Top Picks Subwoofers

Subwoofers
< $999
	Gallo CLS-10: $699 One look at the CLS-10’s distinctive shape and you know it’s different—different in a very good way, as it turns out. Commenting on the role it played in conveying the thundering cavalries and heavy-artillery bombardments in War Horse, reviewer mark Fleischmann wrote: “For a 10-incher, it was surprisingly powerful, mustering higher and higher output as the story stepped up its decibel count…The CLS-10 was a manifestly good-sounding sub.” (January 2013, Read Full Review)
	Sonos SUB: $699 Easy to setup and a cinch to control via an iOS or Android smartphone, the svelte Sonos SUB (it’s only 6.2 inches deep) sounds as stunning as it looks, delivering bass that reviewer Kim Wilson described as “controlled and musical.” If you’re the owner of a Sonos music system and want to take it to the next level, and maybe even shake the house a bit, there’s only one thing to do: Add a SUB. (October 2012, Read Full Review)
	Definitive Technology SuperCube 4000: $799 A compact box utilizing an 8-inch active driver and two 8-inch passive radiators, this new generation SuperCube is packed with high tech features, including a remote with multiple EQ settings and a Night Mode, a 12 volt trigger input, and some sophisticated DSP that keeps distortion low at all volumes. There’s also a port for a proprietary wireless receiver so you can skip the signal cable and just plug it in wherever there’s a power outlet. Reviewer Darryl Wilkinson wrote, “Considering all the extremely useful features the SuperCube 4000 has combined with its small size, exceptional musicality, and distortion-damping muscle, I think it’s a spectacular bargain for under $800.” (April 2012, Read Full Review)
	HSU Research VTF-15H: $879 This 15-inch powered subwoofer is the big driver with the big box, but performs like nobody’s business at a price that should be much more. This was our sentimental favorite subwoofer and a Top Pick of the Year for 2011. Pluggable ports and a wide range of controls allow easier tuning to your room and taste. Said reviewer Tom Norton: “It’s hard to visualize a subwoofer priced this low that needn’t apologize for the quality of its bass, its low-end extension, or its setup flexibility.” (December 2011, Read Full Review)
	Definitive Technology SuperCube 6000: $999 A more authoritative version of the SuperCube 4000, the 6000 offers a 9-inch active driver with a pair of 10-inch passive radiators, while touting the same sophisticated DSP and user features. Reviewed with the Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 55 and StudioMonitor 45 compact speakers. (June 2012, Read Full Review)
$1,000-$4,999
	GoldenEar ForceField 5 Subwoofer: $1,000 The ForceField 5 with its 12-inch woofer, bottom-mounted flat passive radiator, and 1,500-watt amplifier, is the latest model in this winning subwoofer series from GoldenEar. Noting that this bass box is equipped to serve large rooms with headroom to spare, here’s how reviewer Mark Fleishmann summed up his floor-shaking experience: "I was dumbfounded by how much bass output the sub could muster." If anything, you might need to turn down its level control. (May 2013, Read Full Review)
	MartinLogan Dynamo 1000: $1,000 You won’t need any speaker wire to rock out with the versatile Dynamo 1000 subwoofer. Hidden inside the elegant cabinet alongside the 500-watt amp and 12-inch driver is a wireless receiver that pulls bass signals from thin air. Plug the SWT-2 transmitter into the sub output of your A/V receiver or processor and get ready to rumble. And rumble you will. This down-firing Dynamo will shake your room. Prefer a front-firing orientation (as shown)? Simply move the sub’s pedestal feet to the control-panel side. (HomeTheater.com, Read Full Review)
	Boston Acoustics MSubwoofer: $1,199 The stately MSubwoofer, with its gloss-black top and fabric-wrap sides, combines a modest 10-inch front-firing driver with a pair of equally modest side-firing 8-inch passive radiators but don’t let those driver sizes fool you. This sub can woof like a champ thanks to its beefy 500-watt amplifier and well-thought-out design. Reviewer Mark Fleischmann called Boston’s bass box the unexpected star of the show while reviewing it as part of the M25 home theater speaker system: “The MSubwoofer delivered loads of bass output and dynamics without flinching.” (HomeTheater.com, Read Full Review)
	Polk DSWmicroPro3000: $1,450 This compact 10-inch sub (with bottom-mounted 10x10-inch passive radiator )boasts Polk’s AutoPRO room-resonance correction feature, along with an IR remote to adjust volume, phase, Night mode, and selectable equalization. Reviewed with the Polk LSiM707 floorstanding speaker system. June 2012, Read Full Review)
	SVS SB13-Ultra: $1,599 SVS is known among enthusiasts for building some of the most powerful subwoofers you can buy. With its 1,000-watt amplifier and custom 13.5-inch woofer, the SB13-Ultra carries on the tradition, handling the subterranean rumble of movie soundtracks with ease and delivering extremely tight and controlled bass with music. Said Reviewer David Vaughn, “No matter how loud I played it, I couldn’t get the sub to bottom out or show any signs of strain... That’s pretty damn impressive.” (February/March 2013, Read Full Review)
	KEF R400b: $1,700 With two opposing 9-inch active drivers in a sealed box, the R400b takes a decidedly musical approach to bass reproduction and, reviewer Mark Fleischmann thought it proved itself a stellar (if polite) complement to the R300 Series, one of KEF’s finer compact speaker systems. (August 2012, Read Full Review)
	REL Acoustics R-328: $1,799 REL subwoofers are known for the musicality, due in part to their ability to be simultaneously hooked up to both the subwoofer LFE output of your surround processor or receiver and the front speaker outputs. As reviewer Darryl Wilkinson found, "If you’re prepared to spend the time to tune it properly, the R-328 will pay sonic dividends for music lovers." (April 2012, Read Full Review)
$5000 >
	JL Audio Fathom f212: $6,200 JL Audio is perhaps best known in the world of car audio, but their expensive Fathom series subwoofers for home use are among the most coveted in the world of A/V. Darryl Wilkinson tested the f212, with two 12-inch drivers, and it rocked his world. “I have to say that I sincerely hate the folks at JL Audio,” he concluded, “because they have forever ruined any pleasure I might have enjoyed with any other subwoofer. I’ll never be able to listen to another without comparing it to the f212.” (April 2012, Read Full Review)
	Paradigm Reference Signature SUB 2: $8,999 Simply put, this is the real deal. A 230-pound, three-sided monster featuring six 10-inch woofers arrayed in pairs, up to 4,500 watts of brute-force power (provided it gets 240-volt service), and measureable output in our lab that was only 3 decibels down at 12 hertz. And to think it all fits into a 24-inch-square footprint. The price will scare away all but the wealthiest and most bass-obsessed enthusiasts, but if you’re among them, pay up your homeowner’s insurance and get down with it. (June 2011, Read Full Review)

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