Subwoofer opinion

I am looking for a good but inexpensive (under $150) subwoofer. Any opinions on these? Any others to recommend?


http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Element-ESW12-Subwoofer-ESW12/sem/rpsm/oid/190834/catOid/-16883/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-SA-W2500-Performance-Line-Subwoofer-Speaker/sem/rpsm/oid/179808/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do?cc_fm=Similar+Items+Mod

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Polk-PSW10-Subwoofer-speaker-PSW10/sem/rpsm/oid/93010/catOid/-16883/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Polk is best in quality among three you have picked but very under powered, if room is small it will work OK. Element sub is OK for Power but i don't know about quality.

I would recommend PS10 this is a killer SUB for price.

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=20820

or this one.

http://www.etronics.com/p-14094-infinity-ps28-8-150-watts-powered-subwoofer.aspx?dp=4212D23222E6621253A38363F3A35703 73637363332303&sbvname=30&bname=PriceGrabber

another option to consider -

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-635

Polk is best in quality among three you have picked but very under powered, if room is small it will work OK. Element sub is OK for Power but i don't know about quality.

I would recommend PS10 this is a killer SUB for price.

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=20820

or this one.

http://www.etronics.com/p-14094-infinity-ps28-8-150-watts-powered-subwoofer.aspx?dp=4212D23222E6621253A38363F3A35703 73637363332303&sbvname=30&bname=PriceGrabber

I absolutely agree with the Infinity subwoofers. Excellent subs, plenty of power and they sound great. My usual recommendation for your budget and I own several which are used daily. They are comparable to subs costing much more.

Infinity does make some great bargain subs but you may also want to look into Dayton, they get a lot of praise from the budget crowd..

Dayton SUB-120 HT Series 12" 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer - $150
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-635

Dayton SUB-100 HT Series 10" 125 Watt Powered Subwoofer - $125
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-633

These are also made very sturdy and solid, the 12" is 47lbs while the 10" is 35Lbs.. A lot can be said by the type of enclosure the sub comes in..

brown
When it comes to sub woofers-Size AND Power do matter.

As Lilmase points out, sturdy construction is very important (you don't want rattles or flexing). The more power (watts) the better, but not all watts are rms watts. RootMeanSquare watts may only be 50% or 60% of "peak watts".

To reproduce thunderous bass, you need to move vast quantities of air. That takes BIG drivers and lots of rms watts. IMHO, you need at least a 10" driver. 8" is too wimpy.

Looking at the weight of a sub can give some clues. Big magnets and lots of coil windings for the big drivers are HEAVY. Thick walled enclosures are HEAVY. Big, powerful amplifiers are HEAVY. Notice the trend? The Dayton120 weights almost 48 pounds, has a 12" driver and 150 watts (unknown type). Looks good on paper (or the monitor).
dave

Thanks for the replies and recommendations.

I did some more searching and found this:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKSKW204/Onkyo/SKW-204-10-230-Watt-Bass-Reflex-Powered-Subwoofer/1.html

Opinions?

I did some more searching and found this:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKSKW204/Onkyo/SKW-204-10-230-Watt-Bass-Reflex-Powered-Subwoofer/1.html

Opinions?

That would be just OK but nowhere near the quality and clarity of the Infinity

That would be just OK but nowhere near the quality and clarity of the Infinity

Calling it ok is being nice...

Unless that sub was packaged in a HTiB, I would not EVER consider buying it on its own.. There is better out there for the money, just think of how much use you will get out of it.. If you watch a lot of tv and movies and occasionaly throw on some music, wouldnt you rather have something that can articulate the bass not just go BOOM BOOM..

Clean bass or no bass, thats what I think anyways..

Cheaper Velodynes can be had for just over a $100 on amazon(free shipping) and they are pretty good as is Infinity some JBLs, Dayton, BIC and a few others that are note worthy in that $150 range..

After much swaying to and fro, I ordered the Outlaw LFM-1 EX. Just one..very sweet! The amp in the Velo is rated higher, but the I can't not turn up the Outlaw very high without fear of my roof caving in (or my chest).

The extension is MUCH better. The Velodyne (DLS-5000R) cut off around 30Hz and this baby keeps going down to 20..I guess with all stops pulled out will hit 16Hz. It weighs 80 lbs with a 12" driver. The V weighed in at 75 with a 15" driver.

Amazing..and musical too. Fine build and a bit large, but due to it's rectangular shape it intrudes less into the room.
I have it on a Auralex Gramma which I used with an old M&K sub. It seems to help, although the diff is subtle, and with a slab floor any additional isolation is academic.

It's down-firing and dual ported. It is designed by Hsu..and similar in performance to their VTF-3.
I have not run a room response. For those interested, they have gobs of downloads and info on doing your own room response using your PC and an external mic to chart it with, at hometheatershack.

I am going to use a Anti-Mode 8033. I saw the A/B differences with this device (again, room response charts) and it was amazing how this little box can tame peaks in just a few seconds, automatically.
I had considered getting the Velodyne SMS-1 and could have picked it up for half price when I got the sub.
But after some research on it's effectiveness compared with the 8033 or even a $99/149 Behringer Feedback Destroyers, I passed.

If you don't mind doing the room analysis, and the setup, the BFD does a fine job. The 8033 costs more, but does the job very well in just 'seconds' with a very simple setup. AVSforum and the 'shack' have lots of info on all these procedures and products..the options are staggering.
When it comes to bass, there's a lot to say for 'reserve'!