Affordable home subwoofers

[Dustin_Broke]

I' am thinking to get an affordable subwoofer for my bedroom and I was wondering which would be the best for my room. I live with my parents now and my room is downstairs. The downstairs isn't like a basement so it has carpet and normal dry walls etc. My room would be a smaller type of bedroom. I use to be upstairs and my room was a med size. I would like the ones that sound the flattest response for prices between $100-$150. I prefer around $100 though since I' am in a budget. I did see that the Technical Pro MRS10SUB is a studio sub so I bet it has a flatter response. I have a pair of Cakewalk MA-7A studio monitors and want to connect a sub so it will have more lower end since the frequency range is from 90hz - 20kHz for my monitors.



List of subs that are affordable.


Sony SA-W2500
Sony SA-W3000

Technical Pro MRS10SUB

BIC Venturi V1020

Dayton Audio SUB-80

Allison AL8

 

[thermodynamics]

The Dayton brand through PartsExpress is quite good for the price. No hype there. Are there better sounding subs? Yes. But for the budget user they're hard to beat.

 

[Dustin_Broke]

Well according to Parts Express website it said that the Dayton 8in sub from low as 40hz but is that true? Since the Sony sub goes low as 28hz or 20hz for the $150 one. Also the Technical Pro MRS10SUB goes 35hz.

Basicly I' am saying other subs got lower than 40hz but is the Dayton the best sounding sub compaired to others?

 

[Dustin_Broke]

If I really had money of cource I would buy some JBL LSR series type monitors or I would get some Focal monitors but both are pricey. Focal monitors cost alot that's forsure. But since I' am in a budget I can only get monitors like the Cakewalk MA-7A or maybe the Cakewalk MA-15D which is digital so you can use Coaxial or Fiber optic.


If I were getting home speakers I would forsure get some JBL Studio Series since I really liked those alot. I had some 6 years agao but I had to sell them. I liked the JBL S38 the best and then second I liked the JBL S26 they were really nice speakers and they were basicly studio monitors also. They were made back in 1999. Today they have the Studio L Series which is the same series but they added the Ultra High frequency drivers so it goes upto 40kHz instead of 20kHz which I think is pointless since humans can only hear upto 20kHz. I can hear upto 18kHz barely but I can hear 17.5kHz loud and clear.

 

[thermodynamics]

Unfortunately the mfr's hype their products. The more numerical specifications the better. The problem is that the measurement method of the specs is often different. The usual standard is +-3dB. By that standard, 32 Hz is extremely hard to achieve in a budget sub. I wouldn't believe anything below 30 Hz at $150. To go (legitimately) below that, you need a large driver and a large cabinet. I've built two outstanding subs and improved many others in my time. There's no substitute for big.

As for best sounding...The room that your system is in will have a much larger impact on your experience than the speakers themselves. How much time you spend tuning/tweaking the system will be much more important. Any subwoofer should come with volume and cutoff frequency adjustments. Automatic on/off should be included as well (ideally).

 

[Dustin_Broke]

Well I can say that the Sony SA-W2500 that is $100 is a 10inch woofer and the SA-W3000 is a 12inch so they are pretty big size. I would assume that a 12inch can go low as 20hz. Normaly the SA-W3000 costs around $250 on Sony's website but they sell them around $150 at other dealers. Some dealers sell them more than $150 since retail price is $250.

Also I have owned alot of Sony stuff and I know they do last very long time like my old notebook that is 9 years old still works good as new. I did few days before thanksgiving last year got a new Sony notebook again since I liked Sony stuff since they last a long time. Basicly I would rather have a item that lasts a long time without problems that the sound since I' am a in budget. Of cource since I' am a audiophile sound is important too but the most is an item that lasts a long time.

So would you say that the Sony subs will be the best in this case then since Sony items last a long time? Or will the Dayton subs be better still.

 

[Dustin_Broke]

Is there anyone else that knows about Sony subs or Dayton subs? I just wanted to know which will last longer and also sounds good too.

 

[sheep]

Is there anyone else that knows about Sony subs or Dayton subs? I just wanted to know which will last longer and also sounds good too.

When you are buying speakers especially, believe your ears before believing the manufacturers specifications. Generally a larger woofer size will give better low frequency output than a similarly priced small one. For your budget, an 8" should be what you are looking at. The size of the amp that powers it is a big factor. The piston travel of the speaker is the other half of the equation.

You may have had good experience with Sony. I'm not knocking them but it depends more on which factory produces them. I had a Sony XBR 34" TV which was the worst piece of electronics that ever graced my home. I also had a set of 4 Sony speakers in my car audio setup at one point which just wasn't up to the task.

My present Sub is a Paradigm Seismic 110 driven with its 850 watt RMS (1700 watt peak) class D amp. It's a 10" with 2" cone travel and weighs in at only 37 lbs and is rated to 18 Hz (DIN) The bad news is one of these puppies will set you back about $1,400. so it isn't the right one for you. I was using a 12" sub in a huge box and it went down to 32 Hz. If you could take any of your own CD's with known low frequency music and audition your choices you will be further ahead than basing a decision on past experience with a particular manufacturer.

Are you getting this for listening to music or for LFE on a home theater setup? Music listening is more difficult as so many low priced subs are what are often referred to as a one-note speaker -- designed to add a thud to the sound track of a movie. My choice above was due to the amount of organ music I listen to which has a huge low frequency component from 16 to 32 Hz. I am glad I held off until I could afford a sub that would do what I needed it to do. This one is quite musical

I am assuming both the subs you mention are self powered. More speakers are killed because of an amp with insufficient power rating than with an over powered amp.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dustin_Broke]

Well are you saying that basicly budget subs don't have enough power so alot of times the speakers or amp gets blown or overheated? Meaning you need to buy a decent sub for it to last?

I will be using the sub just for music listening in my bedroom. I have my Cakewalk MA-7A studio monitors in my bedroom and it has a sub out plug so I can connect any subwoofer to the monitors. I' am actualy leaning towards wanting the Technical Pro MRS10SUB since that is a studio subwoofer and I usualy like studio speakers since they have more flatter sound meaning it plays exactly how my music was recorded.

 

[sheep]

Well are you saying that basicly budget subs don't have enough power so alot of times the speakers or amp gets blown or overheated? Meaning you need to buy a decent sub for it to last?

I will be using the sub just for music listening in my bedroom. I have my Cakewalk MA-7A studio monitors in my bedroom and it has a sub out plug so I can connect any subwoofer to the monitors. I' am actualy leaning towards wanting the Technical Pro MRS10SUB since that is a studio subwoofer and I usualy like studio speakers since they have more flatter sound meaning it plays exactly how my music was recorded.

I don't think you would be happy with the quality of a $100. sub. As long as you don't abuse it by playing it too loud or by cranking up the bass on the receiver it should be all right. If you have the sub properly set up you wont hear very much audible content coming from it but it will make a difference. You will need to fiddle with the crossover freq to smooth it out but take your time and play a variety of music to find a good setting. You will probably want to upgrade well before 10 years so don't let that hold you back

 

[Dustin_Broke]

Well I know that my monitors play from 90hz to 20kHz so I can set the crossover frequency on the sub around 90hz so it will play around 90hz to all the way down to 35hz since that's how low the sub can play.


Here are some specs for the studio sub.



Active Studio Monitor Subwoofer
100 Watts RMS
200 Watts Peak Power
8" Woofer
Inputs: RCA
Outputs: RCA
Subwoofer volume control
Adjustable low pass filter
Impedance: 8 ohm
Frequency Response: 35Hz-150Hz
Sensitivity: 101 ±2dB (1W@1M)
Dimensions: 12.5"w x "14.5"h x 12.5"d
Weight: 28 lbs
MSRP: $179.00

So normaly they are around $180 but I can get them for $100 at J and R website so that's a good deal.

 

[sheep]

You can't go wrong for $100. You may find the setup sounds better crossed over a little below 80 or a little above. Don't be afraid to experiment. If you place the sub in a corner it will increase the output because of coupling with the walls. This is normally not a good idea. Low frequency is all over the map and varies depending on the absorption/reflection qualities of the surfaces, ceiling height etc. The most difficult room for audio is a room twice as long as it is wide eg 20 x 10. Sometimes a sound pressure level meter can help but go back to my first line. Trust your ears.
good luck