Subwoofer Q&A with ToastedPirate
October 8, 2007I have to apologize for my lack of posting lately, things have just been hectic at home and work. I’ve seen several movies in that time, including a few good ones, so I’ll have to make a note to post those reviews later. I have been asked a few questions about the best bang-for-the-buck in both budget subwoofers and receivers that handle HDMI.
First off, the subwoofer…
There are three real options in the budget range, which I consider to be under-$300. These are:
- Acoustech BIC H100, $249
- AV123 x-sub, $199
- Cadence X-Sub12, $199
Each have their pluses and minuses, so you’ll have to choose based on your exact budget and requirements. The AV123 option is a heavyweight 8″ sub with a 500-watt (150w RMS) amp, adjustable phase, gain and crossover. It’s rated down to 28Hz and is the punchiest of the three, mostly due to the size and design.
The BIC is a larger 12″ sub, with a 500-watt (150w RMS) amp, adjustable phase, gain and crossover. It’s rated down to 24Hz and provides a bit more “oomph” for the home theater environment. This is the particular sub that I own, and I can vouch for both the power and clarity behind it. Your walls and windows will likely begin to shake before the sub ever bottoms out – assuming you aren’t trying to fill a large room.
The Cadence is a fairly new offering, but it’s also a 12″ sub with a smaller amp. It has adjustable gain and crossover, but no phase control (to my knowledge). I have not heard this one before, so I can’t really comment on it – but as I understand it, the Cadence competes fairly well with the other two. I have also heard that it needs a little more tweaking that the others to really sound good.
Unfortunately, there just aren’t many good options at the big box stores without spending a lot of money. Both JBL, Polk and even Infinity offer some decent subs…but most of those start at around $500. For the best price/performance ratio, I would definitely recommend one of the three subwoofers above – with my biased opinion picking the BIC H100 as the top dog.
In my next post, I’ll be covering HDMI-based A/V receivers…
Thanks for the tips man. I’m hoping to do the upgrade within the month. Do you have a preferred place to shop? I’ve gotten several items from Cruthfield in the past, but nothing lately…and I get the impression they are not the cheapest guys to buy from.