Subwoofer hunt and audition experience and feedback

Kumar442244

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2016
Messages
561
Points
63
Location
Bangalore
Hello All,

In the market for a subwoofer. Here are my findings and listening experience.

Please note that the review is completly based on my personal taste of music/movie and there is also no association with any of the dealers in the trade.

The search started a month back and have auditioned 5 subs in 3 weekends.

1) Sunfire SDS10

- Location: Music Ranch, Bangalore
- Equipment: NAD C375BEE, PSB Imagine Bookshelf.
- Source: Bluesound Node2
- Price: 57K (Pre Negotiation)
- Rating: 5/10 (Could be given a benefit of doubt as it was brand new)

Experience:
The visit was not specifically for Sub but for NAD amp. The setup was music intended. Needless to praise NAD+PSB combo. Added Sunfire to the setup. The experience was not impressive. The bass was very localized and could feel the bass from the sub and music from speakers distinctively. There was no sync between the speaker and sub. One reason could be that the sub was unboxed just for the demo and I was listening to sub's first fire. Maybe it needs some break-in period to perform. Overall, Not impressive. Need to hear it again to see its potentials.

2) Emotiva Basx 10

- Location: The Home Theater store, Bangalore
- Equipment: Denon X3300, Tannoy Mercury 7.4, Dali Vocals and Wharfy surround
- Source: Pioneer BDP180
- Price: 33K (Pre Negotiation)
- Rating: 7/10 for music and 8/10 for movies

Experience:
Amazing built quality. Much better than any other sub in the price range. Started off with music from the phone using chromecast. Played Basstronics, Radha Kaise na Jale from movie Lagaan. Found the sub response a little slow. Sounded a bit dull with music. Not impressed at all.
Changed the source to BPD for music and yet again same bass response. Overall not too much impressive for critical music listening. However, decent enough for casual listening.
Switched to movies and there lies its power. The bass response was tight, accurate and heart thumping. Played scenes from Avatar and 2012. Must say, the sub did what its intended to. As told by the store manager that the Basx 12 is much better but can't comment as could not listen as it was not available for auditions. also, Lokesh from the HT store told me that its supposed to be better than velos. Need to audition Velos to validate the claim.


3) Bic America PL200

- Location: Prosonics, Bangalore
- Equipment: Marantz SR5011, front: Bic Americ DV62si , Center: Bic America DV62clr-s, Surround: NHT Superone
- Source: Panasonic DMP-BDT360, Google Chromecast
- Price: 42K (Pre Negotiation)
- Rating: 8/10 for music and 9/10 for movies

Was suggested this sub and Prosnics by one of the FMs. Anyone planning to buy a sub with a <40K budget must audition this. Good for music and amazing for movies.
The setup was residential living room. The experience somehow gave the feeling of a home audition with almost no room treatment done. This is where the actual performance is exhibited.
Started off with 2.1 stereo mode with music from Karunesh. The sub was really engaging. It blended so well with the speaker that I couldn't feel if the sub was even playing. It seemed that all the thumping and tight bass is produced by a not-so-small front speaker. Played back to back music from different genres and it blended very well with all kind of music. Overall, the best-ported sub for music till now specifically from the list of subs that I have auditioned till now.
Now was the turn for Movies and man this was amazing. It produced amazing bass. Not boomy at all. All the frequencies were articulated so beautifully. The Sub is really powerful and will suit best for medium to large rooms.Overall, really impressed by the built quality and performance at the price point. The sub is huge and one can't really call it a drawback. Sub being rear ported, need to be placed min 8-10" away from the rear wall. For me, this can only be a deal breaker as my listening position will reduce to ~4 Feet only if I install this in my setup. Else, I am sold to this sub.
Need advice on some down firing sub within 35-40K range.

About Prosinc and Mr. Santosh: Prosonic is the dealer for BIC America in bangalore. Couldnt find much of the review on the internet about the firm as this is a newly established firm. Mr. Santosh is a software engineer by profession and is into this hobby from more than his age :)
Very polite, patient and professional. Can contact him on +91 9341112580.


4) Bic America F12

- Location: Prosonics, Bangalore
- Equipment: Marantz SR5011, front: Bic Americ DV62si , Center: Bic America DV62clr-s, Surround: NHT Superone
- Source: Panasonic DMP-BDT360, Google Chromecast
- Price: 33K (Pre Negotiation)
- Rating: 7/10 for music and 8/10 for movies

The sub was more or less similar in terms of performance, however, PL200 is a clear winner. music sounded a bit muddled and slow on response. However, was very good at 32K pre negotiated price. Overall, value for money sub.

5) Dali E9F and E12F side by side audition

- Location: DNI, Bangalore
- Equipment: Poineer Amp (Forgot the model), front: Dali Z5, Dali Vocal, Surround: Dali Z1
- Source: Pioneer BDP180
- Price: 40K For E9F and 53K for E12F (Negotiated price)
- Rating: 8/10 for music and 7/10 for movies (Both the subs).

Started off with music same song as before: Radha Kaise na Jale from Lagaan and Basstronics. Guess there was some issue with the amp as there was no bass response at all. Was flat and unimpressive at all. Then changed the audition room and equipment to another pioneer amp LX series and Z1 as front and Z1 as surround. The overall experience was much better. The bass was precise and beautiful. However, at a point felt the lack of power. Switched to E12F and heard the same track again. The bass was boomy and felt non-immersive.
Switched to movies and played scenes from Hulk. Not impressive with movie.Somehow felt that at the price point of 50K, one can get a much better and powerful sub with better performance.

Still to audition:-

- Velodyne Impact 10 and 12
- SVS SB1000
- Emotiva Basx 12
- Polk Audio DSW 550i and DSW 660i

Please advice any other sub that I should audition in the price range of 35-50K. please note that the upper limit is an stretch and would like to keep it as close to the lower limit as possible.

Hope this helps audio enthusiasts in persuit of a sub.
 
Hi

More or less you have auditioned and will audition the subs which are widely used.

There are dedicated posts of brands where members have posted their experience and also shared best practises...

Bottomline, you need to go for a sub which can deliver the lowest frequency closer to 20hz.....next thing to consider is size, power, type etc....budget too....

AVRs also have their own settings of signals to sub and some also have Sub EQ.....it all depends on how you tweak the AVR to perform and deliver to your expectations.
 
I have BASX 10 which has done about 30 hours only. But if crossover/placement is proper then it can give tight musical bass. I am only using for music and it is opening up. I am satisfied in my 10*15 room. Bass is not muddy and is defined. It synchronises pretty well with my infinity which has a light 6.5 inch midbass driver.Showroom listening is highly variable due to several factors and perhaps a better set up could have shown its potential.
 
Auditioned Polk DSW 660i 2 weeks back:-

- Location: ProFX, Whitefield, Bangalore
- Equipment: Front-Polk RTI-A5, Polk center, Owm 3 as surrounds
- Source: Sony BDP, Saavn from BT
- Price: 43K pre-negotiation
- Rating: 6/10 for music and 8/10 for movies.

Watched "the Deadpool" the scene of the jump from the bridge. This is a serious contender for movies, however, dull enough for music. There was a noticeable lag when we played Safri Duo drums. Heard the same song as in earlier auditions, - Radha Kaise Na Jale, basstronics and some Toni Braxton songs (Spanish Guitar and Unbreak my heart), not sure what was missing, but the overall experience was flat and non-immersive.
Overall, this is a very good sub for movie experience but if one is looking for a sub for anything greater than 30% of music preference should look at other subs.
 
Deploying a sub is all about getting the settings correct. If not, then the best woofer in the world will not integrate with your mains and will sound 'wrong'. And it's complicated. There's crossover frequency, crossover rate and sub level. To the untrained ear, adjusting any of these can appear to have a similar effect. And they're subjectively interactive. I use a cheap and cheerful Wharfedale Diamond SW150 and it works fine for me. I'm a musician with studio and recording experience so I understand 'frequencies' and how they sound etc. It me a few weeks to tweak the settings just right.
 
Hi Kumar,
Any ETA on when you would be reviewing the following -
- Velodyne Impact 10 and 12
- SVS SB1000 & PB1000
- Polk Audio HTS10 & HTS12

Thanks
 
Hi Kumar,
Any ETA on when you would be reviewing the following -
- Velodyne Impact 10 and 12
- SVS SB1000 & PB1000
- Polk Audio HTS10 & HTS12

Thanks
Hello Statedspy,

Have already booked BIC AMERICA PL200 and hence not auditioning any other sub.

Have heard SVS SB1000 along with Emotiva BASX10 at HTstore and was a class apart. The only reason for not going for this sub was the budget which was ~20K+ from my intended spend on a sub.

Velo impact series and Polk stand no where even close to SVS SB1000.

Whats your budget for the sub anyway?
 
I think subwoofer auditioning is the most difficult among speakers. So many variables. I think this is one time when one might need to go by the specs too.
 
You need to audition the sub in stereo and HT modes as then it will paint the actual performance derived from it.....handling of low frequencies, sudden bursts...spikes....roars etc......hence audition is a must for any kind of speaker...
 
Hi Kumar,
I am keen on SVS PB-1000, just wanted to check on the feedback of other woofers from our expert members.
Did anyone get a chance to demo the Polk Audio HTS 10/12, new entrants into the market, kind of look promising?

Regards
 
Hi, I am also in search of a subwoofer and I am thinking of getting either SVS SB1000 or BIC america PL 200. Can someone let me know the prevailing prices in Bangalore. Thanks in advance.
 
SVS can be bought at around 52-55K (depends on how u negotiate) at HTstore J.P. Nagar
Bic PL200 at around 38K at prosonics bangalore.
 
Between SB and PB which one would people who have reviewed recommend. Plus has anyone reviewed the rhythmic f12.
 
Between SB and PB which one would people who have reviewed recommend. Plus has anyone reviewed the rhythmic f12.

Depends on the used case.

If the preference is music then go for the sealed enclosure i.e. SB1000 else otherwise PB1000 is a great option.

Have not heard Rythmic F12 so can't comment, but reviews are really great.

You can also look at Sunfire SDS series which is considered good for both music and movies. My personal experience with SDS was not a great one as I auditioned a piece which was just unboxed and was not broken in properly. Music Ranch in Bangalore is the dealer for Sunfire.
 
I am also looking for a sub svs pb2000
Can any body comment how is its performance in movie and music.
Is there any dealer for svs in kolkata to audition.
 
I am also looking for a sub svs pb2000
Can any body comment how is its performance in movie and music.
Is there any dealer for svs in kolkata to audition.

I have heard PB 1000, it is very good for movies, music as well. But may be bit boomy for smaller rooms. PB 2000 will be more powerful.
Digital acoustics Ballygunge are the Kolkata dealers. Audition you have to check with them.
 
I am also looking for a sub svs pb2000
Can any body comment how is its performance in movie and music.
Is there any dealer for svs in kolkata to audition.
Heard it in a friend's place. Has lots of power ultra low frequencies but it requires breathing space in your room. Not suitable for small rooms.
 
I am also looking for a sub svs pb2000
Can any body comment how is its performance in movie and music.
Is there any dealer for svs in kolkata to audition.

I'm using pb2000 in my 16feet by 12 feet home theatre room. My room seems a little small for the sub. But if you can add some basic bass trapping, the results are real good with a lot of punch. For small rooms a sealed sub can provide nice punch and low end. My friend is using a sealed sub and the results after proper placement and manual eq settings are mind blowing, which seriously bent my mind towards a sealed sub in a small room
 
Last edited:
Heard it in a friend's place. Has lots of power ultra low frequencies but it requires breathing space in your room. Not suitable for small rooms.
Quite right, pb2000 requires a lot of space to be entirely beneficial. But after playing with placement and basic bass trapping i finally got good enough results, but i know i am still far from getting the best performance out of it yet
 
Wharfedale Linton Heritage Speakers in Walnut finish at a Special Offer Price. BUY now before the price increase.
Back
Top