Subwoofer recommendations under $400 - Polk vs. Klipsch

[jh0149]

I'm looking for something low, warm & booming and leaning toward Klipsch, but not sure if I should be fooled by wattage. What do you think between the two?

Polk HTS 10"
100 W RMS
200 W Peak

Klipsch R-120SW 12"
200 W RMS / 400 W Peak

 

[mazersteven]

They both Suck. Don't waste your time

 

[mazersteven]

Subwoofers for Home Theater & Stereo | SVS

Powered SVS home theater subwoofers unleash the ultimate bass experience for music and movies.

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HSU True Subwoofers

The best value for price home theater systems and subwoofers on the market guaranteed

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Top Rated Home Theater Subwoofers

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SUBWOOFERS - HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

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Rythmik Audio • Direct Servo subwoofer products

The Speedwoofer 10S Subwoofer - RSL Speakers

rslspeakers.com

https://www.parts-express.com/cat/powered-subwoofers/95?N=18503+4294967118&Ne=10166&No=0&Nrpp=16&Nrs=collection()/record[endeca:matches(.,"P_PortalID"%2C"1"%29+and+endeca%3Amatches%28.%2C"P_Searchable"%2C"1"%29%5D&PortalID=1

 

[thumprchgo]

I'm looking for something low, warm & booming and leaning toward Klipsch, but not sure if I should be fooled by watts

1. Avoid booming
2. What you pay is what it’s worth
3 I agree with Masersteven: those links he posted lead to great sounding subs, no question.
4. If you are dead set on those two (middling?) subs, check out Parts Express — I have heard only one of their subs, for ~250 I was impressed, but I did not hear it during a big action movie, the amp on the sub was 150 watts. Turn it much louder than the level of a sneeze and it will clip.
Humans don’t hear low frequencies as well as higher ones. That’s why you need way more power in a sub than in a front main—
The better subs respond more evenly than inexpensive ones—so you don’t hear some notes, and some notes are waaay to loud.
That’s where booming comes in, along with angry downstairs neighbors.
I’d rather skimp in my front mains than skimp on my sub.
And I say that having bought four 400 dollar subs, at first, scoffing at paying more for a sub than an amp. I was wrong. I wasted money. I’m poorer now, but I’m happy to float in a sea of bass with some subs from SVS...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[mazersteven]

It all has to do with a Subwoofers Design and their Components.
And your Room Dimensions and Total Volume play a big part as to with Subwoofer is right for you.

So what are your Room Dimensions?

 

[jh0149]

Thanks for all the input. It's a basement (probably 1,000 sqft). Intended entirely for music.

Long story short, I'm setting up a Turntable. Bought a Budgie Tube Phono Preamp. Bought old Bose 301 Series bookshelf speakers because like their high and low end. Visited a record store the other day and was impressed with how low volume the music was, but there was still a bass resonance that "made you short of breathe" if you know what I mean. Now I need that, and immediately looking for receivers with sub outputs.

Previously, I almost went simple with Sony STRDH190 2-ch receiver dedicated to the turntable, but am deciding last minute to spend a bit more and have option for 4k video (just in case), and (mandatory) subwoofer outputs... now strongly looking at Sony 725W 5.2-Ch receiver.

I know you get what you pay for, but I'm 2 grand into this setup already and feel like a receiver & sub for under $800-1,000 combined should do. The Speedwoofer 10S is getting my attention, is there a big difference here?

 

[mazersteven]

Look for receivers here. Stay away from Sony.

Look at Denon Marantz Yamaha

Home Theater Receivers | Accessories4less

<p><img alt="" src="/mas_assets/uploaded/Image/freehdmitrans2.png" style="height:50%; width:100%" /></p>

www.accessories4less.com

 

[afterlife2]

You can try these. Buy two and see if they work in your room if not return them:
Dayton Audio SUB-1000 10" 100 Watt Powered Subwoofer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0063NU3AA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9vvqFbYWZSM5A

 

[vader540is]

I'm looking for something low, warm & booming and leaning toward Klipsch, but not sure if I should be fooled by wattage. What do you think between the two?

Polk HTS 10"
100 W RMS
200 W Peak

Klipsch R-120SW 12"
200 W RMS / 400 W Peak

None.

Chane TAI-550

Best Home and Theater Speakers | Chane Music & Cinema

High Performance Audiophile Quality Loudspeakers Direct! Try Premium Chane Sound In Your Home. Three Product Series And More, All With Leading Sound. Shop Now!

www.chanemusiccinema.com

RSL

RSL Speedwoofer 10S - RSL Speakers

rslspeakers.com

If you can increase your budget, then definitely check out Rythmik and HSU

 

[mazersteven]

You can try these. Buy two and see if they work in your room if not return them:
Dayton Audio SUB-1000 10" 100 Watt Powered

Why not go fir the 12" or 15"? 1000sq ft isn't small

 

[lovinthehd]

Room volume for sub article https://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/subwoofer-room-size

I'd also skip the Polk and Klipsch subs you posted. Hsu Research would be my choice for bang for the buck subs...

 

[afterlife2]

Why not go fir the 12" or 15"? 1000sq ft isn't small

The 12 inch is sold out and thought that maybe two 1500 would take up space. Edit dang 1G yes two Dayton 1500.

Dayton Audio SUB-1500 15" 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JZTQIJ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ngwqFbT0VGVSM
Or two of these rated at 400 watts, but sure is 200-250 watts. I wanna try these cause I used to own a OSD and it was a great sub.
OSD Audio 400W Ported Cylinder Cabinetry Home Theater Subwoofer, Nero Tubebass-10 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SSJV14H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vjwqFbTKKQGZ8

 

[lovinthehd]

As far as amp wattage figures go, without knowing more about the sensitivity/impedance of the system as well as more detailed spec for the amp, it just doesn't mean a lot....a sub with sensitivity of 93 dB only needs half the amp power of a sub with 90 dB sensitivity all other things equal...

 

[Teetertotter?]

@jh0149 I have a current Klipsch 10". Depends on what suits one's fancy with subwoofer and speakers. People are sometimes bias with no explanation as to why....for them. Everyone is different as to what they prefer or is best. My 10" was MSRP of $400.00 and on sale was 1/2. There are several topics on subs and do a search for more input. Klipsch makes fine subwoofers and how much can you afford? My opinion, spend the money on front speakers............First. Good Luck.

 

[kini]

I'm looking for something low, warm & booming and leaning toward Klipsch, but not sure if I should be fooled by wattage. What do you think between the two?

Polk HTS 10"
100 W RMS
200 W Peak

Klipsch R-120SW 12"
200 W RMS / 400 W Peak

Do you belong to Costco? They have the Klipsch R-12SW for $189. You could get 2 for better and more even bass throughout the listening area. Since it's primarily for music you don't need anything that goes below 30hz. Even for movies most of the bass is above 30hz.

As for AVRs there's nothing wrong with Sony. At the low end they're just as good as anything else at the same price point.

 

[Pogre]

1000 sq ft sounds pretty big, tho cubic feet is what your sub sees. Assuming 10' ceiling that's... 10,000^3? That's huge. I'd want a pair of subs. Big subs. The RSL Speedwoofer a couple have suggested is a very good sub for its size, but not good enough for a space that size. I'd want 4 of them. In that vein, maybe 4 of these Monoprice 12" subs at $100 apiece would fit within budget? They're not spl monsters but 4 of them might at least give you some decent bass in that huge space for music.

Monoprice 12in 150-Watt Powered Subwoofer, Black - Monoprice.com

When you want your bass down low, you need a subwoofer as part of your home audio/theater system. Monoprice™ has the basses covered with this 12 inch, 150 watt (RMS) Powered Subwoofer

www.monoprice.com

I'm almost afraid to ask, how much did you spend on the Bose speakers? I'll tell you right now I think you're better off replacing those first thing, before you spend another penny. Seriously. When budgeting for a system you should allocate ~75% of your total budget for speakers and subs. Try to save on a decent receiver by getting 1 or 2 year previous models. Newer isn't always better with receivers unless there are features that you can't live without. Cabling and interconnects don't need to cost a lot either.