyway, hope this helps. Keep me posted, and good luck.

Go with the HSU, you cannot go wrong. I love this Sub. Very musical.

This thread is almost a year old so I'm wondering if anything else has hit the market worth considering. Two new questions. What is the advantage of having two subs in a medium sized room and when trying to match a new second sub to the old sub what concerns should be addressed, like mfg, or output, or size etc? Also, we've been talking under $300. How about under say $450?

The one I don't see mentioned here is the Cadence CSX-12 for $299 with free shipping (http://www.cadencestore.com/ProductC...&idproduct=396). You can find a user's review here: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...x-12-subs.html

I just moved and my gaming room went from 12x10x8 to like 10x7x8.. I use 2 dayton sub 100s. One just started acting odd after 2 months so I am rmaing it. Lol I am drunk not sure what I wanted to ask.. The chonic is shaking this tiny house.. I guess I am wondering what I should replace my weak ass second broken dayton sub with. I'll be getting back like 400 in tax's.. Taxes?? Anyways I know about ed/svs/hsu/bic.. This house is super small.. But I want more bass cheap.. Not just ****** fart bass.. I want my dogs to run out the room and for the police to beat me with sticks.

Get a refurbed L8400 JBL from harman audion on ebay at right at 300.00 , It is better then the Bic H-100 ( Ive owned both )

Has the OP considered a DIY option?

For $300 or close to it a DIY sub build will give him performance way beyond any of the selected subs.

As for the comments about the BIC-H100...Its a boom box and its a decent starter sub but it really does suck once you have a better sub. Make sure you "tweak" it enough to stop it from Booming all the bass horribly.

I had had the PB10, Polk cheap sub, H100 and old Velodine and SVS subs . I now have DIY subs.


I have a $1500 DIY IB sub array (4 Q18s), I can hit below 10hz easily but I can also cause structure damage to my house!!!

Movie scenes have sub 20Hz frequences and I can feel the house shake during those scenes. I had some contractors outside my house when it was being finished, I tested the sub system and they thought a jet flew over the house and they were outside.

Once you feel serious compression during the scenes you know you have a good sub system.

lmao!!! My dog will not stay in the room, she runs into the shower!! My wife hates when I do that too her

Great post but in general the OP should look for "used" subs out there. Audiogon, avsform, ebay, craiglist and so on have subs for sale.

I would really like to build my own subwoofer but I have no wood working skills.. That's what sorta breaks the deal for me.. I have no problem building most things.. I just don't have all the tools to create an enclosure.

I always see people on this forum touting the ability of the HSU, SVS, ED, BIC, etc., & I have this question on another thread, but I will ask here as well just to make sure that I am making the right decision. I have to stay below $250 (shipped), so automatically the HSU, SVS & ED are out.

With that being said, would you guys still consider the Bic H-100 to be a better sub than the Infinity PS212 or JBL Sub 12? I have really tussled with this at length & I have real trouble buying a sub that I have never listened to at all, which would be the Bic.

Am I making the right decision to get the Bic (even though I cannot hear it) & bypass the Infinity, JBL & Polk? I mean are there any woofers in those lines that would even come close to Bic?

Thanks for the help

In the end only you can decide that. We all will have an opinion on what they sound to us but its your ears that matter.

The Bic is a great value sub, no doubt if that is your max $$$ then you should be okay. I had one for a while and it worked well for my needs back then.

I am pretty much in the same boat as ddrheretic. I really like the look of this DIY project: http://www.partsexpress.com/projects...ject=Boogieman. I have been through the DIY speaker and sub thread and it seems to be more for people who know what they are doing but have questions. Is there a book or something of the like that could help a noob out? Thanks

Hi !

I am looking for good low budget subwoofer [between $200 - $300].My room is 22x14 and has high celling [open loft above ].I need subwoofer specially for MUSIC.
I am interested to buy JBL ES150P.I read on previous page ,that Acoustech H-100 is very good.Can I have any sugestion ? I just bought
receiver Pioneer Elite VSX-91TXH and I still use my old JBL speakers,but they are on the way to change.I want to start with good subwoofer first.
Thanks for help.

I highly doubt that a Sony subwoofer ouputs lots of oomph in the 20-30Hz regions.


The Premier Acoustic PA-120 and the tSc T250 come highly recommended by some members.

Before you dismiss under 25hz you may want to read the thread about Kung Fu Panda (KFP) http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1085027

The lower end subs with no extension in several movies (Generally action related) really putter out. A sub being able to extend to 17hz means it can push 25hz easily as opposed to barely hitting 25hz.

Lets look at it another way.

A 100hp car vs a 200 hp car both weighing 2,000lbs. They both can drive 90 miles an hour. One is going to get you there much easier and still be responsive.