A cheap sub for my system...under $200

[IslandStylin]

Is my title an oxymoron? I have looked in the under $300 thread and a few others around here. I have Boston Acoustic CR67(2) and CR57(2) with an older Onkyo Receiver(TX-DS484). I just bought these (used but in excellent condition) from a friend for $75. They sound great but are lacking in BASS bigtime. So I wanted to buy a subwoofer to compliment the speakers. Want to keep my budget low. Definitely $200 and below. I am using these speakers for music and movies. I am contemplating on hooking them up to my computer, but haven't completely decided yet.

I am currently looking at

Energy ECW-S10 for $163.11 at newegg


Polk Audio PSW10 for $130.49


Bic America F-12 for $188.38


Dayton Sub 120 HT for $99


As you can see I am all over the map...Would appreciate any help, suggestions, and if anyone has any of the above let me know what you think of them...

Thank you

 

[afterlife2]

What size is your room?
These are on sale:
Amazon.com: Velodyne VX-11: Electronics
timoteo mentioned these in another thread: Earthquake Sound FF10
If you can spend a little more Outlaw M8 is a great option. I have them for my small studio apt. and the bass quality is great:
M8 Powered Subwoofer

 

[IslandStylin]

Room size is 16 x 14. So relatively on the smaller size. Eventually I will be moving the system into a bigger room though And can only guess that the size of the room would be closer to 25 X 20. But that is merely a guesstimate.

 

[tattoo_Dan]

For only $78.30 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 12 Inch 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer - Light Wood Finish | Subwoofers

$84.10 for one,

or $82.65 each for 2 ?

for me in california, for 2 $209.87 incl tax & shipping !

 

[j_garcia]

I am going to say the BIC F12 is probably your best choice at that price.

 

[timoteo]

IslandStyle may I ask where you live? Roughly, I don't want an address or anything haha. I ask because I live near L.A in CA. That Earthquake FF10 is a pretty amazing sub for $180. The only issue is that it retails for I think $399. That $180 is my price through a wholesaler I have an acct at. I'd be happy to hook you up with my price. If you live simi-close that'd work. Just a thought !!

Otherwise the F12 is a good option

I'll tell you what though, those Earthquake subs sure are potent!!

 

[theJman]

I am using these speakers for music and movies.

You'll be hard pressed to find a musical sub for $200, so you may have to temper your expectations in that arena. What percentage of movies to music are you expecting? That might help you decide which to concentrate on.

Of the units listed the Energy ECW-S10 is perhaps the most musical among them, while the BIC F12 best for movies. A few others you might wish to consider are:

Premier Acoustics PA-10W Premier Acoustic PA-10W Subwoofer {use coupon code TV15 for a 15% discount}
OSD PS10 PS10 10" High Powered Premium Home Theater Subwoofer
Dayton Audio Sub-1200 Dayton Audio SUB-1200 12" 120 Watt Powered Subwoofer 300-629 {as opposed to the Sub-120}

 

[CadenceSound]

Out of the list, Energy, Daytona and Bic are my choices, id get 2 of the Daytons on your budget esp since you will be moving the system to a bigger room.

If your crafty, considered going the DIY route...you can find some low end raw drivers for cheap, the plate amp you can get used to help w/ cost. Your biggest cost would be time really. But you will surely be happy with the end result.

 

[timoteo]

$200 towards DIY sub will mean all your money goes towards the driver & amp. You won't be waisting money on labor. You could build a sub for $200 that performs like a $400 commercial sub.

Examples:
Dayton 12" DVC driver-$60
Dayton SA100 plate amp-$90
Sheet of 3/4" MDF-$20
Total-$170+tax

Or

Peerless 12" SLS driver-$98
Dayton SPA250 plate amp-$120
Sheet of 3/4" MDF-$20
Total:$238+tax

 

[IslandStylin]

timoteo Thank you so much for your comments. I tried to search for reviews on that Earthquake sub and found next to nothing. Do you have articles that I could read or reviews on different sites? I live in Los Angeles, so that could plausibly work if I had more info on the speaker itself.

As far as DIY goes: I really don't want to do it right now. 8 years ago I was eager to make my own, but I don't have any of the building supplies and I feel when it's all said and done I will be well over my $200 budget.

theJman I would say that I am more of a movie buff, but when we host parties we are usually using the sound system for the musica. Let's say I am at a 60% movies and 40% music.

Would the closer to $100 speakers even compare to the BIC or Energy speaker? I am honestly open to any and all suggestions. If I did buy the Dayton, I would only get 1 for now. If need be I could always upgrade in the future. I wish there was a store that had ALL of the sub choices to make this a heck of a lot easier...

Thank you all for your suggestions thus far. I am reading review after review and probably getting more confused than I was at the start...heh

 

[theJman]

theJman I would say that I am more of a movie buff, but when we host parties we are usually using the sound system for the musica. Let's say I am at a 60% movies and 40% music.

That's a tough one then; you listen to enough music to warrant a clean, articulate sub. However, in that price range it's generally an either/or proposition; either it's good on movies or it's good on music. It's difficult to find both.

To be honest, I'd probably take timoteo up on his offer of the Earthquake. The price is great. I've never heard one myself, but I'm inclined to believe what he says about subwoofers. He might have found a hidden gem, and in a 16x14 room you could get away with using a single high quality 10" sub.

Would the closer to $100 speakers even compare to the BIC or Energy speaker?

I suspect you probably know the answer to that already.

I wish there was a store that had ALL of the sub choices to make this a heck of a lot easier...

With all the companies/models available that place would be the size on an aiport hanger! But I'd probably spend a lot of time there myself...

 

[timoteo]

Well unfortunately the Earthquake FF10 is a newer model & so there aren't going to be many reviews on it yet. I used to own dual Earthquake P12 subs. I had them in my livingroom which, when you add the total cubic foot space, is 8600cuft+. They did amazingly well too!! One of my buddies owns one of them now & I sold another online. They were very powerful subs specially for their size 14"cubed. I decided to go with a 15" sub that is why I sold them.

The FF10 driver has a lot of excursion capabilities with its large roll surround. A slot port is a very efficient design & a well designed 10" can be quite musical. For the $179 that I can get it for it really is a great deal IMHO!

There are some other good choices in the <$200 group but not sure they match the FF10. I will PM you my cell#. Feel free to call me with any questions!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

What size is your room?
These are on sale:
Amazon.com: Velodyne VX-11: Electronics
timoteo mentioned these in another thread: Earthquake Sound FF10
If you can spend a little more Outlaw M8 is a great option. I have them for my small studio apt. and the bass quality is great:
M8 Powered Subwoofer

I like that Velodyne 10" sub. Big discount. At this price, none of these subs will blow your pants off. But might as well get that big time trusted name brand Velodyne.