Does the company make a difference?

B

bomt697

Junior Audioholic
I will be upgrading my subwoofer in the near future but having difficulties understand if one sub is "better" than the other.
Better = speed, accuracy, quality, versatility

Are companies like Rel, Martain Logan, Kef, JL audio, etc better than companies like Monoprice's Monolith or SVS when comparing similar sized and similar watt products?

I've seen so many glowing reviews on monoprice and svs; why would any one want to spend the extra money on JL audio for example?

Is the premium price of top tier audio companies ask for justified? Are their products' performance that much better?
Can the performance of premium products be easily ID from more budget friendly products?
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Yes. The manufacture makes a huge difference to a certain point.
REL, seems liked by many, but cost vs performance seems lacking for the rest of us.
Most companies that specialize in speakers, don't usually do Subs well. In general avoid Klipsch, Polk, KEF, Etc.
Paradigm and Martin Logan seem to be the exception to that previous statement, but are they worth the coin compared to other options?

Usual recommendations here are Hsu, SVS, Monolith by Monoprice, Outlaw... Rythmik and PSA get mentioned a lot, too.

If you really want to go over the deep end, also check out JTR, Deep Sea, Funk. :D
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Better = speed, accuracy, quality, versatility
Oh... and in modern Subs... this pretty much isn't a thing to worry about. Same with the old Sealed vs Ported argument.

Unless you are buying a cheapo sub that is poorly designed... then you may run into some caveats. But in general, the only people claiming a certain sub is better for music vs HT are just citing old dogma. :)
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
The manufacturer only makes a difference insofar as they adhere to their own characteristic performance goals. Really, subs should be judged individually. If you want to know performance, look at the measurements. If the product doesn't have third-party measurements, that is telling. Yes, performance from mainstream subwoofer manufacturers can often be exceeded by internet direct brands, but not always.

A lot of the premium price that you pay for in high-end subs doesn't necessarily translate into the performance but other aspects such as build quality, aesthetics, usability, reliability, etc.
 
MalVeauX

MalVeauX

Senior Audioholic
Hi,

Two perspectives. One, is the product itself. The other is the support & service. Personally I'm not going to buy a high-dollar item from a company that I cannot get reliable long term service and support from. So I look into this stuff much deeper before committing to a purchase. For this reason, I'm very hesitant with Monolith subs; for example, if your amp dies, what's your warranty, how does the claim go, do you have to ship anything and if so where does it have to go and who pays for that, and if you are out of warranty and need a new amp plate, are they going to sell you one in 8~10 years from now?

Don't compare generously over-estimated power or numbers from most advertisements. Just look for the frequency response graph and then look up reviews to see if its an honest value or not. Physics is at play, so a small cabinet with a little woofer is not going to do what a huge cabinet with the same size or bigger woofer will do. And the quality and power of the amplifier involved matters a lot. You can find these fairly large sized cabinets and big woofers with these way under-powered amp plates bolted on the back for cheap, for a reason.

Start with what your goal is with your sub. Low end extension for movies? Or speed for music? Then look up what kind of sub you're more likely to need for that or for both. Then look at what your budget is, and whatever it is, if it's under $400 I would argue to just start only looking at the $400+ range stuff and more probably look at the $500~800 stuff if you want a very good, competitive sub. Then start looking at what you like the look of and research if that company has service and support you can actually use.

Very best,
 
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