My list of compact subs with room correction.


Hi guys! The topic of room-corrected subwoofers has been raised on the forum several times. I am also interested in this issue. In addition, I need one relatively inexpensive, compact and nice-looking (not monstrous), but powerful enough and playing deep, as much as possible for this size, subwoofer, primarily for music, then for movies. Closed enclosures with a 10/12-inch woofer and a DSP processor, costing around 1000-1500 euros, fit these requirements. (I live in Europe, so euro, cm and kg). I have compiled a shortlist of 10 suitable subwoofers. You can buy them new in 2024.

This table can be useful for those who have small and medium-sized listening rooms, neighbors, no freedom with the location of the subwoofer, limited space, a corresponding budget and claims to the design. Wives will be happy. And also for those who value control using an application on a smartphone.

Of course, the table does not contain all the characteristics and reviews, but you can read about this in the tests and reviews. Information is taken from open sources.

There are exceptions* in the list, but these models are still worth considering for other parameters.

For myself, I have settled on the Buchardt SUB10, because I have acoustics from this company and for the above parameters.

I will be glad to hear comments from owners on your experience of using these devices. If this was useful to anyone, please write and write what you are leaning towards and why, and also, if there are other options for subwoofers on this topic.

PS: Please do not write that you need two, or even better, four subwoofers and that SVS is generally the coolest. This is not relevant to the topic, they write this everywhere anyway.

Full picture:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/00/7f/31/007f317e941c4bd47a652d038c2c60ff.jpg

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Interesting, thanks for posting. This may be useful to me as I have moved my system to a new room and have not even tried my REL yet, as the speakers have been adequate. But there is really only one spot for a subwoofer, so some magic may be required to make it blend. Are dsp subs more suitable for home theater or do they work well for two channel as well?

@zlone You are welcome. Room correction is not possible without DSP processor.  DSP is a digital signal processing system. That's why all in the list have it. It allows you to fine-tune the settings of your sub, not just gain and crossover, DSP can correct the acoustic limitations of your room, providing optimized sound reproduction. So it will be useful for both, movies and music. This should help to integrate sub into the stereo/HT system. I also think it gives some freedom in placement of a sub but of cource within reasonable limits.