Enter to Win: Onix X-sub from AV123

[clayman88]

Quick, clear and accurate bass response are top priority for any subwoofer that I purchase. At the same time, whatever sub I chose needs to replicate a bomb explosion realistically. It needs to have the ability to entertain the neighbors if possible. A built-in accurate crossover is also very important.

 

[Taifun]

I have different criteria depending on where it will go:

Basement theater:

Size- not an issue
Accuracy- this is my main system for movies/music so important
Extension- also important, I'll give on size to get this
Placement- small issue as the room is difficult to configure

Living room system:

Size- needs to be medium to small
Accuracy- still important (the wife listens mostly on this floor)
Extension- moderate
Placement- critical for WAF

Bedroom:

Size - medium size
Accuracy- still on my top 3
Extension- bottom of the list
Placement- difficult so size will come into play here

So in the end accuracy wins on all 3 accounts.

 

[Berty52]

A subwoofer have to go deep and have to be acurate. When playing at hight volume the distortion got to be as low as possible.

 

[corey]

Like most others, Accuracy is at the top of my list.

Accuracy - whthout this, the rest don't matter. It also needs to be accurate in my room, so built-in equalization is a big plus.

Extension - going low is great, but on the other hand, I wouldn't spend more to get down into the teens.

Price - all the accuracy & extension in the world won't do me any good if I can't afford it.

Size & Finish - Whild not as important as the above, small & good looking is better than big & ugly.

SPL - As long as I can shake my windows, I don't need to rattle the neighbor's walls.

 

[soundsfine]

I'm not at all into rattling my neighbor's foundations. Un-muddied bass from a loudspeaker that doesn't call attention to itself is what I like.

 

[Ralph]

I need a clean and clear sounding THUMP out of a sub, not a rumble when it should be a thump. I want to hear low effects the way they were meant to sound and not artificially enhanced. It should shake the room when necesary.

 

[Dsell]

Poll/Contest

The whole point of a subwoofer is to enhance the audio/video experience by bringing you closer to reality. Though the other considerations may be valid the most important is accuracy.
Dsell

 

[rennikc]

What features are most important in a home theater subwoofer?

Accurate clean bass that fills the room. If I can tell where the placement of the subwoofer is in a room it's not doing it's job. I want to be able to feel the bass like I am sitting in the middle of the music or the action. The sound must feel like it's protrudeing out of the walls and I must be able to feel it through the floor.

 

[JohnA]

What features are most important in a home theater subwoofer?

The ability to reproduce accurate bass is the first important item for me...there is nothing worse than a one note wonder.

Secondly I would say size/looks play a large part in the WAF.

 

[mocwilson]

good vibrations

to be able to watch/ listen to my favorite movies and music and get a massage at the same time? who could ask for more.

 

[jhanley]

What features are most important in a home theater subwoofer?

I mainly watch movies so...LFE reality is my main concern.
When the balrog comes down the tunnel its more important for me to "feel" it rather than see it.

 

[brmiller88]

Ideally, I would like my sub to be very, as the over-used phrase goes, musical. Accuracy at the lower end frequencies plays a big part in my satisfaction with the sound. I don't need much for medium or high range frequencies in a sub, as I would prefer to distribute the workload around my sound system.

Size means nothing to me, if the overall sound makes the speaker disappear from my consciousness. However, my wife has to live with the sound system, too. She would definitely say that a smaller size is important, and that ultimately will influence my purchase.

 

[johndoe]

accuracy, it also has to be able to play the not-so-deep bass of the soundtrack very musically. I need to distiguish the different notes and tones.

 

[enigma1406]

Clean and accurate output is all I ask for. I'm not concerned with huge output levels if it overpowers my mains. I don't want to be able to hear my sub, I want to be able to hear the full range of sound including LFE. A seamless sound is what I strive for. Based on the poll results it looks like many people are in the same boat.

 

[tylerdurden]

What features are most important in a home theater subwoofer?

Accuracy. What good is hair blowing extension without quality reproduction.

 

[chriscmore]

The single most important job for any A/V product is not to commit a sin of commission. In other words, where it deviates from "ideal," it should omit things (extension, headroom, nulls of the frequency spectrum) instead of adding things (distortion, peaks of the frequency spectrum, smearing). So the "accuracy" answer is clearly the most important. Second most important, is accuracy under any situation. When the War of the Worlds in DTS has high SPL under 10Hz, then the electronics needs to know what the limitations of the sub are, and protect it not just from distruction, but from committing sins to the sound. Better that it not be there, than flabbing up the place.

Once you get the situation-proof accuracy nailed, then the quantity, price and aesthetics come next. But 90% of the money needs to go towards the situation-proof accuracy, IMO.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[AFJumper03]

I defenitely think that accuracy of the subwoofer is key in selecting a new product. Plently of subs are out there that can just overload you with power and yes it will be loud, but that wont make it sound right. I think the sub should be able to reflect what the creator of the sound intended as close as possible and still have enough power behind it to play it loud!

 

[ebrius]

Accuracy and quality all the way. If it doesn't sound good, it doesn't matter how it looks or how loud it gets

 

[Digiti]

When comes to subwoofer characteristics I feel clean, accurate, bass extension into the lower octave, is paramount to me. I do not want boomy one note bass but articulate bass so that double basses ,tympani and bass drum are have impact and are musical. Output above 100Db would be nice as well.

 

[solairman]

I do not like a huge sub like the svs pb2. A small size / good looks... and clear clean bass up to 80Hz at an affordable price. That would make me happy.