Hello, I was looking to purchase a couple of subwoofers and started doing some research. One interesting thing is that there are a lot of small companies that are making really great subwoofers. But a straight-up google search won't reveal many of these. Most of them I stumbled on while digging through forum posts titled something like "which sub is better?". I thought I would make a post with the info on the various ones I came across with a budget of about $4k or less per sub. Of course magico has some subs and Wilson but these are $15K or more each.
Since I am more interested in music and will have multiple subs the max output wasn't my primary concern. All of the subs listed are sealed designs. I was looking for low distortion numbers and low group delay etc. So here is the info for some future subwoofer surfer. By poor availability I mean you will typically have to wait 2-4 months for your subwoofer. All of these measure well and would likely serve the purpose. Some of them you can try and send back if you are not happy. Some look better than others (beauty is in the eye of the beholder). Some appear easier to setup and use and have more features. It is all up to you. I am sure that there are a couple more companies out there that I did not run across. If so maybe someone can add to the thread below.
These are not listed in any particular order:
Hsu – ULS-15 mk2 – 15” driver – MDF cabinet -- $779 – No parametric EQ -- immediate availability
DSS – 18S – 18” driver – Baltic Birch cabinet -- $2400 -- No parametric EQ -- Availability poor (Note that this company makes a 24" sub that measures well and would blow up your house)
JTR – Captivator S1 – 18” driver -- Baltic Birch cabinet -- $2199 -- No parametric EQ -- immediate availability
Rythmic – F18 – 18” driver – MDF cabinet -- $1530 (shipping inc.) – 1 band of parametric EQ built into plate amp -- immediate availability -- This unit is servo controlled and posts excellent distortion numbers.
Funk – 18.0 – 18” driver – Baltic Birch cabinet -- $3750 -- Onboard DSP with 5 bands of parametric EQ and crossover -- availability poor -- Awesome veneer work -- no manual to assist with setup
JL Audio – Fathom F112 v2 – 12” driver – MDF cabinet -- $3700 -- 18 bands of parametric EQ -- immediate availability -- Push button setup (You have to trust it will do what you want. you can't control the EQ settings)
Seaton – F18+submersive -- 18” driver – Baltic Birch -- $2195 -- 2 to 4 week availability (He recently has improved website and ordering)
SVS – SB16U – 16” driver – MDF cabinet– $1999 -- 3 bands of parametric EQ -- immediate availability -- Most user friendly (You can adjust everything (Gain, Phase, EQ etc.) using a phone app from your listening seat.
Since I am more interested in music and will have multiple subs the max output wasn't my primary concern. All of the subs listed are sealed designs. I was looking for low distortion numbers and low group delay etc. So here is the info for some future subwoofer surfer. By poor availability I mean you will typically have to wait 2-4 months for your subwoofer. All of these measure well and would likely serve the purpose. Some of them you can try and send back if you are not happy. Some look better than others (beauty is in the eye of the beholder). Some appear easier to setup and use and have more features. It is all up to you. I am sure that there are a couple more companies out there that I did not run across. If so maybe someone can add to the thread below.
These are not listed in any particular order:
Hsu – ULS-15 mk2 – 15” driver – MDF cabinet -- $779 – No parametric EQ -- immediate availability
DSS – 18S – 18” driver – Baltic Birch cabinet -- $2400 -- No parametric EQ -- Availability poor (Note that this company makes a 24" sub that measures well and would blow up your house)
JTR – Captivator S1 – 18” driver -- Baltic Birch cabinet -- $2199 -- No parametric EQ -- immediate availability
Rythmic – F18 – 18” driver – MDF cabinet -- $1530 (shipping inc.) – 1 band of parametric EQ built into plate amp -- immediate availability -- This unit is servo controlled and posts excellent distortion numbers.
Funk – 18.0 – 18” driver – Baltic Birch cabinet -- $3750 -- Onboard DSP with 5 bands of parametric EQ and crossover -- availability poor -- Awesome veneer work -- no manual to assist with setup
JL Audio – Fathom F112 v2 – 12” driver – MDF cabinet -- $3700 -- 18 bands of parametric EQ -- immediate availability -- Push button setup (You have to trust it will do what you want. you can't control the EQ settings)
Seaton – F18+submersive -- 18” driver – Baltic Birch -- $2195 -- 2 to 4 week availability (He recently has improved website and ordering)
SVS – SB16U – 16” driver – MDF cabinet– $1999 -- 3 bands of parametric EQ -- immediate availability -- Most user friendly (You can adjust everything (Gain, Phase, EQ etc.) using a phone app from your listening seat.
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