To experience that sublimity, though, you need to choose the right sub. They’re not exactly a one-size-fits-all proposition (unless you’re swimming in disposable income), but they’re also a little confusing to shop for if you don’t know where and how to look. If you’re Michael Bay, you probably want something powerful, but if you’re just trying to reduce stress on your prized pair of speakers, you don’t need to drop thousands on a sub. That’s why we’re here!
When it comes to low-end bass that can be felt as much as it can be heard, we firmly believe the SVS SB-16 Ultra is the best subwoofer. With its outrageously powerful amp and stylish good looks, it will fill a room with bass you can feel deep in your bones.
Our team has more than 50 years of consumer and pro audio experience, and much of that time — thousand of hours — has been spent listening to home theater gear, including subwoofers. We think most people will be deliriously happy with the SVS SB-16 Ultra, but if it’s not right for you, we’ve provided alternatives, each with its own specific strength, so you can find the one that’s best for your needs.
SVS SB-16 Ultra Subwoofer
The best subwoofer overall
Why you should buy it: It’s our favorite subwoofer ever, built to excel in any and all circumstances.
Who it’s for: Those who want a powerful, versatile subwoofer that cuts no corners.
Why we picked the SVS SB-16 Ultra:
We’ve had the SB-16 Ultra in our testing chambers for many months now — not because we’re too lazy to move it out (though it does weigh in at a hefty 122 pounds), but because we haven’t found anything worthy to take its place. This subwoofer has become our measuring stick, which might actually be unfair to the competition — it’s that good. Beneath a sleek, stylish exterior, the cubic SB-16 houses a monstrous 16-inch Ultra driver with an 8-inch, edge-wound voice coil, and a ridiculous 1,500-watt continuous Sledge amplifier with discrete MOSFET output that tops out at 5,000 watts peak power.
All of this is to say: No matter how you’re using the SB-16, it impresses. Gunshots and explosions in films register with a hefty thump to the chest, and the sub manages low-end instrumentation beautifully, allowing acoustic bass to bounce smoothly while electronic bass and kick drums shake the foundations of your home. For our money, this is the best subwoofer you can buy, period.
Monoprice 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer
The best budget subwoofer
Why you should buy it: It’s compact and reliable.
Who it’s for: Those who want to add some thump on the cheap.
Why we picked the Monoprice 9723:
If you’re short on cash or if you’re looking for a support subwoofer to put in the bedroom (or office, or whatever your secondary entertainment space may be), don’t stress — there are viable, affordable options out there. For our money (and yours), your best bet is Monoprice’s 12-inch 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer. Though this guy won’t knock down any walls, it’s capable of producing full bass that never sounds tinny or boomy.
A nondescript, black-on-black design should help the sub fit comfortably into most rooms without drawing undue attention, and at about 17 inches cubed, it’s big enough to rattle some hardwood. If you’re a casual viewer or listener looking for a budget sub to round out your system, try Monoprice’s 150 watt subwoofer on for size.
Definitive Technology ProSub 800 Subwoofer
The dark horse subwoofer
Why you should buy it: It’s reasonably priced, surprisingly effective, and versatile to boot.
Who it’s for: Those looking for the best possible performance at just a few hundred dollars.
Why we picked the Definitive Technology ProSub 800:
Definitive Technology has a long and storied history of producing excellent bass, and this subwoofer is an outstanding example of that pedigree.
Armed with a 8-inch active driver and a 8-inch passive radiator, you’ll get 300 watts of bass that’s both punchy and poignant, all at a price point that is almost too good to be true. The ProSub’s non-resonant MDF cabinets prevent distortion at the lowest frequencies, while its unique, steep “dual-stage” roll-off helps to blend with main speakers.
KEF R400b Subwoofer
The best looking subwoofer
Why you should buy it: It’s a gorgeous addition to any home theater, and its performance speaks for itself.
Who it’s for: Anyone who wants powerful, tight, and musical low end in an attractive package.
Why we picked the KEF R400b:
We’ve already seen plenty of incredible gear from British-based KEF, including the innovative (and gorgeous) LS50 Wireless, so we weren’t very surprised to find out how awesome the R400b is. This subwoofer features twin 9-inch drivers powered by two 250W class-D amplifiers. KEF mounted the speakers back to back, making for massive-yet-tight low frequencies while keeping unwanted cabinet resonance at bay.
You won’t often find yourself putting a subwoofer in a prominent place, but with the R400b, it wouldn’t be a problem thanks to its eye-catching look, with no visible screws.
How we test
You’d think a box of bass would be fairly easy to test and evaluate, but given how much a room can affect bass response from a subwoofer — along with the growing number of subs that come with room equalization features that aim to deal with those room-based influences — we’ve developed a fairly extensive process for gathering as much information as we can about a subwoofer’s performance.
Before we get to performance-based evaluations, we take a step back and look at the subwoofer on the whole. Is it bulky or compact? Is it solidly constructed or does it feel a bit flimsy or cheap? How extensive are the connection options and how do those affect connectivity? If there’s an app to help with subwoofer control and settings, is it intuitive and useful?
Once we’ve gathered information on those touch points listed above, we run the subwoofer for several hours before beginning any critical evaluation. While there is much debate over whether the “break-in effect” is real, we prefer to get that factor covered so it doesn’t play a role in our evaluation one way or another.
Our subwoofer tests take place in at least two different rooms, any of which we are intimately familiar with, and we generally test the subwoofer in three locations that we know offer the best possible response within those rooms. Testing material includes everything from test tone sweeps to blockbuster movies and a selection of music from multiple genres. We seek to learn how deep a sub can play, how visceral the low bass response is, how well it can be adjusted to integrate with both small and large satellite speakers, and how musically accurate it is capable of playing.
We hope for a versatile subwoofer, which can not only belt out the big bass notes needed for a high-impact action movie, but one which can also stay tight and tuneful when playing acoustic upright bass, or reproducing the classic Fender P-bass tone. A good subwoofer will avoid tubby, boomy sound that lacks definition, and instead integrate itself seamlessly into a larger audio system, calling attention to itself only during instances in which its pure muscle can’t be ignored.
