Talked my brother into adding two of these to his system. He's a "budget" minded guy who appreciates good sound. It was that or a single BIC F12. Part of liking something is "knowing" what you like. We tried both and frankly, two of these won out, hands down. The two lower powered units proved to be capable of louder output, that's just physics, twice the cone displacement, moves more air. All things considered, 3 or 4 might have been pretty cool!
I have 2 sw15s and STRONGLY recommend them for first time home theater buyers. Paired with a dayton dsp (they absolutely need it to make up for terrible tuning freq of the box) they're the best bang for buck power on the market. 600 watts RMS, 15 inch driver for 200 bucks on labor day. 300 bucks msrp. Absolutely a steal. Sound quality isn't that bad, not 1500 dollar monolith 15, but also fractions upon fractions of the cost.
The new version of this is now square,not rounded. The amp is fused at 3 amps but sensitivity was low. After diving into the unit it had an 8 ohm driver! I replaced it with a 4 ohm planet audio tq12 at only 42.00 and it totally transformed this sub,both sensitivity and output increased dramatically! The driver is the weak point as the enclosure and amp are solid. They added a 90degree elbow to the port lowering its fs.
I just figured out the resonance… purchased in 2015 for garage and did not use much due to resonance around 79hz. Metal screen other end of voice coil vent not enough epoxy to secure it. Also magnet was separating from basket. Cut small flap in dust cap, relocated screen to outside VC vent, gorilla glue construction adhesive magnet to basket, filled 3/4 full of polyfil “my wife donated an old oversized couch pillow” my results… $99 I have no complaints. This has been a 7 year puzzle = monopriceless.
@@ErinsAudioCorner I'm looking for a cpl of cheap subs for an outdoor theater setup for watching games or the occasional movie. Just curious what you would potentially use in this scenario? looking for some budget bookshelfs for the same setup. Thanks in advance!
I bought bought the Elac sub1010 that you reviewed in the 10" shoot-out. For my PC desktop setup, its just what I needed to compliment my Edifier R1700BTs .
it definitely seemed like the best - cheapest, but also smallest and also on of the best performers. I'd probably also buy that over this monoprice one
I've got 4 of these now. I was using a 10inch Dayton(don't know the model) in my garage system that I purchased about 15 years ago. After getting 2 of these and comparing them with the Dayton, I was convinced enough to buy 2 more. All 4 will be in my home gym garage to give me sweet beats to sweat to. The lack of super deep bass is actually somewhat of a positive, here, due to less sound leakage(garage is very leaky).
Good information, thanks! I have been searching for comparisons between this and the Dayton 10, and yours is the first I've found. Looks like this one wins per your experience. Doesn't surprise me; for low distortion bass, radiating area rules!
Just started using this sub a couple days now, between a set of Altec 501 towers and Altec model 55 bookshelfs, EXTREMELY satisfied! The price/performance really cannot be beaten right now, I almost wanna call this thing a "hidden gem". Apparently these subs are produced by the same facility as the "Energy" speaker company now owned by Klipsch. The overall design is a direct knockoff of a now discontinued Paradigm sub.
I think im sold!! At the price point, youve got plenty of $ left over to upgrade the woofer driver, that may actually be just what I do too! A JBL woofer would look quite nice in that cabinet, matter of fact many people rave about the cabinet quality in other reviews. Im going for it, thank you sir, thank you!
Thanks Erin for your amazing review. I bought the ELAC two or so years ago (on a hunch, not your review) and paired up with an EL34 power audio amplifier and a pair of X-LSs, confirmed your review. The ELAC continues to sound absolutely stunning in my man cave. Certainly poised to start your own audiophile corner.
This with a pair of Neumi BS5s and any small receiver is probably the biggest bang for the buck stereo setup out there if you're not buying used (and getting great deals at that!) and you've got the space.
I got this for $75 2 weeks ago. It takes a lot of space, pointy feet, bottom ported and light weight relative to it’s size. It jumps up and down when I play loud base. I noticed the amplifier plate was pushed in. I suspect the glued boards separated during shipping. I sent it back and got a “new old stock” 8 inch sonance ms3 which goes lower than this 12 inch sub. I paid $65 for the sub and it’s built better.
Thanks Erin for all your hard work and great reviews! I bought two of these on black Friday and could not be happier with their price and performance! Cheers!
I completely agree with your review. I actually tried out this sub and was not very impressed. I was hoping to hit close to 20hz and this sub could simply not do it. I then tried the BIC F12 and it did a lot better but all not quite what I was looking for. I finally settled on the SVS SB1000 and I am very impressed. Although it is not rated down to 20Hz it gets very close in my room.
The Bic F12 is one of a few that I keep getting asked to test. I’m curious about it myself but I’m not sure when I’ll get the opportunity to test it. Anyway, cheers for the reply! Enjoy your new toy. 👍
Can’t you just put sound deadening material on the internal walls and stuff at full of poly fill like packet full and get rid of the residence? Would that make it much better?
just ordered one from monoprice for me new semi budgeted home theatre I'm putting together hope it works well like you said! was contemplating rockville too
Final report I wanna share; The cabinet is in fact of full 1" MDF, the driver itself is a stamped basket, pole vented magnet is a respectable size/weight, leads soldered on, and it measured 9.5 OHM. Amp has a plastic cover on the inside and not exposed. They used a laughably low amount of damping material in the cabinet which appears to be foam insulation most commonly used for faux wood flooring. Ive yet to see a Class D amp that cant do 4 OHMs, So Im gonna swap the driver from my JBL GT-Bass Pro12 car sub in this cabinet and see if theres any more bump that can be squeezed out of it. Expectations beyond exceeded though, they have to be selling these things at close to cost!
Interesting. I just got one, and it measures 230 ohms on it's inputs. After rereading your comment, you were probably saying the speaker to be 9.5 ohm.
@@revscott58 one thing ive noticed is that the unit generates a little buzz into your system, which I found is due to how the amp was wired. If your bold enough to get inside the thing and do some cable mgmt on the amp, it goes a long way ; )
@@AllboroLCD What did you do inside as you say cable management? Did it help eliminate the buzz? Also, I am wondering if this sub has balanced speaker inputs, or is the black speaker inputs actually grounded?
@@revscott58 So the only things really "poor" about these subs is the choice of amplifier, 2 TPA7294 chips in tandem. They use a shockingly nice toroid transformer, but they skimped on the size and voltage (not enough to get max output). Carefully remove the amps cover and youll discover the signal wires awfully close to the transformer, move them away from anything that could make RFI, some foil for shielding wouldnt hurt either. Oh and the laminate used is horrible, mine LITERALLY began peeling immediately after unboxing, no biggie tho.
I had this subwoofer for 3 years and for $100 it was great. It broke on me few weeks ago and I'm looking for a replacement. What would you recommend for under 200? This or another sub? Thanks!
Hey, nice review. I have a 5.1 connected to my tv vía ARC cable and the existing subwoofer works through Bluetooth. If I buy this monoprice sub, can I connect it directly to the TV via RCA? Will both sound systems sound at the same time? I don't want to remove the existing sub, I just want to add this one.
This might be be a perfect mini upgrade for my secondary surround sound system. Its a 20yo Sony HT-K215. Its sub is only 40watts and came really handle anywhere near 35% volume levels. It will be substantially more in the UK if I can find it though. Wonder if it'll still be worth it or are there decent £100 subs worth considering here?
The reply I made above about Dayton applies here as well. I did reach out to Bic to request a loaner to review but no reply. So, until someone else can loan me one or I can get some extra cash to buy it myself, it will have to stay on my wish list. Hopefully soon, though.
Erin, I appreciate your videos A LOT, former audiophile / home & car stereos who sold all my home theater stuff before moving from Florida to Washington... I brought along my projector (small) and was actually using an old Harmon Kardon 2.1 computer stereo system. For the price I paid (free) it actually sounded ok... I haven't bought a new stereo because we're saving to buy a house, so the expensive stuff will have to wait... Then I got an inkling to have / hear some good sound (I love listening to stereo music, not movies)... Been here a year, so I thought I could spend a little... I decided for mids & highs to use some car audio MB Quart 6.5 components, I bought a pair of 6.5 inch wooden carpeted boxes from Amazon, etc... No $$$ spent so far... I needed an amp... I was looking at some budget digital amps from amazon, but I found a great deal on an SVS 150 watt x 2 Soundbase with streaming and other options... It sounds AMAZING !!! So then I was looking for budget subs... I relied heavily on your previous video, again, thanks for all the testing / information. I was going to pull the trigger on the Elac 10, as you rated it very good, but then I came across the Dayton Audio 12" Ported 120 watt digital amp... I saw someone mention it in your comments and I thought for about the same price, I could have a 12 instead of a 10. I got 2 with a coupon for $275. So far, so good! Some people say they need a break in period, honestly, I haven't had the sound base up more than 1/3 volume, it's loud n clear... Since you're reviewing this 12 inch sub, I know the Dayton Audio may be next on your list. If so, I look forward to seeing your testing results, and other videos! Thanks again for your videos!
Hi, I am new to buying speakers and subwoofers. I just bought a pair of iloud MM due to work space constraints but the speakers do not have sub out. I am currently looking for a subwoofer to compensate or stop the iloud MM from producing sound at 50ish hz (port noise is present at about 45 - 55 Hz). Correct me if I am wrong but it seems I am only limited to subwoofers with RCA outputs and crossover knobs. So in theory the Elac 1010 is not an option for my setup I guess. I am wondering does the crossover adjustment work for RCA output on this sub? I am connecting from the DAC > 3.5mm to RCA > sub using the output at the back > speakers (either with RCA to 3.5mm or RCA to RCA). This question may sound stupid but during my research I found that the the crossover or pass filter of the Edifier T5 does not work if you connect the speakers from the sub output. I am not sure if that only applies to T5 or to more subwoofers at this price range.
I did reach out to Dayton to see if they would be willing to loan me a review sample but they said they don't do that. Not sure how other reviewers get theirs... maybe they used to and do not anymore... or maybe I'm not a big enough fish. So, until someone else can loan me one or I can get some extra cash to buy it myself, it will have to stay on my wish list.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Yeah to bad you're not local to me. I have a SUB-1200 and SUB-1500 but shipping those things would be a pain and likely as much as just buying them outright w/ free shipping from parts express.
Have you seen the Monoprice SW-12 on the website? Looks like it just came out recently, no reviews and 400w RMS, and lower freq response for $189. Might use that in a zone 2 setup...
I'm thinking of buying the Elac; is it that much worse than the Monoprice? I have some space considerations so I'm trying to reduce the footprint... I hope its worth it. I also see the Polk PSW is only $110 on Amazon right now. (The Elac is $120) Also I see in the Elac user manual that LFE should be connected to the left channel port only... I recall someone mentioning a RCA spliiter should be used to input both? Is the manual wrong?
While the output capability of the Monoprice is better, I honestly like the ELAC subwoofer more. I just think the overall fit and finish is more appealing thanks to its smaller footprint. I honestly don't know/recall about the LFE input on the Elac.
I've had the Polk for 3 or 4 years and it's a good budget sub, but I bought the Monoprice about a year ago and it definitely blows out the Polk. I'll be buying a second Monoprice for my man cave and putting the Polk out in the living room to help out the wimpy sub that came with my Sony home theater (Edit- If I can figure out how to get around their proprietary connectors). I will say about the Monoprice that if size is an issue measure your space because it is a big box, significantly larger than the Polk.
So do I get the monolith 15 or this, to pair with a mm-5s? lol. Mainly music, deathcore, death metal, bass drops. Overhead presses, deadlifts, lu raises. I should have jumped on the Monolith 10 on ebay for 427$ shipped. I don't wanna move my elemental designs a2-300's into this room to help the mm-5's out.
So, as you recommended to me as a real budget setup I plan to purchase the Neumi BS5 speakers, and I also found the center speaker I might snag as well. Would this sub be a good pair to go with them? Also, if I were to want to spend a little more on the subwoofer to be able to get better output below 50Hz, what would be the budget option in your opinion? I would need it powered, and I know they start to jump in price quickly, but I am a little of a bass junkie and love low notes.
Within a budget, I think the setup you are asking about is fine. Certainly, you can do better. But at what cost? This hobby is a rabbit hole and how far you want to go down it is up to you. I think starting off small and learning what you like and don’t like before spending a lot of money is a rational way to go about it.
@@ErinsAudioCorner I used your link and the subwoofer came in yesterday. Snagged a shirt as well! I tested the sub all day just messing around trying to figure out where it sounds best in the room. Much better than expected to be honest, and it gets rowdy. Klipsch sent me a deal on a pair of their R-625FA towers, pair of R-41M bookshelf's and the R-52C center for like 700$ shipped. All together it sounds good enough for what I was wanting. You have been great help!
I've owned a Monoprice 8in 60w front-ported sub for over a year now. The specific model I have isn't made anymore, model with 50-150Hz freq. from September 2020. The newer model of this has 45-150Hz frequency adjust. Mine sounds amazing for the price at 70+Hz with a sweet spot down in the mid 50Hz. With a little equalization between Monoprice sub and my NHT SuperZero 2.1 bookshelf loudspeakers, it can hit feelable lows in the 20Hz range, but not so much audible being only one 8in sub. The only problem I have with this 8in one (can't say for other similar models) is after warm during loud volume past 3/4, with bass heavy music the sub will start clicking/popping on stuff like when the bass drum initially kicks. Bass lines which ride out slow or start less punchy are fine, and it usually only happens when already playing music loudly at 3/4 to max volume long enough to warm up the heat fins in the back. I feel like it's extra power bleed through when the capacitors inside are ran for awhile, and those plus board inside get hot. In my observatory opinion, I think cheap capacitors are sending a short bursts of extra power to help with the heavy bass kicks or drop starts to maintain its RMS power to speaker, but something isn't going right in the process. When the caps an board are cool inside or ran lower than 3/4 power they can manage the speaker right, but once pushed closer to max after warming up, efficiency of the capacitor, or something drops out completely. Either they aren't able to send enough power causing a weird pop, or the board is letting out too much power at first for a thousand of a second, though long enough to have an audible noise to it. I would totally buy a bigger and newer Monoprice sub if it wasn't for this one problem. The NHT SS 10 Subwoofer ($500) to match bookshelf speakers is what I'll be trying out next 😅. It was out-of-stock when I bought the matching speakers I use for my computer desk 1 year ago. Monoprice bumps good, sounds good if volume is manage below 3/4 on the back knob for this model. I need something louder to match the 2 NHT speakers I already have. If room was slightly smaller then I probably wouldn't upgrade and just keep using this haha it runs 90+db with flat sound EQ and freq. knob all the way up. When sound EQ'd on PC for lows below 50Hz and with freq. knob on back turned slightly past halfway I can get 105db average with 114db peaks around 70Hz, great except for that dang popping that starts randomly to haunt my soul... Forced not to be able to max volume out haha I have mixed feeling on their subs as of now. Recently while experimenting I custom molded a smaller port exit inside the outer part of existing port. Custom molded using 1/2 inch butyl sealant tape to further tune the sub for audible lows. Super sticky stuff and easily formed. It will keep that form as well as not loose grip even with the masses of air this little 8in sub can move. I made its port an inch smaller in diameter about an inch into the port hole from the outside of box. Making sure to round up the walls of rubber molding on the inner side of the port and on the outer. Stock port airflow was way too audible on lows that you couldn't even hear the bass below 40-35Hz, just wind. Oddly enough doing this not only fixed the airflow sound... It made the lows at 25Hz+ now audible and I can run the volume less while producing louder cleaner bass response without clicking/popping. Now I have to turn it up all the way to get click problem to start. Few will read all of this, and if you do, I'd assume you have an 8in Monoprice sub. If so I high recommend you mod the port to be slightly smaller on outer side of the port to catch some of the low bass to keep it more contained in the box for more audible sound not just heavily breathing air out of the port haha the opposite of what I'd normally do for lows... If the sub was in a bigger box with the weird pop sorted out, it could sound 3-4x it's price.
@@patrickmiller4987 When you start toting trailers full of multiple cabs the size of Orange OBC810 if not bigger for the 2 guitars and 1 bass, then whole PA system for drums and second PA set-up for guitars + extra vocal range with massive tweeter cabs all to balance out the whole band, then walk about 50 to 100 yards back and still have ears ringing on guitar squeals. Then you can talk like that to me, and I wouldn't bat an eye. Until then, move on internet dweeb.
@@patrickmiller4987 Not to mention the power cable feeding the 24-channel PA mixer being the size of a human wrist ahahahaha, you know absolutely nothing.
Bought 2 of these. Will be testing with pair of Infinity 2022 (refurbed w/GR-Research 6.5 M-165, No Res & bracing) and LS-X Encores. I’ll let you know how that goes!
REVIEW-IN-PROGRESS 05-21-2022 I procurred 2 - 12" subs as more is always better! This is especially true as my listening-level is low to moderate levels. If this is your environement you must have sufficient waves via greater area of cones. My initial impressions were tainted by some issues with line-level-input, now that is all sorted. These 12" subs appear to require some break-in. Given my environment, an apartment, my listening levels are low-to-moderate volume. I will let these two 12" subs break-in as that is the only way I can provide an objective review. At this point these can be cranked up with sufficient response. My environment is a Pioneer 1977 XS-450 (15watts per chan A & B). Running with the Monoprice direct speaker line inputs and two Infinity 2022 upgraded with M-165 6.5in mids, added bracing and No Res. More eval required on the rca line level inputs as I need couple of rca cables. To run the rig with rca on the Pioneer SX-450 you must run "Tape-in" then "Tape-out to an rca splitter to each sub so I need another (for-real) rca splitter to test that configuration. At this point with two subs running the bass is cumming on very well. The track playing now has well defined base and it is coming through extremely defined, so well in fact I had to turn down the main. My level set at this point is that two subs were the correct decision. The lows are crisp and well driven. I'll update once the subs are broken in if that makes a difference. However after only a few hours, these subs are quickly growing on me. Erin is spot-on on the quality, you would need to drop $500+ to move to the next level of quality subs. More to come!
A little detail, the high level inputs immediately popped loose, springs and plastic tabs flew out, and appears to be assembled while outside the enclosure. Looks like dissassembly or a Monoprice solution will be the fix. Will be contacting Monoprice Monday. Post or banana clips would be more ideal. I'll see where this takes me and get back on that.
06-10-2022 UPDATE: I must report that I am very pleased with Monoprice response to issues I have experenced with the hi level line inputs, they are sending two replacement subs for replacement. Now the business. Break-in is key to the performance of these two subs, certainly same with a single sub. As these speakers moved into 30+ hours of service, the performance literally blossomed to a exceedlingly good level. So much so that I have had to back these vastly down in dB's. For reference I am running these at the 50hz low limit of the cross-over. They thunder for their size. In 20-30-40-50hz incrimental test, 20hz is clearly audible while the order of magnitude increases moving onto 30kz and beyond. Note that I have two subs, thus output levels are double and man it is audible. My neighbors can attest! Now for the audio artifacts. There is significant resonance at mid+ dB levels and greater dB's. This closely follows observations by Erin. This leads me to believe that these resonant artifacts are a result of need for additional bracing and dampenning material. These speakers produce such a great amount of energy that "intense-absolute" resonance mitigation measures are a necessity. Upon receiving the two replacement subs and a break-in, I will be cracking the box to assess existing internal bracing and dampening to determine what if any measures are required at this point. My take is that much is needed. However, if this can resolve the resonance issues then success is at hand. I will be sharing my mitigation measures with Monoprice so that they may consider possible integration measures in future product. All considered, I believe this is much more bang than I anticipated and this will play out in my continued review. In the end, I am very excited with the performance thus far. I look forward to breaking these boxes open and assessing and applying mitigation if that is indeed the path to improved performance. I am sufficiently impressed by the results thus far. I purchased these at $99/ea. Now retailing from Monotprice for $139.99. I got in at the right time, now a 140% increase in price, these are still a great value. I remain very impressed. I wouild not hesitate to drop $140 for these after hearing them. For a level set my config has moved from a legacy Pioneer SX-450 (@15W/ChX4) to a Pioneer VSX-D509S DSP (100W/ChX2) powering Infinity bookshelf speakers upgraded with w/6.5 woofer w/Infinity 2002 tweeters, added bracing & No Res). The XS-450 did very well, however, the 100w 509 receiver wins hands down in sheer brute force with great authority in crisp bass and depth of power. My environment does not affort the ability to exceed 50 clicks on the volume. I fear the police will be dispatched to my location ... More to come ...
Anybody figure out a fix for the 100hz rattle and the chuffing at 35hz? I suspect tightening the screws and placing some fiber foam in the chamber would even it out?
audio noob here, can you limit the low end freq for a sub on your receiver to avoid the port chuffing? Looking to get a Yamaha, Denon or Onkyo in the $280 range for a living room setup. Thanks
What you're asking about is typically referred to as a "subsonic filter" or just a high-pass filter. You see them on car audio amps frequently. However, I don't know of any AVR that offers this on the subwoofer pre-out channels. As an alternative you could use an in-line HPF like this from Parts Express: www.parts-express.com/harrison-labs-fmod-inline-crossover-pair-30-hz-high-pass-rca--266-248?AID=10572100&PID=100018531&SID=130832X1592984X7021ab74c3e2892ff95f05ad8b0e35e2&cjevent=0f6ed3af422911eb80ad01980a24060f&CJ
I have a polk psw111 I don't know why my subwoofer is making heartbeat or heart pulse sounds. Thinking should I replace this new sub or just repair it??? Is this one better than polk psw111?
Could just be your settings. Your frequency response could be set too low causing the bass to cut off too soon. It might also need to be calibrated so the bass is more of a wave. (Make sure LFE is active for home theater) You'll want to achieve that perfect blend not too faded or too boomy.
Hey Erin! Love the videos man. Very helpful and honest with the numbers to back it. I was wondering if you've heard any of the dayton budget subs SUB 1000, 1200. I have the 1000 in my budget system and I was very impressed at first and wondered if they were comparable to to like monoprice or polk. Thanks again man!! Happy new year!
I haven't yet but the Dayton subwoofers are on my list to test in the future. I reached out to see if they'd be willing to loan me some of their products to review but they don't do that (so they said). So I'm just waiting to get enough spare change to be able to purchase one to review myself.
Hey what's up nice video. Am trying to pick up a 15 sub for my living room theater lol. Am thinking about the monoprice sw-15 or the Daton Audio 1500, 15" sub witch one do think I should get. Thanks
Honestly, I don’t know. Both brands are great. Though, my experience with the Dayton SUB-1200 wasn’t as positive as others’. I’ve not run into an issue with Monoprice stuff (when considering their price, especially).
Hi Erin - am new to this channel and hifi setups in general. Am planning on getting this to complement my edifier R1280DBS for a budget desktop setup for music and videos. Watched the video but it puzzles me how a sub that is released many years ago is still the relevant value pick for today? Wouldn't the industry have better technology developed to create better sound at lower cost prices in the span of so many years?
Not so in the budget category. I paired the Elac Sub1010 with the Edifier 1855db and 1700bts and it sounds crazy good. Most musical sub Ive come across, the Polk sounds like dried wood compared to the Elac.
Wirecutter had the Dayton Audio Sub 1200 as the best budget subwoofer and beating this Monoprice in output measurements. You should test it if you get the chance.
I would love to see you test a BIC F-12 to see how it stacks up against the other budget subs. I have listened to a lot of other F-12 reviews and most are very positive but none of them actually measure them like you did. Supposedly, it will play deeper making it a better budget option but would like to see it tested as I find numbers to be more objective, though your observation regarding the resonance heard on the Monoprice is something that wouldn't be seen in the numbers so that was very good info also.
I do plan to test that one at some point. It might be a few months, though. I need the temperature to warm up and to get a few other things tested first.
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is this subwoofer louder then the Mirage frx s10? please respond
Ugh I just received the delivery of my Monoprice 12" sub yesterday. Big mistake. For me the resonance/rattle starts at about 104hz and continues to 111, peaking at 107. Really disappointing. And even worse is that the rattle even happens at low volumes. I know that because this sub will NOT get loud (even at full gain) without completely cranking master volume WAY beyond where I would listen. Seriously, my phone's speaker is louder than the sub. What the heck?!
It would change the roll-off characteristic. That could be useful depending no your goal. But if I were going to seal it, I would likely look at other options to see if there is something more suited for what I need.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Gotcha. i have been looking at some of the things i want, and a sub was one of them. i have around $100. what would you most suggest for 100? (new or used).
@@sagered8007 honestly, man, this is probably the best you're going to get with that budget. I don't even see how someone could DIY one with materials costs below $100. I don't know how Monoprice is able to create and sell something at this price and make profit. Maybe there is something I'm unaware of out there. Or maybe if you have some stuff lying around. But you're looking at probably $20 in MDF. Then $50 for a decent drive unit. And then you need an amp. I just don't see it.
Cool. Hopefully they fit your needs. Not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but in its price class, it seems to be one of the better performers (since I haven't tested the Daytons yet).
I can’t answer that just yet. Will take me obtaining and testing others. I have finished testing the Monoprice Monolith 10/12/15-inch subwoofers and the 10-inch will play down to 30Hz easily. But I imagine other 12’s lower in cost will (maybe just not as loudly).
@@ErinsAudioCorner Really?? Monoprice Monolith 10's? Maybe a pair of those will give me the THUMP that I am looking for... Have you tested them? And would they still beat the Polk and Elac from your other video?
@@ErinsAudioCorner I just went to their website, and the 10's look great but, I'm looking to get 2 of them, and I haven't been able to convince myself to pay a thousand dollars just for the subs.. yet.. LOL I'm hoping to find a pair of decent subs for around 6 hundred bucks, if that's possible. I guess I will subscribe to your channel and wait to see what you find in your tests. The RSL Speedwoofers would be 800 bucks, and I'm seeing a lot of people speak highly of them. And, If I do decide to spend more money, I would have to consider the entry level SVS, as I'm hearing a lot of good about them as well.
I reached out to SVS to see if they would be willing to send loaners. They replied back asking what I’d be interested in testing. I replied back. But haven’t heard anything since then; late last week. Hopefully they are still willing to loan me some test samples to review.
I have mine set up and am pleased with the sound quality. One unexpected thing is that the volume from the new sub is low compared to the 50-W sub that came with my Klipsch theater pack. I'm running 2 subs and have the volume on the Monoprice sub at 100%, and I have to set the volume on the Klipsch sub at about 35% to make them sound balanced. I did some testing to eliminate the cables and sub line outs on my AVR as possible causes. Is this normal for the Monoprice sub?
Thanks for the review, it's gone up in price a little and I purchased this to complement my bookshelf speakers. Hasn't arrived yet but...whoah..didn't realize how huge this thing is watching this next to you shows the size of it compared to the Amazon pics of it. I was gonna grab a $500 sub but thought to give this a shot and maybe save some monies.
@@docwho10th88 It's working out great. It booms loud when a certain track calls for it and stays quiet when the track is quiet. Didn't take long for me to set it up. Hooked it up straight to the subwoofer out of my receiver.
Thanks for the videos. What I think I will do is get two of the elac subwoofers and put bookshelf speakers on them. What I would like to do is an easy DIY way of introducing a high-pass filter on the bookshelfs so they do not have to labor to put out the sub 200hz signal. Please comment if anybody has a good way of doing this.
I have 4 of these. 3 in the big room, 1 solo in the small room. 1 just died after a couple years. That's how I found this video. Looking to replace it with something a little more reliable. .
Would this be better than the sub that comes with the Logitech z906 HTiB? I have a 5.1.2 setup, looking to upgrade to 2 subs but want to replace the logitech one if this is better. May just buy 2 of these. AVR is denon x1300w
Might be too late but even the Elac and Polk would outperform the z906 sub. The z906 is boost3d way too much at 45 - 60hz, giving the false impression of being powerful but in reality it doesnt go low. It loses a lot of authority at around 40 - 45hz and it is nowhere near linear.
Any budget sub would enhance the bass on powered bookshelves, even the 38hz rated Edifier S3000Pro. A sub is a sub, a powered bookshelf that is rated to the same exact spec as a speaker will have 10 times more volume in the vass department.
Talked my brother into adding two of these to his system. He's a "budget" minded guy who appreciates good sound. It was that or a single BIC F12. Part of liking something is "knowing" what you like. We tried both and frankly, two of these won out, hands down. The two lower powered units proved to be capable of louder output, that's just physics, twice the cone displacement, moves more air. All things considered, 3 or 4 might have been pretty cool!
First time I've seen anyone demonstrate port chuffing/resonance in a sub review. Nice!
Well, you know... *puffs chest*... I am just that cool. :D :D
I have 2 sw15s and STRONGLY recommend them for first time home theater buyers. Paired with a dayton dsp (they absolutely need it to make up for terrible tuning freq of the box) they're the best bang for buck power on the market. 600 watts RMS, 15 inch driver for 200 bucks on labor day. 300 bucks msrp. Absolutely a steal. Sound quality isn't that bad, not 1500 dollar monolith 15, but also fractions upon fractions of the cost.
The new version of this is now square,not rounded. The amp is fused at 3 amps but sensitivity was low. After diving into the unit it had an 8 ohm driver! I replaced it with a 4 ohm planet audio tq12 at only 42.00 and it totally transformed this sub,both sensitivity and output increased dramatically! The driver is the weak point as the enclosure and amp are solid. They added a 90degree elbow to the port lowering its fs.
I just figured out the resonance… purchased in 2015 for garage and did not use much due to resonance around 79hz. Metal screen other end of voice coil vent not enough epoxy to secure it. Also magnet was separating from basket. Cut small flap in dust cap, relocated screen to outside VC vent, gorilla glue construction adhesive magnet to basket, filled 3/4 full of polyfil “my wife donated an old oversized couch pillow” my results… $99 I have no complaints. This has been a 7 year puzzle = monopriceless.
You deserve more subs.
Is that a pun? 😂
@@ErinsAudioCorner The lowest frequency of humor
@@Eric_the_Hiking that's deeply impressive despite being a bassic pun
@@ErinsAudioCorner I'm looking for a cpl of cheap subs for an outdoor theater setup for watching games or the occasional movie. Just curious what you would potentially use in this scenario?
looking for some budget bookshelfs for the same setup.
Thanks in advance!
@@ErinsAudioCorner thanks so much for making this video it helped me a lot!
I bought bought the Elac sub1010 that you reviewed in the 10" shoot-out. For my PC desktop setup, its just what I needed to compliment my Edifier R1700BTs .
it definitely seemed like the best - cheapest, but also smallest and also on of the best performers. I'd probably also buy that over this monoprice one
I've got 4 of these now. I was using a 10inch Dayton(don't know the model) in my garage system that I purchased about 15 years ago. After getting 2 of these and comparing them with the Dayton, I was convinced enough to buy 2 more. All 4 will be in my home gym garage to give me sweet beats to sweat to. The lack of super deep bass is actually somewhat of a positive, here, due to less sound leakage(garage is very leaky).
Good information, thanks! I have been searching for comparisons between this and the Dayton 10, and yours is the first I've found. Looks like this one wins per your experience. Doesn't surprise me; for low distortion bass, radiating area rules!
Just started using this sub a couple days now, between a set of Altec 501 towers and Altec model 55 bookshelfs, EXTREMELY satisfied! The price/performance really cannot be beaten right now, I almost wanna call this thing a "hidden gem". Apparently these subs are produced by the same facility as the "Energy" speaker company now owned by Klipsch. The overall design is a direct knockoff of a now discontinued Paradigm sub.
I think im sold!! At the price point, youve got plenty of $ left over to upgrade the woofer driver, that may actually be just what I do too! A JBL woofer would look quite nice in that cabinet, matter of fact many people rave about the cabinet quality in other reviews. Im going for it, thank you sir, thank you!
That's an interesting idea. Hadn't considered it. Let me know how it works out for you... I'd be curious.
@@ErinsAudioCorner You wouldnt happen to know the woofers impedance would you?
@@AllboroLCD sure don’t. Didn’t bother to test the raw driver. Was limited on time.
@@ErinsAudioCorner its quite ok, was just curious, thnx!
Thanks Erin for your amazing review. I bought the ELAC two or so years ago (on a hunch, not your review) and paired up with an EL34 power audio amplifier and a pair of X-LSs, confirmed your review. The ELAC continues to sound absolutely stunning in my man cave. Certainly poised to start your own audiophile corner.
Glad it was helpful!
That's One Hell of a Review on the ELAC !!! As my wife and I are sliding into home plate 😁 h poo on it up 🏡🏠💩
This with a pair of Neumi BS5s and any small receiver is probably the biggest bang for the buck stereo setup out there if you're not buying used (and getting great deals at that!) and you've got the space.
I got this for $75 2 weeks ago. It takes a lot of space, pointy feet, bottom ported and light weight relative to it’s size. It jumps up and down when I play loud base. I noticed the amplifier plate was pushed in. I suspect the glued boards separated during shipping. I sent it back and got a “new old stock” 8 inch sonance ms3 which goes lower than this 12 inch sub. I paid $65 for the sub and it’s built better.
Thanks Erin for all your hard work and great reviews! I bought two of these on black Friday and could not be happier with their price and performance! Cheers!
Thanks, I changed my Yamaha receiver from 100 to 90 and the Monoprice subwoofer sounds much better.
Dayton Sub-1200 plays down to 25hz and can be had around $140. Infinity R12 currently on sale $169 also is a good budget sub
Even this will output down below 30 Hz, but not at an appreciable sound pressure level.
I completely agree with your review. I actually tried out this sub and was not very impressed. I was hoping to hit close to 20hz and this sub could simply not do it. I then tried the BIC F12 and it did a lot better but all not quite what I was looking for. I finally settled on the SVS SB1000 and I am very impressed. Although it is not rated down to 20Hz it gets very close in my room.
The Bic F12 is one of a few that I keep getting asked to test. I’m curious about it myself but I’m not sure when I’ll get the opportunity to test it.
Anyway, cheers for the reply! Enjoy your new toy. 👍
Silly rabbit. Just say you bought svs because you chasing after brands like everybody else lol.
Thanks… enjoying the sub. Bought 2 and hooked one to each speaker left and right. Sounds awesome
Would this subwoofer benefit from a sock/ beanie in the port?
What should be the setting for frequency and volume knobs? I usually keep them around 12-1o clock position. Any recommendations.
Awesome that you said chealp subs are mid bass modules. Why dont we see mid bass modules in ht? I use them
Can’t you just put sound deadening material on the internal walls and stuff at full of poly fill like packet full and get rid of the residence? Would that make it much better?
My dayton sub-1000 has usable in room bass down to 30hz for only $120 , would be interesting to see a review of that.
I wanted one of these but UK sellers want £330 and up for them 😵
just ordered one from monoprice for me new semi budgeted home theatre I'm putting together hope it works well like you said! was contemplating rockville too
Final report I wanna share;
The cabinet is in fact of full 1" MDF, the driver itself is a stamped basket, pole vented magnet is a respectable size/weight, leads soldered on, and it measured 9.5 OHM. Amp has a plastic cover on the inside and not exposed. They used a laughably low amount of damping material in the cabinet which appears to be foam insulation most commonly used for faux wood flooring. Ive yet to see a Class D amp that cant do 4 OHMs, So Im gonna swap the driver from my JBL GT-Bass Pro12 car sub in this cabinet and see if theres any more bump that can be squeezed out of it. Expectations beyond exceeded though, they have to be selling these things at close to cost!
Thanks for the feedback. Yea, I can't imagine they're making much profit off these.
Interesting. I just got one, and it measures 230 ohms on it's inputs. After rereading your comment, you were probably saying the speaker to be 9.5 ohm.
@@revscott58 one thing ive noticed is that the unit generates a little buzz into your system, which I found is due to how the amp was wired. If your bold enough to get inside the thing and do some cable mgmt on the amp, it goes a long way ; )
@@AllboroLCD
What did you do inside as you say cable management? Did it help eliminate the buzz? Also, I am wondering if this sub has balanced speaker inputs, or is the black speaker inputs actually grounded?
@@revscott58 So the only things really "poor" about these subs is the choice of amplifier, 2 TPA7294 chips in tandem. They use a shockingly nice toroid transformer, but they skimped on the size and voltage (not enough to get max output). Carefully remove the amps cover and youll discover the signal wires awfully close to the transformer, move them away from anything that could make RFI, some foil for shielding wouldnt hurt either. Oh and the laminate used is horrible, mine LITERALLY began peeling immediately after unboxing, no biggie tho.
I had this subwoofer for 3 years and for $100 it was great. It broke on me few weeks ago and I'm looking for a replacement. What would you recommend for under 200? This or another sub? Thanks!
Add bluetac and 5 layer dampening material to the cabinet and I bet the resonance issue is fixed.
yup
Hey, nice review.
I have a 5.1 connected to my tv vía ARC cable and the existing subwoofer works through Bluetooth. If I buy this monoprice sub, can I connect it directly to the TV via RCA? Will both sound systems sound at the same time?
I don't want to remove the existing sub, I just want to add this one.
Link to CEA-2010 Test Results spreadsheet:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18bz7z-xIlRJsC-bw6k4mHkuwv_uiGAMyEhgrTkjwdXc/edit?usp=sharing
Would this compete with the HT/1205 and the KEF KC62? They both have more power.
Can you connected to a sound bar ????
This might be be a perfect mini upgrade for my secondary surround sound system. Its a 20yo Sony HT-K215. Its sub is only 40watts and came really handle anywhere near 35% volume levels.
It will be substantially more in the UK if I can find it though. Wonder if it'll still be worth it or are there decent £100 subs worth considering here?
Question....I'm looking at this Sub, but I have the Fosi BT10 and the Q4 headphone jack...will this power this sub as well as 2 Sony SSCS5?
Great review. I would love to see you test some BIC America subs. They still hit that value mark but provide a bit more punch.
The reply I made above about Dayton applies here as well. I did reach out to Bic to request a loaner to review but no reply. So, until someone else can loan me one or I can get some extra cash to buy it myself, it will have to stay on my wish list. Hopefully soon, though.
I have the Bic F 12 since about two months. Wow what a difference. Love it.
Erin, I appreciate your videos A LOT, former audiophile / home & car stereos who sold all my home theater stuff before moving from Florida to Washington... I brought along my projector (small) and was actually using an old Harmon Kardon 2.1 computer stereo system. For the price I paid (free) it actually sounded ok...
I haven't bought a new stereo because we're saving to buy a house, so the expensive stuff will have to wait... Then I got an inkling to have / hear some good sound (I love listening to stereo music, not movies)... Been here a year, so I thought I could spend a little... I decided for mids & highs to use some car audio MB Quart 6.5 components, I bought a pair of 6.5 inch wooden carpeted boxes from Amazon, etc... No $$$ spent so far... I needed an amp... I was looking at some budget digital amps from amazon, but I found a great deal on an SVS 150 watt x 2 Soundbase with streaming and other options... It sounds AMAZING !!! So then I was looking for budget subs... I relied heavily on your previous video, again, thanks for all the testing / information. I was going to pull the trigger on the Elac 10, as you rated it very good, but then I came across the Dayton Audio 12" Ported 120 watt digital amp... I saw someone mention it in your comments and I thought for about the same price, I could have a 12 instead of a 10. I got 2 with a coupon for $275. So far, so good! Some people say they need a break in period, honestly, I haven't had the sound base up more than 1/3 volume, it's loud n clear... Since you're reviewing this 12 inch sub, I know the Dayton Audio may be next on your list. If so, I look forward to seeing your testing results, and other videos! Thanks again for your videos!
Please compare this to Acoustic Audio PSW500-12, they seem to be in the same price range.
The Line out, is that for Powered Speakers?
Hi, I am new to buying speakers and subwoofers. I just bought a pair of iloud MM due to work space constraints but the speakers do not have sub out. I am currently looking for a subwoofer to compensate or stop the iloud MM from producing sound at 50ish hz (port noise is present at about 45 - 55 Hz). Correct me if I am wrong but it seems I am only limited to subwoofers with RCA outputs and crossover knobs. So in theory the Elac 1010 is not an option for my setup I guess.
I am wondering does the crossover adjustment work for RCA output on this sub? I am connecting from the DAC > 3.5mm to RCA > sub using the output at the back > speakers (either with RCA to 3.5mm or RCA to RCA). This question may sound stupid but during my research I found that the the crossover or pass filter of the Edifier T5 does not work if you connect the speakers from the sub output. I am not sure if that only applies to T5 or to more subwoofers at this price range.
It's a shame Dayton Audio doesn't send out samples for review very often. I'd really love to see how their budget subs stack up.
I did reach out to Dayton to see if they would be willing to loan me a review sample but they said they don't do that. Not sure how other reviewers get theirs... maybe they used to and do not anymore... or maybe I'm not a big enough fish.
So, until someone else can loan me one or I can get some extra cash to buy it myself, it will have to stay on my wish list.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Yeah to bad you're not local to me. I have a SUB-1200 and SUB-1500 but shipping those things would be a pain and likely as much as just buying them outright w/ free shipping from parts express.
You should just buy one then return it with a note thanking them for the demo. Dumb company
Have you seen the Monoprice SW-12 on the website? Looks like it just came out recently, no reviews and 400w RMS, and lower freq response for $189. Might use that in a zone 2 setup...
I haven’t. I’ll look at it.
That sub however is quite big, even for a 12", some also complained about QA or reliability issues with the plate amp fyi
Its more junk from china
Have you done your own testing with polyfill? If so what were the results? Does it change the response of a subwoofer? Would it help with resonances?
I haven’t. I thought about it but I’ve got a lot to get through. It might help. If I have time to check, I’ll follow up.
I'm thinking of buying the Elac; is it that much worse than the Monoprice? I have some space considerations so I'm trying to reduce the footprint... I hope its worth it.
I also see the Polk PSW is only $110 on Amazon right now. (The Elac is $120)
Also I see in the Elac user manual that LFE should be connected to the left channel port only... I recall someone mentioning a RCA spliiter should be used to input both? Is the manual wrong?
While the output capability of the Monoprice is better, I honestly like the ELAC subwoofer more. I just think the overall fit and finish is more appealing thanks to its smaller footprint.
I honestly don't know/recall about the LFE input on the Elac.
Hi. Do you know de truaudio ss-10 or SS-8 subwoofer?
These aren't rounded anymore. The new version has a 17" square box.
I've had the Polk for 3 or 4 years and it's a good budget sub, but I bought the Monoprice about a year ago and it definitely blows out the Polk. I'll be buying a second Monoprice for my man cave and putting the Polk out in the living room to help out the wimpy sub that came with my Sony home theater (Edit- If I can figure out how to get around their proprietary connectors). I will say about the Monoprice that if size is an issue measure your space because it is a big box, significantly larger than the Polk.
has better bass than Polk?
@@igam3r528 Yes, noticeably better. The bass is cleaner and louder.
Thank you for telling us the Hertz at the start of the video.
So do I get the monolith 15 or this, to pair with a mm-5s? lol. Mainly music, deathcore, death metal, bass drops. Overhead presses, deadlifts, lu raises. I should have jumped on the Monolith 10 on ebay for 427$ shipped. I don't wanna move my elemental designs a2-300's into this room to help the mm-5's out.
Buy all of them. 😎
@@ErinsAudioCorner 14 monoprice 12's for the price of one monolith 15 lol.
So, as you recommended to me as a real budget setup I plan to purchase the Neumi BS5 speakers, and I also found the center speaker I might snag as well. Would this sub be a good pair to go with them? Also, if I were to want to spend a little more on the subwoofer to be able to get better output below 50Hz, what would be the budget option in your opinion? I would need it powered, and I know they start to jump in price quickly, but I am a little of a bass junkie and love low notes.
Also, if you have affiliate links I will use them. Your help has been amazing and I just purchased a shirt to try and support the great work.
Within a budget, I think the setup you are asking about is fine. Certainly, you can do better. But at what cost? This hobby is a rabbit hole and how far you want to go down it is up to you. I think starting off small and learning what you like and don’t like before spending a lot of money is a rational way to go about it.
@@ErinsAudioCorner I used your link and the subwoofer came in yesterday. Snagged a shirt as well! I tested the sub all day just messing around trying to figure out where it sounds best in the room. Much better than expected to be honest, and it gets rowdy. Klipsch sent me a deal on a pair of their R-625FA towers, pair of R-41M bookshelf's and the R-52C center for like 700$ shipped. All together it sounds good enough for what I was wanting. You have been great help!
@@ninja226 awesome, man! Glad to hear you are digging your setup!
How would one deal with the lack of phase control? I want to run 2 for a desktop setup.
Hardware-wise; you’d have to get a miniDSP.
I've owned a Monoprice 8in 60w front-ported sub for over a year now. The specific model I have isn't made anymore, model with 50-150Hz freq. from September 2020. The newer model of this has 45-150Hz frequency adjust. Mine sounds amazing for the price at 70+Hz with a sweet spot down in the mid 50Hz. With a little equalization between Monoprice sub and my NHT SuperZero 2.1 bookshelf loudspeakers, it can hit feelable lows in the 20Hz range, but not so much audible being only one 8in sub. The only problem I have with this 8in one (can't say for other similar models) is after warm during loud volume past 3/4, with bass heavy music the sub will start clicking/popping on stuff like when the bass drum initially kicks. Bass lines which ride out slow or start less punchy are fine, and it usually only happens when already playing music loudly at 3/4 to max volume long enough to warm up the heat fins in the back. I feel like it's extra power bleed through when the capacitors inside are ran for awhile, and those plus board inside get hot. In my observatory opinion, I think cheap capacitors are sending a short bursts of extra power to help with the heavy bass kicks or drop starts to maintain its RMS power to speaker, but something isn't going right in the process. When the caps an board are cool inside or ran lower than 3/4 power they can manage the speaker right, but once pushed closer to max after warming up, efficiency of the capacitor, or something drops out completely. Either they aren't able to send enough power causing a weird pop, or the board is letting out too much power at first for a thousand of a second, though long enough to have an audible noise to it. I would totally buy a bigger and newer Monoprice sub if it wasn't for this one problem. The NHT SS 10 Subwoofer ($500) to match bookshelf speakers is what I'll be trying out next 😅. It was out-of-stock when I bought the matching speakers I use for my computer desk 1 year ago. Monoprice bumps good, sounds good if volume is manage below 3/4 on the back knob for this model. I need something louder to match the 2 NHT speakers I already have. If room was slightly smaller then I probably wouldn't upgrade and just keep using this haha it runs 90+db with flat sound EQ and freq. knob all the way up. When sound EQ'd on PC for lows below 50Hz and with freq. knob on back turned slightly past halfway I can get 105db average with 114db peaks around 70Hz, great except for that dang popping that starts randomly to haunt my soul... Forced not to be able to max volume out haha I have mixed feeling on their subs as of now. Recently while experimenting I custom molded a smaller port exit inside the outer part of existing port. Custom molded using 1/2 inch butyl sealant tape to further tune the sub for audible lows. Super sticky stuff and easily formed. It will keep that form as well as not loose grip even with the masses of air this little 8in sub can move. I made its port an inch smaller in diameter about an inch into the port hole from the outside of box. Making sure to round up the walls of rubber molding on the inner side of the port and on the outer. Stock port airflow was way too audible on lows that you couldn't even hear the bass below 40-35Hz, just wind. Oddly enough doing this not only fixed the airflow sound... It made the lows at 25Hz+ now audible and I can run the volume less while producing louder cleaner bass response without clicking/popping. Now I have to turn it up all the way to get click problem to start. Few will read all of this, and if you do, I'd assume you have an 8in Monoprice sub. If so I high recommend you mod the port to be slightly smaller on outer side of the port to catch some of the low bass to keep it more contained in the box for more audible sound not just heavily breathing air out of the port haha the opposite of what I'd normally do for lows... If the sub was in a bigger box with the weird pop sorted out, it could sound 3-4x it's price.
Is this the first chapter of your book? Just kidding.
I just got the 8 inch, but I see the 12 inch is only 10 dollars more lol. Might return it, I'm on the fence
Feelable lows around 20hz, I dont think so. 60w and 8inch budget sub, You havent experienced a capable sub. Ignorance is bliss though!
@@patrickmiller4987 When you start toting trailers full of multiple cabs the size of Orange OBC810 if not bigger for the 2 guitars and 1 bass, then whole PA system for drums and second PA set-up for guitars + extra vocal range with massive tweeter cabs all to balance out the whole band, then walk about 50 to 100 yards back and still have ears ringing on guitar squeals. Then you can talk like that to me, and I wouldn't bat an eye. Until then, move on internet dweeb.
@@patrickmiller4987 Not to mention the power cable feeding the 24-channel PA mixer being the size of a human wrist ahahahaha, you know absolutely nothing.
How does this compare to the Dayton Audio SUB-1200? Trying to decide, I listen to hip-hop mostly.
I’m not sure TBH. No experience with the Dayton (yet).
Can you check out the Emotive T-Zero? they are tower speakers priced at $399.
Bought 2 of these. Will be testing with pair of Infinity 2022 (refurbed w/GR-Research 6.5 M-165, No Res & bracing) and LS-X Encores. I’ll let you know how that goes!
REVIEW-IN-PROGRESS 05-21-2022 I procurred 2 - 12" subs as more is always better! This is especially true as my listening-level is low to moderate levels. If this is your environement you must have sufficient waves via greater area of cones. My initial impressions were tainted by some issues with line-level-input, now that is all sorted. These 12" subs appear to require some break-in. Given my environment, an apartment, my listening levels are low-to-moderate volume. I will let these two 12" subs break-in as that is the only way I can provide an objective review. At this point these can be cranked up with sufficient response. My environment is a Pioneer 1977 XS-450 (15watts per chan A & B). Running with the Monoprice direct speaker line inputs and two Infinity 2022 upgraded with M-165 6.5in mids, added bracing and No Res. More eval required on the rca line level inputs as I need couple of rca cables. To run the rig with rca on the Pioneer SX-450 you must run "Tape-in" then "Tape-out to an rca splitter to each sub so I need another (for-real) rca splitter to test that configuration. At this point with two subs running the bass is cumming on very well. The track playing now has well defined base and it is coming through extremely defined, so well in fact I had to turn down the main. My level set at this point is that two subs were the correct decision. The lows are crisp and well driven. I'll update once the subs are broken in if that makes a difference. However after only a few hours, these subs are quickly growing on me. Erin is spot-on on the quality, you would need to drop $500+ to move to the next level of quality subs. More to come!
A little detail, the high level inputs immediately popped loose, springs and plastic tabs flew out, and appears to be assembled while outside the enclosure. Looks like dissassembly or a Monoprice solution will be the fix. Will be contacting Monoprice Monday. Post or banana clips would be more ideal. I'll see where this takes me and get back on that.
06-10-2022 UPDATE: I must report that I am very pleased with Monoprice response to issues I have experenced with the hi level line inputs, they are sending two replacement subs for replacement. Now the business.
Break-in is key to the performance of these two subs, certainly same with a single sub. As these speakers moved into 30+ hours of service, the performance literally blossomed to a exceedlingly good level. So much so that I have had to back these vastly down in dB's. For reference I am running these at the 50hz low limit of the cross-over. They thunder for their size.
In 20-30-40-50hz incrimental test, 20hz is clearly audible while the order of magnitude increases moving onto 30kz and beyond. Note that I have two subs, thus output levels are double and man it is audible. My neighbors can attest!
Now for the audio artifacts. There is significant resonance at mid+ dB levels and greater dB's. This closely follows observations by Erin. This leads me to believe that these resonant artifacts are a result of need for additional bracing and dampenning material. These speakers produce such a great amount of energy that "intense-absolute" resonance mitigation measures are a necessity.
Upon receiving the two replacement subs and a break-in, I will be cracking the box to assess existing internal bracing and dampening to determine what if any measures are required at this point. My take is that much is needed. However, if this can resolve the resonance issues then success is at hand. I will be sharing my mitigation measures with Monoprice so that they may consider possible integration measures in future product.
All considered, I believe this is much more bang than I anticipated and this will play out in my continued review.
In the end, I am very excited with the performance thus far. I look forward to breaking these boxes open and assessing and applying mitigation if that is indeed the path to improved performance.
I am sufficiently impressed by the results thus far. I purchased these at $99/ea. Now retailing from Monotprice for $139.99. I got in at the right time, now a 140% increase in price, these are still a great value. I remain very impressed. I wouild not hesitate to drop $140 for these after hearing them.
For a level set my config has moved from a legacy Pioneer SX-450 (@15W/ChX4) to a Pioneer VSX-D509S DSP (100W/ChX2) powering Infinity bookshelf speakers upgraded with w/6.5 woofer w/Infinity 2002 tweeters, added bracing & No Res). The XS-450 did very well, however, the 100w 509 receiver wins hands down in sheer brute force with great authority in crisp bass and depth of power. My environment does not affort the ability to exceed 50 clicks on the volume. I fear the police will be dispatched to my location ...
More to come ...
Anybody figure out a fix for the 100hz rattle and the chuffing at 35hz? I suspect tightening the screws and placing some fiber foam in the chamber would even it out?
audio noob here, can you limit the low end freq for a sub on your receiver to avoid the port chuffing? Looking to get a Yamaha, Denon or Onkyo in the $280 range for a living room setup. Thanks
What you're asking about is typically referred to as a "subsonic filter" or just a high-pass filter. You see them on car audio amps frequently. However, I don't know of any AVR that offers this on the subwoofer pre-out channels. As an alternative you could use an in-line HPF like this from Parts Express: www.parts-express.com/harrison-labs-fmod-inline-crossover-pair-30-hz-high-pass-rca--266-248?AID=10572100&PID=100018531&SID=130832X1592984X7021ab74c3e2892ff95f05ad8b0e35e2&cjevent=0f6ed3af422911eb80ad01980a24060f&CJ
I have a polk psw111 I don't know why my subwoofer is making heartbeat or heart pulse sounds. Thinking should I replace this new sub or just repair it??? Is this one better than polk psw111?
Could just be your settings. Your frequency response could be set too low causing the bass to cut off too soon. It might also need to be calibrated so the bass is more of a wave. (Make sure LFE is active for home theater) You'll want to achieve that perfect blend not too faded or too boomy.
Those papers you have hanging in the wall behind you describing Loudspeaker sound radiation, Nonlinearities etc. Where can i get those?
I got them directly from Klippel. I plan to send some out. Track me down on facebook and shoot me your address and I'll send you one.
Do you recommend a Y-Splitter if the sub has an LFE IN?
Should work fine. I think that's what I used, actually.
I've tried to tune the crossover on this and it still plays way too high any way to change the db of the crossover?
You may need to activate the crossover on your AVR, then.
Your sub reviews are the best!
Any thoughts on the 400w version for a few bucks more?
I'm asking the same question right now. No one seems to know anything about the 400w version
Hey Erin! Love the videos man. Very helpful and honest with the numbers to back it. I was wondering if you've heard any of the dayton budget subs SUB 1000, 1200. I have the 1000 in my budget system and I was very impressed at first and wondered if they were comparable to to like monoprice or polk. Thanks again man!! Happy new year!
I haven't yet but the Dayton subwoofers are on my list to test in the future. I reached out to see if they'd be willing to loan me some of their products to review but they don't do that (so they said). So I'm just waiting to get enough spare change to be able to purchase one to review myself.
How does this sound vs the monolith 16? I can't decide
16 will blow it away...not even fair!
Hey what's up nice video. Am trying to pick up a 15 sub for my living room theater lol. Am thinking about the monoprice sw-15 or the Daton Audio 1500, 15" sub witch one do think I should get. Thanks
Honestly, I don’t know. Both brands are great. Though, my experience with the Dayton SUB-1200 wasn’t as positive as others’. I’ve not run into an issue with Monoprice stuff (when considering their price, especially).
@@ErinsAudioCorner thanks I think I will try the monoprice SW-15
What’s the absolute cheapest subwoofer or speaker that will physically make the floor or walls vibrate? Regardless the sound quality is bad lol
Spinny base is a nice addition haha, better than a tower of cardboard boxes 😅
True that!
Just found your channel today. So educational, and I love your videos!!
Awesome! Thank you!
Hi Erin - am new to this channel and hifi setups in general. Am planning on getting this to complement my edifier R1280DBS for a budget desktop setup for music and videos. Watched the video but it puzzles me how a sub that is released many years ago is still the relevant value pick for today? Wouldn't the industry have better technology developed to create better sound at lower cost prices in the span of so many years?
Not so in the budget category. I paired the Elac Sub1010 with the Edifier 1855db and 1700bts and it sounds crazy good. Most musical sub Ive come across, the Polk sounds like dried wood compared to the Elac.
Wirecutter had the Dayton Audio Sub 1200 as the best budget subwoofer and beating this Monoprice in output measurements. You should test it if you get the chance.
Well, here ya' go! ua-cam.com/video/eqRGeLBijc8/v-deo.html
I have these subwoofer can I add elac subwoofer as my second sub will the performance?
I say get another Monoprice so you have a matching set. But the Elac would work, too.
set the crossover to 150, and plug a subwoofer cable straight into the white, now you dont need a y splitter
I would love to see you test a BIC F-12 to see how it stacks up against the other budget subs. I have listened to a lot of other F-12 reviews and most are very positive but none of them actually measure them like you did. Supposedly, it will play deeper making it a better budget option but would like to see it tested as I find numbers to be more objective, though your observation regarding the resonance heard on the Monoprice is something that wouldn't be seen in the numbers so that was very good info also.
I do plan to test that one at some point. It might be a few months, though. I need the temperature to warm up and to get a few other things tested first.
is this subwoofer louder then the Mirage frx s10? please respond
No idea.
Great job that presentation alone has me sold I know what il be getting thanks
Ugh I just received the delivery of my Monoprice 12" sub yesterday. Big mistake. For me the resonance/rattle starts at about 104hz and continues to 111, peaking at 107. Really disappointing. And even worse is that the rattle even happens at low volumes. I know that because this sub will NOT get loud (even at full gain) without completely cranking master volume WAY beyond where I would listen. Seriously, my phone's speaker is louder than the sub. What the heck?!
They are $83 right now with square enclosure. I wonder how it measures now being square...
Dang, you're right it isn't the same enclosure.
I picked up two at that price. Was surprised it doesn't go lower than 50hz.
What if you seal the port with foam or something? Would it wound better?
It would change the roll-off characteristic. That could be useful depending no your goal. But if I were going to seal it, I would likely look at other options to see if there is something more suited for what I need.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Gotcha. i have been looking at some of the things i want, and a sub was one of them. i have around $100. what would you most suggest for 100? (new or used).
@@sagered8007 honestly, man, this is probably the best you're going to get with that budget. I don't even see how someone could DIY one with materials costs below $100. I don't know how Monoprice is able to create and sell something at this price and make profit.
Maybe there is something I'm unaware of out there. Or maybe if you have some stuff lying around. But you're looking at probably $20 in MDF. Then $50 for a decent drive unit. And then you need an amp. I just don't see it.
Listening to this with my 8 inch Mirage Omni that dips down to 25 Hz.
new sub here..you earned it with these exemplary reviews that give the info others dont even bother with..well done!
Just bought 2 of these based on your review.
Cool. Hopefully they fit your needs. Not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but in its price class, it seems to be one of the better performers (since I haven't tested the Daytons yet).
Can anyone tell me the ohm impedence on high and low inputs?
You did a great job for me since I have just got one Mono price sub so you were a big help and your diagnosis was fantastic too.
🏆👍🏻😎👍🏻☀️
Great video!! So, what is the least expensive subwoofer that will get down to the 30 Hertz response?
I can’t answer that just yet. Will take me obtaining and testing others. I have finished testing the Monoprice Monolith 10/12/15-inch subwoofers and the 10-inch will play down to 30Hz easily. But I imagine other 12’s lower in cost will (maybe just not as loudly).
@@ErinsAudioCorner Really?? Monoprice Monolith 10's? Maybe a pair of those will give me the THUMP that I am looking for... Have you tested them? And would they still beat the Polk and Elac from your other video?
@@AZRob. yea, I’ve tested them. Haven’t had a chance to do the reviews yet. Absolutely would be better than those subs.
@@ErinsAudioCorner I just went to their website, and the 10's look great but, I'm looking to get 2 of them, and I haven't been able to convince myself to pay a thousand dollars just for the subs.. yet.. LOL
I'm hoping to find a pair of decent subs for around 6 hundred bucks, if that's possible. I guess I will subscribe to your channel and wait to see what you find in your tests.
The RSL Speedwoofers would be 800 bucks, and I'm seeing a lot of people speak highly of them. And, If I do decide to spend more money, I would have to consider the entry level SVS, as I'm hearing a lot of good about them as well.
I reached out to SVS to see if they would be willing to send loaners. They replied back asking what I’d be interested in testing. I replied back. But haven’t heard anything since then; late last week. Hopefully they are still willing to loan me some test samples to review.
Great review, very informative. Thanks!
Just ordered one via your link this afternoon - thanks for the review!
Oh, sweet! Thanks for the support!
I have mine set up and am pleased with the sound quality. One unexpected thing is that the volume from the new sub is low compared to the 50-W sub that came with my Klipsch theater pack. I'm running 2 subs and have the volume on the Monoprice sub at 100%, and I have to set the volume on the Klipsch sub at about 35% to make them sound balanced. I did some testing to eliminate the cables and sub line outs on my AVR as possible causes. Is this normal for the Monoprice sub?
Its between this or the perlisten dominus.
Makes sense.
Thanks for the review, it's gone up in price a little and I purchased this to complement my bookshelf speakers. Hasn't arrived yet but...whoah..didn't realize how huge this thing is watching this next to you shows the size of it compared to the Amazon pics of it. I was gonna grab a $500 sub but thought to give this a shot and maybe save some monies.
how is it working out for you?
@@docwho10th88 It's working out great. It booms loud when a certain track calls for it and stays quiet when the track is quiet. Didn't take long for me to set it up. Hooked it up straight to the subwoofer out of my receiver.
Fantastic review, love the frequency test!
Thank you!
Thanks for the videos. What I think I will do is get two of the elac subwoofers and put bookshelf speakers on them. What I would like to do is an easy DIY way of introducing a high-pass filter on the bookshelfs so they do not have to labor to put out the sub 200hz signal. Please comment if anybody has a good way of doing this.
I have 4 of these. 3 in the big room, 1 solo in the small room. 1 just died after a couple years. That's how I found this video. Looking to replace it with something a little more reliable. .
Reminds me of the $100 cheap radioshack garbage subs by Optimus hehe
Great videos keep it up! Love the data access too.
Can I use lef cable? Work?
Yep. You will need a y-cable to split the LFE cable in to two since the subwoofer had Left & Right RCA inputs.
Would this be better than the sub that comes with the Logitech z906 HTiB? I have a 5.1.2 setup, looking to upgrade to 2 subs but want to replace the logitech one if this is better. May just buy 2 of these. AVR is denon x1300w
I don’t know for certain. But I would assume so based simply on the fact the z906 uses an 8-inch subwoofer. The Monoprice is a 12-inch.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Thanks so much! I found an SVS SB12 - NSD for $300 used and excited to hear the difference. Picking it up in a few hours
Might be too late but even the Elac and Polk would outperform the z906 sub. The z906 is boost3d way too much at 45 - 60hz, giving the false impression of being powerful but in reality it doesnt go low. It loses a lot of authority at around 40 - 45hz and it is nowhere near linear.
Thanks 4 b honest and help us
Acoustic Audio PSW600-15 should be good for price point
Thank you I just used your link to the Elac about 2 hours ago lol
Sweet! Thanks for the support!
It goes down to 50hz? That's amazing because my Audioengine A5's do that and they have 5" woofers
LOL. Yea, I get your point. But, these at least have more displacement. You pay for whatcha get, though.
@@ErinsAudioCorner True dat, my audioengines are $400/pair which is 4X the price of this sub
its because amp is not flat in A5 and its like eq on bass. and that 50hz mostly come from port in the back.
Any budget sub would enhance the bass on powered bookshelves, even the 38hz rated Edifier S3000Pro. A sub is a sub, a powered bookshelf that is rated to the same exact spec as a speaker will have 10 times more volume in the vass department.
@@suprerxero yes, but this sub has a down firing port
Excellent review. Thank you very much!
Glad it was helpful!