SAWM40 or SAWM500 (1 Viewer)

[Matt Odegard]

I went looking for a Sony SAWM40 today at Sear's and BB. No luck, no one had them. But, BB has the SAWM500 for $200.

What do you think? Is the 500 the same sub and maybe even better than the 40? I hear raves about the 40 for its price. Is the 500 just as good?

I think the only difference besides a new design is the 500 has a 150w amp and the 40 has 120w amp.

SAWM500

 

[Matt Odegard]

Well, I figured since no one responded its either because its Monday and we're all a little slow, or nobody knows because the 500 is a new sub.

So, I decided to take one for the team and bought one. I just got home and will set it up, shortly. I bought some poly-fill so hopefully I can mod this one as we could the 40.

I will let you all know how it goes in a few days. I want to test it without the poly-fill and then with it. To see if there is a difference at all.

Matt

 

[RobCar]

Not a whole lot of patience there, eh Matt? I'm that way too when it comes to purchases. Definitely post your thoughts about that sub once you get it up and running!

 

[Matt Odegard]

Hehe, you know it! When I have money to burn, and a purchase in my mind, patience goes out the door. Well, generaly if its a small purchase like this.

 

[Myo K]

matt, i made a post about the new sub a while back, and had no responses either..
personally i think its because people dont have the sub yet, its pretty new

and i dont think people like the idea of spending 200 dollars for a sony subwoofer, sawm40 subs become infamous once the price dropped, if you think about it no one wouldve really spent 200 for the sawm40.

i got two sawm40's for a total of 230 dollars
--

i did listen to sony's new model that replaced the sawm20, and imo the sawm20 sounded better. please give us feed back for this sub!

i also listened to the new sony speakers with yellow kevlar drivers, and they sound exactly the same as the previos models. :/

 

[Matt Odegard]

Heh, yeah. I wanted an SVS, but in an apartment it just isn't practical. I'd be booted out in the first week of owning it I just wanted a lil more umph in my bass for music. So the Sony it was, of course its like the red headed stepchild off my HT.

I have Paradigm Studio's all the way around(40's,20's,CC) and there great for HT but lacking the punch I crave for music. But, it is a lil sad to have to resort to a Sony sub, instead of an SVS or similar.

So far it(the Sony) sounds good, no SVS of course.

 

[Myo K]

matt, in no way did i mean to discourage your purchase, im sorry if my previous post came off that way.

but i do have a couple of questions, have you ever listened to the sawm40? and how owuld you say the sawm500 stacks up to the sawm40?

my sawm40 was excellent for music and for its price it sounds unbeatable, i use them with mirage mirage omni 60 bookshelf speakers and they blend seamlessly.

personally i dont have an svs sub because i just cant possibly afford one at all. :frowning:

 

[Matt Odegard]

Myo, no don't worry about it.

I haven't had the chance to listen to the sawm40. I figured this was just the same sub but with a slightly stronger amp. I haven't heard a good sub in years, so my review might seem overly good, because I have nothing else but my Studio's which I've owned for about 2 months, to base this review on.

But, yes an SVS and I would have pretty much broke the bank. But for $200 the Sony is easily replaceble if I ever move into a house in the future, and need more house shaking bass.

So far I must say it sounds seemless. So far I have my crossover on my amp(45tx) set to 80hz, +5.5db, LFE on Plus, level to 50%. I don't have much room to work with in my apt. for moving it around and finding the right place. So I have it about a 1' to the left of my TV, 10-12" from the back wall and 2.5' from the left wall. It was a lil boomy at first, but after some adjustments I think I have corrected that problem.

I was worried about the blending, but no problems yet. I can't 'locate' the bass so to speak, I've watched parts of T2(intro) and Matrix(helicopter scene) and it sounds good but I still need to fiddle around. The girlfriend came home an hour after I got it(DOH!) and we haven't been able to 'play'. Now its late so I'll have to wait till tomorrow for more adjustments.

 

[Myo K]

okie,

be sure to post more impressions once you start breaking it in

with this sub, i think the port is now located on the front, i wonder if that changes the sound much, id hope though that sony fixed the polyfill prob this time around with the 500 model

 

[Matt Odegard]

The 500 is ported in the back. If that is what your referring to. I haven't really dug in it yet to see if there is any polyfil, but I bought some any way. For some reason I don't think they threw any in.

when I open it up I'll take some pics of the driver and everything. This sub has a wide surround to. Did the 40 have an 1.5"-2" surround on them?

 

[Myo K]

i found this link a while back, this websire has pics of everything about sawm40 polyfil mod, it has pics of the inside heh



http://home.columbus.rr.com/jetersne...samw40faq2.htm

 

[Matt Odegard]

Yep, thats the same site I saw

 

[David Lawson]

I tried the new SA-WM200 and took it back two days later. Unimpressive output, a primarily plastic enclosure, and no (obvious) way to open it for modifications. I agree that the WM20 was the better 8" sub, and I've seen it as low as $50 at a local Best Buy.

I couldn't find a WM40 locally that was in decent condition. The one I purchased (thinking it was new) turned out to be a used model that suffered a paint spill, so that was returned as well. I found a pristine JBL PB10 for under $150 a few days later, and that's been in my apartment ever since.

I probably would have gone with the WM500 had I not found the JBL, especially if it came in this color, which matches the new furniture. Not in this country, I guess.

 

[BrettisMckinney]

Just checked that site out. It looks like he just filled the whole cabinet up? Loosely but full. I just lined my walls, not flat but coming out a bit but left a gap in the middle for the driver to sit back in. Is this right? I would think filling it full up like that would deaden the sound too much? Any thoughts?

 

[Matt Odegard]

I filled mine all the way,except the bottom where the port is and it made a big difference. Although I moved it since I did the mod and found a better spot in my room. It may have sounded boomy before the mod, because it was in a bad spot. But, I don't feel like taking it out to find out though.

 

[BrettisMckinney]

So you did it just like the pic? Hmm..i might chuck some more in and see if i can tell a difference.