Subwoofer Demo Comments

[kioko12]

This weekend, I had a chance to demo several mid/high-level subwoofers on movies and music. These are summaries of my subjective experience:

Polk DSW3000:
This is a pretty new model (over 1000 watts RMS, 10 inch high-excursion driver with 10" square passive radiator)

Overall, I was not that impressed. It lacked the articulation I was used to with my sub. Also, it didn't have as much output as thought it should. Perhaps I just had high expectations for the top-of-the-line series $1200 subwoofer. Then again, this goes to show you the almighty laws of physics take a LOT of engineering to be persuaded into doing things they shouldn't do (i.e. JL F113).

The DSW3000 had an inverted active driver, which had quite a bit of excursion compared to anything else in the store (probably between 1.5 to 2 inches). Yet it just didn't have the kick in the pants that the HUGE (in comparison) ported 15" Velodyne had (DSL5000, I believe), which retailed for $800. I spent about 15 min adjusting the Polk, and even had the gain on max. Didn't help at all. Definitely better suited for a small office, though IMHO it's way, way overpriced. The room was about 12'x18'. FYI, the Velodyne filled this room nicely.

Velodyne DSL5000(600 watts RMS, 15" ported, huge box)
Clearly, this was the output winner of all the subs I listened to. It really made the movie come alive and shook the room with authority. It wasn't that tight, but no matter. I had a small crowed standing by the area while doing this demo. Not bad.

Polk PSW1000
Next up was a dual-10" driver, Polk PSW1000 in a much larger room. It was kind of weak, but probably not a fair comparison given the size of the room at least 20'x20'. I had this one maxed out as well, but it still didn't do much to impress me. It did blend well with the Polk LSi9's up front. I'll give it that much...

Velodyne SLP1000
(10" sealed, 1000 watts RMS, 3" DVC)

15x10 room. I tried everything to optimize the subwoofer, from crossover point, gain, phase, and placement. It sounded ok, but not great. I guess I had overly high expectations. I was hoping that there would be a DD series, but apparently they don't go up that far in the product line.

Bottom line: My current reference subwoofer (SVS SB12-Plus) sounds more articulate, deeper, and "meaner" than all of these subwoofers. With room gain, I can get virtually flat response down to 20 Hz. The only sub that would give it a run for the money would be the big Velodyne, though it did sound more suited for boomy, one-note HT. My space is approximately 12x16 with a huge opening at one end, so it's somewhat comparable, though obviously there will be differences in the acoustic space. Either way, this was a good learning experience for me, though I think I'll stick with the online retailers (and JL) for now...