Superb comparison and I doubt people realize the time it takes to video, test and analyze all of these results. I can only give one thumb up, but two thumbs up are deserved!
Thank you, man. I appreciate that. And, you are definitely right... I don't think many understand the legwork that goes in to testing and analyzing the data before I even begin thinking about the video to present the results. It takes more than a full working day to complete one test.
@@Max-df5zp I got scar SDR 600 W RMS 10” build a box buy $100 power supply or whatever supplies the right amount of amps for an amplifier I bought a 100 amp and I bought the 800 w rms scar amplifier. Or Buy the whole sub kit for 300- $400 and all you gotta do is buy the power supply takes a lot of knowledge, but it works a lot better
Old adage: To each his own! What my ears hear may not be what yours hear. I purchased a Yamaha NS100SW from Amazon. It blended so well with my Onkyo TX-NR797, 9.2 receiver, I decided to buy another. Now the sound is perfect without any faints or gaps in action sounds. By using settings from my receiver (60 - 80Hz), all my speaker respond with base when needed! Example: The movie: "Battle: Los Angeles" when one of the alien drones came from behind, you could hear it from a distance and suddenly it was over head, like over your roof top, with the vibrations from the engines began shaking my entire body and then it speed off on my TV screen. OUT FRIGGIN-RAGIOUS!!!
You don’t listen to data. You listen to the sound. And that’s very subjective. Hats off to this guy for a great review but just wanted to clarify on what you said.
I just want to hear a couple of songs each. I don't care about paper numbers. Real-world dynamic sound. I don't want some to tell me what they think it will sound like
I purchased my Polk PSW10 from a local auction for $40 and hooked it up to my living room system and love it. Even at full retail price it's an excellent performer!
Not really, he shows the subs then goes to a website where you can also read it yourself in under 20 minutes, and the audio is echoing back when he does the screen recording.
@@parkeranderson7155 $$$$ and look at the subs he examines, all the low end ones have some fatal flaw, then there's an these $500+ subs, why? Freebies? Sales cash or just bad judgement? Why no Daytons? I mean, that's weird. No klipsch, no Jamo?
We had a Polk PSW125. It was never abused or overdriven. After 2 years, it started to make a heartbeat sound. The amp failed. A new amp was sent and 3 years later, the same thing happened again. There were forums all over the web about this issue with PoIk subs. I wouldn't own another Polk sub if it were given to me free of charge. We moved up to an SVS sub. It was more money, but it's worth every penny. Much better construction, much more power, a much better warranty and most important of all, much deeper and more powerful bass.
I can dig it! Always interested in seeing budget equipment put head to head by an independent reviewer. This was a ton of work I hope people appreciate what you’re doing here.
Erin's Audio Corner thanks! You’re doing the lords work here so the least I could do was drop a comment and share this video because a lot of people looking for a HT sub are definitely looking at these under $200 models.
i got my whole system for under $200. Yamaha receiver for $60 used Monoprice home-theater- in-a-box for $100. Just watched Hook with the reciever settings perfect and was thoroughly impressed. My dad won't let me use his klipsch kg3's but I've heard them before so i know my system is pretty decent for what I paid.
You’re the man. I’m leaving this comment 1 second in because you’re the first video on these Amazon subs by someone who’s actually seen, used and touched the products they’re talking about in person instead of just reading off reviews or guessing if it’s good or not because of the brand.
Got my Polk psw10 about 3 years ago because it was the cheapest and had good reviews on amazon. Boy was I happy with it and now this verifies my happiness.
This review and testing looks sound, great job on the level of detail. The only challenge here is the room factor with placement of ports. I have the Polk PSW10 and the Klipsch R-10SW and the Klipsch is noticeably louder in the large living room. It didn't even come close. Part of that had to do with how the port interacts with the rear wall. I'm not an expert in subwoofer placement, but it's worth a note. My Polk sub seems to "hit" a little harder, but the rear port on the Klipsch energizes the room more for deep rumbles/long bass notes. Nice job!
Yea i like polk. The Andrew jones designed Pioneer are outstanding to for the price. Polk has better sub pioneer tower speakers are better. I have 2 tower speakers and the middle piece Pioneer than 2 polk rear surround. I have a acoustic 12 500 watt sub. That thing drills but its a little more expensive. Thats my living room. Then in my bedroom its all polk same setup just all polk with 1 10" polk sub. There awesome for the price.
I have a budget system a klipch subwoofer Im a audio person at my age I would not spend to much more for a just bass now if I had high end money then I would spend it but I don't my sub is good enough.
I just bought a Polk PSW12 sub to use with Sony DH196 receiver and I couldn't be more happier. The quality and the sound of the Polk sub is outstanding considering I paid $139. I highly recommend it.
man the effert you put into making this, going into all the granularities relevant to each unit using real data analysis, this is dedication. This gets a sub from me pun intended!
I can think of a couple of reasons why you might not mention it but that Yamaha runs on the same size amp that the 8-inch has and that it works in most situations very well. I'm just suggesting if you had that information, and noticed a problem, you might look for an excuse or mitigating factor. There might be a guy who wanted a Yamaha and would have very seriously enjoyed it. Thank you very much and though for putting in the work. for doing
I have a Polk psw10 for my outdoor systems. I figured for the price ($99 if you keep an eye out) I could swap out every couple of years. I keep them covered and the first one has been in use for about 3 years, the other for over 2 years in a salt environment.
I've got a pair of Dayton Audio 12" powered subs. I searched coupons and one was an open box deal. I got the pair for about $233 shipped. I am very happy with the performance for the dollar. I don't have any particular bass management on my amp and am using the high level inputs. My room is a little wonky and they do a good job producing fairly solid bass at the listening position. I'm sure they can't compete with the high dollar subs out there, but the important thing is, they are good enough to enjoy and not a waster of the money I did spend. I don't plan to try to upgrade out of them until after doing something like a MiniDSP with a proper power amp and a calibrated mic for room/system correction.
The Dayton Audio SUB-1200 is the best sub under $150 new that you can buy. I don't think you will get any closer to that true deep theater rumble than the Dayton Audio for that price range (unless you get a steal on a used sub).
I had the polk previously it just died one day after 3 months so i decided to give the klipsch a try and loved it to my ears it was more accurate to the original music with a more lively sound i will say the elac is interesting im running dayton audio 6.5 air bookshelfs with matching center channel and 4 inch air rear fills so not a klipsch fanboy overall great review thank you for your hard work
I’m a psw 10 guy. And I came to the logical conclusion like last Thursday of using one of the two subs in my room to represent lower frequencies than the other. If placed properly it’s a thing of beauty when low sound seems to come from an invisible source. And when you mentioned specializing two different models for two different jobs it made me proud to be a wanna be audiophile. New subscriber.
Thank you. This video has been a GREAT help. Helping a friend put together a HT system and I had no clue on what budget subwoofers to even look at. Video was simple and to the point which made it much easier to make a selection. My buddy is getting an Elac. Your channel is a hidden gem. You should have far more subscribers.
I notice at 25hz and above the Klipsch outperformed the others. It's rated to 32hz +/-3db. Pretty amazing for a 10" budget sub. I had and sent back the Polk because of port, chuffing noise. The Klipsch is simply superb for musicality and tight bass well below 30hz, if not to 20hz.
I am gettin the Klipsch, but in most recent datasheet he upgraded datas and looks like klipsch not so good. Do you suggest to go on and buying it? I saw that it should go near 20hz with a good result
Me, too. But there’s only so much $$$ I can spend at a time. I paid for all these myself. I hope to test those in the next round, though. This isn’t a one and done. 👍
@@konior21 I'm skiddish on that. I have heard of people abusing the return policy and then being barred from making returns and left holding a lot of stuff they couldn't send back. But, hey... if you wanna buy some, send them to me for testing and then have me return them then... ;) :D
Exactly the review I was looking for, with the subs I was looking at. Thank you! I'm going to go for the Elac. Aside from performance, size and aesthetics are also factors I was considering. So I'm glad you took into account these various characteristics.
I almost pulled the trigger on the Yamaha sub until I saw this video! Based on your findings (and my budget) I just purchased the Elac sub. THANKS for doing this great comparison video!!
I've got the Polk partnered up with a pair of retired JBL 15" carpeted DJ speakers powered by a $25 Lepai amp and wow, what a set up. Sure the JBLs could handle more power, but the Lepai keeps things under control and the Polk keeps up perfect. I am amazed at the bass that thing can put out. Like they say, my neighbors listen to good music whether they like it or not :-). Great video, thanks for the time and effort!
I went with two of these cheap Elac SUB1010's after watching this video. They replaced a single, but fancier dual driver $600 Elac (SUB3010)... and they sound WAY better! I'd definitely agree with the recommendation of dual subs, totally worth it.
Erin, fantastic job at presenting the variables and results from your testing! Really clarifies what each subwoofer is good at and more importantly, helps you decide which unit to purchase on based what you are looking for in your subwoofer! Thanks again!
I just ordered the ELAC bsed on this - the smaller size is a plus for me. It's replacing a Pioneer 8SW lost to a lightening strike. Possibly both of them are Andrew Jones designs
Even those cheep subs should be good candidates to: 1. Connect to a DSP (for example miniDSP) 1.1 What I mean is we can do all the magic that a DSP can bring. 2. Get several instead of few more expensive ones. Connected to the DSP. One question is when you use DSP you can/want to use a fletcher munson/jbl curve or whatever. Those curves uses several dB gain at the 2 lowest octaves. That mean that a lot more energy (read watts) is needed. The difficult question is if the power in the sub's has enuf power in that type of setup?
@@one2moja1 good opinion. But buying expensive subwoofers that has a DSP built in is a waste. When the DSP is in the "wrong" location in your system. If you want to get a better integration with your mains. If you want to apply/try many different high level crossovers even on your mains If you want to have the ability to adjust all the frequencies that also your mains play If you want to get a digital input as a DAC with your DSP...
I know this is more than what the budget target is for the video, but the RSL Speedwoofer 10s is a great bargain at 399.99. Small American company that sells direct and offers 30 day in home trial. Very accurate and articulate for its price point.
Thank you for the great data as always. I'm currently neck deep in learning DIY home audio, and while you usually get better bang per buck by building yourself I can't see a DIY sub beating the Elac/Polk for the money, really astounding value.
I just built a DIY sub using SB Acoustics 8 inch SB23MFCL45-4 ported, and to be honest I should've went with the ELAC instead. DIY isn't always a great value.
I have installed 3 of the Polks for my customers. The Polk has two flaws 1 it sounds absolutely horrible out of the box new. I was very disappointed with it the first two times I installed it. So much so that I upgraded one of my customers to a far more robust and expensive Gallo TR3. It is also fairly easy to overdrive the built in Amplifier. That is only new out of the Box. After about 100 hours of audio the Polks sound quality improved massively. It sounded like a completely different higher quality subwoofer. It became very punchy and clean. The polk is a very good $120 subwoofer. Especially if you take the time to properly place it and match it with the full range speakers.
Just started building my “newbie” vinyl player stereo set-up. Being on a budget and with limited space, this video was immensely helpful and insightful for me. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this. You just earned a new subscriber 👍
About 2 yrs ago i bought the wireless version of the klipsch sub to use it in the master bedroom "set up". Got it for $150 during Thanksgiving week deals on Amazon. For the price it pumps out some nice punchy bass but i have it set up so we can feel the bass more than hear it, it was able to fit on a corner next to our bed so it gives a nice "feel" effect during action scenes when watching late at night even at low volumes. Ive always wanted to give the polk a try due to its price but the higher watts rms and wireless ability of the klipsch and not to mention its iconic "cera-metallic" cone got my money.
I bought the Polk Audio one after seeing this and it saved me $150-200. Perfect amount of punch for my surround and Like the forward facing air port was nice for placement by wall.
Great testing, love the comparisons! One question though, these tests are great as far as testing output and distortion, but which subs actually sounded the best in theater and music?
I have a small room at 15x 12 . With 2 of the Polk PSW 10 The volume knobs are set about 1/2 , and when I get into them I can feel it in my chest Picked them up on Black Friday a couple of yrs ago at $99 each A touch of EQ to tame the 60hz hump. Makes them the best $200 I've ever spent on speakers
I just bought a Polk PSW10 to add a little more oumph to a vintage pair of KLH 17s. I have to say the set up is impressive sounding, even by today's standards.
I've owner several of the Polk PSW10's and I think they're great. I got them on sale for $89 in Canada and at that price point they are unbeatable. Even if you pay retail, you really won't be disappointed. I totally agree about buying multiples of these instead of spending more on a "better" sub. Another point to make on that train of thought is, you also won't have to drive them as hard to get the same or better SPL output than pushing a single to it's max. This will result in cleaner sound, less chance clipping and by not running the amp/speaker so hard, it should last longer. Also of course it does a much better job filling the space and improving frequency response. Plus, multiple subs in a home theater looks awesome. ;)
I'm doing this as well. Managed to pick up two of these at under 100 bucks and thinking about getting two more for a quadraphonic setup. FYI If you hear a woofing sound coming out of them, open up the back and rip out what looks like an X-Men logo on the port. People think these are blown but it's just that stupid thing making noise.
Love that shirt! I was a kid in the 80s and the image on your shirt was first released as a poster. All my friends had it and we cranked up our stereos while wearing sunglasses 😎
I was recently gifted a nice home theater system. Your easy to follow explanations, insights, testing, and commitment to help newbies like me earned you a subscriber for sure. Will be using your affiliate link this week to select the subwoofer that matches my needs. Bravo!🙂
Thanks for the comparison. However, I have that polk 10, and It absolutely does not pick up 20 hz. I have ran several frequency tests on it and in stock form 32-33hz was just about the lowest it could handle with somewhat decent db levels. Probably an f10 @ 32hz. It's rated f3 is 40 hz and total low end response was 35 hz. It's port is literally tuned to 40hz. So from my experience, there is no way it's putting out an audible 20hz. I figured I'd mess around with it since i got it for cheap. I lined the entire cabinet with polyfill sheets, and I extended the port length by about 3 inches. This did improve the quality of sound, and i was able to hear a decently audible 27-28hz. However, all I really did was shift the curve to the left a bit, while sacrificing a bit loudness around the 40+hz range. This was ok in my situation as I was using it as a second sub in my home theater setup at the time. It now sits in my master bedroom as part of my 5.2 setup. It sounds decent for what it is. But at no point did it ever produce anything around 20 hz audibly. Hope the comment helps your algorithm
Thanks for the reply. I agree. There's practically nothing at 20Hz, relatively speaking. Measuring in your room may be why you couldn't get anything below 20Hz (if you have a suckout there). But, aside from *potential* in-room response measurement issues, it does measure at 20Hz. Just not much at all. It's relative. According to my data, 20Hz is down about 30dB relative to 40Hz. These size subwoofers are more like midbass modules than they are "sub" woofers. Hope that helps clear things up.
Just ordered the Elac for the bedroom surround system, paired with the Jamo 803 mains, 801 surround and S81 center for a whopping grand total of about 375.00, complementing an LG Oled 55”. Thanks for the hard work doing the review! I may add the second Elac, depends how everything sounds when it arrives. Using an older Sony STRDN1050 for processing/amplification.
The subwoofers tested can be purchased via the following links: Yamaha NS-SW100BL: geni.us/OB5Li Polk Audio PSW10: shop-links.co/chJC1AyKJA0 Elac SUB1010: geni.us/CALeB Klipsch Reference R-10SW: shop-links.co/chJC1A0g6P1 Sony SACS9: geni.us/4WrHH (Note: Affiliate links above. I get a small commission from sales made through my affiliate links without any additional cost to you.)
One question...I know that car subwoofers are recommended to have a break in period before you really drive them. Did you do this testing after a break in period or were they tested right out of the Box?
Erin’s Audio Corner great idea for a video I’ve seen “budget” receiver review at the price point of $1000 and man if a $1000 receiver is a budget receiver then dang! I definitely appreciate an actual budget review!
Bro witch one produce maximum low bass frequency like 15Hz to 20Hz aur max 30HZ ... Which one go in maximum low frequency which provides us ground shaking Deeper Bass ... For deep feel ?.... and have minimum distortion.... We could say Wow! Please suggest .
Great video and thank you for taking the time to make it. I was wondering on your opinion about Active Subwoofers VS. Passive Subwoofers. BACKGROUND: I had a 2 channel setup, composed of DJ speakers with 12" Kicker subs and Cerwin Vega Horns. Even though it was 2 channel, watching movies and playing games was a great experience. The LOWs that I got with those subs were amazing, and the highs from the horns were crisp and clear. All of that was driven by a EV amp (around 800 watts and 4 ohms). When the lows hit, like a LOW rumble or Explosion, it was amazing and just filled the room, It was truly amazing. Yes, the setup was a bit ghetto. I didn't have an AVR, all I had was a 2 channel DJ mixer with a HDMI passthrough device (Xbox (in) to Projector (out)) and the audio was sent from that device to a DJ mixer with an 1/8" headphone jack to RCA (mixer in). The mixer send audio to the amp (RCA R+L to 1/4" Headphone Jacks and the amp send the signal to the speakers via 12ga speaker wire. I truly loved the sound and it was really all I needed to be content. That being said, we had a massive flood that destroyed it all, and a lot more, and now I am rebuilding the space (finished basement). SO I am installing a 5.2.4 setup and currently running the wires. SINCE I need to get all new equipment I'm not sure if I will be pleased with an Active Sub because I am used to what was produced by the Passive Sub and amp. Any thoughts?
Excellent video. So much effort is placed on the more expensive subs like SVS, Monolith or even the beast JTR subs, when far more often these are the subs that are gonna end up in people's homes. Now we need a shootout for the budget 12" subs between $150 and $300. BIC F-12, PL-200II, Dayton Sub-1200, Klipsch R-12SW etc.
I have the Klipsch r-12 sw. It's def a decent sub. It absolutely decimated both of my polk psw10's. Literally not even comparable. I was actually shocked. From what I hear though, the polk 505 is probably the better of the mid range subs.
The top 12" budget sub is the BIC PL-200II. Then probably the 505, the BIC F-12, BIC H-100 and BIC/Venturi 1220. Then the 12" budget Dayton sub. The 15" Dayton is about on par with the F-12.
@@wkruse84 Never heard SVS, I know they specialize in subs. Also REL is supposed to be top notch. I mean for the price HSU is good value. I had the STF-2, just 10 inch but was solid for price. HSU would certainly dust all in this test, easily. But that would not be hard to do !!
@@andrewforsythe7240 Yeah, these are all junk subs. SVS used to be similar to HSU, they might be more expensive now, but I know they used to compete directly. I've got a sealed 12" and it is enough to for even a large room. I got it on a black Friday clearance of an older model. It was a few years ago but it was a $500-600 sub for $200. Even though it's more tuned for music than just pressure, I haven't felt the need to upgrade for movie watching. I would certainly never ever buy one of these subs. You can build one if you are on a budget but still want good bass.
I just found you and this video...went for the ELAC and it is no where to be found. Story of my life. Oh well I'll get the Polk and put up with the D.A.'s rude comments as to her size. I thought fat shaming was no more?? Thank you a WHOLE lot for posting this and taking the time to educate we the masses. I missed out on the ELAC but still learned a lot. Thank you brother, nice to see people who care. Oh yeah, almost forgot...SUBBED, and now I am going to binge watch your channel *Update, found the ELAC on their website very inexpensive. So, big thank you for doing all the leg work on this one!
Bravo! Excellent review. This is probably the first time I've found a speaker review on YT that covered everything I was looking for on most of the subs I was considering. Keep up the great work!
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As a total beginner I'm so proud of myself of choosing Elac subwoofer. It has unpowered outputs for my Studio monitors. And I swear they sound way better going from the Elac than plugged directly into my DAC.
"LFE is just passthrough." What? The LFE input is for Low-Frequency Effects. It should be connected to the LFE or subwoofer out on your amplifier/receiver. Great video. Thumbs up for the test group, measurement process, graphs and especially letting your viewers know about multi sub. That is more important the cost of the subwoofer itself IMO.
I really do appreciate the money and time that you have put into this it's definitely helped me in buying a subwoofer for the house. These sub companies should definitely sponsor your work. Thanks
Looking at the graphs, the Yamaha and the Elac had the most consistent specs across the board, closely followed by Polk. It's a huge shame that the Yamaha doesn't have a crossover. The Elac is a huge suprise.
Here from CAJ (as well as subscribed for several months). Another great video! While as a dedicated DIYer I'm not likely to ever be in the market for such products, I especially enjoy your budget speaker reviews. Thank you for providing this much needed service.
Thanks for posting this-great review! I have a Cambridge Soundworks PSW1 from the 90s that is still going strong, but looking to upgrade to something more "wife-approved" in the living room.
I bought that exact same Yamaha sub at full price from Best Buy, and loved it. And in my travels, I've since found the same sub at a yard sale for 5$, and at a thrift store for 16$. So.........to balance this out in my mind, I've bought three of them for $221, not bad, right? I now have two on my main stereo in my living room, and one on my garage stereo.
Thank you so much for your detailed, clear video! I have always wondered what the differences were and which to choose, you have just made my choice clear. Thanks again! Keep up the great work
i have the Polk and it has more than enough bass in my 18ftX15ft with 8ft ceiling living room. I bought it 6 years ago and it's never failed me. SVS makes the best subs though. Not budget, but incredible
Through trial and error I've found that I needed a minimum of 200rms to drive an adequate sub. Also well worth the time to save enough to double+ your budget on subwoofer(s). Good vid, informative
I have two budget 10" subs I purchased off Craigslist for $50 and $40 respectively. Adding their SPL together, they get me below 25hz in room at reasonable levels. (Around -5db or so) So for only $90 I was able to fill out the low end in my room without needing a sub the size of a coffee table.
Hi Erin, you inspired me to try hooking up two subwoofers instead of one. I had been using a KEF Kube-1 8 inch sub, with my Sony STR za2000ES receiver. The Sony has two sub outs, so I thought what the heck, I'll hook up another sub. Wow, it really improved the bass, and the integration with the main speakers. No really deeper bass, but just more full and evenly disbursed, and just as tight. And this was using a cheap little Sharper Image sub as the 2nd sub! I was very pleasantly surprised by the improvement. Thanks for the suggestion.
My Yamaha 100 watt NS- SW050 with the 8 inch Speaker does a perfect job taking care of the low and midrange frequencies, along with a set of Dynaudio Evoke 10 (Danish) Speakers. The Amplifier in the Yamaha is 100 watts, same as the Amplifier in the Yamaha NS-SW100 with a 10 inch Speaker. I'm using a 100 watt, Yamaha R-N 800a Network Reciever to power the Dynaudio Evoke 10 Speakers. The System blends well, perfectly balanced and sounds fantastic.
I have that Klipsch sub. The plate amp went bad so I ordered a Emotiva amp for an external power source. Wow did the sound quality improve. It's a night and day difference. That plate amp was not worth it.
Klipsch budget subs are notorious for early plate amp failure. I had a Sub-12 that had the same problem. I won't touch another Klipsch sub for that fact alone. Over the last 10 years or so they have really cut corners on quality control.
Paid $88.00 for the Polk abt 3 years ago, and couldn't be happier. Given the price my expectations were admittedly low but it has handily exceeded them. I only use it for bass reinforcement at very low volume. Just a bit off the stop, with the x-over set to 80hz (minimum). I don't listen to hip hop at all, and not much edm, so not much bass-heavy music (though it can really make Tool slam). Given the price and my particular needs, it's hard to say it was not a screaming deal. In fact, probably the best $100.00 I have spent on audio gear. I thought about 2, but seemed like overkill for my needs. Thanks for your efforts. Nice to have another source for info, especially since b+m audio retailers are like hen's teeth around here. Cheers Erin.
Thank you for taking the time in reviewing so many subwoofers. I have made a selection upon your reviews and I am loving what I have invested in keep on rocking man
@@chuckfriebe843 kinda sorta. When I first got them 20 something years ago, it was expensive to me lol. Now i have a speakers that are more expensive than most cars and trucks lol. Estelons! Simply beautiful handmade speakers, that sound amazing.
One thing this review does not show is the actual performance of these subs. I bought a Polk PSW10 and the port chuffing is unbearable and the sub is super peaky. The only way to solve this is by sealing the port (I used a T-shirt). Also, the Polk suffers from a very noisy power supply.
Doing good work there. I just bought the Elac 1010. Haven't checked it out yet. Just needed it to supplement the bass from the Elac Debut B6s. Will use this set up in a vacation home, so not looking to spend the big money and may also disturb neighbors. Might be a condo. So pretty sure this will do the job cheap. For a little over $100 it's hard to complain. Thought about the Polk, but a it's too bulky. Like the smaller profile of the Elac. Only worry, some have complained about amp problems here and there.
back in 2018 I picked up a Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer for $199 but shortly after I bought it they raised it to $300+. I love it and it has tons of bass. Good video though.
Hi ! Thanks for your review, it's very helpful and I like to see true measurements. I might have a clue why the Klipsch failed the lower frequencies : I had a Jamo J10 which is exactly the same subwoofer but with a different branding (it even had "R-10SW" printed on its circuit boards). It has a very aggressive high-pass filter at around 28/30Hz. Below that there is virtually nothing, it's like a brickwall filter. I guess they did this to prevent excessive excursion and port chuffing, and thus increase global power handling while still providing a good SPL down to 30Hz (and your tests show that it has the higher SPL at around 30Hz). Forcing frequencies below 30Hz at a very high volume with a tone generator resulted in a kind of weird beeping digital noise as if the electronic filter was overwhelmed. I think this is why it did not pass the lower frequencies test. But while watching movies, even at a high volume, it did not exhibit this behavior and it was perfectly fine. It neved showed any sign of saturation, etc. It was a good budget subwoofer, but I since upgraded to a SVS PB1000 to get a true subwoofer.
Yea, one thing I forgot to mention was all these subwoofers had built in limiters that was very apparent at the middle frequencies of the tests (63Hz, namely).
@@Subway2400 without measuring the actual amplifier's outputs I can't say for sure. All I can provide (and have on my sheet) is the frequency response.
My PC system is a 2.1 set up with a Topping TP-60 Matrix Mini DAC Polk Audio PSW108 Polk Audio T-15 Bookshelf speakers. Super budget speaker setup and sounds awesome. Been using it for about 4-5 years now.
Superb comparison and I doubt people realize the time it takes to video, test and analyze all of these results. I can only give one thumb up, but two thumbs up are deserved!
Thank you, man. I appreciate that. And, you are definitely right... I don't think many understand the legwork that goes in to testing and analyzing the data before I even begin thinking about the video to present the results. It takes more than a full working day to complete one test.
Beans
Wow, Love your content Wililston, always awesome to see great content creators recognizing smaller channels!
You can only give one thumbs up? Dude I’ve given girls 3 thumbs up before
@@demonreturns4336 seriously how old are you? This isn't a frat house. Have some respect for the man's work .
Also, "I have $150 to spend on a sub, what do I get?" "I don't know. Let me spend $1k to find out for you."
But why is it so hard, i just want some bass and not spend all my savings
@@Max-df5zp understandable
Hands down this is the most useful inexpensive subwoofer review I have seen. Very well done thank you for taking the time to do this
@@Max-df5zp I got scar SDR 600 W RMS 10” build a box buy $100 power supply or whatever supplies the right amount of amps for an amplifier I bought a 100 amp and I bought the 800 w rms scar amplifier. Or Buy the whole sub kit for 300- $400 and all you gotta do is buy the power supply takes a lot of knowledge, but it works a lot better
Got to love that Amazon return policy
Old adage: To each his own! What my ears hear may not be what yours hear. I purchased a Yamaha NS100SW from Amazon. It blended so well with my Onkyo TX-NR797, 9.2 receiver, I decided to buy another. Now the sound is perfect without any faints or gaps in action sounds. By using settings from my receiver (60 - 80Hz), all my speaker respond with base when needed! Example: The movie: "Battle: Los Angeles" when one of the alien drones came from behind, you could hear it from a distance and suddenly it was over head, like over your roof top, with the vibrations from the engines began shaking my entire body and then it speed off on my TV screen. OUT FRIGGIN-RAGIOUS!!!
Speakers compared based on actual test data?! What a concept. You earned a subscriber here.
You don’t listen to data. You listen to the sound. And that’s very subjective. Hats off to this guy for a great review but just wanted to clarify on what you said.
@@EAGLINWRX sound is not as subjective you think its.
I just want to hear a couple of songs each. I don't care about paper numbers. Real-world dynamic sound. I don't want some to tell me what they think it will sound like
I purchased my Polk PSW10 from a local auction for $40 and hooked it up to my living room system and love it. Even at full retail price it's an excellent performer!
Picked up the Elac sub a few weeks ago to match with my speakers and I couldn’t be happier about it.
After 5 months, I’m still loving it. It really packs a punch. I will mention that I’m an average listener and not audiophile though.
By far the best subwoofer comparison I've seen on youtube.
Not really, he shows the subs then goes to a website where you can also read it yourself in under 20 minutes, and the audio is echoing back when he does the screen recording.
@@MogTheLynx he did all of the research and data though?
@@parkeranderson7155 $$$$ and look at the subs he examines, all the low end ones have some fatal flaw, then there's an these $500+ subs, why?
Freebies? Sales cash or just bad judgement?
Why no Daytons?
I mean, that's weird.
No klipsch, no Jamo?
@@1450JackCade I have no clue what you're on about
@@1450JackCade ,And his summation... Buy 2 or 3!!! What a Clown!!
Tried the Polk and thought it was junk. Ended up getting the Klipsch. Satisfied.
We had a Polk PSW125. It was never abused or overdriven. After 2 years, it started to make a heartbeat sound. The amp failed. A new amp was sent and 3 years later, the same thing happened again. There were forums all over the web about this issue with PoIk subs. I wouldn't own another Polk sub if it were given to me free of charge. We moved up to an SVS sub. It was more money, but it's worth every penny. Much better construction, much more power, a much better warranty and most important of all, much deeper and more powerful bass.
I can dig it! Always interested in seeing budget equipment put head to head by an independent reviewer. This was a ton of work I hope people appreciate what you’re doing here.
Thanks man! I’m a fan of yours so that especially means a lot that you’d take time to reply here.
Erin's Audio Corner thanks! You’re doing the lords work here so the least I could do was drop a comment and share this video because a lot of people looking for a HT sub are definitely looking at these under $200 models.
Really good shootout. I expected the Polk to win based on my experience but happy to see it so well quantified!
i got my whole system for under $200. Yamaha receiver for $60 used Monoprice home-theater- in-a-box for $100. Just watched Hook with the reciever settings perfect and was thoroughly impressed. My dad won't let me use his klipsch kg3's but I've heard them before so i know my system is pretty decent for what I paid.
I've had the Polk for years and it has been awesome 7 years to be exact.
I've had my polk for about 10 years and it's still going strong and I play it loud quite often.
You’re the man. I’m leaving this comment 1 second in because you’re the first video on these Amazon subs by someone who’s actually seen, used and touched the products they’re talking about in person instead of just reading off reviews or guessing if it’s good or not because of the brand.
Got my Polk psw10 about 3 years ago because it was the cheapest and had good reviews on amazon. Boy was I happy with it and now this verifies my happiness.
Sweet!
This review and testing looks sound, great job on the level of detail. The only challenge here is the room factor with placement of ports. I have the Polk PSW10 and the Klipsch R-10SW and the Klipsch is noticeably louder in the large living room. It didn't even come close. Part of that had to do with how the port interacts with the rear wall. I'm not an expert in subwoofer placement, but it's worth a note. My Polk sub seems to "hit" a little harder, but the rear port on the Klipsch energizes the room more for deep rumbles/long bass notes.
Nice job!
You can reverse the the sub put the driver against the wall 6"-10" and have the Port pointing out tilt it up a bit as well
I run two of the polk psw-10s in my home theater & I love 'em! In my opinion, Polk makes some of the best entry level/affordable speakers out there.
Yea i like polk. The Andrew jones designed Pioneer are outstanding to for the price. Polk has better sub pioneer tower speakers are better. I have 2 tower speakers and the middle piece Pioneer than 2 polk rear surround. I have a acoustic 12 500 watt sub. That thing drills but its a little more expensive. Thats my living room. Then in my bedroom its all polk same setup just all polk with 1 10" polk sub. There awesome for the price.
I have a budget system a klipch subwoofer Im a audio person at my age I would not spend to much more for a just bass now if I had high end money then I would spend it but I don't my sub is good enough.
@@timothygreen2689 amen!
I just bought a Polk PSW12 sub to use with Sony DH196 receiver and I couldn't be more happier. The quality and the sound of the Polk sub is outstanding considering I paid $139. I highly recommend it.
man the effert you put into making this, going into all the granularities relevant to each unit using real data analysis, this is dedication.
This gets a sub from me pun intended!
Great job Erin 5 months later and yours is the BEST budget sub comparison on Ytube.
Wow, thank you!
Recently bought a used Polk psw10 for $60 ,totally satisfied..
Last year on black Friday I got the Polk Audio 10" for $54 new
I can think of a couple of reasons why you might not mention it but that Yamaha runs on the same size amp that the 8-inch has and that it works in most situations very well. I'm just suggesting if you had that information, and noticed a problem, you might look for an excuse or mitigating factor. There might be a guy who wanted a Yamaha and would have very seriously enjoyed it. Thank you very much and though for putting in the work.
for doing
I have a Polk psw10 for my outdoor systems. I figured for the price ($99 if you keep an eye out) I could swap out every couple of years. I keep them covered and the first one has been in use for about 3 years, the other for over 2 years in a salt environment.
I've got a pair of Dayton Audio 12" powered subs. I searched coupons and one was an open box deal. I got the pair for about $233 shipped. I am very happy with the performance for the dollar. I don't have any particular bass management on my amp and am using the high level inputs. My room is a little wonky and they do a good job producing fairly solid bass at the listening position. I'm sure they can't compete with the high dollar subs out there, but the important thing is, they are good enough to enjoy and not a waster of the money I did spend. I don't plan to try to upgrade out of them until after doing something like a MiniDSP with a proper power amp and a calibrated mic for room/system correction.
The Dayton Audio SUB-1200 is the best sub under $150 new that you can buy. I don't think you will get any closer to that true deep theater rumble than the Dayton Audio for that price range (unless you get a steal on a used sub).
I had the polk previously it just died one day after 3 months so i decided to give the klipsch a try and loved it to my ears it was more accurate to the original music with a more lively sound i will say the elac is interesting im running dayton audio 6.5 air bookshelfs with matching center channel and 4 inch air rear fills so not a klipsch fanboy overall great review thank you for your hard work
I’m a psw 10 guy. And I came to the logical conclusion like last Thursday of using one of the two subs in my room to represent lower frequencies than the other. If placed properly it’s a thing of beauty when low sound seems to come from an invisible source. And when you mentioned specializing two different models for two different jobs it made me proud to be a wanna be audiophile. New subscriber.
Thank you. This video has been a GREAT help. Helping a friend put together a HT system and I had no clue on what budget subwoofers to even look at. Video was simple and to the point which made it much easier to make a selection. My buddy is getting an Elac. Your channel is a hidden gem. You should have far more subscribers.
Glad it helped!
I ordered an ELAC to replace my old failed sub. Thanks for all your efforts to help us low budget buyers.
I notice at 25hz and above the Klipsch outperformed the others. It's rated to 32hz +/-3db. Pretty amazing for a 10" budget sub. I had and sent back the Polk because of port, chuffing noise. The Klipsch is simply superb for musicality and tight bass well below 30hz, if not to 20hz.
I am gettin the Klipsch, but in most recent datasheet he upgraded datas and looks like klipsch not so good. Do you suggest to go on and buying it? I saw that it should go near 20hz with a good result
"Now we're going to flip her around to the back side." Yeah you did.
She got that boom-boom.
@@ErinsAudioCorner all about that bass
I understand you tested just the 10 inches but I would love to have seen the Dayton Audio SUB 1200 and the Bic America F12 thrown in there.
Me, too. But there’s only so much $$$ I can spend at a time. I paid for all these myself.
I hope to test those in the next round, though. This isn’t a one and done. 👍
@@ErinsAudioCorner I totally understand. I look forward to it!
@@ErinsAudioCorner should be easy to return them to Amazon
@@konior21 I'm skiddish on that. I have heard of people abusing the return policy and then being barred from making returns and left holding a lot of stuff they couldn't send back. But, hey... if you wanna buy some, send them to me for testing and then have me return them then... ;) :D
Wow I was thinking the same thing!..ok ic there is a second round reviews coming up...Great!
I followed your advice and got 2 Polks when they were on sale for $100 each and I've been VERY pleased with the results.
Good deal.
Exactly the review I was looking for, with the subs I was looking at. Thank you! I'm going to go for the Elac. Aside from performance, size and aesthetics are also factors I was considering. So I'm glad you took into account these various characteristics.
Sweet! Glad you found it helpful. 😀
I almost pulled the trigger on the Yamaha sub until I saw this video!
Based on your findings (and my budget) I just purchased the Elac sub.
THANKS for doing this great comparison video!!
I've got the Polk partnered up with a pair of retired JBL 15" carpeted DJ speakers powered by a $25 Lepai amp and wow, what a set up. Sure the JBLs could handle more power, but the Lepai keeps things under control and the Polk keeps up perfect. I am amazed at the bass that thing can put out. Like they say, my neighbors listen to good music whether they like it or not :-). Great video, thanks for the time and effort!
Thanks Mr. Perot. I know you are a fan of charts so it makes sense you’d like this data. 😂😉😎
I went with two of these cheap Elac SUB1010's after watching this video. They replaced a single, but fancier dual driver $600 Elac (SUB3010)... and they sound WAY better! I'd definitely agree with the recommendation of dual subs, totally worth it.
Glad to hear it (no pun intended)!
Erin, fantastic job at presenting the variables and results from your testing! Really clarifies what each subwoofer is good at and more importantly, helps you decide which unit to purchase on based what you are looking for in your subwoofer! Thanks again!
Thank you!
Polk audio is quality. I had some Polk audio subwoofers in my truck years ago and they were top notch for the money
Thank you so much for this review, Erin. I bought an ELAC Sub1010 and it sounds great for a small room. Cheers!
Awesome!
I just ordered the ELAC bsed on this - the smaller size is a plus for me. It's replacing a Pioneer 8SW lost to a lightening strike. Possibly both of them are Andrew Jones designs
So this man spent his money to find out which sub was the best for his friends needs?! You are a great friend,,,friend!
Even those cheep subs should be good candidates to:
1. Connect to a DSP (for example miniDSP)
1.1 What I mean is we can do all the magic that a DSP can bring.
2. Get several instead of few more expensive ones. Connected to the DSP.
One question is when you use DSP you can/want to use a fletcher munson/jbl curve or whatever.
Those curves uses several dB gain at the 2 lowest octaves.
That mean that a lot more energy (read watts) is needed.
The difficult question is if the power in the sub's has enuf power in that type of setup?
In my opinion, if someone is buying these subs, they wouldn't bother with DSP....but it's just an opinion of course.
@@one2moja1 good opinion.
But buying expensive subwoofers that has a DSP built in is a waste. When the DSP is in the "wrong" location in your system.
If you want to get a better integration with your mains.
If you want to apply/try many different high level crossovers even on your mains
If you want to have the ability to adjust all the frequencies that also your mains play
If you want to get a digital input as a DAC with your DSP...
I know this is more than what the budget target is for the video, but the RSL Speedwoofer 10s is a great bargain at 399.99. Small American company that sells direct and offers 30 day in home trial. Very accurate and articulate for its price point.
I'll look in to them. Thanks for the suggestion.
Thank you for the great data as always. I'm currently neck deep in learning DIY home audio, and while you usually get better bang per buck by building yourself I can't see a DIY sub beating the Elac/Polk for the money, really astounding value.
I just built a DIY sub using SB Acoustics 8 inch SB23MFCL45-4 ported, and to be honest I should've went with the ELAC instead. DIY isn't always a great value.
I have installed 3 of the Polks for my customers. The Polk has two flaws 1 it sounds absolutely horrible out of the box new. I was very disappointed with it the first two times I installed it. So much so that I upgraded one of my customers to a far more robust and expensive Gallo TR3. It is also fairly easy to overdrive the built in Amplifier. That is only new out of the Box. After about 100 hours of audio the Polks sound quality improved massively. It sounded like a completely different higher quality subwoofer. It became very punchy and clean. The polk is a very good $120 subwoofer. Especially if you take the time to properly place it and match it with the full range speakers.
Just started building my “newbie” vinyl player stereo set-up. Being on a budget and with limited space, this video was immensely helpful and insightful for me. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this. You just earned a new subscriber 👍
About 2 yrs ago i bought the wireless version of the klipsch sub to use it in the master bedroom "set up". Got it for $150 during Thanksgiving week deals on Amazon. For the price it pumps out some nice punchy bass but i have it set up so we can feel the bass more than hear it, it was able to fit on a corner next to our bed so it gives a nice "feel" effect during action scenes when watching late at night even at low volumes. Ive always wanted to give the polk a try due to its price but the higher watts rms and wireless ability of the klipsch and not to mention its iconic "cera-metallic" cone got my money.
Yes!!! FINALLY SOMEONE HAS DONE THIS REVIEW! Thank you! Thank you!
Thanks!
This is straight quality! Very clear, concise and right to the point, plus well informative data from your testing. You got an instant sub from me.
Sweet!
I bought the Polk Audio one after seeing this and it saved me $150-200. Perfect amount of punch for my surround and Like the forward facing air port was nice for placement by wall.
Great testing, love the comparisons! One question though, these tests are great as far as testing output and distortion, but which subs actually sounded the best in theater and music?
I have a small room at 15x 12 . With 2 of the Polk PSW 10
The volume knobs are set about 1/2 , and when I get into them I can feel it in my chest
Picked them up on Black Friday a couple of yrs ago at $99 each
A touch of EQ to tame the 60hz hump.
Makes them the best $200 I've ever spent on speakers
That's a pretty solid deal! Nice to hear that. Maybe some of these will go on sale around Black Friday and folks can get them locally.
I have two polk psw10s on my atmos setup and they sound amazing
I just bought a Polk PSW10 to add a little more oumph to a vintage pair of KLH 17s. I have to say the set up is impressive sounding, even by today's standards.
Rock on!
Nice comparison! The Klipsch still looks the coolest.
Haha. Yea... it definitely grabs your attention.
I've owner several of the Polk PSW10's and I think they're great. I got them on sale for $89 in Canada and at that price point they are unbeatable. Even if you pay retail, you really won't be disappointed. I totally agree about buying multiples of these instead of spending more on a "better" sub. Another point to make on that train of thought is, you also won't have to drive them as hard to get the same or better SPL output than pushing a single to it's max. This will result in cleaner sound, less chance clipping and by not running the amp/speaker so hard, it should last longer. Also of course it does a much better job filling the space and improving frequency response. Plus, multiple subs in a home theater looks awesome. ;)
I'm doing this as well. Managed to pick up two of these at under 100 bucks and thinking about getting two more for a quadraphonic setup. FYI If you hear a woofing sound coming out of them, open up the back and rip out what looks like an X-Men logo on the port. People think these are blown but it's just that stupid thing making noise.
Love that shirt! I was a kid in the 80s and the image on your shirt was first released as a poster. All my friends had it and we cranked up our stereos while wearing sunglasses 😎
Dude! Me too! Well, the kid in the 80’s part. I saw the shirt on amazon and clicked buy without even thinking. Stained it. Ordered another. LOL.
I was recently gifted a nice home theater system. Your easy to follow explanations, insights, testing, and commitment to help newbies like me earned you a subscriber for sure. Will be using your affiliate link this week to select the subwoofer that matches my needs. Bravo!🙂
Thanks for the comparison. However, I have that polk 10, and It absolutely does not pick up 20 hz. I have ran several frequency tests on it and in stock form 32-33hz was just about the lowest it could handle with somewhat decent db levels. Probably an f10 @ 32hz. It's rated f3 is 40 hz and total low end response was 35 hz. It's port is literally tuned to 40hz. So from my experience, there is no way it's putting out an audible 20hz.
I figured I'd mess around with it since i got it for cheap. I lined the entire cabinet with polyfill sheets, and I extended the port length by about 3 inches. This did improve the quality of sound, and i was able to hear a decently audible 27-28hz. However, all I really did was shift the curve to the left a bit, while sacrificing a bit loudness around the 40+hz range. This was ok in my situation as I was using it as a second sub in my home theater setup at the time. It now sits in my master bedroom as part of my 5.2 setup. It sounds decent for what it is. But at no point did it ever produce anything around 20 hz audibly. Hope the comment helps your algorithm
Thanks for the reply. I agree. There's practically nothing at 20Hz, relatively speaking. Measuring in your room may be why you couldn't get anything below 20Hz (if you have a suckout there). But, aside from *potential* in-room response measurement issues, it does measure at 20Hz. Just not much at all. It's relative. According to my data, 20Hz is down about 30dB relative to 40Hz. These size subwoofers are more like midbass modules than they are "sub" woofers. Hope that helps clear things up.
@@ErinsAudioCorner that actually does help clear things up. Down 30db at 20hz makes perfect sense
Just ordered the Elac for the bedroom surround system, paired with the Jamo 803 mains, 801 surround and S81 center for a whopping grand total of about 375.00, complementing an LG Oled 55”. Thanks for the hard work doing the review! I may add the second Elac, depends how everything sounds when it arrives. Using an older Sony STRDN1050 for processing/amplification.
The subwoofers tested can be purchased via the following links:
Yamaha NS-SW100BL: geni.us/OB5Li
Polk Audio PSW10: shop-links.co/chJC1AyKJA0
Elac SUB1010: geni.us/CALeB
Klipsch Reference R-10SW: shop-links.co/chJC1A0g6P1
Sony SACS9: geni.us/4WrHH
(Note: Affiliate links above. I get a small commission from sales made through my affiliate links without any additional cost to you.)
One question...I know that car subwoofers are recommended to have a break in period before you really drive them. Did you do this testing after a break in period or were they tested right out of the Box?
Erin’s Audio Corner great idea for a video I’ve seen “budget” receiver review at the price point of $1000 and man if a $1000 receiver is a budget receiver then dang! I definitely appreciate an actual budget review!
I have a Yamaha system.and all sub controls are through the receiver
Bro witch one produce maximum low bass frequency like 15Hz to 20Hz aur max 30HZ ... Which one go in maximum low frequency which provides us ground shaking Deeper Bass ... For deep feel ?.... and have minimum distortion.... We could say Wow!
Please suggest .
@@mukeshkamboj7654
It's all in the video ...
But honestly, none of these budget subs are useful at 15hz-20hz
Great video and thank you for taking the time to make it.
I was wondering on your opinion about Active Subwoofers VS. Passive Subwoofers.
BACKGROUND:
I had a 2 channel setup, composed of DJ speakers with 12" Kicker subs and Cerwin Vega Horns. Even though it was 2 channel, watching movies and playing games was a great experience. The LOWs that I got with those subs were amazing, and the highs from the horns were crisp and clear. All of that was driven by a EV amp (around 800 watts and 4 ohms). When the lows hit, like a LOW rumble or Explosion, it was amazing and just filled the room, It was truly amazing. Yes, the setup was a bit ghetto. I didn't have an AVR, all I had was a 2 channel DJ mixer with a HDMI passthrough device (Xbox (in) to Projector (out)) and the audio was sent from that device to a DJ mixer with an 1/8" headphone jack to RCA (mixer in). The mixer send audio to the amp (RCA R+L to 1/4" Headphone Jacks and the amp send the signal to the speakers via 12ga speaker wire.
I truly loved the sound and it was really all I needed to be content. That being said, we had a massive flood that destroyed it all, and a lot more, and now I am rebuilding the space (finished basement). SO I am installing a 5.2.4 setup and currently running the wires.
SINCE I need to get all new equipment I'm not sure if I will be pleased with an Active Sub because I am used to what was produced by the Passive Sub and amp.
Any thoughts?
amazing work! fantastic! Such an amazing project!! wow...I may go for the ELAC for a small set up...
Excellent video. So much effort is placed on the more expensive subs like SVS, Monolith or even the beast JTR subs, when far more often these are the subs that are gonna end up in people's homes.
Now we need a shootout for the budget 12" subs between $150 and $300. BIC F-12, PL-200II, Dayton Sub-1200, Klipsch R-12SW etc.
I have the Klipsch r-12 sw. It's def a decent sub. It absolutely decimated both of my polk psw10's. Literally not even comparable. I was actually shocked. From what I hear though, the polk 505 is probably the better of the mid range subs.
The top 12" budget sub is the BIC PL-200II. Then probably the 505, the BIC F-12, BIC H-100 and BIC/Venturi 1220. Then the 12" budget Dayton sub. The 15" Dayton is about on par with the F-12.
I replaced my Klipsch subs with HSU and couldn't be happier, the extra $200 was totally worth it.
Makes sense based on what I'm seeing.
HSU eats them all !!
@@andrewforsythe7240 SVS is better than HSU
@@wkruse84 Never heard SVS, I know they specialize in subs. Also REL is supposed to be top notch. I mean for the price HSU is good value. I had the STF-2, just 10 inch but was solid for price. HSU would certainly dust all in this test, easily. But that would not be hard to do !!
@@andrewforsythe7240 Yeah, these are all junk subs. SVS used to be similar to HSU, they might be more expensive now, but I know they used to compete directly. I've got a sealed 12" and it is enough to for even a large room. I got it on a black Friday clearance of an older model. It was a few years ago but it was a $500-600 sub for $200. Even though it's more tuned for music than just pressure, I haven't felt the need to upgrade for movie watching.
I would certainly never ever buy one of these subs. You can build one if you are on a budget but still want good bass.
I just found you and this video...went for the ELAC and it is no where to be found. Story of my life. Oh well I'll get the Polk and put up with the D.A.'s rude comments as to her size. I thought fat shaming was no more?? Thank you a WHOLE lot for posting this and taking the time to educate we the masses. I missed out on the ELAC but still learned a lot. Thank you brother, nice to see people who care.
Oh yeah, almost forgot...SUBBED, and now I am going to binge watch your channel
*Update, found the ELAC on their website very inexpensive. So, big thank you for doing all the leg work on this one!
Great work Erin. Appreciate all the time and effort you're putting into this!
Bravo! Excellent review. This is probably the first time I've found a speaker review on YT that covered everything I was looking for on most of the subs I was considering. Keep up the great work!
As a total beginner I'm so proud of myself of choosing Elac subwoofer.
It has unpowered outputs for my Studio monitors.
And I swear they sound way better going from the Elac than plugged directly into my DAC.
A great service to all audio enthusiasts. Thank you.
"LFE is just passthrough." What? The LFE input is for Low-Frequency Effects. It should be connected to the LFE or subwoofer out on your amplifier/receiver. Great video. Thumbs up for the test group, measurement process, graphs and especially letting your viewers know about multi sub. That is more important the cost of the subwoofer itself IMO.
Thanks.
Pass through as in, pass through from the LFE channel of the AVR, etc.
Audio Users in the world need ppl like you....Keep up the good job man...
I appreciate that! 🙂
I really do appreciate the money and time that you have put into this it's definitely helped me in buying a subwoofer for the house. These sub companies should definitely sponsor your work. Thanks
I know this is an older video but wanted to drop by and say thanks a lot for the recommendations. Very thorough.
Looking at the graphs, the Yamaha and the Elac had the most consistent specs across the board, closely followed by Polk. It's a huge shame that the Yamaha doesn't have a crossover. The Elac is a huge suprise.
ELAC is well respected in the audiophile community. I’m surprised they even make something at this price point.
Here from CAJ (as well as subscribed for several months). Another great video! While as a dedicated DIYer I'm not likely to ever be in the market for such products, I especially enjoy your budget speaker reviews. Thank you for providing this much needed service.
Thanks for the support, fellow Junkie. :D
Thanks for posting this-great review! I have a Cambridge Soundworks PSW1 from the 90s that is still going strong, but looking to upgrade to something more "wife-approved" in the living room.
I bought that exact same Yamaha sub at full price from Best Buy, and loved it. And in my travels, I've since found the same sub at a yard sale for 5$, and at a thrift store for 16$. So.........to balance this out in my mind, I've bought three of them for $221, not bad, right? I now have two on my main stereo in my living room, and one on my garage stereo.
Thank you so much for your detailed, clear video! I have always wondered what the differences were and which to choose, you have just made my choice clear. Thanks again! Keep up the great work
Thanks for the positive vibes!
i have the Polk and it has more than enough bass in my 18ftX15ft with 8ft ceiling living room. I bought it 6 years ago and it's never failed me. SVS makes the best subs though. Not budget, but incredible
Funny you mention SVS. I've got an SVS PB-2000 Pro on deck for testing. :)
my grandsons are sub-woofers...Bought 3 foot-longs the other day and before I got to the table they had woofed down 2 of them!
Granddad joke!
Through trial and error I've found that I needed a minimum of 200rms to drive an adequate sub.
Also well worth the time to save enough to double+ your budget on subwoofer(s). Good vid, informative
I have two budget 10" subs I purchased off Craigslist for $50 and $40 respectively. Adding their SPL together, they get me below 25hz in room at reasonable levels. (Around -5db or so)
So for only $90 I was able to fill out the low end in my room without needing a sub the size of a coffee table.
Hi Erin, you inspired me to try hooking up two subwoofers instead of one. I had been using a KEF Kube-1 8 inch sub, with my Sony STR za2000ES receiver. The Sony has two sub outs, so I thought what the heck, I'll hook up another sub. Wow, it really improved the bass, and the integration with the main speakers. No really deeper bass, but just more full and evenly disbursed, and just as tight.
And this was using a cheap little Sharper Image sub as the 2nd sub! I was very pleasantly surprised by the improvement. Thanks for the suggestion.
That's sweet! Glad you took the initiative to give it a shot. And thanks for reporting back to us!
Ron over at New Record day sent me. Great content and I really appreciated your in depth review of the Neumi BS5 as well. Subscribed.
Sweet! Thanks!
My Yamaha 100 watt NS- SW050 with the 8 inch Speaker does a perfect job taking care of the low and midrange frequencies, along with a set of Dynaudio Evoke 10 (Danish) Speakers. The Amplifier in the Yamaha is 100 watts, same as the Amplifier in the Yamaha NS-SW100 with a 10 inch Speaker. I'm using a 100 watt, Yamaha R-N 800a Network Reciever to power the Dynaudio Evoke 10 Speakers. The System blends well, perfectly balanced and sounds fantastic.
I have that Klipsch sub. The plate amp went bad so I ordered a Emotiva amp for an external power source. Wow did the sound quality improve. It's a night and day difference. That plate amp was not worth it.
Klipsch budget subs are notorious for early plate amp failure. I had a Sub-12 that had the same problem. I won't touch another Klipsch sub for that fact alone. Over the last 10 years or so they have really cut corners on quality control.
Paid $88.00 for the Polk abt 3 years ago, and couldn't be happier. Given the price my expectations were admittedly low but it has handily exceeded them. I only use it for bass reinforcement at very low volume. Just a bit off the stop, with the x-over set to 80hz (minimum). I don't listen to hip hop at all, and not much edm, so not much bass-heavy music (though it can really make Tool slam). Given the price and my particular needs, it's hard to say it was not a screaming deal. In fact, probably the best $100.00 I have spent on audio gear. I thought about 2, but seemed like overkill for my needs. Thanks for your efforts. Nice to have another source for info, especially since b+m audio retailers are like hen's teeth around here. Cheers Erin.
3:14 starts
Thank you for taking the time in reviewing so many subwoofers. I have made a selection upon your reviews and I am loving what I have invested in keep on rocking man
Absolutely love my Polk Sub, sounds so good
Had one and it was trash. My Def Techs produced better and deeper bass. Must have tiny satellites or really bad towers for that to sound good.
@@hehawkiller Just a small budget setup lol. As I grow the setup will change
@@hehawkiller I'm sure they do. They are really expensive.
@@chuckfriebe843 kinda sorta. When I first got them 20 something years ago, it was expensive to me lol. Now i have a speakers that are more expensive than most cars and trucks lol. Estelons! Simply beautiful handmade speakers, that sound amazing.
You should compare the studio subwoofers and sealed subwoofers.
The Klipsch gain knob "goes to 11", haha!!! If it weren't for this review, I'd have picked the Klipsch based on this alone.
PS Audio does that too, they are in on the joke ;)
Now Thats a subwoofer review! love the benchtesting and thoroughness!
One thing this review does not show is the actual performance of these subs. I bought a Polk PSW10 and the port chuffing is unbearable and the sub is super peaky. The only way to solve this is by sealing the port (I used a T-shirt). Also, the Polk suffers from a very noisy power supply.
Boomy bass, bottoms out fast, can't take power, so glad I sold mine😂
Doing good work there. I just bought the Elac 1010. Haven't checked it out yet. Just needed it to supplement the bass from the Elac Debut B6s. Will use this set up in a vacation home, so not looking to spend the big money and may also disturb neighbors. Might be a condo. So pretty sure this will do the job cheap. For a little over $100 it's hard to complain. Thought about the Polk, but a it's too bulky. Like the smaller profile of the Elac. Only worry, some have complained about amp problems here and there.
What a great review you've put together here, That Sony is just a no-no...
back in 2018 I picked up a Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer for $199 but shortly after I bought it they raised it to $300+. I love it and it has tons of bass. Good video though.
Hi ! Thanks for your review, it's very helpful and I like to see true measurements. I might have a clue why the Klipsch failed the lower frequencies : I had a Jamo J10 which is exactly the same subwoofer but with a different branding (it even had "R-10SW" printed on its circuit boards). It has a very aggressive high-pass filter at around 28/30Hz. Below that there is virtually nothing, it's like a brickwall filter. I guess they did this to prevent excessive excursion and port chuffing, and thus increase global power handling while still providing a good SPL down to 30Hz (and your tests show that it has the higher SPL at around 30Hz). Forcing frequencies below 30Hz at a very high volume with a tone generator resulted in a kind of weird beeping digital noise as if the electronic filter was overwhelmed. I think this is why it did not pass the lower frequencies test. But while watching movies, even at a high volume, it did not exhibit this behavior and it was perfectly fine. It neved showed any sign of saturation, etc. It was a good budget subwoofer, but I since upgraded to a SVS PB1000 to get a true subwoofer.
Yea, one thing I forgot to mention was all these subwoofers had built in limiters that was very apparent at the middle frequencies of the tests (63Hz, namely).
@@ErinsAudioCorner Yes, it's not surprising that they have a volume limiter. But do they all have such an agressive high-pass filter ?
@@Subway2400 without measuring the actual amplifier's outputs I can't say for sure. All I can provide (and have on my sheet) is the frequency response.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Ok, thanks ! 😊
My PC system is a 2.1 set up with a Topping TP-60 Matrix Mini DAC Polk Audio PSW108 Polk Audio T-15 Bookshelf speakers. Super budget speaker setup and sounds awesome. Been using it for about 4-5 years now.