Best Subwoofer Under $300?... Is this kosher here?

Cassius Watson

Cassius Watson

Enthusiast
  1. I can't recall since I've started following this page, Audioholics ever doing a top-5 best subwoofers under $300. Is this a high brow page, because i can't afford SVS, Rhytmik, Velodyne and all these expensive stuff... Can anybody help a beginner like me? I've acquired some used Infinity P363 and the supporting center along with Fluance XL Bipolar Speakers over the past 6-8 months... I need a starter sub in the budget I mentioned to complete my home theater.
 
Cassius Watson

Cassius Watson

Enthusiast
Nah! Mostly, we just fart around in each other's general direction, but once in a while someone comes along and makes us fart in unison, in that general direction. People get good advice here, ymmv.

Best budget sub,
https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10906&cs_id=1090602&p_id=9723&seq=1&format=2

More options here,
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-subwoofer/
It's kinda hilarious that the subwoofer everyone raves over in that price range the BIC America F-12 is the one Brent Butterworth mentioned but never reviewed because he got a defective unit... The top-2 best reviewed online are the Bic F-12 and Polk Audio PSW 505... Have you used any of these in the past?
 
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yepimonfire

Audioholic Samurai
It's kinda hilarious that the subwoofer everyone raves over in that price range the BIC America F-12 is the one Brent Butterworth mentioned but never reviewed because he got a defective unit... The top-2 best reviewed online are the Bic F-12 and Polk Audio PSW 505... Have you used any of these in the past?
The Dayton subs are very good as well. Polk makes lousy subwoofers.


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agarwalro

agarwalro

Audioholic Ninja
Y

yepimonfire

Audioholic Samurai
95dB at 30hz? -3dB at 35hz? That’s really lousy, especially for a 12” sub. The Dayton sub 1000 using a 10” driver measures -3dB @35hz and -6dB @30hz, and has a maximum spl at 1m of 98dB @30hz, 105 @35hz, 100 @40hz, and 103 @50hz.

I’d say the best cheap large sub is the Dayton sub 1500. I haven’t done close up measurements, but in my room without corner reinforcement at a distance of 11’ I get 108dB @23hz, 106dB @30hz, 105dB @35hz &40hz on up, all of this is xmax limited, not power.

Two or three of these could easily handle full blown reference level listening with its 115dB requirements with an acceptable LF extension down to 23hz for under 600 dollars. Not only that, but the sub has a very flat frequency response to boot.


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William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
It's kinda hilarious that the subwoofer everyone raves over in that price range the BIC America F-12 is the one Brent Butterworth mentioned but never reviewed because he got a defective unit... The top-2 best reviewed online are the Bic F-12 and Polk Audio PSW 505... Have you used any of these in the past?
I have a 505 in an mbm(30-60hz) paired with two PC12+’s. I’d never use one on its own, but it works good like that. Amazon reviews on it are mostly from owners that haven’t experienced proper subwoofage, and many rave about it. Personally, I think if you can put another hundred bucks to it, the rsl speedwoofer is worth a look, and would be better than a bic or Dayton. Monoprice seems good for the absolute lowest cost to entry barrier.
https://rslspeakers.com/speedwoofer10s/
 
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Cassius Watson

Cassius Watson

Enthusiast
I have a 505 in an mbm(30-60hz) paired with two PC12+’s. I’d never use one on its own, but it works good like that. Amazon reviews on it are mostly from owners that haven’t experienced proper subwoofage, and many rave about it. Personally, I think if you can put another hundred bucks to it, the rsl speedwoofer is worth a look, and would be better than a bic or Dayton. Monoprice seems good for the absolute lowest cost to entry barrier.
https://rslspeakers.com/speedwoofer10s/

I saw and heard what the RSL Speedwoofer can do for just a 10 inch sub and it was quite fascinating... How about the newly improved BIC PL-200 which now claims a flat response down to 20hz?
 
Cassius Watson

Cassius Watson

Enthusiast
95dB at 30hz? -3dB at 35hz? That’s really lousy, especially for a 12” sub. The Dayton sub 1000 using a 10” driver measures -3dB @35hz and -6dB @30hz, and has a maximum spl at 1m of 98dB @30hz, 105 @35hz, 100 @40hz, and 103 @50hz.

I’d say the best cheap large sub is the Dayton sub 1500. I haven’t done close up measurements, but in my room without corner reinforcement at a distance of 11’ I get 108dB @23hz, 106dB @30hz, 105dB @35hz &40hz on up, all of this is xmax limited, not power.

Two or three of these could easily handle full blown reference level listening with its 115dB requirements with an acceptable LF extension down to 23hz for under 600 dollars. Not only that, but the sub has a very flat frequency response to boot.


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The operative word here is large... I'd probably have to sleep on them my space is pretty small, but I have been eyeing the Dayton 15" as well.
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
I'd recommend looking for used SVS or HSU sub. You should be able to get older model with 12" driver for your budget. RLS 10" is good, but only for smaller rooms.
Dayton 15" doesn't dig very deep, but otherwise is fine sub for money and good fit for larger rooms.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
I saw and heard what the RSL Speedwoofer can do for just a 10 inch sub and it was quite fascinating... How about the newly improved BIC PL-200 which now claims a flat response down to 20hz?
I recall(not clearly lol) a thread where someone asked the same question. Iirc, the difference was a minute difference in the size of the cabinet. Maybe, the finish too.(not sure. I’ll try to find it now). Basically it turned out to be the same ol’ thing. I’ve not really been in love with BIC’s fit and finish, and Dayton’s is ok for the money. Never been a fan of a 10’ sub either, but I seem to recall your space isn’t humongous so, I think the rsl will be the all around better choice.
Yep, found it...
https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/bic-redesign-pl-200-ii.108295/
 
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yepimonfire

Audioholic Samurai
The operative word here is large... I'd probably have to sleep on them my space is pretty small, but I have been eyeing the Dayton 15" as well.
The sub 1500 is pretty big. About 20 inches high, wide, and deep.


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K

kini

Full Audioholic
The Dayton subs are very good as well. Polk makes lousy subwoofers.


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Not all. I needed a sub with speaker level I/Os. Not too many around and not too many that are affordable and of the affordable ones very few have the crossover that is not fixed at 80hz when using the speaker level I/Os.

I bought a Polk DSW 440 to use in my MB (around 2500 cubic ft) along with a pair of NHT SZs and a Yamaha SR202 stereo receiver. The little 440 has plenty of bass for the music I listen to at the volumes I listen at, digs more than deep enough and sounds great doing it. It has better SQ than my Def Tech SC8000 (an unfortunate mistake).

So dollar for dollar Polk subs can't compete with many subs but that doesn't make them all lousy.
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
Not all. I needed a sub with speaker level I/Os. Not too many around and not too many that are affordable and of the affordable ones very few have the crossover that is not fixed at 80hz when using the speaker level I/Os.

I bought a Polk DSW 440 to use in my MB (around 2500 cubic ft) along with a pair of NHT SZs and a Yamaha SR202 stereo receiver. The little 440 has plenty of bass for the music I listen to at the volumes I listen at, digs more than deep enough and sounds great doing it. It has better SQ than my Def Tech SC8000 (an unfortunate mistake).

So dollar for dollar Polk subs can't compete with many subs but that doesn't make them all lousy.
Music is a different story. A lot of these folks are talking about HT as well. Since I do mostly music, just about any avg sub would be fine for HT. In spite of the accuracy of the frequencies of better subs with regard to movie effects, my brain still convinces me it's all fake so a little goes a long way.

My roommate had a polk sub. Rolling thunder etc, was convincing enough. I have a DIY 12" sub in my living room. It's pretty darn righteous with music and I have under $300 in it.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Music is a different story. A lot of these folks are talking about HT as well. Since I do mostly music, just about any avg sub would be fine for HT. In spite of the accuracy of the frequencies of better subs with regard to movie effects, my brain still convinces me it's all fake so a little goes a long way.

My roommate had a polk sub. Rolling thunder etc, was convincing enough. I have a DIY 12" sub in my living room. It's pretty darn righteous with music and I have under $300 in it.
Nah, bad subs are still bad for HT...damn musicality myths. Like a good speaker a good sub is....good, otherwise not so much. If my subs didn't work for music then they wouldn't work....
 
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yepimonfire

Audioholic Samurai
Nah, bad subs are still bad for HT...damn musicality myths. Like a good speaker a good sub is....good, otherwise not so much. If my subs didn't work for music then they wouldn't work....
Polk subs aren’t bad from an accuracy or sound quality standpoint, they just suck for home theater simply because they lack decent extension. When I owned a psw 10, it sounded just fine with music.

If you follow Dolby’s cinema specifications, a subwoofer should have a minimum response down to 31.5hz -3dB, if you follow THX, 22hz. There is no excuse for a 10” subwoofer to not be able to reach 30hz, and a 12” sub 25hz. Even the extremely cheap Dayton subwoofers manage this.

In addition, the amplifiers used in their subs are awful, and poorly mated to the driver. The Dayton sub 1500 may top out at 150w, but this is more than enough power to drive the sub past its mechanical limits, the psw 10 starts clipping at a lousy 95dB @1m.

I do agree though. A good speaker or good sub should sound good with everything. The only reason a sub or speaker would sound good for one type of content but not with others is because certain things may hide flaws.

The whole “musical” or “fast” subwoofer debate mostly has to do with group delay. Music exposes these flaws because our brain is accustomed to what a bass line should sound like, for example, but not necessarily the rumbling lfe in movies. So called “musical” subs generally tend to be sealed, which can sometimes reduce extension, making them not as effective at HT. If you took two subs that had identical extension, and one was accurate with a lack of excess group delay, resonances, or “humps” in the response, and one with the problems mentioned above, the accurate sub would sound equally good with movies and music.
 
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lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Polk subs aren’t bad from an accuracy or sound quality standpoint, they just suck for home theater simply because they lack decent extension. When I owned a psw 10, it sounded just fine with music.

If you follow Dolby’s cinema specifications, a subwoofer should have a minimum response down to 31.5hz -3dB, if you follow THX, 22hz. There is no excuse for a 10” subwoofer to not be able to reach 30hz, and a 12” sub 25hz. Even the extremely cheap Dayton subwoofers manage this.

In addition, the amplifiers used in their subs are awful, and poorly mated to the driver. The Dayton sub 1500 may top out at 150w, but this is more than enough power to drive the sub past its mechanical limits, the psw 10 starts clipping at a lousy 95dB @1m.

I do agree though. A good speaker or good sub should sound good with everything. The only reason a sub or speaker would sound good for one type of content but not with others is because certain things may hide flaws.

The whole “musical” or “fast” subwoofer debate mostly has to do with group delay. Music exposes these flaws because our brain is accustomed to what a bass line should sound like, for example, but not necessarily the rumbling lfe in movies. So called “musical” subs generally tend to be sealed, which can sometimes reduce extension, making them not as effective at HT. If you took two subs that had identical extension, and one was accurate with a lack of excess group delay, resonances, or “humps” in the response, and one with the problems mentioned above, the accurate sub would sound equally good with movies and music.
Bla bla bla
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
Nah, bad subs are still bad for HT...damn musicality myths. Like a good speaker a good sub is....good, otherwise not so much. If my subs didn't work for music then they wouldn't work....
Of course. It depends a lot on personal expectations. A subwoofer doesn't have to dig down to 25hz to be good at 40hz in music. A lot of good car subwoofers don't go so low. I would not care for whatever ultra low freq effects I missed in a movie. I would care if I was missing the bass guitar in music.

I have the RSS315HF-4 and the UM12-22. I think the RS sounds better for music yet it costs less. Which of those two is better for movies?

I don't know a lot about subwoofers. My expectations are pretty low.
 

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