Which powered subwoofer to buy

I also used bass-heavy action-movie soundtracks—most notably, the opening scene of Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, in which a spaceship flies overhead and then explodes. When you use a subwoofer with an 80 Hz crossover, the subwoofer reproduces the fundamental tones of only the lowest 12 notes of a standard upright or electric bass; higher notes on the bass come primarily from the main speakers.

I also presented the subwoofers in random order and changed the order for each panelist. I finished by running CTA output measurements on each subwoofer. This measurement uses test tones that simulate the bass content of music and movies. When played through the subwoofers and viewed on an audio spectrum analyzer, these tones show how loudly and clearly a subwoofer can play at several different frequencies in the bass range.

I keep a log of all my CTA results. The chart below shows the CTA results for our top picks and a few other subs we tested including the Dayton Audio SUB , the top pick in our best budget subwoofer guide. The Rogersound Labs Speedwoofer 10S offers practically everything one could want in a midpriced subwoofer. For its size and price, it provides plenty of output for action movies and bassy hip-hop and EDM recordings, and our testing panel found that its clarity and precision matched or exceeded that of many more expensive subwoofers we tried.

The Speedwoofer 10S is one of the relatively rare subwoofers that sound equally great with music and movies. Ron picked it as his second-favorite; Dan ranked it in the middle of the pack. When it came to measured performance, the Speedwoofer 10S did just what we hoped such an upscale subwoofer would do—it clearly outperformed less costly models such as the Dayton Audio SUB , our favorite budget subwoofer.

The Speedwoofer 10S puts out about the same amount of midbass as the SUB, but when you get into the really low, couch-shaking deep-bass frequencies, the Speedwoofer 10S practically tosses the SUB out of the room, delivering a whopping 10 decibels more output double the perceived volume at 20 Hz. To put it more simply, the Speedwoofer 10S is just a lot more fun to listen to. The Speedwoofer 10S offers line-level RCA stereo inputs and outputs, which make it compatible with receivers that have a line-level subwoofer output included on all surround-sound AV receivers and some stereo receivers as well as with stereo systems that use a separate amp and preamp.

See our blog post on subwoofer setup for more information on these connection types. Here I have to add a disclosure: When I was working as a consultant prior to my employment at Wirecutter, Rogersound Labs paid me to measure the CTA output of some prototype subs it was developing at the time. I also gave Rogersound my CTA measurement results for the Speedwoofer 10S at no charge which the company then published on its website. It has a inch driver in a ported enclosure with a watt internal amp, and it comes in your choice of faux black-walnut or brown-walnut wood grain for the same price.

Lauren and Ron both ranked the HTS 10 high, but they described it differently. The HTS 10, in contrast, not only looks better when new but is more likely to keep its looks over time. The HTS 10 has line-level RCA inputs, so it works with any receiver that has a subwoofer output, or with a stereo preamp.

If you need an inexpensive sub to add to a stereo system without subwoofer or preamp outputs, get the Dayton Audio SUB or step up to the Rogersound Labs Speedwoofer 10S. Yet it delivers a thrilling sense of shake and presence that can subjectively transform your living room into a battered submarine, an earthquake-ravaged building, or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

It also offers tuning modes that can tailor its sound to any taste. You can choose a sealed mode that delivers a tight, punchy sound for music, a ported mode that delivers maximum deep-bass output for extra couch shaking during action movies, or one of several modes in between.

For Ron, I tried a couple of modes. The VTF-2 MK5 can play loud enough for people who like to crank up their music or for home theater fans who love to feel their couch shake every time a cannon fires or the Hulk smashes something. I measured its CTA output in three modes. In ported max output mode, it averaged In ported max headroom mode, the respective numbers were In sealed max headroom mode, they were The VTF-2 MK5 offers both line-level RCA stereo inputs and speaker-cable inputs, so it can work with any surround-sound receiver and with any stereo receiver or preamp.

The SB Pro is basically the same as our former also-great pick, the SB, with the addition of an app-controlled equalizer that allows precise tuning of the bass levels at different frequencies—so you can make the bass sound more or less! When we tested the original SB, our panelists all liked its punchy, precise sound when they were listening to music, although even with the size of the sub concealed, it was obvious to them that the SB was no home theater bruiser.

Although we found that the EQ could make the SB Pro sound even smoother and better defined when playing music, it did nothing to help the subwoofer reproduce the lowest bass frequencies, which are necessary for realistic reproduction of movie soundtracks. However, for a small home theater system, played at modest levels, the SB Pro will get the job done.

The Bluetooth-connected smartphone app links quickly to the subwoofer and allows precise adjustment of such functions as volume and crossover frequency, as well as selection of Movie and Music listening modes plus a user-programmable Custom mode. The big advantage of the app is the parametric equalizer, which allows you to boost or cut three different bands of audio; you can select the frequencies and widths of these bands in the app.

Using the pink-noise generator and audio spectrum analyzer included in the inexpensive AudioTool Android app, connected to my sound system via Bluetooth, I was able to quickly adjust the parametric EQ to get an even, flat bass response from my listening seat, and then from there to fine-tune the sound to my liking. These numbers are, respectively, 0.

It outperformed the Rogersound Labs Speedwoofer 10S by 1. The SB Pro has line- and speaker-level inputs and line-level outputs. This includes the subwoofer enclosure, speaker, and amplifier. It is possible to find small, compact subwoofers for less. These will not sound as good as the larger subwoofers, though, but they often work better for smaller cars. Depending on what you're looking for, you might have to spend more money on a subwoofer, especially if you want one with lots of power or a unique sound.

Notification Center. How To Choose A Subwoofer? From the sound quality and bass level to size and connectivity, there are a lot of things to consider while purchasing a subwoofer. In this guide find a laydown of all the factors that you should consider before purchasing a subwoofer. Looking for a perfect subwoofer is like navigating in an unmapped territory. It is tricky to find the right subwoofer when you have to consider several factors. Some most commonly looked-for factors include bass power, sound quality, output power, and size.

Here is a guide on how to choose a subwoofer with considering all the important factors. Before you dive into searching for the right woofer, let us understand these specifications. A subwoofer or a sub is a loudspeaker designed and built to play low-pitched audio frequencies, commonly referred to as bass or sub-bass. Subs make the input sound loud and distortion-free.

You have successfully cast your vote Login to view result. Things to look out for: The sound quality of a subwoofer The size of a subwoofer Power and volume output Connectivity of a subwoofer Frequency range Front-firing or downward-firing The cost of a subwoofer.

Subwoofer Type and Size.