Enter to Win: $200 off order from Emotiva!

[squire.10@osu.e]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
I don't really have enough knowledge of subwoofer design, etc. to really speak to many of these questions, and, not having heard many subs other than my own, I'm not sure I can really answer these questions thoughfully. That said, it seems to me that, based on the reviews I've read of various subs, that models with 12" drivers offer the best performance in terms of SPL vs extension and distortion. My sub is a 12" model: SVS 20-39pc+

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
Don't know, really. Mine features a single driver in a cylindrical enclosure, but if money were no object I'd certainly like to upgrade to SVS top-of-the-line dual-driver model. Haven't had the opportunity to hear a sub with active or passive radiators.

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
My sub is floor-firing, and it sounds fantastic to me. Am certainly open to other options, but I am very satisfied at this time. In the case of my sub, the fact that it fires down toward the floor saves quite a bit of space. While it is a very tall sub, it does have a relatively small footprint, and I fihd that to be a plus.

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
I have the luxury of owning a sub that does both extremely well, and, as a result, I feel that both are equally important. There is no way I'd trade my sub for another which could play deeper but not as loud, nor would I trade for one that could play louder but not as low.

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
Performance is the deciding factor for me. Ideally, the perfect sub would be very small yet perform better than large subs. This is not realistic, however, and, as long as I don't have a wife telling me that my sub's too big and ugly for the living room, I'm content to have a very large sub that performs wonderfully.

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
I place my sub in the corner of the room.

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
Definitely prefer a sub with built-in amplification.

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
Manual parametric controls, that is, until major improvements in technology are made that improve the accuracy of auto EQ software.

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
The price range that I feel is most desirable is between $800 and $1200, with $1500 being an absolute ceiling. I feel that this is the point of diminishing returns. I doubt that I will find a $3000 sub that sounds $2200 better than my SVS 20-39pc+. It might sound better, but $2200 better? Doubt it.

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?
Really like the look of piano lacquer finishes--whether it be black or the piano wood options that AV123 offers, for example. Also really like real wood finishes in general. Rosewood is nice, I guess.

 

[BOSS10L]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??

12"

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?

Either is fine

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?

Prefer floor, but either is fine

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?

Low frequency extension

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?

Building a dedicated room, so size is irrelevant

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?

Under Center Chanel once the HT room is done. Currently approximately (12") away from wall on all sides.

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?

Stand alone

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?

Manual control

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )

$1,000-$1,500

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?

Black or Silver

 

[aarond]

1) 12" but i own both a 10 and 12
2) Single
3) front, because of wood floors
4) its a fine line all things equal if i had to choose between a sub that went to 20hz and 95db and one that went to 30hz and 110db, i would choose the latter
5) compact
6) in a corner
7) built in
8) auto
9) for the average joe it needs to come in under 1k
10) piano gloss black, any good looking wood veneer

 

[ski2xblack]

Ski's response...

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??

Depends on performance and practical limitations. Ideally, four 18" subs, but that is just not realistic.

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?

Definitely active drivers, two drivers in push/pull a la M&K (R.I.P., such a shame) preferable.

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?

Front

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?

Low extension

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?

Performance is key. A super compact will demand larger amps, thus driving up the cost, so on a cost/dollar level, conventional subs would be the equivalent in performance at lower cost.

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?

Away from the wall. Corner loading in my room excites room modes excessively.

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?

Built in. In fact, a fully active speaker system makes sense to me. Why don't more speaker manufacturers do this?

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?

Automatic, but with manual tweakability available.

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )

Well, I paid $400 for a kick-*** M&K sub, but that was an outrageous bargain. I would say that if you can't create a capable performing sub for well under $1500 there is something wrong.

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be? [/I]

Doesn't matter provided one will match my decor. At the very least, real wood veneers. For me that would be light toned maple. Second choice: flat black.

 

[logsend]

Contest Questions:
1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
>> 8", currently looking to buy Velodyne SPL-800R

2. Do you prefer single or dual driver design, either active or with passive radiators?
>> Either single or dual design is fine, probably not passive radiators though

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
>> Prefer towards front

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
>> I look at both certaintly, LFE wins out

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
>> Smaller the better for me

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
>> Next to wall, but not in corner - thats where the TV is!

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
>> Powered, built-in

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
>> Tough call, probably Auto Room EQ and adjust from there as needed

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
>> Less than $1000

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?
>> Cherry and old-fashioned black, but not piano shiny

 

[FluxCubby]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??

I really have no personal preference as to the size of the driver. If I needed to pick, I would say at least 12"--just to be able to say that's how "big" it is when people ask...but I do realize that driver size doesn't necessarily translate into bass output or extension

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?

I prefer active subs--with single drivers. There seems to be a lot more single driver subs in my price range than dual driver subs. Size is also somewhat of a concern in my home.

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?

Do they sound different? The driver radiates sound in all directions. One major advantage to front firing "ports" is that you can place them closer to the rear wall. I have no preference for floor firing or front firing designs.

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?

I would prefer the ability to choose as necessary via port plugs, etc. Otherwise, I'd rather give up a few dBs of output for bass that will go way down low...scary low.

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?

I'm willing to put a large size sub in my room, as long as it can actually fit where I want to put it. Size isn't very important to me unless it just won't fit where I want to put it.

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?

In the corner, but mainly because this is the best compromise between sound quality and aesthetics.

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?

I would prefer that the amp be built in.

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?

This is a tough one. I'd like to have both but if I need to pick one over the other...I'd have pick the Auto Room EQ...simply because it is quick and easy. One caveat...the Auto EQ would have to be of high quality with good resolution...otherwise what good is it?

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )

$1000 - $1500

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?

A durable black is a must, and the option to have real wood veneers is also a must. Choice of gloss level and stain color would be great too--just like Axiom offers. Great choices!

Hope this helps with questionairre, and I always appreciate the chance to win a prize--I'd definitely jump at the chance to buy an Emotiva pre/pro and amp.

Paul

 

[jacobms1]

1. 12
2. Single,Active
3. Floor Firing
4. SPL
5. super compact (high pressure)
6. in a corner
7. built in amplifier
8. manual parametric controls
9. 1000-14000
10. Rosewood or Piano Black

 

[Patrickcarringt]

Contest Questions:
1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
12" to 15"
2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators? Dual w/ passive radiators
3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs? Front
4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you? LFE
5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable? Larger
6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall? Near a wall
7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier? Built In Amp
8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself? Manual
9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! ) 1600
10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be? Black ebony lacquer or Cherry

 

[bmcgarry67]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
12"
2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
single
3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
Floor
4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
LF extension
5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
Larger
6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
Corner
7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
Built in
8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
Auto with adjustment
9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
$800-$1,200
10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be? [/I]
Piano black

 

[badmals]

contest

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
12"
2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
single
3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
Floor
4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
LF extension
5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
Larger
6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
Corner
7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
Built in
8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
Auto with adjustment
9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
$800-$1,200
10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be? [/i]
Cherry wood

 

[MarkMac]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
12"

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
I prefer a single driver design. If your room calls for the output of multiple drivers, a single driver design would allow you to place the subs in different locations to help flatten response.

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
I have only used floor firing designs in the past, so I can't comment on the front firing.

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
Do I have to choose? I suppose, frequency extension is more important to me (but both are VERY important). I would prefer my sub to extend down to 16-20Hz. Below that...I'd rather have more SPL than lower extension.

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
In my dedicated room, larger design is fine.

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
I have a pair of subs (~3' apart), and they are placed on the front wall between the mains. This location has given me the best freq response throughout my room.

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
Definitely built-in

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
If we get to a point where Auto Room EQ is reliable (and affordable), that would be my preference, but I have doubts about it at this point.

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
Desirable=the lower the better. Realistic for a high perf system=$800-$1500

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?
For my dedicated room, a black finish would be best. In other areas, a cherry wood veneer would be nice.

 

[gsuen]

Emotive contest reply

Emotive contest answers are below with questions.

Emotiva Audio wants you to win!

Emotiva Audio is giving away $200 off any purchase to five (5) eligible forum members. Coupons are good for six (6) months after the drawing date and may not be combined with any other coupon or special.

To be eligible to win, you must: 1) Be a registered Audioholics forum member, 2) Answer the following questions in this contest thread.

Contest Questions:
1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ?? 12"
2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators? single active
3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs? front
4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you? spl
5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable? compact
6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall? not in corner but next to wall
7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier? built in
8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself? auto eq
9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! ) $1000
10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be? black or gloss back unless i am matching speakers

Note this contest ends on March 31st, 2007. Winners will be drawn shortly thereafter.

Have fun and good luck!

 

[MiniSoda]

Some thoughts

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
>>I like 10-inch class subs. Smaller and you may need to get into mult-sub solutions (which I do), larger becomes a problem fitting into the decor of many rooms.

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
>>Boy, this is entirely dependent on the implementation. As a cop-out answer, how about "I like good designs".

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
>>I've used a couple of down firing designs and they seem to look good and work well.

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
>>Living in an apartment, SPL isn't the top priortity for me. Linearity and extension are much more important in my case.

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
>>It's all in the sound. All things being equal, it's easier to fit more small boxes into a room than single big ones.

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
>>I use two subs, one in a corner and one along a wall in the plane with the main speakers.

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
>>Convenience rules here for me. Built-in amps!

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
>>I'm hands-on, so I like user adjustments. But I can see where a lot (most?) people would prefer an automatic system.

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
>>Boy. What's high perfromance? Since I use multiple subs, I have a hard time seeing spending more than $1,000 each. For a single it would have to be under $1,500.

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?
>>Can't be a classic glossy black as a catch all. Other than that my second choice would have to be a "medium" natural wood finish to go well with hardwood floors.

 

[alother]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??

(1) 10"

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?

(2) single driver, active

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?

(3) Front firing

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?

(4) extension

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?

(5) compact/sealed

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?

(6) corner
7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?

(7) built in amp

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?

(8) manual
9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )

(9) "high performance"... $1,100-$1,300

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?

(10) black is universal but the 2nd color would probably be medium finish oak- exotic woods would be preferable but the majority of homes have oak

 

[PAW]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
12" or larger
2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
Single
3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
I can't hear a difference
4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
SPL
5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
super compact
6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
corner
7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
built in
8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
auto
9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
$700
10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?
Black and rosewood

 

[taz]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
"10
2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
single powered
3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
front
4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
low freq extension
5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
super compact/high pressure
6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
corner
7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
built in amp
8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
auto EQ
9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
$1000-$2000
10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?
flat black

 

[HiRez1394]

Subwoofer Survey

Contest Questions:
1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ?? Response: 12" for the greatest low-frequency extension.
2. Do you prefer single or dual driver design, either active or with passive radiators? Response: An active, dual-driver design with one driver active and the other passive (a la Definitive Technology SuperCube family).
3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs? Response: Front-firing design.
4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you? Response: low-frequency extension.
5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable? Response: Compact designs, including cylinder ones, for the convenience.
6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall? Response: in a room corner to maximize SPL.
7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier? Response: built-in amplifier for the convenience.
8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself? Response: auto-room EQ for the convenience.
9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic!) Response: under $1,000 to be competitive with subwoofer offerings by other well-known on-line retailers (e.g., Outlaw Audio, Hsu Research, AV123, Axiom Audio, etc.).
10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be? Response: only black or some version thereof.

 

[faustus]

emotiva4me

Contest Questions:
1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
Assuming solid build quality and top performance characteristics, 12" is preferable.

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
A single active driver in a sealed enclosure with appropriate construction and ample power.

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
I prefer front firing designs.

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
Clean, tight Frequency extension followed closely by decent SPL.

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
Super compact is my preference.

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
Along a wall and towards the corner.

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
High-power, compact built-in amplifier.

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
Best for me is a decent auto eq with manual correction controls.

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
US$500-1500 with three product offerings in that range.

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?
Black and beech; nearly the opposite ends of the color spectrum.

Thanks, emotiva, for the opportunity to participate.

 

[mgmeyer]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
12"

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
single active

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
front firing

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
SPL

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
larger

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
in the corner

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier? built in amplifier

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself? auto room EQ

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
$1000

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?
gloss black or maple

 

[otmopo3ok]

1. What size subwoofer is most appealing to you? 8”, 10”, 12” or ??
15"

2. Do you prefer single our dual driver design, either active of with passive radiators?
Single driver, Low Excursion->Low Distortion->Lower SPL. (price to pay)

3. Do you like the sound of front firing or floor firing designs?
Front firing only.

4. In choosing between SPL or low frequency extension, which is attribute more important to you?
Low frequency extension.

5. Do you prefer super compact (high pressure) subwoofers or are conventional (larger) designs more desirable?
Larger designs for higher fidelity.

6. Do you place your sub in a corner of the room or somewhere away from the wall?
Depends on the setup. Right now i have it in the corner (purely a space issue) but it sounds better out in the room.

7. Would you rather have a sub with a built in amplifier or a dedicated stand alone amplifier?
Passive is fine.

8. Would you rather have an Auto Room EQ system with a measuring microphone or manual parametric controls allow you to set the EQ yourself?
Definitely MANUAL parametric EQ. Auto EQ are not that good yet esp. in lower octaves.

9. What price range do you feel is the most desirable for a high performance subwoofer system (be realistic! )
$500-800

10. What color and finish is the most desirable to you? If you had the choice of two finishes, what would they be?
Pine or Maple Veneer.