Which subwoofers should i get

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Holiday Deals. Shop now. Filed Under: articles buying guides. The Best Car Subwoofers of By Chris Mulhearn. Shop This Guide. Awesome car audio? We got this. Write a Comment You must be logged in to write a comment. Almost all subwoofers can be repaired, in most cases by any audio-gear repair shop or even by technically proficient owners. The metal parts inside a subwoofer, including the metal woofer frames and amplifier heat sinks, are generally easy to remove and can be recycled at e-waste facilities.

But the enclosures, for the most part, are made from medium-density fiberboard, which cannot be recycled, and the recyclability of the circuit boards is, as with all circuit boards, technically possible but practically questionable.

Those numbers are in the same range as the standby power consumption of a typical TV set. Of course, both electrical consumption and cost increase the more often you use the subwoofer and the louder you play it. Sound United, the parent company of Polk Audio, says it is currently working to create and implement a set of sustainability policies, and that the HTS 10 and its packaging are not made from recycled materials and are not recyclable.

The electronics are analog and do not use firmware, and thus cannot be updated. SVS says that most of the packaging for its subwoofers is recyclable. Several new subwoofers were introduced in conjunction with the CEDIA Expo , and we hope to get some of them in for our next round of tests.

Following are brief notes about the other subwoofers and subwoofer-related products we tested. The complete CTA results for all of these subs and many more are available in this spreadsheet.

Definitive Technology SuperCube : The ultra-compact SuperCube , measuring less than 11 inches on all sides, sounded pretty good in our tests, but it fell well short of the slightly larger SVS SB in its deep-bass output. ELAC Debut 2. Its reproduction of midbass tones was excellent, but our panelists found its low-bass output lacking.

KEF Kube 10b : This sleek subwoofer looks nice but is a little expensive for the output it offers. It would be great for a small, high-quality audiophile music system. Q Acoustics S : This slim sub looks great, is easy to hide, and is fairly affordable, but we found its low-bass output to be particularly weak.

SVS Micro : This tiny subwoofer is only about half the size by volume as our also-great pick, the SB Pro, and it adds the same advanced, app-driven signal processing. Brent Butterworth, Subwoofers: 4, 2 or 1? Brent Butterworth is a senior staff writer covering audio and musical instruments at Wirecutter. He regularly gigs on double bass and occasionally ukulele with Los Angeles—area jazz groups. How we pick and test Panel testing. Our pick. Rogersound Labs Speedwoofer 10S Superb all-around performance The Speedwoofer 10S offers an ideal blend of bass power and finesse in a compact and affordable package.

Polk Audio HTS 10 If looks matter This subwoofer combines good performance with a more attractive design than you get from many subwoofers at this price. Upgrade pick. Also great. Everything we recommend. Why you should trust us.

Who should get this. How we picked. Neither did we set a maximum, figuring that many people in search of higher performance would be happy to accommodate a larger subwoofer. However, most models do offer both speaker- and line-level connections, which allows them to connect to practically any type of audio system. Equalization and tuning features: In this price range, many subwoofers include advanced features and tuning options. We considered these features a plus but not a requirement. As our listening tests showed, in some cases it may be more prudent to invest in better or larger drivers and amplifiers rather than in advanced audio-processing technology.

Also, many AV receivers include room EQ, but the efficacy of the technology differs from receiver to receiver. How we tested. The primary criteria that our panelists considered in our evaluations were:. Our pick: Rogersound Labs Speedwoofer 10S. Flaws but not dealbreakers. Photo: Rozette Rago. The Room Gain Compensation feature in the SVS app can eliminate the deep, annoying boominess for which subwoofers are notorious. Other good high-performance subwoofers.

This includes the subwoofer enclosure, speaker, and amplifier. It is possible to find small, compact subwoofers for less. These will not sound as good as the larger subwoofers, though, but they often work better for smaller cars. Depending on what you're looking for, you might have to spend more money on a subwoofer, especially if you want one with lots of power or a unique sound.