@@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!
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 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 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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
If a 12" sub that is 17.5" cubed can't put out less than 50Hz, then what are we talking about? HOW can a 12" in that cab NOT hit 35Hz or at least 40. There are cheap subs rated to mid thirties +/- 3db! So what are we saying! Are you saying we can't get 90db+ at 35Hz OR we can't get 110db+ at 35? BECAUSE, most WIVES are NOT going to let us run a sub at some ridiculously loud SPL! I've certainly heard some cheaper subs produce ACCEPTABLE bass at 35hz or a little lower. Real world listening might be a useful reference point as well, no! I am NOT saying cheaper subs can reach to 25hz or lower, or that they can threaten your walls at 30hz. But good effects into the 30s, no? Really? Not what I am hearing! Any sub can do 50hz. Heck, the first generation Elac Debut B6 bookshelves can produce a hearable tone at 45hz. One you don't have to strain to hear at 85db+!
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?!
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. 👍
Ima mix engineer those frequencies are hyped. Cause truely anything below 55hz is cut out because its mud. You being tricked into believing your sub is playing that low thats speaker enhancement manufacturer coil tuning
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?
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!
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.
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
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?
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!
HOW can a 12" sub NOT produce a 40hz signal-(an Elac Debut B6 oriiginal bookshelf can almost do that). Really? You should be able to get mid=30s. According to Monoprice this sub can put out almost 110db at 40hz? I don't know about you, but I'm never going to run a sub at 110db in my living room, or else there might be a divorce in my future. So this sub with 150 watt RMS should be able to put out some hearable output at 30-32 hz. And, frankly, that's good enough. WHO needs to do 20hz at 120db? Why don't you just SAY that if you want OUTPUT into the 20-25 hz zone you need to spend more than $500. Because, frankly, that seems like the appropriate thing to say, no? Chuffing? You can minimize that by PLACEMENT. I've found placement can almost eliminate a lot of chuffing. Using a Polk PSW12 which has a supposed 33 hz bottom at 3db, a 12" driver and similar power with two placements. The preferred placement REDUCES the chuffing by 80-90%. And it DOES produce bass in the low 30s also?
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.
Hello Sir, I noticed you said mid sub range, so I was wondering, if I have Yamaha NS-6490 3-Way Bookshelf Speakers would this Monoprice 12” add anything to my setup? If not do you have a recommendation? Love the video, great info. Thanks CK
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.
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.
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?
I had this subwoofer for 3 years and for $100 it was great. It broke on me few weeks ago and I'm looking for a replacement. What would you recommend for under 200? This or another sub? Thanks!
I have 4 of these. 3 in the big room, 1 solo in the small room. 1 just died after a couple years. That's how I found this video. Looking to replace it with something a little more reliable. .
Hey Erin! Love the videos man. Very helpful and honest with the numbers to back it. I was wondering if you've heard any of the dayton budget subs SUB 1000, 1200. I have the 1000 in my budget system and I was very impressed at first and wondered if they were comparable to to like monoprice or polk. Thanks again man!! Happy new year!
I haven't yet but the Dayton subwoofers are on my list to test in the future. I reached out to see if they'd be willing to loan me some of their products to review but they don't do that (so they said). So I'm just waiting to get enough spare change to be able to purchase one to review myself.
I have 2 sw15s and STRONGLY recommend them for first time home theater buyers. Paired with a dayton dsp (they absolutely need it to make up for terrible tuning freq of the box) they're the best bang for buck power on the market. 600 watts RMS, 15 inch driver for 200 bucks on labor day. 300 bucks msrp. Absolutely a steal. Sound quality isn't that bad, not 1500 dollar monolith 15, but also fractions upon fractions of the cost.
So do I get the monolith 15 or this, to pair with a mm-5s? lol. Mainly music, deathcore, death metal, bass drops. Overhead presses, deadlifts, lu raises. I should have jumped on the Monolith 10 on ebay for 427$ shipped. I don't wanna move my elemental designs a2-300's into this room to help the mm-5's out.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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 ...
The link is in my description. It's actually $92.99 now. So, you're right... it's not $99. 😀 www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9723&AID=11552490&PID=7732025&ref=cj&Erin+Hardison-4466269&cjevent=10a5ee6d9b2a11eb80d801c10a82b820
I would love to see you test a BIC F-12 to see how it stacks up against the other budget subs. I have listened to a lot of other F-12 reviews and most are very positive but none of them actually measure them like you did. Supposedly, it will play deeper making it a better budget option but would like to see it tested as I find numbers to be more objective, though your observation regarding the resonance heard on the Monoprice is something that wouldn't be seen in the numbers so that was very good info also.
I do plan to test that one at some point. It might be a few months, though. I need the temperature to warm up and to get a few other things tested first.
So, as you recommended to me as a real budget setup I plan to purchase the Neumi BS5 speakers, and I also found the center speaker I might snag as well. Would this sub be a good pair to go with them? Also, if I were to want to spend a little more on the subwoofer to be able to get better output below 50Hz, what would be the budget option in your opinion? I would need it powered, and I know they start to jump in price quickly, but I am a little of a bass junkie and love low notes.
Within a budget, I think the setup you are asking about is fine. Certainly, you can do better. But at what cost? This hobby is a rabbit hole and how far you want to go down it is up to you. I think starting off small and learning what you like and don’t like before spending a lot of money is a rational way to go about it.
@@ErinsAudioCorner I used your link and the subwoofer came in yesterday. Snagged a shirt as well! I tested the sub all day just messing around trying to figure out where it sounds best in the room. Much better than expected to be honest, and it gets rowdy. Klipsch sent me a deal on a pair of their R-625FA towers, pair of R-41M bookshelf's and the R-52C center for like 700$ shipped. All together it sounds good enough for what I was wanting. You have been great help!
I've 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.
