[theJman]

NXG NX-BAS-500 Subwoofer​

By Jim Wilson (theJman)

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NXG should be commended; instead of creating what almost everyone else does when designing a subwoofer at this price point -- a less than accurate "one note" boom box -- they instead choose to go for articulation and precision. In so doing they may have sacrificed a bit of lower extension, but not enough where it ever seemed to be lacking. I never anticipated being able to call a $260 subwoofer articulate, but in this case I can; rare is the budget sub that makes music enjoyable, yet this one did. The NX-BAS-500's somewhat generic appearance and easy on the wallet price does not portend its abilities which, relative to the selling price, are quite considerable. With effective limiters that make it almost impossible to trip up NXG has developed a subwoofer that I would have absolutely no problem recommending.

For the full review Click Here​

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[B- one]

That seems like a great deal for the money two could be had for a reasonable price. Great review once again and keep up the great work it's nice to see lower priced products worth having.

 

[ALMFamily]

Thanks for the review Jim - stellar work as always! :T

For someone looking to do multiple subs, those look to be a real bargain.

 

[theJman]

That seems like a great deal for the money two could be had for a reasonable price. Great review once again and keep up the great work it's nice to see lower priced products worth having.

I actually cut my teeth on budget subwoofers, so they're still near and dear to me. This one turned out to be one of my favorites.

 

[afterlife2]

Great review Jman. If you had a top 5 of budget subs $200-300 or less what would they be?

 

[theJman]

Great review Jman. If you had a top 5 of budget subs $200-300 or less what would they be?

Joe, you're everywhere! You following me?

Most of the under $300 subs I would have a hard time recommending, because I'm rather particular, but there are a few that come to mind. The OSD PS-10/PS-12 would probably be among them, because they seem pretty solid for the cost. The Cadence CSX-12 was a good value too. The NXG might be my favorite though, because that one did almost everything very well.

A few I haven't reviewed, but would like to, are the BIC F12 or PL-200. Both appear to be well regarded by their owners. The Dayton SUB-1200 is another one that strikes me as a good value. The JBL ES250 seems to be gaining some attention as well.

 

[afterlife2]

Yep you're worth following my friend.:wave: NXG(does it really go down to 18?) that good eh? I might get it later on If it goes on sale(even though still a great price). That OSD PS12 Is pretty awesome my friend! I can't get how super good it is for the price.:sn: I can't wait for the Dayton and Bic reviews.

 

[theJman]

NXG(does it really go down to 18?) that good eh?

It didn't go down to 18Hz for me, but there was usable output into the mid 20's. That's not bad for such an inexpensive subwoofer.

I can't wait for the Dayton and Bic reviews.

There's nothing currently planned for either. I just mentioned them because of their popularity, and that perhaps someday I'll look at one or both. Few places would even care to review them due to their low cost, but I feel the exact opposite.

 

[afterlife2]

Yeah 25 ain't bad. If it goes down to $150 Christmas time I might get it. Well you got me glued in.:hissyfit::T

 

[hyghwayman]

Great review Jman.

Joe, you're everywhere! You following me?

Welcome to HTS Joe aka afterlife,
There is a lot of good info to be found around here and some of the best members too.

 

[afterlife2]

Welcome to HTS Joe aka afterlife,
There is a lot of good info to be found around here and some of the best members too.

Thank you for the welcome hyghwayman glad to be here!

 

[Cafasco]

Hello,

Yes I agree awesome review. It sure is nice to be able to find this kind of information! I need a little help with a decision. :help:

My '97 Velodyne VA-1012x started humming intermittently (after it sat unused for a couple years). It has been, however, stable at about 5 or 5.5 on the output level dial for about a year (DON"T TOUCH THAT DIAL!). That all ended a few weeks ago. It will work fine for maybe 3 to 5 min then HUM loudly. Shut off, turn on, same thing...over and over again. :yikes:

I read on another forum that this might be a transformer issue, which I'm guessing would be pretty inexpensive to fix. If that doesn't work, should I spend $150 on a 300W BASH amp from Parts Express (would require some rear cabinet work), or would one of these NX-BAS-500 or Cadence-csx-12-mark-ii (what a BEAST!) the be a better investment? I really have no idea how my Velodyne stacks up against subs these days. I was very happy with it when it worked. I really don't want to spend $750+ on a sub again, and my wife would come unglued if I did.

I could get away with spending as much as $350 on a PL-200 or a HSU STF-2, but that is probably about the max. Oh the Lava 12 - LSP12 is doable as well (looks like a nice unit). I guess I need to include that our new home has a very large great room, dinning area, and kitchen, it's pretty big...and roomy. The VA-1012 seemed to fill it with bass just fine though...

Any suggestions or ideas were warmly welcomed!

Thanks!

 

[theJman]

At 16 years old you can pretty much assume your sub has reached the end of it's life. If the amp hadn't developed a problem - which is what it sounds like might have happened - the surround and/or spider is probably close to dry rotting. It's not really in your best interest to invest in a sub of that vintage.


I guess I need to include that our new home has a very large great room, dinning area, and kitchen, it's pretty big...and roomy

How large is the total area (HxWxD)? That will go a long way towards determining what might be a workable solution for you.

 

[Cafasco]

Ah...good points! Although the speakers surrounds do look good, I'm sure there isn't much life left, esp since they are foam rather than butyl rubber.

Great ("Super") Rm is roughly 9x25x29 or 6,625 Cu Ft.

Thanks!
Sam

 

[theJman]

Ah...good points! Although the speakers surrounds do look good, I'm sure there isn't much life left, esp since they are foam rather than butyl rubber.

Great ("Super") Rm is roughly 9x25x29 or 6,625 Cu Ft.

Yikes, that's a huge amount of space. :yikes: I'm afraid a single NX-BAS-500 will be completely overwhelmed. If you co-locate a pair of them, and sit near field, you might be OK but realistically you're going to need far more powerful subwoofers (yes, plural) then the NXG in order to fill that space.

 

[Cafasco]

Thanks Jim!

Yeah after I measured the area last night and calc'd it I was a bit surprised myself. I started thinking...um 1 is probably not going to get the job done. I wonder if I can get by with two? The great room TV area is more like 16 x 16 x 9. The rest is kitchen and dinning...

What would you get on a budget for something like this? I could get 1 now, and another in a couple months.

 

[theJman]

You may consider a 16x16x9 space to be the "TV area", but I'm afraid your subwoofer won't agree with you...

A sub will 'see' the entire volume of space and try to fill it, regardless of what you consider the HT, because they only acknowledge physical boundaries. Get something insufficient for the task at hand and it will simply be overwhelmed, and essentially be rendered mute. If that 6600+ ft^3 area is indeed completely open then your subwoofer will try and fill ever bit of it.

There really is nothing in the 'budget' category that can overcome such a huge amount of space. If you co-located a pair of the NX-BAS-500 -- stacking one of top of another -- it may provide usable bass, but realistically you need an awful lot of subwoofers (plural) to fill an area that large.

 

[Cafasco]

Thanks again for your quick reply Jim!

Understand...so given the space, what would you do in this situation? It looks like I'm going to have to put some cash aside for this project, which is not :hissyfit: that big of a deal :crying:

Sam

 

[Cafasco]

So do you think I could get away with a Rhythmic LV12 for awhile then vet another as the budget allows? Reading your review of that unit, it sounds like it might work...

 

[Cafasco]

For some reason I feel like I'm talking to myself sometimes... . I don't want to hijack this thread in another direction so I'll jump over to the LV12R thread. I see there are others with similar issues and even bigger rooms (other threads). I really like the looks and the smaller cabinet of the NXG (not to mention the amazing price!), I'm really bummed they won't work for my application. :hissyfit: :crying:

Thanks for the :help: !
Sam