Subwoofer for <200 or wait it out until I can budget for a better one?

[mplee79]

Hello. I have a bookshelf speaker setup at the moment with the B1080P and a marantz sr6001 receiver. I'm in the market for a new subwoofer sub 200 for a 12 x 18 living room. I live in a condo so it can't be incredibly loud.

Would it be better to wait it out until i can budget for ~300-400 or are the improvements not that noticeable.

any recommendations?

I was looking at the BIC line of subwoofers. They have 12 and 10 inch woofers for under 200 at the moment. Are these any good?

Also what's the difference between a down firing and a forward firing sub?

 

[Chopin_Guy]

In terms of sound quality for that size room...IMO....I would say you are better off waiting until you have more of a budget. As you suggested, you can get a much better performing sub in the $450 range....

Ultimately patience will serve you best here...

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello. I have a bookshelf speaker setup at the moment with the B1080P and a marantz sr6001 receiver. I'm in the market for a new subwoofer sub 200 for a 12 x 18 living room. I live in a condo so it can't be incredibly loud.

Would it be better to wait it out until i can budget for ~300-400 or are the improvements not that noticeable.

any recommendations?

I was looking at the BIC line of subwoofers. They have 12 and 10 inch woofers for under 200 at the moment. Are these any good?

Also what's the difference between a down firing and a forward firing sub?

We have been discussing this lately in a peripheral way. Basically good things come to those that wait.

As you move up in price equipment generally performs better, but not always.

However the big issue not emphasized enough on these forums is superior fit and finish. Improved fit and finish tends to correlate with build quality. With improved build quality comes the prospect of durability and prolonged service.

After over 50 years of buying equipment, I leaned very quickly that budget items, tend to be the most expensive.

Within reason, price is a poor determining criterion for a decision to purchase.

The first question to ask about any device is: - is it any good?

The next question and perhaps the hardest to answer, is: - will the item perform as new and give pleasure for many years.

I have quite a few items that have been with me for close to 50 years and still performing just fine. In those days the purchase price was a princely sum to me, so I learned patience. However, I think within my equipment collection I have a lot of unbeatable bargains. What I'm getting at is that if you just look at price you will miss out on all the best bargains.

Remember keeping an item in use for extended service years, is the ultimate recycling.

This advice is probably quite contrary to the tenor of a lot of threads and post on these forums. However I make no apologies for this advice, and feel more strongly than ever on this issue as I observe these forums.

 

[fredk]

Remember keeping an item in use for extended service years, is the ultimate recycling.

I was beginning to think I was the only one out there that thought like this. Now I know there are two...

 

[fredk]

Wait. In my mind, $400 is the entry level price for a decent sub: something like the PB10nsd. For movies, you want a sub that reaches low and down to 20Hz is the minimum.

 

[GlocksRock]

Definitely save up until you can afford something better. Remember to keep an eye on the classifieds section of the forum, as good deals pop up from time to time.

 

[agarwalro]

Instant gratification = Short term gain. Wait, save and increase your budget.

Amps and speakers (including subs) are pieces of the setup that can never get outdated. [for instance, Bryston (an amp manufacturer famous for quality) is also famous for its 20 year warranty] An amp with flat FR will be flat as long as it does not "break" and a good sounding speaker will sound good until someone pokes a hole in the cone or the materials used break down. So, these components of the setup should be purchased without cost cutting (that is, dont compromise on quality here, within reason and not to be misread as "dont bargain hunt").

On the other hand, displays, players and to some extent even pre-pros, are bound to get outdated sooner or later. This is one group of items where people often overspend at the compromise of not getting better amps or speakers. Ironically, IMHO, it should be the other way around.