Even in the most conservative sector of the market, tectonic shifts are taking place today. Subwoofers that work equally well in both a music system and a home theater installation are constantly being developed and improved.
Our new ranking contains eight of the best models of the summer 2023 season – for every taste and budget.
8. Magnat Alpha RS 8
Speaker Size – 8″ | Weight – 8.5 kg | The lower limit of the operating range is 25 Hz
Pros – Inexpensive and well-made sub
Cons – a little lacking in finesse in sound
Perfect for – those who want to get the maximum for every invested dollar
The brand new Magnat Alpha RS 8 is well made with a solid fiberboard construction with two Airflex ports, a long-throw branded 200mm woofer and an 80W D-class amplifier (160W peak power). The declared bass depth of 25 Hz seems too optimistic, but turning on the device, doubts are dispelled – the sub “digs” really deep and plays very powerfully.
7. Acoustic Energy AE108-2
Speaker Size – 8″ | Weight – 10 kg | The lower limit of the operating range is 38 Hz
Pros – good resolution, excellent musicality
Cons – insufficiently extended down frequency response
Perfect for – music lovers
Acoustic Energy AE108-2 entered the market in 2022. With rather modest dimensions, the device flaunts 150 watts of built-in amplification. On the company’s 30th anniversary, the creators did their best – the case seems to be absolutely monolithic and does not rattle, the frisky low-frequency speaker forms an excellent pressure and shows good dynamics. The musical path is especially successful for this subwoofer.
6. REL HT1003 MKII
Speaker Size – 10″ | Weight – 15.5 kg | The lower limit of the operating range is 24 Hz
Pros – excellent opportunities in DC mode
Cons – there is only a low-level input
Perfect for – style lovers
The legendary British company REL now offers a beautiful design of their bass modules – but under the hood of the HT1003 MK II, everything is no less interesting. The subwoofer is optimized for connection to a dedicated LFE channel of a home theater – this should be taken into account when purchasing, the HT1003 MK II only docks with AV receivers and processors. REL’s own CarbonGlas speakers provide amazingly agile and lively bass, while 300W D-amplification effortlessly pumps even large venues.
5. Canton Smart Sub 10
Speaker Size – 8.6″ | Weight – 11.8 kg | The lower limit of the operating range is 27 Hz
Pros – lots of options, incredible appearance
Cons – sometimes you want a little more attack
Perfect for – those who want to buy a subwoofer from the future
Canton’s “smart” series of speakers continues its attack on the market – the Smart Sub 10 subwoofer is next in line. Before us is a rethinking of both the design of devices in this category (a flat case with a height of only 155 millimeters is used) and design developments (the device successfully functions both in wired, as well as wireless).
An 8-inch speaker, a 200-watt digital amplifier, absolute flexibility in placement (you can even mount a sub on the wall), perfect docking with branded Smart Soundbar 10 speakers – everything is fine here.
4. KEF KC62 Titan
Speaker Size – 6.5″ | Weight – 14 kg | The lower limit of the operating range is 11 Hz
Pros – small, but remote
Cons – nothing major
Perfect for – looking for a subwoofer-baby and a giant in terms of capabilities
The ultra-compact subwoofer is just the size of a soccer ball, another breakthrough in the market. KEF KC62 Titan uses proprietary Uni-Core technology (dual driver with a pair of coils of different diameters), which allows you to get extremely low bass – and what a texture! Gain in kilowatts (this is not a typo, and even with Smart Distortion Control – an analogue of EMOS), its own DSP with five presets that made it easy to fit the sub into any room – oh, we have a dish for a real gourmet.
3. Velodyne DW-12
Speaker Size – 12″ | Weight – 25 kg | The lower limit of the operating range is 25 Hz
Pros – low frequencies can easily take out window frames
Cons – not very attractive appearance
Perfect for – fans of thunderous bass
Velodyne’s new Deep Waves (DW) subwoofer series and the DW-12 are some of the highlights of this season. The not too big unit operates at 25 Hz, uses a 12″ proprietary woofer with double ferrite magnets and a four-layer voice coil, has 400 watts of amplification on board and is controlled through its own iWoofer application. Bass is in the best traditions of the company – clear and deep.
2. Klipsch RP 1600 SW
Speaker Size – 16″ | Weight – 50.3 kg | The lower limit of the operating range is 14.5 Hz
Pros – phenomenal rate of fire
Cons – big and heavy
Perfect for – connoisseurs of fast and dry bass
We can’t get enough of the new Klipsch RP 1600 SW subwoofer – in terms of attack speed, the device has few equals even in a much higher price group. The Reference Premiere Series continues to set the industry standard with 800W amplification up to 1.6kW peaks, a 16″ Cerametallic speaker and a frequency response from 14.5Hz!
1. Perlisten Audio R210s
Speaker Size – 9.8″ | Weight – 44 kg | The lower limit of the operating range is 20 Hz
Pros – perfect bass – in every sense
Cons – only price
Perfect for – fans of the very best
The Perlisten Audio R210s speakers were designed from the ground up – they use carbon fiber composite cones, the company rethought the coils again (the result is minimization of harmonic distortion). In the end, the combination of a 1.3 kW amplification and a pair of (32 and 48 bit) DSP processors works wonders – no wonder the sub is THX Dominus certified.