If you’ve found your way to this post, you’re probably thinking about adding a subwoofer to your home audio system or home theater, and we think that’s a great idea. Aside from the obvious ideas of subwoofers – to add powerful booms and rumbles to your movies, as well as a quick chest thump with your music – adding lower frequencies can also bring depth, drama and tension to what you’re watching, even when it’s quieter.
A dedicated subwoofer can also significantly reduce the load on your amplifier, resulting in cleaner sound and greater dynamics from the other speakers in your system. Additionally, many of the electric speaker solutions we see on the market also come with subwoofer output connectors, so you can significantly improve their bass sound.
While the fantastic SVS SB16-Ultra is our favorite, we’ve also compiled a list of alternatives ranging from the budget range of $130 to the high end of $2,000, each with their own specific strengths, ranging from automatic equalization to saving space without sacrificing bass. Let’s go have a blast.
Monoprice Power Subwoofer of 150 W
The best subwoofer at a low price
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Klipsch Reference Series 12 (R-121SW)
The best subwoofer for the style conscious
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Monoprice SSW-12 Power Slim subwoofer
The best hidden subwoofer
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SVS SB16 Ultra
The best overall subwoofer
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Beautiful design
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Incredibly deep, powerful bass
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Smooth and articulate
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Performs work for two shifts
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A first-class management application
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It might be big for some rooms
The SVS SB-16 Ultra has been on our list for a while, mostly because we haven’t found anything worthy to take its place. This subwoofer has become our benchmark, which might actually be unfair to the competition — it’s that good. Underneath the sleek, stylish subwoofer box, the cubic SVS SB16 houses a monstrous 16-inch Ultra driver with an 8-inch, edge-wound voice coil and a ridiculous 1500W continuous Sledge amplifier with discrete MOSFET output that reaches 5000W peak power.
Additionally, a smartphone app for iOS and Android has significantly upped the SB16 Ultra’s game, taking the hassle out of setting up your sub by allowing you to fine-tune the speaker from your optimal listening position. and create custom presets for different listening situations.
All this means: no matter how you use the SB16, it impresses. Gunshots and explosions in movies register with heavy chest thumps, and the subwoofer handles low-end instruments nicely, allowing acoustic bass to bounce smoothly while electronic bass and drums shake the foundations of your home. For our money, this is the best subwoofer you can buy, period.
Honorable mentions go to the HSU ULS-15 MK 2 and the Monoprice Monolith line of subwoofers, two of the best-sounding subwoofers over $1,000 we’ve recently reviewed.
SVS SB16 Ultra
The best overall subwoofer
Monoprice Power Subwoofer of 150 W
The best subwoofer at a low price
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Delivers 150 W (200 W peak)
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More connection options
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Excellent price
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Features of more advanced subs are missing
Monoprice has quickly climbed the ranks of AV stars, producing high-end hardware that looks great, sounds great and is competitively priced. And if you’re looking for a bit of rumble but don’t want the big-budget price drop, look no further than the powerful 150W powered Monoprice subwoofer.
With a 12-inch, front-facing speaker that maxes out at 200 watts, the subwoofer comes with all the standard fare we’d expect from almost any reasonable subwoofer, including gain and frequency controls along with standard RCA connections and line level inputs and outputs.
It might not be the fanciest sub on our list, but if you need a great-sounding peripheral that won’t break the bank, the Monoprice is always a good and safe idea.
Monoprice Power Subwoofer of 150 W
The best subwoofer at a low price
Klipsch Reference Series 12 (R-121SW)
The best subwoofer for the style conscious
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Elegant and modern aesthetics
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Powerful digital amplifier
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The updated tapered design means less distortion
Against
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A bit expensive
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Klipsch-style drivers may not be for everyone
Klipsch is constantly reinventing the wheel, and when you consider the fact that there aren’t many issues to address, it just goes to show how much the brand cares about looks and performance. That brings us to the Klipsch Reference Series 12 R-121SW.
We love the fact that Klipsch went back to the drawing board to create a completely new woofer design. The front 12-inch submarine diaphragm is composed of what the company calls a thermoformed crystalline polymer, providing a low-level sonic experience with minimal distortion and a much lighter chassis. There is also a built-in digital amplifier, the heart and lungs of the 121SW, which delivers up to 400 watts of unsurpassed power with supreme precision.
If you’re looking for a rock-solid woofer with a name that guarantees reliability, the Klipsch Reference Series 12 R-121SW is definitely the right choice.
Klipsch Reference Series 12 (R-121SW)
The best subwoofer for the style conscious
Monoprice SSW-12 Power Slim subwoofer
The best hidden subwoofer
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A subwoofer that you can hide under the couch
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150 watts of pulsating sound
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Multiple inputs and outputs
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Reasonable price
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It lacks more advanced features
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The wider profile may not be ideal for some
The ideal home theater has room for all the speakers and components you can imagine, but fantastic AV doesn’t always fit into smaller floor plans and apartments. And for those of us looking to add a subwoofer to our home theaters, sometimes upscaling just isn’t an option. Luckily, Monoprice is here to save the day with its SSW-12 Slim Subwoofer, a great-sounding subwoofer you can slide under the couch.
Capable of outputting 150 watts from its 12-inch downward-firing driver, the clamshell enclosure design helps maximize low frequencies without introducing unnecessary vibration throughout the thin enclosure. There are also plenty of connections to connect the SSW-12 to your receiver, from RCA jacks to line-level inputs and outputs.
Monoprice SSW-12 Power Slim subwoofer
The best hidden subwoofer
KEF KC62 subwoofer
The best small subwoofer
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It can deliver up to 1000 watts
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Incredibly small footprint
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Excellent sound quality
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Lots of EQ options
KEF is one of those speaker brands that is always coming up with new ways to wow us, and the KC62 subwoofer (available in black and white) is a subwoofer that wows and is no bigger than a basketball. And the craziest part? This basketball can deliver up to 1000 watts of smooth, powerful bass. We’re not kidding.
That’s on top of two 6.5-inch Uni-Core force-cancelling drivers, an assortment of EQ options for true sound selection, and a custom-built enclosure to reduce unwanted distortion and vibration. Yes, it’s more expensive than most of the woofers you’ll find in this review, but KEF is simply one of the best brands money can buy, and just look at it, for Pete’s sake.
How can something so small be so powerful? Thanks to KEF for that.
KEF KC62 subwoofer
The best small subwoofer
Polk Audio HTS 10 subwoofer
Dark subwoofer
The Polk Audio HTS 10 is an unsung gem in the world of subwoofers, and we’re glad to have discovered it.
Using Polk’s impressive dynamic balance technology, this 10-inch front-firing woofer is designed to evenly distribute sound throughout your theater space. That’s on top of Polk’s distortion reduction technology that ensures every decibel is as articulate and deep as possible.
You’ll also get adjustments for volume, low-pass filtering, and phase shifting — and, rest assured, plenty of power. While the HTS 10 won’t reach the peak heights of something like the KEF62, you can expect peak power to reach around 200 watts, which is plenty for most music, movies and games.
Polk Audio HTS 10 subwoofer
Dark subwoofer
Frequently asked questions
Are bigger subwoofers better?
They can be. Larger woofers can produce more precise, room-filling bass with a higher “shake” factor than smaller models. But that’s just one consideration. A poorly constructed large subwoofer can rattle too much, for example, while smaller models with lots of power can still do a great job.
Does my speaker system need a subwoofer?
That’s a really, really good idea. Home theater systems are generally designed with a subwoofer in mind. As well as the latest film audio standards.
Can I use two subwoofers at once?
You can, although it’s not common in home setups. Just make sure your receiver can handle two subwoofer jacks. Some people prefer to use two smaller woofers that they can strategically place in their theater to get the best omnidirectional bass.
Wait, is there a difference between a woofer and a subwoofer?
The terms are often used synonymously. Traditionally, “woofer” can refer to a driver that has a higher frequency response than a subwoofer, is less dedicated to pure bass, and is more likely to be part of a speaker than a stand-alone unit.
How do you test?
Let’s play the subwoofer a few hours before starting the critical evaluation. While there is much debate about whether the “break-in effect” is real, we prefer to cover that factor so that it doesn’t play a role in our assessment one way or the other.
Our subwoofer tests take place in at least two different rooms, each of which we are very familiar with, and we generally test the subwoofer in three locations that we know offer the best possible response within those rooms. Test material includes everything from test sounds to hit movies and music selections from multiple genres. We strive to find out how deep the subwoofer can play, how visceral the low-bass response is, how well it can adapt to integrate with small and large satellite speakers, and how musically accurate it is to play.
We’re hoping for a versatile subwoofer, one that can not only reproduce the big bass notes needed for a powerful action movie, but one that can stay tight and in tune when playing an acoustic upright bass or reproducing the classic Fender P-bass tone. A good subwoofer will avoid a dull, booming sound that lacks definition, and will instead seamlessly integrate into the larger audio system, drawing attention to itself only when its sheer muscle cannot be ignored.
If you’ve already made your choice, check out our subwoofer setup guide to get everything right and our calibration guide to maximize performance in any listening space.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn