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A slim subwoofer?

post #1 of 9
10/7/12 at 7:59am
Thread Starter 

I just got a pair of bookshelves (newegg currently has a great deal on some Pioneer bookshelves - 85 bucks for a pair) and a receiver and I want to add a subwoofer to the setup. I like the aesthetic I have going on in my apartment so I've been looking for slim subwoofers that look like the ones that come with those home-theater-in-a-box systems. Obviously, those passive little sub "modules" don't offer much but I was wondering if anyone knew of active subwoofers that are slim, decent, and relatively affordable. I saw some home theater solutions that run several grand and that's well and away out of the question.

 

The subs that I've found so far are from Yamaha, 

NS-SW210 

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/speaker-systems/subwoofers/ns-sw210_black__u/?mode=model

and

NS-FSW050

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/speaker-systems/subwoofers/yst-fsw050_black__u/?mode=model

 

Does anyone know of any other options out there?

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post #2 of 9
10/7/12 at 10:08pm

I don't know how good it is, but the Onkyo SKW204 might fit your aesthetics. 

 

Probably not quite a slim as you want, but the HSU STF-1 is one of the better 8" subs out there for the money. 

 

Meanwhile, click through the list in this post at AVS. You might find something you like. 

 

Now if money were no object, the Paradigm MilleniaSub would be the one to get. But I'm guessing you aren't looking to spend over $1000 on a sub wink.gif

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post #3 of 9
10/8/12 at 9:32am
The Yamaha slim subs aren't terrible, I'd take them over the Onkyo HTIB models, but neither are really epic. Look at the small subs from Mirage and Definitive too, might be able to find one on sale somewhere.
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post #4 of 9
10/8/12 at 2:54pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the replies. That list is going to take some time to go through. 

 

One of those 8" subs look pretty good. 

 

Since cost and size are a concern I don't need anything mindblowing, but just to fill out the sound from two bookshelves. I guess my primary criteria is that the sub doesn't make the music sound bad. 

Thanks for the starting point, guys. 

 

Definitely not gonna do a grand for a sub :P

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post #5 of 9
10/8/12 at 3:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by phamkl View Post

I guess my primary criteria is that the sub doesn't make the music sound bad. 

 

Some of those smaller 8" subs (and larger ones) on that list may be pretty crappy. Sort of depends on your expectations. The best 8" subs in SQ I know of out of that list are the Outlaw Audio M8, Mirage Prestige S8, HSU STF-1, and Lava SP08. Given your aesthetic requirements, I doubt you'll find that any of the 10" or 12" will work, but I could be wrong. 

 

One thing you might also look at are the tiny cube subwoofers that definitely don't look the hulking big boxes. For example, this Energy is only a 9" cube--outside dimensions:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-ESW-M8-NA-1200-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B004TA8YNW/

 

Not very powerful and won't dig really deep, but it should have good sound. See also this SuperCube and the Klipsch subs which are a little bigger:

 

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/549327220/definitive-technology-supercube-2000

http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-SW-308-Reference-Subwoofer-System/dp/B0046L4MP8/

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post #6 of 9
10/9/12 at 9:44am
+1 on Mirage, -1 on Klipsch. tongue.gif

There was also that company that ended up on Woot, I forget the name though, that makes some relatively compact subs (like the Energy example).
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post #7 of 9
10/9/12 at 10:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post

+1 on Mirage, -1 on Klipsch. tongue.gif
There was also that company that ended up on Woot, I forget the name though, that makes some relatively compact subs (like the Energy example).

 

Could it be Jamo? There were Jamo and Mirage versions of that same Energy small sub series with the passive radiators. Same parent company (was Klipsch; now Audiovox) reusing the same design and rebranding it (see the list in this post at AVS for some examples).  Could be that the Klipsch SW-308 is the same sub, too. Although I hadn't heard of them using the same designs with the Klipsch brand. 

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post #8 of 9
10/9/12 at 10:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 View Post

Could it be Jamo? There were Jamo and Mirage versions of that same Energy small sub series with the passive radiators. Same parent company (was Klipsch; now Audiovox) reusing the same design and rebranding it (see the list in this post at AVS for some examples).  Could be that the Klipsch SW-308 is the same sub, too. Although I hadn't heard of them using the same designs with the Klipsch brand. 

No it wasn't Jamo, it's an American company, they advertise being one of the oldest speaker manufacturers in continuous operation. Ugh I wish I could remember.

Lots of Isobarik designs too.
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post #9 of 9
10/10/12 at 2:51pm
Thread Starter 

Oh wow. 

 

This is going to be a bit to digest; I didn't even know about a bunch of these companies. Thanks guys - this is a HUGE help. That Definitive Supercube looks pretty good...

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