Subwoofer Thread - What have you had/listened to and how do they compare

[Gtiracer]

Thought it may be good to hear others opinions on this and widen the scope of opinions on popular subwoofers comparatively speaking from what you have heard.

All in all I have heard:

BK XLS200
BK XXLS400
Wharfedale SW150

and by far the xxls400 is the most powerful of the lot, the Wharfedale was ported so had a different sound which I kind of missed a bit and managed to sound quite loud, but being only a 10", could only dig so deep., but my current BK (xxls400) does kick ass and I have been really happy with it, so still deciding what sub to go for next, but I definitely want a larger driver so I can go a bit deeper.

I have about 10 different options Im looking at, at the moment, So Im really interested to hear peoples thought on the subs they've owned, so hopefully I wont be the only one sharing my thoughts.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

My experience is that it's all down to integration.
I've owned:
- REL Q100. Never really gelled. It was either unheard, or blowing your head off. Almost certainly down to my lousy integration
- REL Strata 3. OK
- REL Storm 3. Really like this and integrated much better than the Strata with my current main speakers.
Very much helped by the fact that I use GIK bass traps and active room correction, which has allowed me to pretty much eliminate the typical bass peaks that most rooms result in.
So my speakers just sound like a very full range stereo pair that keep going down to sub 20hz with no apparent effort.

 

[1pudding1]

So just from personal experience. I started off with a SVS SB12+, very nice, compact and still have it in our lounge. Integrates nicely and sealed design so quite quick/punchy for music, but not the deepest most earth shattering bass.

Next up I got a second hand SVS PC12NSD. Big furry cylinder with driver at the bottom and single port at the top. Nice deep bass, certainly went and felt deeper than the SB12+, but could be a little boomy and needed taming with an AVR/EQ.

Then a nice big upgrade to dual XTZ 12.17's. Great subs, with 2 ports at the front which can be left open or blocked to tune the output. Best combination of the above 2 subs for me, nice quick response but goes deep too, and with the tuning on the subs plus EQ on an AVR, plus having 2 subs, have got a nice smooth response across all freqs.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

BK XXLS400

tbh i think if you want more bass you should just tweak the equaliser on the AMP.

a bigger sub will only give you more boom if you go ported. the xxls400 is better for music and faster response.

 

[Gtiracer]

BK XXLS400

tbh i think if you want more bass you should just tweak the equaliser on the AMP.

a bigger sub will only give you more boom if you go ported. the xxls400 is better for music and faster response.

To be honest Ive had this sub for a number of years now and am just kind of used to what it provides. Im sure more could be gained with an antimode, but Im craving what only a larger driver can provide and get low down in the Frequency ranges with some kick. IM not averse to sealed subs, in fact I prefer their compact size, but a Ported sub will dig deeper and is (Generally Speaking) better for movies, which is 95% of my use.

Glad to know there's some fellow BK owners on here though, have you owned/listened to many others?

 

[Psycho Sonny]

To be honest Ive had this sub for a number of years now and am just kind of used to what it provides. Im sure more could be gained with an antimode, but Im craving what only a larger driver can provide and get low down in the Frequency ranges with some kick. IM not averse to sealed subs, in fact I prefer their compact size, but a Ported sub will dig deeper and is (Generally Speaking) better for movies, which is 95% of my use.

Glad to know there's some fellow BK owners on here though, have you owned/listened to many others?

i've listened to plenty others. not many proper AV subs though. well the one i remember was tiny. probably less than half the size of the xxls400.

i like to buy once and forget. the xxls400 will do me until it dies then i'll think about upgrading to most likely the next BK up which is ported just to see the difference.

 

[MG42Maniac]

I've only ever heard the active Onkyo subwoofer that came with my Onkyo HT-S5305 Home Theatre that I bought back in 2011. To me, it sounds decent. But I thought the fronts and centre were decent until I upgraded them to B&W speakers and the AV to the Onkyo 676. I'm eyeing up a Monolith + as a replacement but that's going purely off of recommendations. Probably gonna upgrade the rears to B&W 601 S2 as well.

 

[Gtiracer]

i've listened to plenty others. not many proper AV subs though. well the one i remember was tiny. probably less than half the size of the xxls400.

i like to buy once and forget. the xxls400 will do me until it dies then i'll think about upgrading to most likely the next BK up which is ported just to see the difference.

You say not many proper AV Subs, the more expensive Ported subwoofers do more than just boom, a well designed, ported subwoofer can sound perfectly fast and musical just like a sealed sub can too, its integration and eq that matters Im just saying that Im too used to my little 12" BK and fancy something with a bit more kick.

I've only ever heard the active Onkyo subwoofer that came with my Onkyo HT-S5305 Home Theatre that I bought back in 2011. To me, it sounds decent. But I thought the fronts and centre were decent until I upgraded them to B&W speakers and the AV to the Onkyo 676. I'm eyeing up a Monolith + as a replacement but that's going purely off of recommendations. Probably gonna upgrade the rears to B&W 601 S2 as well.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the monolith as long as you can deal with the amount of space/eyesoreness factor, then I dont think you'll regret it.