Sony SA-WM40 or a JBL PB-12 for home theater (1 Viewer)

[Tyler]

What subwoofer sounds better for Home Theater.
The JBL PB12 or the Sony SA-WM40 ?
Thanks for any input
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!

 

[Nicholas A. Gallegos]

I'm partial to the JBL PB12, but keep in mind that it does twice as much as the Sony. The SA-WM40 is actually a great budget buy for home theater, and many people here would probably agree.

 

[KonradN]

for strict ht you can save money by going with the sony and almost not notice any loss in performance, but if you plan to also listen to some music on your system the jbl pb12 or even pb10 is a better choice

 

[Geoff L]

Ditto to the above

 

[David Glenn]

Looking for a budget sub as well. Can I have more opinions on this subject? The sub will be in a room that's 17'L x 9'W x 10'H.

Some of the prices I have found so far are as follows:

JBL PB12 - $286 shipped (non authorized)

JBL PB12 - $318 shipped (authorized)

Sony SAWM40 - $129 + shipping (non authorized)

or should I pay about $80 more and go with an online/B&M that is local to me (Best Buy at home or J&R at work)

Should I really be concerned about going with an authorized dealer?

I'm assuming these subs are not sheilded. How far away from the TV should they be?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Thomas_Berg]

the Sony is the best sub under $250 right now IMHO. a friend has one in college and it puts out some good bass for a cheap subwoofer. although you might be missing a small amount of clarity, the Sony extends lower and does it cleaner than any of the JBLs listed here.

just my $.02

 

[Sean Conklin]

Thomas how can you say that?

There is no way the Sony will extend lower than the PB-12, I have extensive experience with both subs and the PB-12 extends way lower than the Sony. The Sony is boomier and may be confused as LOWER, but no way does the Sony extend lower!

The PB-12 is 250 watts RMS and the Sony is 120 watts peak. The JBL literally blows away the Sony SAWM40!!! Also the PB-10 will outdo the Sony too!

If you have the extra cash and you want REAL HT SLAM and good music ability go with the PB-12! Seriously.

 

[Sean Conklin]

Not only that, but the PB series is built with much more quality. The Sony has a lot of plastic.The PB's weigh twice as much as the Sony also.

Plus the PB series has crossover bypass for LFE input, which the Sony does not have, and if needed utilizes 5 way binding post connections instead of spring clips.

I will admit for the price the Sony is an excellent performer, but the PB completely outclasses it both in power and frequency response. READ: CLEANER, LOUDER and LOWER!

 

[Ron Reda]

FWIW, I got my JBL PB12 for $265 delivered and it's done a fine job ever since. It does give off a slight humming if you get real close to it, but other than that, I've had no problems. Try this site for a good price:
www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com
Regards,
Ron

 

[Brian Bunge]

Paul here is using dual PB12's in his 13'x24'x9' theater pictured here! I can tell you from first hand experience that the sound is pretty damn awesome!
http://www.paul-larson.com/hometheater.html
Brian

 

[Jim_Stu]

If you will be playing any music CDs, get one of the JBLs.

However, as I am finding out, the 'bottom firing' subs

sound much better on a solid surface.

I haven't ran the tests yet, but I am thinking the

PB10 on a hard surface will be very close to the PB12

on thick carpet.

JRS

 

[Alf S]

Not only that, but the PB series is built with much more quality. The Sony has a lot of plastic.The PB's weigh twice as much as the Sony also.

Interesting observation..too bad it's false. If you do some research you'll find that the Sony sub (which I own and love) weighs 40 pounds..Hmm Sony weighs the same as a 250 watt PB12..not sure how that reflects on "build quality" but it feels plenty sturdy and stable to me.

p.s. If you go with the Sony, print that cheap price you found on the net, and take it to Sears for them to price match it.

Alfer

 

[Mark Austin]

Alf S,

In looking them up on 800.com they list the Sony as 32 pounds and the pb12 as 48 pounds.

 

[Alf S]

Hey Mark,

The Sony owners manual say 18kg or 40#'s and JBL's website list the PB12 as 40#'s..that's where I got my info.

Alfer

 

[Mark Austin]

That might be a typo. A friend of mine has both of these subs in his HT and I helped him move them around when placing them, and the JBL felt noticabley heavier. Maybe it was just me.

 

[Alf S]

I stand corrected. My new digital bathroom scale says it's just shy of 38#'s. My bad.

 

[Jim_Stu]

You may need more subs, not bigger ones.
See:
http://www.sonicdesign.se/subplace.html