Best Subwoofers Under $1,000 for 2020

[Teetertotter?]

Hopefully you can step it up some day and experience the difference a better sub can bring. Should be no "booming" really.

What would be your review on the Klipsch R-100SW, 150W, then? Maybe I should have said "Clarity?" It would not sound good enough for my 12 X 8 room, in what way? Sub gain is adjustable to your likeness? I don't understand what you are saying in my application?

 

[lovinthehd]

What would be your review on the Klipsch R-100SW, 150W, then? Maybe I should have said "Clarity?" It would not sound good enough for my 12 X 8 room, in what way? Sub gain is adjustable to your likeness? I don't understand what you are saying in my application?

They're just a step below in quality than subs from SVS, Hsu, Monolith etc. The Klipsch models keep changing but their better models right now are the SPL-120/150 IIRC, but those need a steep discount off list. The R-100SW is one of their lower models, tho, and there is better design, construction and performance to be had. A small room like that will help somewhat. Sub gain is what is needed to match level with the pre-amp output, not sure what you mean to your likeness....as long as you can get full power out of the amp, you're good. The sub may be fine for your purposes, and perhaps a better sub wouldn't matter to you....

I do have an old Klipsch sub, an RW12d, at the time their best model, and for $300 it was okay, but...

 

[Teetertotter?]

The gain is adjusted to restrict or add bass to subject material, is what I meant. This 150WW, 10", is still over powering for my 12 X 8 room area. For my bass likeness, it is at 1/4 gain or 9 O'clock, for example. It is enough bass for explosions and the like. lol Ya, some day, I'd like the PSB Alpha S10, but not sure if necessary, as I am a DD movie watcher. Whether this would be any better sounding...who knows? Or any you mentioned. I got this current Klipsch, which lists for $399.00 for $199 on sale, last Spring. Anyway, appreciate you comments. Movies are where I am at, not music. Sorry to steal this thread, but, maybe a $700 10" subwoofer, would sound just as good as a $400, for movies? In general terms.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

got this current Klipsch, which lists for $399.00 for $199 on sale, last Spring. Anyway, appreciate you comments. Movies are where I am at, not music. Sorry to steal this thread, but, maybe a $700 10" subwoofer, would sound just as good as a $400, for movies? In general terms.

Sorry to butt in, just sharing some thoughts.
In general terms. I’d say no. The reason to buy a $700 sub in the first place is because it’s better overall, not just louder. The more expensive sub(in general terms) will be more linear(less “boomy”), more controlled, and will extend deeper. If you care about DD movies as you’ve indicated before, the extension, control, and extra output are worth the investment. Expensive subs aren’t that way just for the sake of it.
I’m 95% movies, 95% music and the rest dish network and Netflix. So power and control are important to me. When Godzilla stomps around and 16hz waves go through the house and couch, it’s priceless. You just can’t get that with subs that don’t extend that low.
I’ve used all kinds of subs, and while lower tier subs will definitely give bass(especially in smaller spaces), it’s not usually clean and distortion free(i mean distortion as in non linear, or faithful to the signal) as better subs. I know you’re content with your Klipsch sub, so I’m not saying to dump it.
Just trying to explain why you could benefit from a more expensive one.

 

[lovinthehd]

The gain is adjusted to restrict or add bass to subject material, is what I meant. This 150WW, 10", is still over powering for my 12 X 8 room area. For my bass likeness, it is at 1/4 gain or 9 O'clock, for example. It is enough bass for explosions and the like. lol Ya, some day, I'd like the PSB Alpha S10, but not sure if necessary, as I am a DD movie watcher. Whether this would be any better sounding...who knows? Or any you mentioned. I got this current Klipsch, which lists for $399.00 for $199 on sale, last Spring. Anyway, appreciate you comments. Movies are where I am at, not music. Sorry to steal this thread, but, maybe a $700 10" subwoofer, would sound just as good as a $400, for movies? In general terms.

Like William says generally. The position of the gain knob without calibration is somewhat meaningless. I don't change the sub level from the sub, I always use my avr instead, more precise in any case. I think better more capable subs are even more important for movies as you'll find more deep bass content in movies than music for the most part. I'm a big movie and music fan and find more capable subs are simply better, and the sooner the better (not wasting time/money on the subs you'll upgrade from anyways....so maybe its good not to start ).

 

[mazersteven]

Kind of like a Ford Pinto get you from point A to B but there are other automobiles to get you there in Style, Comfort, Performance. Kind of like a subwoofer yeah there are those subs that make noise and then there are others that deliver performance. Do you want to drive a Pinto?

 

[Teetertotter?]

I understand and I don't LIKE a whole lot of bass for my 77yr old ears. That is enough bass for me and movies. My AVR calibrates and after that, I still have to turn back the Gain/Volume to 9 am from orig 12 o'clock, after initial auto calibration. All sounds okay to me, right now. I still might get the PSB Alpha S10 as probably worth $700 and they have it at a fair price of $499.
PSB Alpha S10 Powered subwoofer at Crutchfield

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I understand and I don't LIKE a whole lot of bass for my 77yr old ears. That is enough bass for me and movies. My AVR calibrates and after that, I still have to turn back the Gain/Volume to 9 am from orig 12 o'clock, after initial auto calibration. All sounds okay to me, right now. I still might get the PSB Alpha S10 as probably worth $700 and they have it at a fair price of $499.
PSB Alpha S10 Powered subwoofer at Crutchfield

Something interesting is that many times, higher quality bass actually sounds like less bass. It’s clean, and clear and not boomy, and doesn’t call attention. Unless it’s supposed to. It’s a strange concept, but Ime very true. Boomy bass is annoying and I think if you ever get the chance to try out a higher level sub you’ll see what I mean.

 

[Truthslayer]

Something interesting is that many times, higher quality bass actually sounds like less bass. It’s clean, and clear and not boomy, and doesn’t call attention. Unless it’s supposed to. It’s a strange concept, but Ime very true. Boomy bass is annoying and I think if you ever get the chance to try out a higher level sub you’ll see what I mean.

Teetertotter? - William's explanation is right on point. Remember a subwoofer is exactly that, mainly for subsonic frequencies.( you can cross it over higher if needed ) Unfortunately most low-end subs do not or are not capable of reproducing those low frequencies, which in turn gives you that booming annoying bass that most people like you can't stand. Sometimes you will hear these subs referred to as one note wonders. These are the subs and sounds we try to avoid.
However A true quality sub reproducing the low end frequencies is felt more than heard.

 

[Teetertotter?]

Okee, Dokee and will keep those points in mind. Much appreciated!

 

[acepaul]

@shadyJ @mazersteven ... Thanks for the detailed explanation on the whole ported vs non-ported. Being an audiophile noob that was a rabbit hole i was stuck for a few days. My music to movie ratio is 60:40 and I have been looking for a sub to round out the first setup I am putting together. The decision timeline went like below

Ordered a dual HSU VTF2-MK3 -> cancelled the order and was close to pulling the plug on PB-2000 PRO -> got sidetracked on Rhythmik L22 & REL as they were supposedly more detailed for music -> Back to zero. What do you recommend for the below setup.

- Denon 4500H
- L-R: JBL Studio 530s
- Center: Infinity RC263

Sorry to break in late here but I would recommend the HSU subs. I have two VTF-15H MK2's and they are amazing. You can run them with one port, two ports or sealed. The Q tuning gives you a lot of sound adjustment. I have gone a step further by making multiple and independent adjustments on the subs with a miniDSP unit. You can really dial in where you want to be with the included umik-1 mic. To me there is no comparison to any other subs in this price range because of the raw power and ability to tune.

My review on HSU's site: http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showthread.php?p=137265&posted=1#post137265

These subs are part of this system:
Denon AVR X7200
Denon AVR 3806 (slave amp)
KEF Q650 center
KEF Q950 (x2) left/right
KEF Q350 (x4) surrounds L/R/BL/BR
Energy V-S (x4) height speakers (scheduled for replacement)

 

[caleb461]

In the off-chance Mr Larson reads this, I have a question for you sir:
I am currently using a Hsu VTF-15H Mk2 for music and home theater in a relatively large, open room. As you know, the VTF-15H provides plenty of low end for movies, but I often find myself wanting more "snappy", clean/detailed mid-bass (think kick drum) when listening to music. So I'm considering adding a second sub to assist with music reproduction. Which 2 or 3 subs would you recommend for this application?
Additional info:
+ My fronts are Paradigm Prestige 85F's
+ We listen to music more often than watching movies
+ We sometimes listen to music at very high volumes (think "live concert" in the comfort of your home
+ And of course (prepare to roll your eyes), we want all of the above without spending more than $1k.
Five years ago I would have ordered up a ULS-15 Mk2 without hesitation, but Hsu has not updated that sub in a while...and I don't know if someone else has developed a better high-output musical sub in that price range over the past few years.
Thanks so much for your help, it is greatly appreciated.
Caleb

 

[shadyJ]

In the off-chance Mr Larson reads this, I have a question for you sir:
I am currently using a Hsu VTF-15H Mk2 for music and home theater in a relatively large, open room. As you know, the VTF-15H provides plenty of low end for movies, but I often find myself wanting more "snappy", clean/detailed mid-bass (think kick drum) when listening to music. So I'm considering adding a second sub to assist with music reproduction. Which 2 or 3 subs would you recommend for this application?
Additional info:
+ My fronts are Paradigm Prestige 85F's
+ We listen to music more often than watching movies
+ We sometimes listen to music at very high volumes (think "live concert" in the comfort of your home
+ And of course (prepare to roll your eyes), we want all of the above without spending more than $1k.
Five years ago I would have ordered up a ULS-15 Mk2 without hesitation, but Hsu has not updated that sub in a while...and I don't know if someone else has developed a better high-output musical sub in that price range over the past few years.
Thanks so much for your help, it is greatly appreciated.
Caleb

A lot of mid-bass doesn't emanate from the subwoofer at all but from the main speakers. If I had to guess, I wouldn't think that your problem is from the sub, but rather an acoustic issue, especially with the way that speakers and subs play in-room. If I were you I would invest in a measurement microphone like a UMIK and take some measurements in REW to see what is going on. You may have a major acoustic null in mid-bass that is robbing the sound of punch in that region.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I agree with shady. You’re probably suffering from a null in the critical range. Most likely in the XO region. Personally I’d get a matching sub, and invest in rew/umik combo to really see what’s going on. Blindly buying subwoofers won’t help. Unless of course you get very lucky!