In a decade of conducting brand-concealed listening tests at Wirecutter, we’ve learned that people don’t love the sound of their music or movies if it’s lacking bass. Fortunately, adding bass to most audio systems is easy: Just get a subwoofer. But that subwoofer can be anything from a shoebox-sized, under-$100 model to a $50,000, 458-pound monster—and you have hundreds of options in between. How do you choose?
Our subwoofer guide has a number of recommendations priced between roughly $200 and $900, but we thought it would be helpful to go a little deeper (so to speak) and explain what you can expect as you move up in price.
Here are five things that add to the cost of a subwoofer.
Higher output
If you have a large listening space or you enjoy listening at very high volume levels, you should choose a subwoofer—or several—with high output. The more output a subwoofer delivers, the fuller and clearer the bass sounds at loud volumes. The more output it has at the lowest bass frequencies, the more it’ll shake your couch when you’re listening to bass-heavy music or action movies.
Getting high output from a subwoofer requires larger or beefier speaker drivers, more powerful amplifiers, and, in most cases, a larger enclosure—all of which increase the cost.
Unfortunately, most manufacturers specify only a subwoofer’s bass extension, meaning the deepest frequency the sub can play. However, many subwoofers can play deep notes only at low volumes, which may leave your system sounding thin when you turn it up. We take our measurements a step further, using the CTA-2010 method to offer standardized output results across multiple frequencies.
But more output isn’t better for all situations. Almost any subwoofer has enough output for lighter music such as classical, jazz, or easy listening. And if you live in an apartment or condo, an overly powerful subwoofer is likely to annoy your neighbors; when I owned a co-op in Brooklyn, even my little 8-inch subwoofer was enough to have them pounding on my door if I set the sub’s volume level any higher than two.
Smaller size
Some people prefer their bass to be heard but not seen. If that’s you, know that subwoofer designers have a saying: “Small size, low cost, and bass extension—pick two.” In other words, you can enjoy deep bass from a relatively cheap subwoofer, but it has to be big. Getting high output from a small subwoofer requires a beefed-up speaker driver, a more powerful amplifier, and a more robust enclosure, all of which add to the cost.
If you want a small, relatively high-output subwoofer that doesn’t detract from a room’s decor—something like the SVS SB-1000 Pro, a model that we recommend in our guide—you’re likely to pay a much higher price than you would for a larger subwoofer with similar output.
A more balanced sound
Subwoofers can have a different sonic character depending on their physical design and the way their internal audio-processing circuitry is tuned. Some models produce tight, well-defined bass notes that are ideal for most types of music, while others have a fuller but somewhat looser and less-defined sound that works well for action-movie explosions. Less-expensive models usually lean toward loose (many people would call them “boomy”), although our budget pick, the Monoprice SW-12, has a tighter sound than many comparably priced subs we’ve tested.
Spending more for a subwoofer can buy you more balanced performance, namely bass notes that are full, satisfying, and couch-shaking, yet still precise and well defined. This is why we prefer our top pick, the Rogersound Speedwoofer 10S MKII, to the less-expensive Monoprice SW-12. Even though the SW-12 has higher measured output, the Speedwoofer 10S MKII’s more balanced sound makes it seem more powerful and gives it a more tuneful, musical sound.
The size and shape of your room also affect the subwoofer’s sound, as do the positions of the subwoofer and your listening seat. And that brings us to the next consideration.
Extra features to fine-tune the sound
Some more expensive subwoofers offer features that let you fine-tune the sound to better suit the acoustics of your room or your taste in bass. These features are less important if you take the time to properly position your subwoofer, but your room layout may prevent you from putting your sub in the perfect place.
If you’re connecting your subwoofer to an AV receiver that has room correction built in, you may not need any extra tuning features in the subwoofer itself. Room correction works by sending test tones out of your speakers and subwoofers, measuring their response with a microphone, and then making automatic adjustments. But if your audio system doesn’t include room correction, having a subwoofer with built-in automatic room correction or manual equalization (the ability to fine-tune specific ranges of sound) is likely to improve the sub’s performance.
These features are usually built into a smartphone app, which makes them easy for you to adjust from your listening chair. However, getting good results via manual equalization requires the use of an audio spectrum analyzer (available in apps such as AudioTool for Android or Spectrum Analyzer RTA for iOS) and some degree of audio expertise.
Some subwoofers offer simpler physical adjustments, such as the tuning switches and port plugs supplied with our upgrade pick, the Hsu Research VTF-2 MK5. These subwoofers are great for audio enthusiasts who have the patience to experiment with different settings and configurations, and they can sometimes offer a wider range of sound options than subwoofers that you adjust through an app.
More attractive styling
Most subwoofers priced under $1,000 take the form of large, matte-black boxes with black fabric grilles, which in many living rooms are no more welcome than an Iron Maiden poster.
Fortunately, subwoofers that offer tasteful design and attractive finishes are available too, but they almost always cost more. For example, Definitive Technology’s Descendo DN10 looks great and performs well, but we tested similarly priced models with more pedestrian looks that offered higher output.
Many SVS subwoofers are available in a gloss black finish that looks sleeker than the stock black-ash finish, but the gloss finish costs $100 extra. Enthusiast-speaker companies such as Bowers & Wilkins, KEF, and Revel offer some especially stylish subwoofer designs, but they generally cost well over $1,000.
Buying a subwoofer is, arguably, even more complicated than buying a speaker, but it’s worth the effort to find the right fit for you and your room. There’s probably no other upgrade that can produce a more clearly audible effect on your sound system. Just ask my old neighbors from Brooklyn.
This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.
