Budget sub for 100% home theater (1 Viewer)

[Jim Mcc]

I can only spend $150 or less for a sub. Will be used 100% for home theater. Room size is 12' X 17', ceiling 7' tall. Are the subs in this price range from Sony, Polk, MTX, Yamaha any good? What do you recommend? Thanks.

 

[headknocker]

My son-in-law has the budget-oriented Dayton 12 sub from Parts Express and it's in your price range. It pretty decent particularly if you're gonna use it primarily for HT.

Parts Expressayton SUB-120 HT Series 12" 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer

 

[Jim Mcc]

Thanks headknocker. I sure thought I'd get more than 1 response.

 

[Robert_J]

Asking if they are any good is a very subjective question. If you have spent $10k on your system then they are a poor replacement. If you have a Wal-Mart HTiB, they you are doing a major upgrade. It also depends on your expectations. But the Dayton has been reviewed as one of the best values in the budget sub class.

-Robert

 

[headknocker]

So did I.

 

[LanceJ]

I think for the room you wrote about, these two subs could do an acceptable job with movies if you don't care about reaching ref level, something I don't care about myself.

MTX SW2

Heard this one twice at Circuit City before they stopped carrying it. Used my own CDs and movies. Doesn't go as low as some other budget subs but it did have more volume (a standard tradeoff in Budget Bass Land) and wasn't boomy. For music had an enjoyable "punchy" quality; for movies it still rumbled but just not as deeply as a nearby 12" $400 Velodyne. Built decently and controls on the amp had a solid feel. And for a cubical box it actually looked pretty nice (can't see it in photos but has black woodgrain vinyl veneer, not that blah-looking matte black so many subs use now).



Sony SA-W3000

Hate to say it but I think Sony's subs - for their price point - don't sound half bad. The previous version of this 12" sub was very popular (and there are mods for it on many forums).

I've heard the 10" version of this and liked it. And like the dual 10" push-pull Sony I nearly bought four years ago, it didn't have lots of volume but (again, for its price point) did go pretty low, wasn't boomy and generally sounded good. The woofer itself was built like a tank, with a huge rubber surround and thick heavy cone, much like those found on subs 3X the price. So it looks like it's the lower powered amp that helps keep the price down. Looks good too.

Sony also sells a 15" version.

And then there's Yamaha's really basic 10" sub. Doesn't look or feel cheap, just lacks features. Again, I've heard the previous version of this and liked it, no obvious sonic problems but not sure if it or the present version has enough volume capability for your room.

 

[headknocker]

I know it's a little more than what you want to spend but Parts Express has again reduced the price to $200(from $288) on the "Famous Maker(aka Atlantic Tech) Dr Hsu-designed 10" sub.

I bought two of them for $199/each before X-mas along with taking advantage of their free shipping offer at the time. At $200 it's something to seriously consider since it's in another league than the aforementioned Dayton 12.

Parts Express:Famous Maker 10" 100W Powered Subwoofer

 

[Dalaran]

Used Adire Audio Tempest. New they were only around $150, but Adire is out of business so I'm sure you can find a used one cheaper than that.

 

[Nomad]

Is Infinity a dirty word ?
I bought a new factory w/ warranty Infinity PS 10 250 watt sub for $200.00 on e bay. I also got an Infinity center channel for $100.00.
I think they sound good. Ive got the sub set at 90 crossover and 2.0 LFE level. Works great for movies and music.
Eventually Id like to voice match my B&W 602's all around but one thing at a time.
So is Infinity considered crap ?

 

[gene c]

I bought one of these in Sept. for $159 (but it's branded as Dayton Audio, not SB-1000) and it's actually too much for the small room I put it in!

 

[headknocker]

gene: Both of mine were the SB-1000 which are now "no longer available" per PE. I hear ya about the output as I auditioned them (one at a time) in my primary HT setup to see how they compared to my half-decent Dahlquist PDQ 15". I couldn't believe the output for a 10".

I'll be using two of them in my 15'x11' secondary HT so I'll definitely have them turned down quite a bit

After hearing them I knew one of them probably would've been enough to get the job done That being said, I also wanted two of them for cosmetic purposes.